One Plus One

After reading another Jojo Moyes book, I realize there's a bit of a formula to her books and this was more formulaic in plot than I liked. From the second chapter, I knew what was going to happen. There were a few hurdles I wasn't expecting towards the end but it wasn't enough to make me chance my initial opinion.

If you haven't read any other Jojo Moyes AND you like English-village-romances-with-quirky-characters-and-a-rich-guy-who-gets-his-comeuppance, you will quite enjoy this book. If not, give this a miss.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One Plus One is an entirely different type of geeky love story – Ed is a wealthy half-owner of a software company who has a lawsuit looming over his head because accidently gives away insider trading details for his company. Jess is really a large mess – she has two children that she busts her butt for but just can't make ends meet. Her daughter, Tanzie, has been accepted to attend an elite math school, and the Math Olympiad with a $5000 prize is their only hope of paying he tuition. Not to mention, the problems with her son, Nicky, getting beaten up at school over and over. Thus, ensues a brilliant adventure where Ed's and Jess's lives are tangled together and they go from silently tolerating one another to sparking romance in just a few days during one road trip with enough mishaps to last a lifetime.

This is the definition of a romantic comedy – and one that was well written. There is substantial character development. Jess's life has had so many things go wrong that you can't help but hope with your whole gut that something goes right for her. Ed also has so much riding on his shoulders – when the story begins, he is merely trying to do something to help someone else in order to forget his own troubles. And Tanzie and Nicky's voices add perfectly to the story to bring an outside view into Jess and Ed's world.

The only drawback to this book, is the intensity with Jess and Ed's romance. It was 0 to 60 in about a day. I guess this is slightly excusable because they were stuck in a car together 24/7.. but it still bothers me. However, not enough to not enjoy the rest of the story. It's just a great feel-good summer read... all the way down to retaliation against the boys who continue to beat Nicky. It makes you laugh out loud at Tanzie's quirkiness and cry right along with Jess during her heartbreak at her life's circumstances. I was 100% invested in all the characters. Oh and I read it in less than a day... I definitely wouldn't mind a sequel!

This review is also posted on Great Minds Read Alike.