A little later than planned (thank you lockdown part two), today's post is a highlight reel of books I read during September. So without further ado, here's my September read list
The Saturday Morning Park Run by Jules Wake (*)
Rated: 3/5 🌟
The Saturday Morning Park Run starts unexpectedly with Claire, a hot-shot businesswoman who's on the pinnacle of being made a partner at her firm - she neglects other aspects of her life as she's an obsessive workaholic. On the day of an important meeting, she crosses paths (literally, there are coffee spills on their shirts to prove it) with Ashwin Legari, a suave businessman. The pair - despite the initial squabble - decide to go on a date and plan to never see each other again. Add in a job loss, stress leave, and a hilarious old lady with embellished stories called Hilda, and the pair finds their (running) paths cross again. The pair balance an unlikely friendship with one another and Hilda, a stray dog, and Claire's nieces with the difficulties of life using running as a form of escapism.
The plot is very slow-developing, and there is lashings (and overuse) of character descriptions and elements that don't really add to the premise of setting up the park run itself. This is very much a story about choosing what to prioritise in life and the importance of family and friends, and involving yourself with your community. Hilda is by far the best character - her anecdotes were hilarious, not to mention her less-than-subtle matchmaking skills and tracksuit collection. It is an enjoyable story but one I didn't find any particular aspects to warm to, and I finished feeling as though it was a little lackluster.
My Christmas Number One by Leonie Mack (*)
Rated: 1/5 🌟
My Christmas Number One centres around Cara - an amputee pop star from Bristol - who's partnered up with Javi, a Columbian singer known for his sexiness, countless relationships with women he collaborates with, plus a failed marriage and fatherhood. The pair are an unlikely duo to combine - Cara is a very stoic and serious musician, whereas Javi is frivolous and fun - but their record label binds them together in the August heat to record and promote a Christmas single.
The relationship between the two characters is really not believable - there's an excessive flirtation that is placed throughout every few pages as if to reiterate that the pair will fall in love, and the connection they do make seems forced and fake. The constant use of Spanish words, with no translations, can make things difficult to follow especially when it comes to conversations between the main characters
I loved the contrasting descriptions of traditional Christmases in Columbia compared to England, but that's where my praise for this book ends. There was little to no plot to follow, with points such as the appearance of Javi's daughter and his ex-wife seemingly added just to add some drama and excitement to an otherwise dull 'will-they-won't-they' pair.
Just Like You by Nick Hornby (*)
Rated: 3/5 🌟
Set in London 2016 in the run-up to the Brexit referendum, the story centres on an unlikely relationship - not just relating to the division of Britain from the EU, but the division of mid-40s, white female Lucy from her alcoholic husband and the romance she instead forms with 20-something black working-class male Joseph. This isn't a traditional 'boy-meets-girl' romance, and instead, the issues that divide the nation are echoed in their romance. The pair form an unlikely couple - they appear to have little in common - different classes, different jobs, different stages of life, and different views on Brexit.
The interracial relationship faces its difficulties for these reasons and the story focuses on them overcoming obstacles like family introductions. There isn't any real plot to the book I'd say, and instead, once the relationship has been formed you're given insight into these trials and tribulations and their differences are crucially explored through conversations and activities. There was also a lot of time given to Brexit, and whilst yes it does lend itself as the context for the novel, it was overly repeated so it felt much more like a Brexit novel rather than a romance one.
This just seemed to muddle over the 'everyday' rather than the revolutionary, and it was a little flat.
Accidentally In Love by Belinda Missen (*)
Rated: 4/5 🌟
Like a good old British rom-com, Accidentally in Love had me feeling warm and fuzzy. There's a classic boy-meets-girl arc, but with an initial distance between the two. With a focus on the art world, Katharine is a gallery curator who's under-appreciated and overlooked by male counterparts in her London gallery role, so she decides enough is enough and up roots and move back to Sheffield and set up her own gallery, which is no mean feat. Surrounded by her family, and the place she grew up in she meets her not-at-first love interest Kit, who is a complicated tortured artist type who's clearly misunderstood in a 'Hugh Grant' style way.
There's a menagerie of excellent characters - stubborn and determined Katharine, her eccentric family unit - including Dad, step-mum Fiona and lawyer brother Adam - broody artist Kit, and an ex-boyfriend with poor timing which keeps things interesting and believable. The relationship between Katharine and Kit was fantastic - they were sparring, innuendos, and dry quick wit, basically my dream flirting style that makes them more slow-burn and 'hate-to-love' aka one of my favourite troupes.
The plot is believable, there are hilarious moments and also heart-wrenching instances of clarity, and there's a bunch of characters who have problems and flaws just like us. I loved the insight into the art world and what is exactly involved in a gallery opening, and commissioning artists and it provided a great backdrop for the romance - also that blue paint smear moment, SWOON
As many other reviews have said, the story plods along in a realistic way until the ending, and then it is RACECAR SPEED, super rushed, and had me feeling a little deflated. I would've liked it to either drag out a little longer or not rush full speed ahead off a cliff.
One More for Christmas by Sarah Morgan (*)
Rated: 3/5 🌟
With Christmas cliches aplenty - I'm talking a scrooge character, reindeer, presents, and snow - One More for Christmas is a cosy easy read. In a similar style to most rom-coms, the story starts with Gayle, a hotshot closed-off businesswoman and single mum who suffers an accident and re-evaluates the priorities in her life and decides to reconnect with her 2 grown-up children, Samantha and Ella, after 5 years of estrangement. Samantha runs a travel agency specialising in Christmas and festive breaks, whilst Ella is a stay at home mum to Tab, whilst her husband is a lawyer. The family hilariously ends up spending the Christmas season together in a Scottish estate (that Samantha is scouting for her job) amidst snow, a reluctant host family, and a sexy Scottishman named Brodie. There are snowmen, 'how to be a good grandparent' self-help books, delicious sounding food, a dreamy 'I see stars' kiss moment, and actual communication and forgiveness. It was also nice to read the story from the different perspectives, and I wish there were more moments from Kirsty's perspective to see how her family adjusted to hosting Samantha and her guests.
I loved seeing the change and evolution of the characters; especially Gayle and the festive cosy feel of the story, but I was left feeling a little underwhelmed. Whilst I was satisfied with the story, I couldn't help feeling that I could have been more satisfied or more involved, and also I think the lack of epilogue is a mistake as I would've liked to see how the family progressed after the events of the story.
Married at First Swipe by Claire Frost (*)
Rated: 2/5 🌟
Married at First Swipe focuses on a year in the life of two best friends - Hannah and Jess - switching between their perspectives to discuss a course of events. Jess is the head honcho of 'Save the Date', a wedding app that aims to find marriage partners for people as opposed to one-night stand, and in an attempt to increase subscriptions and save the business from financial difficulty, her best mate Hannah agrees to marry a man from the app without ever having met him. It's basically the concept of many MANY reality TV shows (like Married at First Sight, and Love is Blind), but with a lot less punch and drama. I felt as though the pacing is too slow, and there's no real drama or action other than the main 'we-got-married-without-meeting-each-other-beforehand' plotline, and instead, there's a bunch of additional dialogue and circumstances that don't really aid the narrative.
I can see why the author chose to do dual perspectives - one from Jess who's married to her childhood sweetheart, and one from Hannah who's experiencing the trial and tribulations of a new marriage - but it didn't feel cohesive or that it meshed that well together. I really found myself having to push through pages rather than enjoying the story.
