As a relationship therapist, Nora helps patients explore their feelings honestly. But she’s hiding an embarrassing relationship secret of her own: she’s in love with someone she’s never even met.
J edits the advice column Nora’s been writing anonymously for the last seven years. He’s in London, she’s in New York, and they communicate solely through shared files. When he confides that his girlfriend’s out of the picture, and her boss asks her to come to London, Nora takes both as a sign.
But that’s not the only thing on her mind. A client’s ex-boyfriend just moved into her co-op, directly beneath her. Eli blames Nora for his breakup and seems determined to make her life miserable, gleefully planning a noisy renovation.
Yet despite all his bluster, Nora eventually starts to see the softness behind Eli’s brusque, charming exterior…and after a slipup reveals a startling secret, Nora wonders whether someone can be two things at once. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)
Unlikely Story is the Jewish Joy Book Club April read and I am so glad about that! I really enjoyed this story. It's heartwarming, humorous, romantic, and an armchair adventure to boot. Add in an enemies-to-lovers trope, some forced proximity, and a swoon-worthy British guy to fuel the flames, and this novel has it made!
This was a sweet story. I loved the banter between the characters, especially Nora and Eli. I also loved the neighbors in the co-op and George the dog (who sounded really cute). The virtual visits to NYC and London were a lot of fun. There was plenty of humor and lightheartedness. It was entertaining and kept me turning the pages.
What was interesting to me was Nora's situation with her parents. They were more like children and she was absorbing their neediness and impulsive behavior, especially from her mother. I felt bad for Nora being put in that situation, especially since her brother was able to extricate himself from it so easily.
I had a few small concerns, but nothing that kept me from enjoying this novel. First, I wish that Nora's Judaism had been more prevalent. I only knew she was Jewish because she mentioned Shabbat dinner one time. Next, I would have liked for there to be more of a surprise factor, but I still enjoyed seeing how everything unfolded. Especially since it gave off the feel of a certain nineties rom-com movie. There's an irony here with Nora always wanting to know the end of a book before she started it, as it was a comfort to her. While I like being surprised, I can't say I blame her for wanting to know where a story is going sometimes. Finally, I felt that more conflict was needed and was hoping things would be a bit more challenging before reaching the rewarding point.
Overall, this was a great novel and a nice distraction from everything going on in real life. (Another reason it's appealing for Nora to want to know what happens at the end of a book.) I hope to read more of Ali's novels in the future (and get to her earlier novels).
(Trigger warning below.)
Movie casting suggestions:
Tina (Nora's mom): Camryn Manheim
Thanks to Montlake for the book in exchange for an honest review.
More by Ali Rosen:
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TW: Getting locked out of a building while on the roof. (Not sure about you, but that makes me so anxious.)
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