Review: “Virtually Yours”
I chose this book from an ARC program because after seeing loads of writing memes about post-Covid romance, I was curious to see how one would be written!
The Premise
Picture it: New York, 2020. Sophie, an art conservator and serious germaphobe, has been locked away in her apartment for months, and is now forced to engage with a new client before she runs out of money to pay her rent. Jacob, talent manager to Hollywood celebs, needs his grandmother’s chair restored. He’s also getting over a “pandemic” breakup that has to be kept under wraps to protect his ex-fiancée/client Savannah’s career. Sparks fly between Sophie and Jacob, but where can they go, if all they can do is Zoom? What does romance and love look like in the era when Covid runs supreme?
The Pros
I’ll admit — I read this book in one day, and I enjoyed it; it did however leave me with a feeling that this would be one of those “guilty pleasures” because I was entertained by a “Covid” romance… maybe it’s a bit too soon to find certain things funny? Regardless, there was a buoyant satire in the humour that kept me reading and smiling all the way through, even when the behaviour of the characters seemed to veer off the rails of ridiculous.
I liked the supporting characters such as Sophie’s friend Casey, and of course the ever-amusing Hurry Curry staff. These characters really flew off the page and I could imagine them easily. The connective similarity to the Spanish Flu was beautifully done, and the novel really shines in that particular spot. I also appreciated the references to the pandemic that helped set the scene — the balcony socialising, the emptiness of the streets, the cancellation of… well, everything; it’s easy to “world-build” since we’re still living through it, but these touches made it come alive.
The Cons
While I enjoyed the book, I wasn’t totally sold on the relationship of the two main characters. While their interactions are cute and humorous as they try to navigate Covid dating norms, they do seem to fall in love very quickly over very little. There were also a few questionable choices — namely, Sophie’s ability to stay locked away for months without a computer felt unlikely (especially as in her line of work, I’m sure online research is key to uncover obscure information about art pieces, and she seemed to be somewhat distant to that concept); and Jacob’s apparent utter laziness to expunge his life and his apartment of his ex-fiancée after how badly she’d treated him. While these two instances were linked to key plot points, you do have to suspend disbelief considerably.
Conclusion
Overall, this was a light, funny, quick read and I would recommend to other readers, particularly female readers. Mind you, the gravity of the illness seems to be largely ignored here. I don’t know how much we can expect a romantic comedy to be an accurate depiction of reality (needless to say, it isn’t), but if you have been personally affected by the pandemic in any way, this (and any other depiction with a comedic spin) may be a trigger! Despite my own niggles, this was a really good book and it is funny, so if you need a good laugh, this would be a great pick. This romantic comedy had enough heart in it to keep my interest, and I look forward to reading more from the author.
