Like a slice of chocolate mud cake. An excellent indulgence but you couldn't have 2 slices in a row. ( )

Please note: Review contains spoilers. [EDITED TO ADD: Also, this is a review of PILLOW TALK by FREYA North, not HAILEY North].

Petra is a jeweller in London, Arlo is a music teacher up north. Once, long ago when they were both still at school, they shared a moment at a rock concert. Now, a lifetime later, they meet again, and both wonder if the second time really is the charm.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved that both Petra and Arlo came across as decent people without being perfect. Petra is full of insecurities, so desperate to be loved that she forces herself to stay with a guy who is clearly not Mister Right. And Arlo has convinced himself that life is better when love and intimacy are left out of the equation. I liked the reasons for why they both became the people they are, though I had to squint a bit in Arlo's case because it sounded a little extreme, but, hey, it's suitably romantically tragic.

Seriously, I thought this was a pretty good example of fun, romantic chick-lit, and I heartily recommend it to anyone looking for something frothy and amusing to read. And I shall be looking for more of Freya North's books, given this was the first novel of hers I'd ever read. ( )