Gaele Hi
3.5 Stars, Rounded Nadia is still ‘recovering’ from a bad relationship while still ‘trying’ to get all of herself together to rival those Instagram lives she so loves to follow. Perennially late to the train that would leave her time to get to work unhurried as she’d rather spend time with her best friends Gaby and Emma, gets lost in a series of movies, or falls into the instahole at 11 at night, she’s determined to make a ‘new start’ that involves being early for the 7:30 train into the city center, puled together and projecting the image of ‘woman in charge’ while smoothly navigating her day. Sure, it’s a long shot most days, but she’s committed (mostly) and is sure that this will make her life start to feel more in control. Not less lonely, but in control, and then she can concern herself with meeting ‘her match’. Daniel is still reeling from his father’s death, but his new contract with a company downtown has at least his work hours occupied. His schedule means he needs to catch the 7:30 train into the city center, and then he spots her. The girl who could be the one of his dreams, with a coffee stain on the bottom of her dress, her sunglasses askew, and a general air of ‘harassed and rushed’ pulsing around her. He wants to speak, really he does, but no one does that on the tube. As sightings turn into obsession, and he decides that the Missed Connections section of the newspaper just may be a way to score an introduction – he places an ad. This was super cute and fun, with Daniel and Nadia missing one another repeatedly, both thinking that all is lost before they finally (and it takes a while) manage to step beyond the notices in the paper and the missed (even just by seconds) face to face interactions. Not only is Daniel a wonderfully drawn character with plenty of moments to show how different he is from others, Nadia and her best friends are super supportive while still being honest with her about her own failings, and the fact that Daniel found both a renewed connection with his university friends and a new friend who not only heard and listened (different things) to his dreams and hopes, but helped him to see that he was worth seeing them achieved was marvelous – and so perfect. This is the book for restoring faith in love and romance, and a perfect escape when you need to have that smile and guaranteed good book hangover. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
