The love interest Jamie hardly features at all in the first quarter of the book as a result, and this slow pacing before the romance ensues may leave some readers restless and impatient. If I Never Met You certainly has a sparkling fluffy romance in it, but it’s not a romance novel alone, this would probably fall more into the women’s fiction category, given the focus on Laurie’s mental state and struggle to cope after her world was turned upside down. From the blurb, I knew the circumstances that led to our couple pretending to date each other, so it’s not that this wasn’t advertised, it was more a matter of my own mistaken expectations. It was slow going for the first hundred pages and I wasn’t connecting with this at first because I thought I was in for a fluffy light-hearted romance and it turned out that the author wasn’t just paying lip service to Laurie’s break-up of 18 years, but fully examining exactly how distraught and broken this left her.
I found myself close to tears at a few points and then grinning widely the next moment, the writing got me so invested in these people’s lives and loves! It’s been ages since I’ve read a good romance and this book was absolutely delightful! I’m a sucker for the fake dating trope, and it was elevated to a whole new level here with irresistibly charming characters, wonderful friendships between both the main couple as well as the heroine and other ladies, plus a fantastic balance between heartfelt emotion and fun witty banter. But there’s a fine line between pretending to be in love and actually falling for your charming, handsome fake boyfriend…
With the plan hatched, Laurie and Jamie begin to flaunt their new couple status, to the astonishment-and jealousy-of their friends and colleagues. It’s the perfect proposition: a fauxmance played out on social media, with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind. Laurie wants a hot new man to give the rumor mill something else to talk about. Jamie Carter doesn’t believe in love, but he needs a respectable, steady girlfriend to impress their bosses. Then a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility. When news of her ex’s pregnant girlfriend hits the office grapevine, taking the humiliation lying down is not an option. Her once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again in the age of Tinder is nothing short of horrifying.
When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling-not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. If faking love is this easy… how do you know when it’s real? Internationally bestselling author Mhairi McFarlane returns with another heartful romantic comedy perfect for fans of Josie Silver, Sophie Kinsella, or Sally Thorne. Publication Details: by Harper Collins Australia on January 6th, 2020 Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction
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