The title of the book had us believing that this is a
Sapphic retelling of Pride and Prejudice in
a contemporary context. We were only half correct – it is a contemporary
romance, but there is nothing of the beloved classic in it.
At fifty-one, Verity Forsyth has taken an early retirement
from her work as a wealth manager. With enough money, she is a lady of leisure,
trying out various hobbies and pitching in as a babysitter to her grand-nephew.
Katie Ross is firmly entrenched in the gig economy. She is a freelance content
writer and also a food delivery courier. Moving away from a toxic relationship,
Katie rents the downstairs apartment in the Victorian house where Verity lives.
Coming from two opposite ends of lifestyle and background, Verity and Katie exchange
words whenever they run into each other. However, when Katie is stabbed in a
mugging incident involving her bike, Verity is the only person who knows Katie that
the police can reach. Under the posh, painstakingly fastidious façade, Verity
is a kind soul and takes responsibility for her injured neighbour, despite
their earlier differences.
We absolutely loved the way the relationship between the two
ladies developed. There is nothing hurried about relationship that develops perfectly organically. There is definite attraction
but not fire between the two and yet the growing feelings between them are so
evident. Radley creates two people with self-esteem issues. Self-esteem and self-worth
issues are surprisingly common maladies with a plethora of symptoms,
behavioural characteristics and layers. Sadly, they are mostly overlooked,
unacknowledged and unaddressed. We applaud the author for writing Verity and Katie
with different forms of these issues and the different ways in which they
manifest in the two of them. Recognising the trait in the other and acknowledging
it in a gentle, loving way makes the relationship between them special and
convinces us that these two are indeed going to be happy together.
This is a lovely easy to read romance.
⭐⭐⭐⭐★
