Just Haven't Met You Yet

 

Anyone who’s read or watched enough rom-coms knows exactly how most of them will go: there’s a meet-cute, growing feelings, an adorable montage of blissful happy moments, followed by something that threatens to tear them apart, a reconciliation, and - of course - a happily ever after.  That’s the drill pretty much EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. That’s why I love them! As someone who reads a lot of thrillers and suspense novels, it’s nice to read something with NO suspense at all sometimes.  This book is charmingly self-aware of its rom-com tropes which only adds to the humor and charm.

Twenty-nine-year-old Laura Le Quesne, journalist and host of Love Life - a showcase for meet-cute stories that make audiences swoon - is having her own love life crisis.  She wants the kind of epic love story her late parents had, according to the stories her mother used to tell her about her father, who died when she was very young.  When a work opportunity arises to travel to Jersey, in the UK’s Channel Islands, to retrace the sites of their love story as a feature on the Love Life site, she’s unprepared for all the surprises this trip will have in store for her, including not one … but TWO potential loves.  

Does she want the perfect story … or the perfect man for her? Are they one in the same?

This story is sweet, funny, touching, oozing charm, pretty dang HOT (I’m not blushing, it’s just warm in here), full of wonderful, likable characters, and has a surprising amount of emotional depth and insight about love, loss and the tendency of people to put their hopes in things that may or may not always be as real as they think.  I really liked Laura and her journey of self-discovery. Her two distinctly different potential loves - you’ll love her nicknames for them - were delightful as well.  I encourage you to take a literary trip to this beautiful island setting and its slower pace of life and see if you don’t love it, and these characters, as much as I did. 

Sophie Cousens … thank you for brightening my week. I needed it! 

★★★★ ½ 

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam, NetGalley and author Sophie Cousens for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It’s now available