The bestselling love story about one missed chance, and two people changed for all time. One Day before its time.
Lisa Jewell is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including her most recent novel, the Sunday Times Number One bestseller Then She Was Gone. She lives in London with her husband and two children.
Two teenage misfits meet when their families rent side-by-side vacation caravans on the English seaside. Vince has just recovered from major reconstructive surgery, going from a geek with an underbite to a handsome young man who doesn't quite realize just how good looking he's become. Joy, recently released from the hospital after a nervous breakdown, is shy and unsure about what love means. They instantly connect and end up losing their virginity to each other. When Joy and her family disappear the next day, Vince is heartbroken, convinced he will never find another soul mate. Fast-forward 20 years, and a series of misunderstandings and could-have-beens prevent them from finding true love again. Joy gets married, Vince becomes a father, but neither feels fulfilled. Eventually, it takes Joy's drag-queen friend and Vince's psychic roommate and her cat to reconnect the pair. But is it finally their time to be together? Jewell's (Ralph's Party) fifth novel is high on Britspeak and local flavor, which may appeal to some readers but confuse others. Recommended for larger fiction collections or where modern British authors are popular. Rebecca Vnuk, River Forest P.L., IL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Vince Mellon and Joy Downer meet as late-blooming teenagers on a beach vacation, and lose their virginity to one another, then reunite as adults kept apart by bad timing and miscommunication in the winning fourth novel by British bestseller Jewell (A Friend of the Family; Thirtynothing). The first misstep occurs when Joy's vacation is cut short, and the goodbye note (including her contact information) she leaves for Vince outside his window is rendered illegible by the elements. Seven years later, Vince's roommate's wandering cat finds its way to Joy's apartment, which miraculously happens to be around the corner. Too bad for Vince that Joy is about to get married, albeit to a man she isn't attracted to. The narrative takes flight at this point, as Jewell weaves a history of Vince and Joy settling for the wrong people-Vince has a child with a woman who cheats on him, Joy's marriage fails-before fate intervenes one last time. Jewell's lively prose and amusing observations ("They talked about sex like two dieters circling a pile of profiteroles") effortlessly guide the story toward a satisfying ending. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
One of those rare books with the variety, complexity and
unexpectedness of real life . . . Fans of chick-lit will understand
when I say that this is a book you simply disappear into * Sunday
Telegraph *
Magnetic, unpretentious and bursting with one-liners * Cosmopolitan
*
Fun and witty . . . one of the top chick-lit authors * Reveal *
If you believe fate plays a hand in all our love lives, you just
won't be able to put Vince and Joy down * Heat *
That happy-ending feeling lingers long after the book's back on the
shelf. We love Vince and Joy * Prima *
Classy, evocative, intelligent and insightful * Company *
A perfect holiday book * OK *
A gem of a read * Grazia *
An easy, feel-good read * Closer *
A richly rewarding read * Eve *
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