Paperback by Simon & Schuster, £7.99 (ebook £2.99)
Romance novels are ten-a-penny, but what about those that capture the reality of when the “honeymoon period” has died down? Even more, what about when a spanner is thrown in the works and forces the couple to commit to their shoestring of a relationship a lot sooner than they had planned?
This is the topic that Andy Jones has decided to centre his debut novel around. It charts Fisher and Ivy as they journey through the sometimes muddy waters a relationship brings, marking both the treacherous first arguments and those magical, momentous occasions of pure love.
At the same time, Fisher tries to come to terms with the deteriorating condition of his friend suffering from Huntington’s disease, and attempts to force his head to rule his heart with his work as a director. Make-up artist Ivy, meanwhile struggles to admit her soon-to-be divorced brother has outstayed his welcome in her small Wimbledon flat.
The book manages to keep a sense of reality throughout, and it’s easy to both laugh and cry at the pair’s tribulations. Though it may be brutally honest at times, it is a heart-warming novel which offers a reminder on how important all kinds of relationships are in life.
