A modern day romance with a handful of quirky characters, most of them flawed in some way, who all make mistakes and (eventually) accept and love each other anyway. In all honesty, I didn't really connect with any of the characters - and didn't much like Ed - initially. When they began their road trip however, I grew to love each and every one of them - as a "blended family unit" and individually. This is a case where they brought out the best of each other the longer they spent time together. That includes Norman! I actually thought Ed was more tolerant of Norman drooling and farting in his beautiful car than I would have been!
The moral of this story is: honesty is the best policy, regardless of the consequences. Jess and Ed's mistakes were very real examples of some serious consequences that made an impact on the children, friends and family members. Ed took responsibility for his careless crime, which was committed for a terrible reason; Jess took responsibility for her crime committed in desperation. I love that by the end of the book their social statuses had moved toward each other. Jess had found her niche and was building a business; Ed sold all of his expensive homes and cars and was happy with a small home and old vehicle. They seemed to "meet in the middle". Best of all, they were both so much happier!
Nicky showed a lot of growth. I love that he stayed true to who he was though. He didn't stop wearing mascara or try to be someone he was not. He just learned a "safe" way to express himself (thanks to Ed suggesting that he blog!) I thought it was wonderful that he was honest and open and showed his vulnerability when he blogged - and that people responded to that. Kindness begets kindness. Nicky was able to learn that in his own way in his own time.
Tanzie went from being ambitious and confident to a girl with low self esteem who was afraid of her own shadow. For good reasons of course, but very disheartening. I wasn't quite sure how she would gain her spirit back, but I like how the author handled it.
My inclination is to go read another Jojo Moyes book RIGHT NOW, because I love her books! They are all a little different too, which I like. My favorite will always be Me Before You though!
Wendy's Rating: ****
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