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The Premise

Never-travelled-anywhere travel agent Marie is newly single in more ways than one — after being betrayed by her ex-boyfriend, she faces even more singledom as her best friend is about to migrate to the USA. Determined to reinvent herself or die trying, Marie focuses on attracting stylish, sophisticated friends. But alas, the friends that seem to come her way are an eclectic bunch of misfits. And then there’s Brian, with whom there’s a consistent bubble of attraction as their friendship blooms — but have they friend-zoned each other for too long?

The Pros

With quirky easy-to-love characters, this was a sweet story that fell squarely in the “chick lit” category — a blend of Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic-esque impossibly implausible situations, with a sprinkle of British humour and romantic comedy. I liked all the characters, and the dialogue kept me laughing all the way through. I also noted the heavier overtones of Marie’s hurt after being betrayed by her ex, and her best friend’s uncertainty and anxiety about her life decisions — these are portrayed well and keep the story grounded, rather than being too over-the-top with its cutesy-ness.

Marie’s romance with Brian is the definition of slow-burn — if that’s your cup of tea, then this will hit the right spots! From antagonistic suspicion to begrudging friendship to eventual love, I was rooting for them all the way! I also loved her friendships with each individual character, as well as the overall “Thursday night” group as a whole. It was lovely and heartwarming to see all of these relationships developing despite their strange combination of personalities and situations. Finally, the twist at the end is unusual, and so sweet — I was expecting all kinds of crazy ideas, but never saw it coming… and it was so much better than anything I’d considered!

The Cons

While I enjoyed the story, it did seem to be a bit slow at times, where it felt as though some events were “told” rather than “shown”. I found myself putting down the book whenever this happened, but kept going back because I wanted to see what happened to Marie and her friends! That was unfortunate, as a swifter pace could’ve made a fair bit of difference.

Conclusion

Ultimately, there are many great messages here that are uplifting — friendship, love, loyalty, family, and so much more. Though I was twitching to chop out a chunk of it to get on with the story, overall it winds things up beautifully in the end, and it’s worth the journey to get there! I noticed it’s part of a series, and although I don’t think it needs to be (things seem to be tied up quite nicely!), I would perhaps pick up another in the series to see what happens to Marie and her odd bunch of friends. Also, beyond this series, as I enjoyed the author’s writing style, I’d love to read more books by her.

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