This is a perfect romance in the light read category.
At twenty, Lily Connor has the first opportunity to travel
overseas from USA to London as a part of a study abroad programme for one term.
Her roommate in the tiny dorm room is another study abroad student, Bennett
Burke. Nerdy, hardworking Lily is not exactly flush with money while Bennet
seems to be the quintessential spoilt, rich girl. The unlikely twosome strike
up a comfortable friendship which turns more. But that ends badly. Six years
thence, Lily has made a success of herself as a wedding planner. So much so
that the boss and owner (Diane) of the company she works in, Southerland
Wedding Company, wants to retire and promote Lily to handling the organisation.
One of the big wedding being planned is Diane’s nice, Nora’s wedding. Diane
hand over the entire planning of this wedding to Lily. Lily is flattered but
nervous. Lily’s nervousness is in no way assuaged when Nora and her fiancé go
away on a pre-wedding holiday leaving the planning to Lily and Nora’s bestie,
Bennet. The unexpected reappearance of the past throws Lily and Bennet into a
tailspin as they try to reconcile the past, deal with the present and grapple
with their feelings.
We absolutely loved reading this one with the two lovey,
lovely ladies. The book is written with chapters alternating between the past
and present so we are witness to the start of their feelings for each other,
the growing romance and also their current state of being. This so helps in
completely empathising with how both Lily and Bennet feel and where exactly they
are. We absolutely love it when both people in a relationship have the same
strength of love for each other. Bennet’s love is textbook romantic, passionate,
profound and brave. Lily’s love is like Humdrum
by The Coors, runs deep and strong. We loved that the relationship in the
present is written realistically, in the sense, there is a lot of dealing with
past hurt and struggle to get beyond that instead of nastiness, huge angst
and/or victimhood (on either of their parts). We really enjoyed by how both,
past and present unfolded and didn’t feel a single negative emotion for either
Lily or for Bennet. In fact, even in their worst circumstances and behaviours,
we only felt for both of them.
We recommend this one unreservedly.
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
