This is a beautifully written story following the POV of Jess as she navigates uprooting her life in Tampa to pursue a promotion opportunity in Dublin. She does this with the support of her family and best friend Lindsay. This book is written beautifully. I loved the authors writing style. It was so funny but wasn’t trying too hard. It was easy to read with just enough description to make this book really enjoyable. There are some really lovely phrases in this book my favourite being “nothing good happens after midnight” and “Your holding on to a memory. I like who I was that night”. This is not your typical romance which I loved. The romance complements the story but doesn’t overwhelm it. Some people may not like this but I loved it. It really is a story about how when one door closes another opens. This is symbolised well in this book as there are lots of references to doors. The beautiful book cover even has doors reflected in Jess’s sun glasses.
This book really focuses on friendship. There was an element of rivalry between Jess and Raya but this was written so well it didn’t over power the story. While Lindsay was Jess’s best friend she developed a really close bond with her co workers which I loved. Orla and Simon were such great side characters who really complemented the story. While this book was about romance the author really spent time developing friendships and emphasis the importance of family. I loved the airport scene with Lindsay and Jess’s parents waving her off.
My favourite part of this book was the way the author dealt with the Irish culture, It was written in a funny manner but was never mocking. Being Irish I really enjoyed and appreciated this. You can really sense she had a proper understanding of Ireland and its culture. In the acknowledgments she does say she lived in Dublin for 6 years. I like all the references to Ireland which some readers may not get. The author did take time to explain some things and she was spot on. The author has really done the Irish proud.
There is good representation in this book Irish, American, UK, LGBT+, difficult family dynamics, cancer, single parent, step parent, women in the corporate world to name a few. These topics were all dealt with well.
There was some great pacing. The time jumps worked very well. We got a real feel for Jess’s journey without things being dragged out too much. I like the time jump of the last chapter. Without giving anything away it really tied things up nicely. The pacing was just right.
The relationship with Aidan was written perfectly. It hit just right for me. It was just so real. About 50% through I started hating him and was screaming for Jess to move on. When she made a big decision based on her relationship with him I was so disappointed in her but also for her. I am so happy with how everything turned out. Jess’s character growth In this book was developed so well and naturally, While she grows and develops as a person it wasn’t completely over the top. I think the Jess in the last chapter of the book would have maybe spoken up sooner than the Jess in the beginning of book in her work and personal life. I really like how Simon helped boost her confidence while never seeking credit or anything in return.
I think I enjoyed this story so well as it was written realistically. There were some lovely romance scenes but it wasn’t a case of love at first sight, married in 6 months and kids 12 months later. It was a real relationship. This was the same for the entire book. The friendships were real, life was real. No luxury penthouse just a regular flat in Dublin. I like how this translated to Jess’s career. Without spoilers not everything worked out but at the same time Jess didn’t up and change her entire career because of this. She just tweaked her path a little bit which came across more natural and real than in other books I’ve read. In a lot of books everything works out in the end or if they don’t the characters change their careers/life entirely which is not real life or even a possibility for most of us.
This is not your typical, predictable romance which I loved!! The discussion questions and playlist at back of book were a lovely touch.