Author: Polly James
Publisher: HarperCollins UK, Avon
Publication Date: June 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon
Description: A hilarious, heart-warming read perfect for fans of Shirley Valentine and You’ve Got Mail.
Could the worst thing that’s ever happened to Hannah Pinkman also turn out to be one of the best?
She and her husband Dan have reached the end of the line. Bored with the same gripes, the same old arguments – in fact, bored with everything – they split up after a trivial row turns into something much more serious.
Now Hannah has to make a new life for herself, but that’s not easy. She’s been so busy being a wife and mum that she’s let all her other interests slip away, along with her friends. And when Hannah is persuaded to join a dating site, her ‘best match’ is the very last person she expects it to be . . .
A clever, funny and poignant novel about life after a long relationship, the importance of friendship, and rediscovering your identity.
My Thoughts: A very enjoyable book about a couple who suddenly decide to split up during a random argument. After a couple decades of marriage, Hannah and Dan Pinkman barely tolerate each other and when they reach the breaking point, Dan moves out and Hannah is left to pick up the pieces and figure out what her next step will be. Her friends convince her to start an online dating profile using Pamela Anderson as her inspiration. To Hannah’s horror and surprise and also excitement, Dan and Pammy connect online and start corresponding.
I got a big kick out of this story and have to say that in all of the online dating trope stories I have read, I have yet to read one where an estranged couple find one another online and begin to like each other again. I wondered frequently throughout this story how Dan would react when he finds out who Pammy really is and how Hannah would be able to keep it from him or how she confesses.
Hannah truly believes her marriage is over so she tries to move on but her heart isn’t really in it. Adding to that is her grown son who lacks any ambition, her elderly aunt Pearl, who is getting more action at the retirement home she lives at, the job she hates and overcoming the fear that nobody will ever want to see her naked again.
This book hit all the marks on fun, charm, wittiness and personality. The characters were easy to relate to and get to know. This was my first Polly James book but it will not be my last. Her sense of humor, snark and sarcasm were brilliant and brought these characters to life. I loved how Hannah’s humanity, faults and all, were displayed so eloquently that I couldn’t help but empathize with her.
For me, Hannah is a character that anyone who has suffered a break-up can see bits of themselves in. Love is never just smooth sailing. It can be messy, chaotic and sometimes painful. When the people who are struggling fight for that love, it’s worth it.
My Final Verdict: Overall, this is an amazing book that I highly recommend to readers who love a happy ending for characters that lose their way but refuse to give up.
Thank you to the author, HarperCollins UK, Avon, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
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