Author: Lynsey James
Publisher: Carina
Publication Date: May 2015
Genre: Chick-Lit
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN
Description: Dear Ava,
How do you start writing a letter to someone, six years after breaking their heart?
Ava is unlucky in love as well as in life. The new office bitch has landed the dating column Ava wanted, and she can't remember the last time she had a second date. It's a good thing she has best friends Max and Gwen to pick up the pieces.
Deep down, Ava knows the reason why one date never turns into two - she's in love with someone else. Someone she's never even met.
It all started six years ago, with a letter from a secret admirer, Mr. Writer…but then they suddenly stopped and Ava was heartbroken.
Now the letters have started again and Ava knows it could mean winning back the dating column at work. This time she's determined to unmask Mr. Writer...and find out once and for all if he's Mr. Right or Mr. Very Definitely Wrong!
My Thoughts: Highly predictable, but good story about a woman looking for her Mr. Right who is right under her nose. I enjoyed the premise of a secret admirer writing anonymous letters to Ava beginning six years prior. As suddenly as the letters began, they mysteriously stop after she is stood up by the letter writer. Ava has never forgotten him or gotten over what might have been had he shown up.
When the letters begin arriving again, Ava is filled with hope that the outcome will be much different and begins an investigation to determine who the admirer is. So, this story is quite predictable in that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who the letter writer is, but the bigger questions of why he didn’t show up six years ago and why he is resuming the letter writing now were significant and needed answering.
With her best friends, Max and Gwen along for moral support, Ava creates a list of potential suspects and begins to meet them to see if they are the one. Ava has a lot of trust and abandonment issues so I was more interested in what would happen once she learned who he was. In addition, Ava is developing a story reuniting a couple who missed their happily ever after fifty years ago, which really appealed to me and left me anticipating the outcome of that more than Ava learning who her admirer is.
The story moved at a decent pace and held my interest for the most part, though I was thoroughly frustrated with Ava for pushing the love of her life away. I understood why she does, but it still annoyed me. Perhaps if Ava had gotten out of her own head sooner, she would see what everyone else could clearly see standing right in front of her.
My Final Verdict: Fans of chick-lit romances as well as stories of second chances will enjoy this book. I recommend this story to all readers who enjoy a happily ever after and don’t mind a bumpy ride getting there.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Just the Way You Are from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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