Freya and I agreed to meet at Pelicano Coffee Co in The Lanes, which we had been to before during happier times and it was one of our favourites...
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The Blurb
Spouses Without Benefits - how can you move on without moving out?
Freya and Joe’s marriage has fizzled its way to the end, but for financial reasons, and to support their daughter in her final year of school, they decide they need to keep living together for six months.
They know it won’t be easy, but for Joe at least, it provides creative rewards: a struggling sitcom writer, he has found his new project. Why not write about his own situation? And the network loves it.
There is just one problem - Freya doesn’t know.
Can Freya and Joe navigate the six months together and might they find out something new about their relationship?
My Review
I enjoyed reading this rom com very much and it has a lot to offer.
The chapters are told from the points of view of the two main characters, Joe and Freya. They live with their teenage daughter Dolly who is heading off to university in the next six months. Joe and Freya's marriage has come to an end, but they agree to live in the family home until Dolly leaves.
From Joe's chapters of the book, we can ascertain that he still loves Freya. As a writer of sitcoms, he hasn't had much work of late and so decides to write a sitcom based around their situation. He knows that he must tell Freya and hopefully, receive her approval but he just never seems to find the right time to tell her.
This situation perfectly sums up why their marriage has fizzled out. Although Joe's job as a writer is in itself an ability to communicate ideas and feelings to others, when it comes to doing so with Freya he never seems able to do it. He has been unable to communicate with her about so much and keeps his feelings to himself. He is a jovial character, preferring to consistently see the positive side of life, even when it is sometimes inappropriate.
Although it is Freya who has instigated the separation, I got the distinct impression that deep down she still loved Joe. However, her frustrations with him override her feelings. The whole book has a will they/won't they vibe and I found myself rooting for them throughout.
They were both good characters who were fun to read about. I thought the author did a great job with portraying them and their attitudes and feelings. The secondary characters were equally well written.
I thought this was brilliantly written, and the author captured the atmosphere in the house skillfully. Conversations with friends and family about the situation were excellently done and stopped the book becoming too insular.
This book both saddened and amused me at times. It was extremely funny in parts which balanced perfectly with the less happy points in the novel.
It is an extremely well put together novel and I highly recommend it.
Book Details:
ISBN: 978 1804368589
Publisher: Hera Books
Formats: e-book and paperback
No. of Pages: 352 (paperback)
Purchase Links
About the Author
JON RANCE writes novels about love, family, relationships, and all the messy bits in between. His novels have been described as hilarious, romantic, and perfect for fans of Mike Gayle and Beth O’Leary.
His first two books, This Thirtysomething Life and Happy Endings, were published by Hodder and Stoughton. Since then, he has written numerous novels including, Sunday Dinners, Dan And Nat Got Married, and The Worst Man. Jon signed a two-book deal with Hera in 2024 and the first novel, One Hundred Moments Of Us, was published in August 2024. The second book, Not Moving Out, a second chance rom com, will be published in May 2025.
Jon grew up in England and studied English Literature at Middlesex University, London, before travelling the world and meeting his American wife in Australia. He now lives in California with his wife, two kids, and a dog called Pickle, where he writes full-time and drinks far too much tea.
You can also find Jon at:
(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)
(all opinions are my own)
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