If I Never Met You

Picked this up from the library as it was described as a light romance and I was in the mood for a feel-good beach read type book. Not sure it was really; for one, it's a bit long for a beach read, and for another, a good half or more of the book seems to really be about how Laurie's ex Dan dumps her and how terrible he is and how justifiably upset he is. And don't get me wrong, the author writes that very well and the reader fully agrees Dan is awful and is enraged by his terribleness, good job portraying that, but I spent a bit too much of the book mad at Dan and feeling bad with Laurie to find the book "relaxing" exactly.

Anyway, long story short, as the book blurb says to get back at Dan and so on Laurie and office playboy Jamie decide to have a fake romance for both their benefits; they lay down the rules and contractual deadlines (they are both lawyers) and carefully stage instagram photos and of course, over the several months this goes on they end up discovering they have more in common than they thought and are both actually lovely but misunderstood people etc. with predictable endings and predictable twists. There were some nice female friendships and some good setting-relationships-to-rights-with-parents stuff too. It was well enough written for what it is, though I'm a little tired of romances where both involved parties are ridiculously wealthy and attractive all the time; at least Jennifer Crusie's heroines tend to be a little less perfect-of-face-and-figure, or pick up T. Kingfisher for some fantasy world romances with pleasingly plain, middle-aged protagonists. If you want a slow-simmering British romance with a heavy side of dastardly ex and ridiculously beautiful and glamorous people though, this may be the book for you.