Having enjoyed The Rosie Project and the sequel (though admittedly not as much as the first book) I expected to enjoy this book by Graeme Simsion as well. I was wrong.

The whole book reads as though the author is pining for some long lost love himself and honestly I had to force myself to finish reading the book. Romanticizing the underlying story did not help sell the affair angle to me. Both Angelina and Adam were characters I could not enjoy in the least.

Sorry Graeme, this one was not for me.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.

This was a slightly amusing, very engaging book which I really enjoyed reading. I really liked that a lot of it was set in 1980s with references to songs at that time, as this was my era as a 20 something. The use of the songs to convey feelings or subliminal messages was very clever.

It was also good to read a love story written from a man's perspective. Overall a very honest portrayal of the feelings for past loves and the stage in one's life where you consider and compare present relationships against past ones.

Highly recommended. 4.5****

What an eye-opener into the male mid-life psyche. But it's far more than that: a touching, funny, heart-breaking story that is ultimately life-affirming.