This was an interesting concept. I did enjoy it but I think I went in with high exceptions. I went in expecting one book and got another. I liked Alice’s story but her work colleagues annoyed me as they were so horrible to Alice about her weight. I wanted to slap them. Ben was annoying to begin with but he grew on me.


Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an review. Thanks also goes to the author for writing it.

Sadly this book wasn’t my cup of tea. Hate to say but I actually struggled to finish it. It was just lacking something and I found myself skim reading it at times,

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

First of all, my apologies to the author and publisher for taking so long to read this. It has been on my Netgalley list for far too long, but I am so glad I finally got the chance to read it as I have really enjoyed it.
Ben is by far my most favourite character. He is so lovely and really made me giggle at times with how so straight to the point he is. It was so lovely how his total honesty leads to such a change in another person’s life. Someone he had never met before and may never meet again. This someone is Alice, who seems to spend her life surrounded by awful people (her mother included) who seem fixated on the fact that she’s overweight, rather than who she is as a person. It’s no wonder she gets so low. She does also have her funny moments too though. I did laugh out loud on more than one occasion.
People really can be horrible at times and some of the characters in this book are quite unbelievably insensitive. They are not people I would want to associate with. I did like her Dad though.
Anyway, when Alice meets Ben in the park he tells her straight out that he thinks she’s beautiful. Naturally this makes her day, but she needs to accept this for herself and truly start to believe it.
Ben is also trying to find his place in the world and I really enjoyed his story. We need more Bens in this world.
As they say, be kind always as we never know what someone might be going through in their lives. The chance meeting between Ben and Alice changes both of their lives, for the better, forever.
A heart-warming and sometimes funny tale with a powerful message.
I very much recommend.
Many thanks for my review copy.

This book just wasn't for me! I loved the idea, but when it came down to it, the story was too slow to keep my attention, and, well, just too...I won't say far-fetched because I always argue that a work of fiction is exactly that, fiction, made-up, invented - but I was too cynical to accept it. As a result, sadly, I didn't finish the book.

So sorry, but this booked turned out just not to be for me. I have come back to it a couple of times, but just cant connect with it. I am sure others will love it, just not for me.

Let’s get it out of the way and say immediately that 31 Days of Wonder is NOT a book of romance – it’s completely upfront in saying that Ben and Alice meet only once and, in doing so, they spark something in each other that sets them off on a month-long journey of change.

After Ben and Alice’s meeting on Day 1, each new day gets a new chapter told from either Ben or Alice’s perspective as Ben tries and fails and tries again to get himself to Glasgow and Alice begins to think about Ben telling her that she’s beautiful. Although they met only briefly, the meeting brought something to life in both of them which, actually, seems to be the message of the book – you never know how contact with another person, however brief, might affect them and you.

Ben is a loveable character with no filter between brain and mouth, and a cocktail of drugs for unspecified mental health problems, which we learn about later on in the story as he reconnects with his childhood and the dramatic story of his early life. His optimism and innocence are written beautifully as he sets off from London to Glasgow on a pushbike.

I did identify a little with Alice, given her issues with her body and it’s lovely to see her come out of her shell – even if it is through lying about her ‘boyfriend’, Ben. It’s like this white lie gives her armour to turn aside the comments of her family and co-workers, allowing her to see herself as Ben saw her.

Tom Winter writes Ben and Alice’s stories with humour and genuine compassion and leaves them both with a hopeful ending and, although I wouldn’t say this book is ripe for a sequel, it’s nice to imagine Ben and Alice’s lives going forward on a better path thanks to their few moments of contact.

Ben and Alice meet by chance and set into motion a series of decisions that will change their lives. Funny, warm and engaging this was a great discovery!

This book was such a delightful surprise of a novel for me. From the synopsis, and my assumptions based on the cover, I was expecting this to be a straightforward boy meets girl novel, but I was wrong. 31 Days of Wonder is a quirky look at two characters, Alice and Ben, who meet briefly in a park at the start of the novel and then spend the rest of the book discovering more about themselves as they search for what is missing. Ben actively tries to find the Alice who he imagines to be the perfect woman for him. Alice is unhappy with her weight and her job and has no idea that the man in the park thought she was beautiful. The novel spans the 31 days as Alice and Ben move towards finding the thing they need to be fulfilled and happy. I loved the way it was more about how one moment can change the course of your life for the better in ways you don’t expect. I thought this book was going to be a bit predictable but it really wasn’t – it was lovely and surprising and I really enjoyed it.

This is an unusual novel about a young man called Ben, who was orphaned aged 5 and brought up by his grandparents. It is obvious that he suffers from some sort of mental disorder for which he takes medication. One day he meets a young woman called Alice in the park, and quickly becomes obssessed by her. He,mistakenly, thinks she lives in Glasgow.
Alice meanwhile is worrying about her weight, her rubbish job, and her lack of a boyfriend. Ben decides to bike ride to Scotland to find her, unaware that she is a figment of his vivid imagination. Things get even more confused when Ben's grandfather dies, and he has to help his grandmother pack up and move inton a old people's home, leaving him with a large parrot to care for.
I felt this book was well written, but a little confused, the plot just about plausible, and the ending where Ben finds a place in the world, he doesn't really understand.ed. It may have helped if we had known what was actually wrong with Ben.
However the characters are well drawn,

I'm afraid that the writing style wasn't for me. I would say definitely give it a try. You might love it!

