Synopsis
A Passionate Love Affair with a Total Stranger by Lucy Robinson, author of The Greatest Love Story of All Time, is a hilariously funny and gorgeously romantic story about falling in love when you least expect it. Charley Lambert has put considerable effort into achieving a perfect life. She has The Job. The Wardrobe. And The Flat. Her womanising, junk food-loving housemate Sam lowers the tone a bit but that aside, things are peachy. Then she breaks her leg in three places, watches her unrequited love propose to someone else and – worst of all – is forced to hand over her job to her nasty deputy while she recovers. Workaholic Charley fears that she will soon go mad. Desperate for something to do, she discovers her talent for helping the lovelorn online. And then William arrives in her inbox. Within hours of his first email, her world starts to change. Helpless, she watches herself fall in love with this man and begins to realise that she’s not who she thought she was. But will she be brave enough to turn her back on her old life – all for a total stranger?
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
My Review
To sum up Charley Lambert in one word, it would be ‘Workaholic.’ Whether it’s her job, or her extra-curricular activities, she never stops and hardly ever sleeps, that’s how busy her life is. You can see how much she wants her life to be perfect for her and she seems okay with being so busy she never really has time for anything else. Her diary is completely filled up.
But when she ends up breaking her leg in three places after an accident and has to give up her job for a few months while she heals, added in the fact that the guy she’s had a major crush on for seven years – Her boss John – has just got engaged, she feels her life is crashing down before her and she will go mad having to ‘relax’ and not keep busy.
After matchmaking many of her friends up and reading an article her best friend Hailey gave her about Ghost-writers on dating sites in America, she decides to start her own site up in the UK. Little does she know how much it was going to change her own life.
Oh GOD! I’m so glad I received an ARC copy of this book because sweet Jesus, when it’s out at the end of this month, you all need to go and buy yourself a copy! This is the first book I have read by Lucy Robinson (and her second book) and I LOVED her writing style. It sucked me in and this book is so SO funny, the swearing adds to the magic of the story and the twists and shocks throughout had be turning the pages at high speed making the plot exciting for the reader. I loved that it’s a story about internet dating because I know people who have set up a profile and I know it must be a bit difficult to convey yourself in messages to the person you’re speaking to. Ghost-writing must be such a fun job to do!
As I’ve said, Charley is a workaholic. She never stops but once she’s had her accident, it’s like her whole world has fallen apart. But starting up the dating website, it seems that she has a knack for helping people find their ‘soul mate.’ I don’t want to give away spoilers, but throughout her emails, they seem to make her think about her own life and whether she is satisfied with the way her life is going. She’s work-focused but now she’s completely frazzled over what to do, whether her work is important to her now and her relationship. It is a journey for Charley and one that ends fantastically for her.
I absolutely loved the secondary characters. Sam, Hailey and Granny Helen especially. They all stole my heart and had me laughing at their actions and comments throughout the book. I felt more drawn towards Hailey, but that’s maybe because I see a bit of myself in her, so I definitely liked reading about her and all her swearing! I could picture me and my best friend being exactly like her and Charley. She tells its straight when Charley because a bit obsessed with her dating site and I think everyone has been there, both in Charley and Hailey’s shoes, which made me relate to her. I especially loved all the swearing! Oh gosh, such a potty mouth.
Sam I adored with all my heart! Although a womanizer in some ways, he was especially caring and sweet to Charley when she broke her leg and after, when they began First Date Aid and became business partners. I loved that they had known each other since university and lived together but recently they have things come out, for both of them which neither knew about one another. I loved that! They seemed to bring out something in each other and make them think about their own life. I was completely rooting for them to get together because they actually seemed so right together. It was a journey for these two as well, but one that was well deserved in the end!
Seriously, pre-order this book right now! It will have you laughing, gushing, gasping and shouting at your book over several of the scenes – in a good way, especially near the end. It’s a great chick-lit and I’m so glad I got to read an ARC copy of it! I finished it curled up in bed, watching the snow fall down today and it made me heart go all gooey when it came to the end. I will definitely be reading more books by Lucy Robinson, starting with her first book “The Greatest Love Story of All Time”
Z. Elizabeth 