Book review: The One Plus One - JoJo Moyes

 

Jess Thomas wants . . .

. . . to be more than a single mum getting by day after day

. . . to do her best for her gifted but sensitive daughter Tanzie

. . . to find a way back from the loneliest place on earth

Ed Nicholls is hoping . . .

. . . he won't go to jail

. . . there's a way back from the biggest mistake of his life

. . . something or someone will make it all go away

Jess and Ed are . . .

. . . two strangers looking for a little kindness

. . . two lost souls with a lot to learn from each other

. . . about to find out that one plus one makes more - so much more - than two

My opinion.

Starting The One Plus One, I had no idea what to expect. I was taken completely by surprise by the turn of events and felt myself hopelessly invested in these character's lives. I'm not even sure how or if I can describe how intensely I felt for them.

A weird road trip, almost comical in its absurdity, turns into a little bubble where these characters - all broken in different ways - find themselves safe and included, and maybe even healed?

The entire reading experience was emotional and it's just not the kind of story you can put 'on hold' while closing the book - this little group of misfits stays with you.

The One Plus One doesn't shy away from difficult topics. From family bonds, bullying and standing up for who you are, to what it's like to live on minimum wage trying to make ends meet while raising a family. Jess' reality is in stark contrast to Ed's, for whom money lost almost all meaning, and therefor handles it without thinking of the (legal and other) consequences. The way they live their lives and the priorities they have couldn't be more different, but what could (or should) have driven them apart, may not be as much as a deal breaker than they - or you as a reader - might have thought.

Tanzie and Nicky stole my heart from the very beginning and you can't help but want to protect them. I laughed when they were happy, I cried when they were hurt. 

An emotional roller coaster I couldn't put down - absolutely loved this book.