12.10.16

BOOK REVIEW: The Trouble with Henry and Zoe by Andy Jones

Henry and Zoe have more in common than they realise. For a start, they both have pasts they'd rather leave behind.
After jilting his childhood sweetheart on the eve of their wedding, Henry makes a break for London. He has no friends, no job, no home, no plan.
Zoe has great friends, two jobs, a new house, and a big scary plan. After a traumatic, life-changing event, she plans to leave London and spend a year travelling. Alone.
If Henry and Zoe had met one year ago, things might have worked out differently. But that's not the way life works. They meet seven months after their worlds have been turned upside down. And four months before Zoe is due to climb on a plane...

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 452

I have to admit that I may have done a little squeal when I received an email asking if I wanted to review Andy Jones' new book, The Trouble with Henry and Zoe. I was a huge fan of his highly successful first book, The Two of Us, so I was excited to see what he'd done next. I've said this before but for one reason or another, I do not read a lot of books by male authors so I'm always so pleased to find a male author whose work I really enjoy.
The Trouble with Henry and Zoe begins with Henry jilting his childhood sweetheart, April at the altar. Henry comes from a small town so when he runs out on April it becomes clear that he won't be able to return home for a while. He decamps to London where he works part time as a dentist. He knows it was the right thing not to marry April but he has no idea what he's going to do next.
Zoe's world has just been turned upside down. She too is in London, two jobs and a new house on which to pay the mortgage. But she has a plan; she would like to get as far away as possible. She is saving everything she can to go away travelling and nothing will change her mind.
When Henry and Zoe's worlds collide, neither of them are expecting it. So many questions arise, what if they had met earlier? What will happen when Zoe leaves? Can you love someone enough to let them go?
Again, Andy Jones has created two fantastic main characters. I very quickly cared deeply for Henry and Zoe but Henry was definitely my favourite. What he did to April was terrible but I felt sorry for him too. His parents made me a bit angry as it was difficult for them as they own a pub in the small town but I did feel that they could have stuck up for him a little more.
Zoe is a fab character too; she has suffered a terrible tragedy and her own emotions are so complex. Andy Jones' portrayal of her was incredibly honest, she could easily have been seen as a victim but she was far from that.
There is so much humour in the book too, I laughed out loud at several points and I think the author had the balance just right. I enjoyed the chapters being told from either Henry or Zoe's perspective; it allows the reader to get to know them very well but also, more importantly, what they think of each other.
The Trouble with Henry and Zoe is an emotive and touching read. As with Andy Jones' first book, I was impressed by his writing style and the characters he presents. If you've not read anything by this author yet then what are you waiting for?

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book to review. 

1 comment:

Nadia said...

Sounds like such a delightful read. I definitely need to get my hands on a copy of this one ASAP!!

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