Jessica Rae Thomas has got to be one of the most positive people and rightful people on the world. She is broke to the bone and has two children to raise. Her husband is off "for recovery" and not supporting her family with a single pound. Still, she wants to grant her daughter the opportunity of lifetime by enabling her to go to a costly private school which will be targeting Tanzie's math skills.
So when she decides to take a run down car to drive her family plus dog from South England to Scotland for a maths competition that might pay for Tanzie's tuition fees, and that car actually breaks down in the middle of the road, she never thought that Ed Nicholls would be the one to come to her rescue. The arrogant wealthy arse who's beachhouse she cleans on a regular basis. However, Ed has trouble of his own and for some reason, he decides to embark onto tthat chaotic trip to Scotland with them.
Since I read and absolutely loved Me Before You from the same author, it was nearly impossible not to read this new book, especially given that the plot sounded so fresh and nice. Who doesn't love a geeky millionaire and a family in need.
To be very honest with you, this felt like a real life parody of Little Miss Sunshine. The similarities were absolutely obvious: you have the eccentric little daughter going of to a competition (maths/beauty pageant - sounds about the the same) and that troubled teenager with a goth haircut, and a mother who is hell bent on making this trip work out so she can give her child what she feels it deserves.
But apart from those similarities, the whole story was very-well customised and exudes the lovely english charm that I don't come across often, given the very little "english" books I read. It is also a very striking comparison of two worlds: the big city London life were yuppies and self made men indulge in fancy things, and the life on the outskirts of the city, where a family barely has £12 a day as a food budget.
Some parts of the story will make you laugh and some parts will make you cry. You will most definitely fall in love with Jessica's quirky character and positive vision of life, and you will become a great fan of Ed Nicholls and witness how something even more chaotic than the professional predicament he is in can actually bring him peace and happiness. It's a beautiful story about unexpected situations, finding happiness, and starting over.
However, do not expect any steamy scenes here - everything is being kept on a very light level, but the story is so sweet you don't actually miss it...
stephen
Anaïs Neumann