ARC Review One Plus One Jojo Moyes

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jess, a young single mother, Nicky, her goth step son, Tanzie, her math whiz daughter and Norman their large drooling shaggy dog need to get to a maths competition that could win Tanzie enough money to attend a prestigious private school. However, like everything in their lives this trip is a struggle. A few miles into the trip the cops pull the family over for driving an unlicensed car with no insurance. Just as things could not get worse Ed, a wealthy techie who has hired Jess as his cleaning lady arrives on the scene. Facing his own problems, he volunteers to drive the whole family to the math competition.
The trip is chaos, full of car sickness, Facebook hacking, food poisoning, bad food and crappy hotels and numerous mishaps - but you cannot help rooting for this little family and for Jess and Ed as they break down their walls and open themselves up to new possibilities. Prepare to laugh and cry this is one of the best books of summer 2014!



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The Last Letter from your Lover Jojo Moyes

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review

This novel was a let down after reading Me Before You and it struggled to gain my full attention as I slogged through it. Split into two books, the first set in the 1960's and the second sent during the present day the novel explores the relationship between Jennifer and Boot, and wealthy housewife and and alcoholic foreign corespondent.
Jennifer Stirling is a wealthy socialite who appears to have it all, when she meets Boot during a dinner party he is at to interview her husband, its not love at first site. However, once he convinces her to give him a second chance the two embark on a passionate love affair. Injured in a severe car accident, Jennifer awakes remembering nothing of her affair with Boot, slowly recalling details of the affair and uncovering his identity.
Ellie Haworth, is a young journalist with career that is quickly falling apart, when she discovers a letter to Jennifer from Boot in a stack of papers in her newspapers archives. Driven to uncover the identity of the two people in the letter and what happened to them, Ellie sets of on a mission that changes her relationships and revives her career.
The first book, is far to long and confusing bouncing back and forth between Jennifer before the car accident and after, often times I had to double check several times to verify what year each chapter was taking place, considerably slowing down my pace and causing me to quickly loose interest in the stereotypical, vapid characters. I didn't like them and I didn't care about them. I didn't not find the love affair or the circumstances around it believable and many of the incidences to convenient.
The second book was much more enjoyable with a story line that was easier to follow and a bit more compelling. However, Moyes novel began to become more stereotypical and formulaic as it progressed leaving me longing for a lot more that it delivered.



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Me Before You Jojo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review*

Me Before You was my introduction to Jojo Moyes, and boy was it and introduction! This was an extraordinary tale of two people brought together due to very difficult circumstances. Lou, a very ordinary, unmotivated young women and Will a charismatic, handsome man struggling to come to terms with becoming a quadriplegic. I really hated every character in this book, but Moyes had a way of making me care even though I hated them and eventually she made me love and respect the two main characters.
I knew nothing of this story before I began reading it, thinking, based on the cover and a few quick synopsis's that it was a romance. I'm not a big fan of romance and so I had no expectations for this book, which may have been for the best.
This is a love story, but not a romance. Its the story of two people bringing our the best in one another and pushing one another to live their fullest life possible. Its a story of letting go and saying good bye, a story of facing our greatest fears and coming out stronger.
The novel packs a punch, throwing the reader for a loop and tackling the incredibly tough and controversial issue of assisted suicide. Moyes does so in a way that does not leave you feeling judgmental, but rather sympathetic for all those facing tough decisions. Have your Kleenex box handy, I shed more than a few tears as I finished this novel, but walked away feeling oddly uplifted.
I look forward to reading more of Moyes novels and have an ARC of her latest novel, One Plus One awaiting me!





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