Before we get into this, I think it’s important that you know I am a big Jojo Moyes fan. That woman has not written anything I don’t like (yet). Reading a Moyes novel for me is less about being blown away by profound literary prowess and more about how she makes me feel, which is like curling up under my coziest blanket with a warm beverage and soft reading light – regardless of the season I’m in. So to say I’m biased is probably a bit of an understatement. There, that’s out of the way, let’s being.
Lila is at her wits end. She has a sulking teenager, a rambunctious elementary schooler (primary school, here in the UK), a house that is falling apart at the seams, and to top it all off she has to see her ex husband’s gorgeous new partner at school pick up every day (every day she goes, that is). Did we mention that her biggest literary success was on making her marriage work? If that wasn’t enough to kick a woman when she’s down, her very absent father has just reappeared at her doorstep needing a place to live, much to the disgust of her stepdad who seems to have been quietly moving in ever since Lila’s mom passed. Honestly, what is a woman to do?
Moyes takes us on a tender, hilarious, and touching story of what really makes a family, amidst all the dysfunction, and the ways that healing can come in unexpected places. It’s a sweet story about new chapters and addressing old wounds, and I loved and cringed at all the chaos along the way. I think it would make an excellent beach read, and while it hasn’t rocketed to take the spot of ‘favorite Moyes novel’ (that will probably always be the Me Before You series), it’s certainly one I enjoyed and would recommend.
2% Rating: 7/10
Recommend? Yes
Re-Read? Potentially, but would probably read other Moyes novels first
Time: 1:23
(Another honourable mention for ‘favorite Moyes’ would be The Girl You Left Behind)