Book review: 31 Dream Street - Lisa Jewell

31 Dream Street

The blurb.

Who lives in a house like this?

An Air Hostess. A Teenager. A Wild-Haired Recluse. A Rock Chick. An Old Man. A Human Chameleon.

Leah is fascinated by the strange mix of people living across the street from her at 31 Silversmith Road. She'd give anything to find out more about them, so when their reclusive landlord approaches her unexpectedly to ask for some advice, Leah is more than willing to help.

Toby is a failed poet and incurable romantic. For fifteen years he has lived happily in his rambling house filled with waifs and strays, until a quiet tragedy and an unwelcome letter force him to admit that it is time to move on. But how will he persuade his tenants to move on? His house is their refuge. Are they ready to face the real world?

Together, Leah and Toby must help the misfits at no. 31 to grow up and move out, but in doing so can they also make their own dreams come true?

My opinion.

31 Dream Street is the second Lisa Jewell novel in my collection and I don't regret it. The cover put me off, to be honest, but based on the previous Jewell novel I read (Before I Met You), I thought I'd give it a shot, and thank god I did because this book is amazing. I felt very strongly about the different characters, good or bad and it made me giggle and laugh out loud. I loved seeing the transformation in Toby; Joanna is very intriguing and her story made me cry; Melinda is not my type of person but I liked how she tried her best; Con was easy to relate to and I'm glad he made the right decisions (about both Daisy and Melinda); Leah too was an easy character to warm up to and the way she "pushed" people was easy to forgive, as she is the perfect match for Toby. Ruby is the one character I did not like and could not relate to at all. A few of the characters had a difficult past to get over, but she just stayed selfish and immature and seemed to love getting other people in trouble or uncomfortable situations.

I don't think this story and it's "heroes" will stay with me for quite as long as 'Before I Met You' did (and still does), but I loved every page of 31 Dream Street, and highly recommend it.