Natalie Jackson might keep up appearances on Instagram, but in reality her fiancé has just jilted her after the birth of their baby and she’s moved back in with her mum. Life isn’t exactly going to plan!
So when she enters the village raffle for the holiday of a lifetime, she thinks she has no chance of winning. But her name is pulled out – and, as luck would have it, so is a ticket bought by her childhood nemesis: Will Brimble.
Surely a romantic holiday for two is the worst idea ever…right? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
Having read When Polly Met Olly and Perfect Match, I looked forward to seeing what one of Zoe May’s other reads had in store for me. Both Natalie and Will are great additions to the “family” of romantic characters that May has created, complete with their own uniquely challenged issues where matters of the heart are concerned.
There is a lot of backstory for Natalie and Will, a past that has really set the tone for how Natalie feels about relationships, in general. It doesn’t help that her fiance has jilted her, leaving her to take care of their child all on her own. It has placed a gigantic chip on her shoulder and she doesn’t believe in happily-ever-after, tending to side more with a realistic approach to romance. Will doesn’t have a lot of great things to say about love and romance, either. His past hurts are a direct reflection of what he has gone through, and while he appears to be much more of an optimist, that is not the case where relationships are concerned. Even though Natalie and Will have gone through so much in their young lives, all they’re able to see in one another is how they remember themselves to be from high school.
The romantic holiday comes into play, allowing an opportunity for true clarity, not only for the characters, but for the reader, too. I loved how uncomfortable Natalie and Will are, and there’s nothing better than placing two contrasting personalities into a room and seeing what happens. That’s how I felt nearly the entire time I read As Luck Would Have It. Over time, they discover who they are, now, not who they assume themselves to be, and they have to decide if there is potential in that discovery, or not.
Their travels to exotic lands were intricately detailed. I really appreciated that, because it felt like I was right there, too. It was interesting, the vastly different atmospheres between England, then Marrakech, a city in Morocco. I felt as though in Natalie’s descriptions of her time in England, it’s like the calm before the storm, where we see her living a life of expectancy before she travels to someplace unknown for her, which turns out to be an unexpected experience. It opens her up to new possibilities, with Will on that list. While I felt the ending wrapped up too quickly and I wanted to experience more of the story with a bit more pacing, I enjoyed reading about both characters and where they end up.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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Perfect Match was one of Apple's top-selling books of 2018. It was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association's Joan Hessayon Award, with judges describing it as 'a laugh out loud look at love and self-discovery - fresh and very funny'.
As well as writing, Zoe enjoys walking her dog, painting and, of course, reading! She adores animals and if she's not taking a photo of a vegan meal, she's probably tweeting about the dairy industry. She is half Greek and half Irish and can make a mean baklava. Zoe has a thing for horror films, India, swimming, hip hop and Radiohead. She has an encyclopaedic knowledge of handbags having spent several years working in fashion copywriting and could probably win Mastermind if this was her specialist subject!
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