Take a photo of a barcode or cover
wjreadsbooks 's review for:
If I Never Met You
by Mhairi McFarlane
Don't be fooled by that cutesy cover - I thought that this was going to be like a sweet, light read on fake-dating, much like my recently read [b:Marriage on Madison Avenue|52352068|Marriage on Madison Avenue (Central Park Pact, #3)|Lauren Layne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1561838322l/52352068._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71689216]. That was definitely not the case:
This is the first Mhairi McFarlane book that I've read and man, did she make me feel all the emotions. If I Never Met You begins quite heavily, with the breakdown of Laurie and Dan's relationship. Laurie has been with Dan ever since university, his sudden announcement that he wants to break up comes as a huge shock to Laurie and honestly, I really felt for her especially during this part of the book. McFarlane really captured that feeling of shock, horror, abandonment and eventual grudging acceptance that comes with the break-up. Laurie struggles to move on with her life, especially since both of them continue to work in the same, small cliquey law firm and neither of them have figured out how to tell people about their break-up. However, what's worse is when Laurie finds out how quickly Dan has moved on, to a new girlfriend who's pregnant. Laurie is firmly in her 30s and had been hoping to be at this stage in life with Dan. Instead, she's now single, depressed and feeling deeply alone.
Laurie and her ambitious, handsome younger coworker Jamie devise a plan to have a fake relationship that mostly just takes place on social media. Laurie wants to make Dan jealous by using her relationship with the younger, hot, flirtatious Jamie. Jamie, on the other hand, has been told by their stodgy bosses that if he wants to make partner, he's going to have to settle down. Being in a serious relationship with the firm's golden girl seems to be the best way for him to give off that impression. Soon, almost everyone around them begins to buy into their relationship, including Laurie herself. But this romantic entanglement becomes increasingly more complicated as Laurie starts to learn more about Jamie, as a person, and not just as her playboy colleague.
Many of the more recent romances that I've read take on alternate perspectives but If I Never Met You is firmly in Laurie's POV, which I actually quite liked because we really get into her headspace and understand exactly how devastating Dan's betrayal is, how difficult it is to move on and exactly how attractive she thought Jamie was. Furthermore, it also adds an element of mystery to exactly what Jamie is thinking throughout their relationship, which seems really more realistic. Aside from their relationship, I also enjoyed how strong Laurie is, from the way that she stands up for herself against Dan, against the gossipy circles of her office and against people who just want to know where she's really from.
So why didn't the book get five stars from me? There's an element of surrealness to some aspects of the book. The ending also felt a bit rushed, because the romance was very much a slow-burn, which culminates in an eventual relationship but the miscommunication and eventual resolution happens altogether in the last fifth of the book.
Laurie had passed that point, anyway. Dan had reached a parallel one where he could abandon her. That's what it felt like: desolate abandonment. He wouldn't care about Laurie, from now on? No, no, he did want her. She knew in her guts that he did, which is why this had to be stopped before he did any more damage.
This is the first Mhairi McFarlane book that I've read and man, did she make me feel all the emotions. If I Never Met You begins quite heavily, with the breakdown of Laurie and Dan's relationship. Laurie has been with Dan ever since university, his sudden announcement that he wants to break up comes as a huge shock to Laurie and honestly, I really felt for her especially during this part of the book. McFarlane really captured that feeling of shock, horror, abandonment and eventual grudging acceptance that comes with the break-up. Laurie struggles to move on with her life, especially since both of them continue to work in the same, small cliquey law firm and neither of them have figured out how to tell people about their break-up. However, what's worse is when Laurie finds out how quickly Dan has moved on, to a new girlfriend who's pregnant. Laurie is firmly in her 30s and had been hoping to be at this stage in life with Dan. Instead, she's now single, depressed and feeling deeply alone.
Laurie and her ambitious, handsome younger coworker Jamie devise a plan to have a fake relationship that mostly just takes place on social media. Laurie wants to make Dan jealous by using her relationship with the younger, hot, flirtatious Jamie. Jamie, on the other hand, has been told by their stodgy bosses that if he wants to make partner, he's going to have to settle down. Being in a serious relationship with the firm's golden girl seems to be the best way for him to give off that impression. Soon, almost everyone around them begins to buy into their relationship, including Laurie herself. But this romantic entanglement becomes increasingly more complicated as Laurie starts to learn more about Jamie, as a person, and not just as her playboy colleague.
Many of the more recent romances that I've read take on alternate perspectives but If I Never Met You is firmly in Laurie's POV, which I actually quite liked because we really get into her headspace and understand exactly how devastating Dan's betrayal is, how difficult it is to move on and exactly how attractive she thought Jamie was. Furthermore, it also adds an element of mystery to exactly what Jamie is thinking throughout their relationship, which seems really more realistic. Aside from their relationship, I also enjoyed how strong Laurie is, from the way that she stands up for herself against Dan, against the gossipy circles of her office and against people who just want to know where she's really from.
So why didn't the book get five stars from me? There's an element of surrealness to some aspects of the book.