10 reasons not to, but one reason why you should! (10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love - Linda Green)

Member Name: kaitlinsmummy

Product:	10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love - Linda Green
Date:	05/06/09 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An incredible read.

Disadvantages: None!

There is only one other person who reads more than me and that would be my little sister Emma. This is a fact I love as there are endless new books coming my way.

As it was her birthday not so long ago, I stupidly decided to buy her a book from the top 40 in Asda, this was a mistake as she informed me after that she has almost every book available in Asda already.

To appease my conscience I decided to have the afore mentioned book for myself and replaced it with a book of her choice, this left me with a book I didn't really want but felt obliged to read anyway, and by god am I glad I did.

The book I will now review is - "10 reasons not to fall in love, by Linda Green"

The premise of the story is as follows - Jo and two year old Alfie are a package deal, after Richard (Jo's ex-partner and still editor boss) decided he was far too selfish to be a dad and bailed on the pair on Alfie's 1st birthday, Jo now feels that she should be putting Alfie first in everything.

After having a year to let the break up sink in, and the inevitable return to work from maternity leave, Jo discovers that working for her ex, and having to watch him canoodle daily with his new piece of fluff, weather girl Tricia has destroyed her faith in men entirely.

After a chance meeting, Jo is introduced to a seemingly wonderful man Dan, a part time children's entertainer/balloon sculptor/clown......
He is incredible with Alfie, as well as being attractive to Jo, but due to her self imposed celibacy she uses Alfie as an excuse to meet up on further "dates" with Dan the balloon man, as Alfie calls him.

When Jo finally decides that maybe Dan could possibly be "the one" the burgeoning relationship is put in jeopardy when an accident happens that changes the dynamics between them, making her question whether she should put her new man in the same category as her family.

The final icing on the cake is when Jo discovers a secret from Dans past that could potentially destroy everything they have between them.

This book in a word was incredible. Never before have i read a book that I could relate to so entirely.
Ok, I am not separated, but as a mother I could relate to every indecision Jo faced, from her undying love for her child through to her guilt at having to, or shock horror even wanting to return to work.

After Dan is incorporated into the story, every other chapter is written from his point of view as a child. This is particularly harrowing due to the relationship that his mother endured due to being a violent relationship with his father.

Each part of these chapters are relevant to how his character has been shaped from youth, I loved this as it added real depth to a character I wouldn't necessarily deem as the main character.

This is a cleverly written story that drew me in completely, one of those books that you really begrudge putting down as you feel that you would quite like to read from cover to cover.

As mentioned before this was purchased from Asda, the cost being a paltry £4.00, an absolute bargain!

For more information visit - www.headline.co.uk

Thanks for reading x

ISBN 978-0-7553-3344-8

Summary: See review.