The Trouble with Henry and Zoe

If you have ever wondered if you are in the right relationship, or spent time wondering how to get out of one (and haven’t we all?) you will relate to this great, little love story. I say ‘little’ because it’s not heavy, it’s delightful and quirky.

It’s a romance about two people meeting after they’ve escaped relationships that weren’t quite right. What I also loved about this book is that their ex-partners weren’t painted as bad people – they were just the wrong people.

I love the journey of starting over: Henry’s new life, new friends, new work and having to find forgiveness in his hometown; and Zoe’s gradual acceptance of her new circumstances, freedom, new love and the insight into her almost-mother-in-law’s grief.

Henry and Zoe are likable, fragile, and real. You will find yourself thinking how much better suited they are, although I can’t help wondering if like their previous relationships, this new one will run its course too. But hey, that’s life.

A happy, quirky, character-driven novel.

Cute, modern day novel, with relatable main heroes.

Andy Jones did a great job writing two very realistic characters, Henry, a dentist and hairdresser and Zoe, a former lawyer, who now works in the publishing industry.

They both have pasts to deal with. But their relationship is easy and natural, but because of Zoe's plans to travel the world, they decide to just be "friends with benefits". Will their relationship become more than that?
Read and you'll find out.

A very enjoyable read!

The Trouble with Henry and Zoe by Andy Jones is a romance novel - but not as we know it.

Forget schmaltzy. Forget Mills and Boon. Forget champagne at midnight and floaty dresses. Forget Paris and long lingering looks.

This is real life romance; warts, misunderstandings, tempers and all.

From the first flush of romance, Zoe and Alex seemed like the ideal couple. But lately Zoe has been having second thoughts. Alex has changed. Perhaps he is having an affair. Perhaps she has fallen out of love. Perhaps it is time they said adieu....

Henry has jilted his bride virtually on the altar after realising he doesn't love her the way she deserves to be loved, they way he desires to love someone. He takes himself off to London to reinvent himself, and inevitably his and Zoe's worlds collide.

This is a heart-warming and entertaining look at a modern romance. I enjoyed it immensely. It made me smile. I still smile when I think about it - and I am not a romance story aficionado.

I am looking forward to reading Andy Jones' other works.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers Simon & Schuster for providing me with a digital ARC of The Trouble with Henry and Zoe by Andy Jones. I have written an honest an unbiased review.

Having read Andy Jones's previous novel 'The Two of Us' and being surprised about how much I enjoyed it, I'm glad to say that I loved 'The Trouble With Henry and Zoe'.
I don't really read a lot of books by male authors unless they are thrillers....and this is not but there is something about the way that Andy Jones writes that is so true to life.

Henry has just woken on up the day of his marriage wondering if he is doing the right thing. Running out in the early dawn of a 12 year relationship with April is the only thing he thinks he can do.
Zoe has been in a relationship with Alex for 4 years. They have a house mortgage and everything is comfortable but Alex has been 'slightly off' for a few weeks. She wonders if he has been unfaithful especially as he has been extra attentive lately. One morning he steps out of the house to go to get breakfast for them both but he never returns.

Told in alternating chapters between Henry and Zoe, we come to understand their previous and present lives. They actually don't meet until at least 1/3 into the book I liked how we really got to know them both first. Both are slightly damaged and unsure if they should venture into a relationship, especially since Zoe has decided to travel in 10 weeks time for a year. She wants this time for herself but the more she sees Henry the more she questions herself, especially as their friendship evolves from board games in the pub and 'friends with benefits' to something more.
And Henry, well I think he's lovely. From a part time dentist to a scissor welding hairdresser other days, I loved his thoughts and interactions with his family and especially with Jenny his elderly dental patient. This is where Andy Jones does things so well.

This is a gentle book about moving on, I had many emotions and really felt for both Henry and Zoe and I thought the ending was perfect. I wait in anticipation for Andy Jones next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy to read and review.

This is a lovely romance about two unconventional people. Each has narrowly escaped being in the wrong relationship and neither is looking for another relationship just yet. Henry is a dentist who has fled his home town and found work in London hairdressing with a bit of dentistry on the side. Zoe is an ex-lawyer who left a stressful job to become an editor of children's books. In alternating chapters, they tell us about their past and current lives so that we get to know them well before they meet later in the book. Both colorful and quirky characters, they seem made for each other but are cautious about falling in love again, especially since Zoe is on the verge of leaving for a year of traveling.

I enjoyed this character driven romance very much. Often funny and occasionally a little bit teary, it had a perfect non-schmalzy ending, as both Henry and Zoe gradually recover from their previous relationships and learn to look forward rather than back.

My Thoughts


‘I know, but Zoe’s .. . it’s complicated.’
‘Newsflash, Henry, life is complicated. You deal with it, you move on.’


This was such an interesting, little quirky book - real and very honest. It’s all about relationships - relationships with lovers, friends, one’s parents, even the love you should hold for yourself. It’s a ‘rom-com’ for literature yet, looking beyond the superficial, it asks some very pertinent questions - should one stay in a relationship if you are not in love?


‘Should you smile and say ‘for better or worse’ when you suspect that of the two options the latter is by far the more likely?’


There are many engaging characters that will surely keep you turning the pages. However, for the two main characters, the author comes at it from a different angle. For you see they meet having just come out of relationships (and not the way you think!) Herein lies the tension, as they get to know one another. The problem is, however, Zoe has a planned overseas trip:


‘It feels like we’re at the start of something, and the more I learn about him and reveal about myself, the more I want . . . more. I don’t want to leave him, but the whole point of my year away is to find and fend for myself –and I’m not sure you can do that with someone holding your hand.’


Being a fan of the Golden Years of Hollywood, I also love the throwback to old movies and how they are tied in:


‘Brief Encounter, An Affair to Remember, Roman Holiday, His Girl Friday. Stories about love, thwarted by timing, pride, circumstance, politics, family, money, war, others. Stories with only two endings; will they/won’t they stories, although you can usually guess which.’


As I said, it is a very real and honest portrayal and I found that most appealing as it makes more believable. There are sad parts, funny parts and frustrating parts, with an ending that might surprise you.


‘Ten more Saturday nights and then it’s over. I knew from the outset that this .. . thing . . . was running out from the moment it started, but this official deadline hits me like a rejection. It feels like we’re just getting started –we are just getting started –but now the calendar has been marked with a hard ‘X’.


Will they? Won’t they? I couldn’t guess! Yet the story left me feeling satisfied that there does not have to be complete romantic closure; that anything is possible, especially when having the confidence to start over. If life is unsatisfactory in some way, then find ways to become inspired and choose a new path.


‘We won’t be together when the credits roll, but we will have a story. But a lot can happen in seven weeks, so I remind myself to shut up, sit back and enjoy the final act.’






This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

Great story, funny, realistic and heart warming. This was a great easy read.