Commuting takes on a whole new meaning (Let's Meet on Platform 8 - Carole Matthews)

Member Name: aylawarner

Product:	Let's Meet on Platform 8 - Carole Matthews
Date:	07/11/09 (65 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very likeable characters, can relate to the commute, romantic and funny

Disadvantages: Sad ending, not as funny as more recent books by Matthews

Rushing to catch the 18.07 home from platform 8, Teri is literally knocked off her feet by Jamie Duncan. He comes to her rescue and is her knight in shining armour taking care of her bleeding knee and buying her some new tights. As well as being her hero and the perfect gentleman, Jamie is also unbelievably sexy and Teri can't help falling for him. The commute to work becomes something to look forward to and getting up so early in the morning becomes, not only bearable, but a welcome gift. Jamie seems to be perfect and Teri can't believe she's finally met her Mr Right. That is until she finds out that he's also Mr Married.

~ My opinion ~
I found this book on offer in my local book shop, brand new, for only 25p so I couldn't pass it by at such a cheap price.

Usually in a situation like this in a book, the reader gets a clear feeling of who should be together and usually one of the people in a love triangle is not so nice. But it isn't the case with this book as all the characters are very likeable which made it quite difficult to decide who Jamie should be with.

Teri is the main female in the book. Single, bubbly and bright, she's been though all the other Mr Men - Lazy, Greedy, Completely Selfish, Looking-for-Mother-Substitute and Downright Pervert, and when she literally bumps into Mr Right, Teri is instantly in love. When she first finds out that Jamie is married, Teri is appalled that she almost became a mistress and led a man to cheat on his wife, but after a while she finds that she still can't seem to resist him and eventually decides that she wants him no matter what the circumstances are.

Despite falling for another woman when he's married, Jamie is still a lovely guy. He still loves his wife very much but is drawn to Teri in a way he has never felt before. It's hard not to like him because he tries so hard not to become an adulterer and despite lying to his wife and betraying her, we can see Jamie struggling with his emotions and he doesn't want to hurt anyone.

We also get an insight into Jamie's wife's life. Pamela is probably like any other wife in the world - works hard to look after her two young children and keep the house clean and tidy, while also working part-time for that little bit of sanity away from home. Through the time taken up by the children and work life, Jamie and Pamela seem to have simply lost sight on their own relationship and have drifted apart. Pamela loves her husband very much and when she begins to suspect he's having an affair she's devastated and will do anything to keep him.

For anyone who does have to do the horrendous commute to work, this book is very easy to relate to. Teri and Jamie connect over delayed trains, signal problems, weather conditions affecting the trains as well as squashing onto a carriage so tightly with only the thought of getting home and not a care in the world about being stuck under a complete stranger's sweating armpit. Because I could relate to this I did find it very funny as I'm sure any other commuter would do.

This was a very easy book to read and, although probably not as funny as Matthews more recent books (this was published in 1997), it still has many comical moments and is a lovely romance story. The ending was a little sad I thought because, as I said above, I didn't know which woman I wanted Jamie to end up with so whichever way he ending up going, it was going to be disappointing to see the other woman losing the man she loves. But I still enjoyed it and it was a very easy-going and light read.

Summary: A funny romance of commuting and confusion