This is the first of Lucy Dillon's books that I have read, although I understand that she has written two previous books set in the same village of Longhampton. You don't need to have read her earlier books to get the full enjoyment out of this one. In all honesty, I didn't realise that there were other books until I went back and researched Lucy Dillon.
I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. Although it would be classed as a chick lit, it is so much more than many other similar books in this genre.
This book delves deeply into the relationships between the two main characters, Michelle and Anna. Lucy Dillion gives us a real insight, through the eyes of Anna, into the highs and the more frequent lows of being a step parent. Anna tries so hard to ensure that life runs smoothly for everyone around her that she constantly puts herself and her needs right to the back of the queue. I felt very emotional following Anna through the inevitable downward spiral in her life whilst everyone else continued to be oblivious to her anguish. If anything, Anna was far too nice for her own good and I was pleased to see her stick up for what she wanted, even if it took a long time to get to that point.
I admired Michelle, the other main character. Michelle is a confident, go getting business woman who has turned her life around and she well deserves the success that comes her way. However, right from the start it is made clear that Michelle has created a strictly controlled and well ordered life for herself. This is the only she can block out both the pain and shame she carries with her from her failed marriage to Harvey.
On top of this, throughout the book we are given hints that something terrible happened to Michelle when she was just 18 years old. However, it is only at about 90% into the book that we find out what this incident entailed. From the build up during the book I had expected it to be something far more sinister than it actually was. Once I knew what had happened it felt like a relief as it was clear that it would not stop her from finally finding some well deserved happiness in her life.
What I really liked about this book was that it didn't start out as the classical chick lit tale of damaged girl meets boy, damaged girl rejects boy, followed by long scenes of 'will they or won't they'. Yes, there was a romance in the book but this didn't develop until quite late on and it wasn't at all predictable. I liked how the two characters gradually built a friendship before there was any sign of something more serious starting to develop.
Lucy Dillion did a magnificent job of weaving the two stories of Anna and Michelle into and out of each other. She gave us two very diverse characters from different backgrounds, with values that were poles apart and each had their own set of problems. But at the same time they were more dependent on one another than either of them realised.
I will certainly be reading more books by this Ms Dillon and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of intelligently written Chick Lits.
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