The Man I Never Met

Finished April 8

The Man I Never Met by Elle Cook

This contemporary romance has a fun and intriguing plotline, with some side plots that also provide interest. The main story is told around Hannah, who lives in London and works in marketing. She lives in a two bedroom flat with a garden that she loves, and is friends with her older landlady Joan who lives next door. Her best friend Miranda used to live there with her until she moved in with her boyfriend. Hannah is close to both of them and goes out for dinner regularly with the couple. She has a weekend tradition with Joan where they exchange greetings and coffee over the fence with Joan provided different flavours or Nespresso and then they rate them. 

As the book opens, Hannah gets a phone call from the U.S. that turns out to be a wrong number. The man who called, Davey, is calling for a job interview. After a short conversation, they both express interest in talking again, and soon begin texting and more. He gets the job and they discuss his move to London, and she helps with his questions and such, and it's fun to watch the relationship develop. Until suddenly things don't go so well. Davey doesn't arrive on the flight he said he'd be on, and it takes time for Hannah to find out why. 

There are other things going on in Hannah's life. She has a planned winter vacation to Thailand coming up with a friend, and is also preparing for Miranda's wedding in a few months. And Joan is also dating and sharing her experiences. 

I liked the characters and the vulnerability that many of them had. I liked seeing the different relationships that Hannah has: a close bond with her parents, her close friendship with Miranda and her boyfriend Paul, her friendship with Joan, as well as her friendship with George. 

There are a lot of emotional ups and downs in the book, and plots that keep me wanting to know more. 

I liked seeing Hannah's development in her professional life as well. 

An enjoyable read with some depth to the stories. Reading the note at the back of the book about how this story came to be was an extra element that made it even better. 

The Geography of You and Me

Finished on February 16 

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

This teen novel opens with two teenagers Lucy, fifteen, and Owen, sixteen, stuck in an elevator together as the power goes out. Lucy's family lives on the 24th floor of this New York City building, and Owen's father recently started as the building manager and lives in the basement. Until now they hadn't exchanged any words, although Lucy had noticed him. 

After they are released from the elevator and discover the power outage is widespread, they stay together, going out for supplies and then up to the roof of the building, staring at the dark city and the stars. 

Soon after, Lucy's family moves to Edinburgh, keeping the apartment for occasional use, and Owen and his father start moving west. Even though their communication is sparse, the two can't stop thinking of each other.

This is a story of first love, of long-distance relationships, of family, and of growing up.

I liked both the main characters and most of the secondary characters here, particularly Owen's dad who is dealing with his own losses. A feel-good story.