This is a great almost anti love story; Callum and Lilah are believeable, real people and we watch as their relationship grows, although Liliah has a secret that is the undercurrent of everything else. This is a love story without the schmaltz. It was emotional however, I did feel a tear or two towards the end, because it was written with such realism and it felt like it was truthful. I felt the ending was good, I liked the little added twist, and overall it was a great read. Callum and Lilah meet on a ferry one evening. Callum is annoyed by Lilah having bare feet in public, but enviromental lawyer Lilah is well able to deal with him. They hit it off and have a date - and are soon head-over-heels for each other. But their happiness can't last, because one of them is hiding a terrible secret, one that will destroy any hope of a future together.This has been compared to "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes, but I don't think it was half as good. I sobbed after I finished Me Before You - I didn't cry once while reading this. It is sad, it is emotional, but Callum definitely did not have me at hello. I didn't like him, he didn't grow on me, and I wasn't particularly concerned about him. Sometimes it seemed like the Callum in one chapter was different to the Callum Lilah talked about - she saw him as considerate and kind while I saw him as judgemental and anally retentive. Lilah was a great character - full of wit and bravery. I liked her mother a lot too, and the description of Gosford was lovely, it made me want to go there and pick mandarins with the gardeners. Good story, good writing, but it didn't grab me. I wish the comparison to Me Before You wasn't there from the beginning, because I was ready to pick holes in it immediately. It actually reminded me much more of the movie 'Love and Other Drugs' - I don't know who on earth came up with the comparison to 'One Day', because it's nothing like that book at all. Nor is it anything like 'The Notebook', so I think the description on this book up there at the top could do with a serious overhaul. I would recommend you read this as an original idea - not with an expectation that it's going to be as good as Jojo Moyes.Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.
What do You think about Me Without You (2014)?
This book was a good but not great read. It was mildly entertaining.
—muthu
ARC, kindly provided by the author,in exchange for an honest review.
—bookworm
Thoroughly enjoyed this read. Yes, you need tissues!
—jbelle