Really enjoyed this book, will look out for more by this author.

I really wanted to love this book yet something was missing in the end. The story was a slow burner, taking the characters on journeys where they are not destined to meet.

Imagine a sliding doors book that has very dysfunctional and non Hollywood characters at its centre and you have 31 Days of Wonder. Ben see's Alice in a park during her lunch break and instantly tells her she is beautiful. Before he can go any further she is whisked away and he is left wanting to find the woman of his dreams.

With an element of off-beat humour this book tells the story day by day and follows Ben and Alice as they find out new things about those closest to them. The question is will they find each other.

What makes 31 days of wonder so appealing is that it doesn't go for the easy story. Rather its frustratingly, very frustrating at times, original in that it tells the story of two characters who seem to have an instant connection. This book will divide some people but at the end I think the story actually works very well and the humour and story pull it through to be a very readable and enjoyable novel.

Not my usual genre, but I did find it an incredibly sweet read. The characters, Ben and Alice are charming and after bumping into each other on a bench in a London park, spend the rest of the book fantasising about the romance they could have with each other.... if only they knew where their other half was. A charming tale, the 3 stars merely a reflection of my own personal taste, but I would buy this for a friend who enjoys chic lit.

This is a sweet, quirky and, at times, sentimental story about chance and fate. It's not your usual 'love story' but it does involve two characters who meet - albeit very briefly - one day and feel a sort of spark between them. It doesn't end the way love stories usually end, though; in fact the beginning and middle don't follow the usual love story format either!

The characters are really likeable and I cared about what would happen to both of them. They each have their own problems, and at first I was a little confused as I tried to work out more of Ben's character but soon got into the swing of the story. Both characters felt like they were unique and a change from some of the 'samey' characters which can often pop up in books from this genre. Alice and Ben are both sweet characters, a stark contrast to some of their acquaintances and work colleagues. At times I felt the way these other characters (including family and 'friends' of Alice) spoke to her was a bit too cruel and rude at times, and made me wonder if anyone would really be that horrible... then I thought about how cruel people can be, sadly, and it only made me feel more for poor Alice.

31 Days of Wonder was quite refreshing in its style and plot, and it wasn't exactly what I was expecting - I suppose I thought there'd be more elements of a traditional 'romance' in there - but I liked that it surprised me and definitely preferred the way it usurped the usual genre stereotypes to create a charming, sweet story. It's not a long read, so you can race through it pretty quickly (as I did)! I definitely recommend giving it a go.

I found this to be a really interesting, fun and quirky read as we follow the stories of Ben and Alice over a total of 31 days since they meet on a bench in a London park. The story flits between the two as they both deal with their own issues over the month, and it is a really fascinating story as they both discover things about themselves after their chance meeting.

Ben goes on the bigger journey as he becomes obsessed with Alice and all that she makes him feel. His quest to go to Glasgow to see her again takes over his life, but also makes him reconnect with his grandparents, and their story is quite a touching one as you delve further back into Ben and his past and you get to understand the way he is as you find out what he has been through.

Alice is dealing with life in an office where she seems to be the butt of everyones jokes, and has very low self esteem. But the words of Ben on that day make her start believing in herself more and just that boost to her confidence helps her deal with some awkward moments. Her parents are a cause for many of these awkward moments for her and their behaviour explains a lot!!

This is a book that features 2 socially awkward characters with hearts of gold, and how the impact of others can help or hinder their progress in their lives. There are many fun moments mixed in with more heartbreaking times and I loved how refreshing and endearing both characters were. Their stories are perfectly captured by the author and I have found myself thinking of them even after finishing the book a couple of days ago!

Ben and Alice have a chance meeting. What follows is 31 days of discovery for each of them, will they ever meet again. Both have "baggage" and the book takes you through changes in their lives, I loved the book all the way through really getting to understand each character but I felt a little let down by the ending feeling perhaps there should be more! Perhaps it is just me, I have given this a 4 star rating just because of the ending.

Not all who wander are lost…

Our subconscious speaks to us in different ways, and sometimes we listen and oftentimes we don't.

31 Days of Wonder is a poignant, often humorous, look at mental illness and how the subconscious talks quite loudly. The only one who seems to get it, is Ben. The thing is, Ben is on meds and he is convinced he's a bit mad. This is where things go wrong to go right. Ben speaks his mind and not everyone understands that - until Alice of course.

So, Ben tries to find Alice when she is really in his heart all the time. And Alice only understands what Ben told her much later, but just at the right time, like everything in life.

Then there's the parrot Neville. I really giggled here. In fact, I giggled a lot throughout the book because it's written in such a kind, tongue in cheek way, it's quite okay to giggle. And to get angry at the cruelty of “normal" people. That's okay too because ultimately your journey in this life is to find yourself. Sometimes it is easy, more often it's not. In Ben and Alice’s case, it took a parrot, an almost bicycle trip to Scotland (with a tracking chip) and the power of the subconscious.

Thoroughly enjoyable. I marvelled at how Alice coped with the rude people and loved how Ben just said the wrong thing right at the right time!

I would like to read a sequel

Elsa

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Cute, lighthearted summer read. A lovely book about 2 people who cross paths - and subtly change each other's lives. Dollops of humour in the right places - definitely a book I'd recommend for the end of summer.