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A review by salreads
One Ordinary Day at a Time by Sarah J. Harris
5.0
This book came very highly recommended and it didn’t disappoint. I went into the read ‘blind’ and within pages was hooked, the characters twirled around my heart and sucked me in.
This is the story of Jodie and Simon, both employees of a fast food outlet. Jodie is the single Mum of the very cute Zack. She was raised in care, abused by Zack’s Father and is desperate to get to Cambridge to study English Literature and become a teacher. Simon is socially awkward, incredibly clever but doesn’t know how to interact with others. He was raised as a child prodigy, paraded in childhood genius competitions, tutored and coached mercilessly. Both of them have secrets, both of them have dreams. Simon and Jodie need something from each other - Jodie needs help preparing her application for Cambridge, Simon needs help interacting with others..A friendship of sorts is forged, but as the secrets start to emerge everything is threatened.
I loved this book for so many reasons. The characters are so fully fleshed you could predict what they might eat on a Wednesday, wear on a night out, what film they would choose to watch. I wanted to wrap all of them up in my arms, I wanted a happy ending where Zack had a garden and chickens, Simon had found his happy place and Jodie was teaching English Literature. But this isn’t a cosy world that they inhabit and I felt the constant threat of Jodie’s ex partner whose violence is evidenced on the scars on her arm. Simon’s mental health is clearly unstable and his sense of purpose is hanging on discovering the answer to a previously unsolved mathematical equation. My heart ached for Simon and Jodie…but in the midst of it there were the gorgeous uplifting moments - when Simon and Jodie join a quiz team of pensioners who have pooled their great life wisdom but never won.the quiz, where Jodie has her interview for Cambridge…And best of all the moments when Simon looks after Zack and learns to swing on a swing and teaches Zack about the beauty of a mathematical universe. A very very gorgeous read. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins for a digital copy of this wonderful book.
This is the story of Jodie and Simon, both employees of a fast food outlet. Jodie is the single Mum of the very cute Zack. She was raised in care, abused by Zack’s Father and is desperate to get to Cambridge to study English Literature and become a teacher. Simon is socially awkward, incredibly clever but doesn’t know how to interact with others. He was raised as a child prodigy, paraded in childhood genius competitions, tutored and coached mercilessly. Both of them have secrets, both of them have dreams. Simon and Jodie need something from each other - Jodie needs help preparing her application for Cambridge, Simon needs help interacting with others..A friendship of sorts is forged, but as the secrets start to emerge everything is threatened.
I loved this book for so many reasons. The characters are so fully fleshed you could predict what they might eat on a Wednesday, wear on a night out, what film they would choose to watch. I wanted to wrap all of them up in my arms, I wanted a happy ending where Zack had a garden and chickens, Simon had found his happy place and Jodie was teaching English Literature. But this isn’t a cosy world that they inhabit and I felt the constant threat of Jodie’s ex partner whose violence is evidenced on the scars on her arm. Simon’s mental health is clearly unstable and his sense of purpose is hanging on discovering the answer to a previously unsolved mathematical equation. My heart ached for Simon and Jodie…but in the midst of it there were the gorgeous uplifting moments - when Simon and Jodie join a quiz team of pensioners who have pooled their great life wisdom but never won.the quiz, where Jodie has her interview for Cambridge…And best of all the moments when Simon looks after Zack and learns to swing on a swing and teaches Zack about the beauty of a mathematical universe. A very very gorgeous read. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins for a digital copy of this wonderful book.