Tom Ellen

''I read somewhere once that grief is like weather. As in: constantly changing, impossible to predict. You might be expecting clear skies but instead you get storm clouds. That seems about right. But I'm not sure how much longer I can go on, never knowing exactly when I'm going to get caught in the pouring rain.''

Will and Annie have found themselves at a crossroads. Which way are they going to follow?

Will wanted to become a rock star. That’s all gone now. Now, he works in a shop that is show more barely functional and volunteers at a crisis line where he gives hope to those who need it most. If only he could see it…Instead, he has chosen to live in the past, fighting the same terrible demons day in, day out. Annie works in a job that doesn’t meet her wishes and talents and has to put up with an insufferable boyfriend as she struggles to overcome her grief for her father’s death and her anger towards her family. One day, Annie decides to call Green Shoots. And everything will change as two strangers open themselves to each other in the blink of an eye?

But are they strangers?

Without further ado, this book is perfect. The writing is impeccable. Modern but not cliched, vivid but not cringe-inducing as most contemporary novels have become. The characters of Will and Annie are outstanding. Tangible, sincere, acting as actual human beings would act when hopelessness, exhaustion and apathy take over. Their concerns and fears can be found in every single one of us and their voices are distinct, kind and memorable. Tom Ellen manages to turn London and Paris into characters and the descriptions of each city are so lively that you feel yourself walking (and recognizing) the streets, the alleys, the parks, the buildings.

Excellent characters aside, the real strength of the novel lies within the use of its main themes. Loss, disappointment, grief, misunderstandings. How do we cope with the loss of the most important person in our life? How do we manage to get up and walk when we feel that this bereavement came to be through the inertia of others? How do we forgive? And how do we forgive ourselves when we feel that we are the cause of our pain?

Tom Ellen’s novel is a breath of fresh air. It is a contemporary masterpiece. Some have mentioned that it is the British You’ve Got Mail. As much as I love this film, The Lifeline is a gazillion times better.

Many thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less

All About Us is one of those books I was excited about as soon as I heard about it. A time-travelling love story? Count me in! Set in December, it is a suitable festive read but it can easily be read at any time of the year.

Ben's relationship with his wife, Daphne, is on the rocks. Somewhere along the line he's lost sight of what he loved so much about her over the years. A combination of loss, apathy, drifting, and taking everything for granted has left them struggling and who knows what show more the future brings for them. The reappearance of the one who got away, Alice, compounds everything Ben is feeling and makes him wonder if he ended up with the wrong person.

Haven't we all wondered what would have happened if we had taken a different path to the one we chose? Ben gets to find out by travelling to different Decembers in his life, experiencing the same things but seeing them from a new perspective. In doing so he learns some cold hard truths about himself.

Even though the author admits he borrowed from A Christmas Carol when writing this book, I thought it was quite an original and contemporary idea and I really enjoyed following Ben on his time-travel adventures. Although a fairly light read it does deal with some serious emotions and it did tug on my heartstrings a few times.

All About Us is an engaging romance with a premise that I really enjoyed. I thought Tom Ellen's writing was sensitive when it came to Ben's marriage, his mum and his best friend, Harvey, but it also had a humorous edge to it and some sharp characterisations. It's a delightful story, one that is ultimately feel-good and charming. show less

Two teenagers, Phoebe and Luke, navigating their first term at a university in the north of England.

I like reading about characters going off to university. Characters making drunken (or drug-influenced) decisions and making mistakes of their relationships in consequence is really not so much my cup of tea.

Nevertheless, I think it’s super important that there are stories about this sort of experience. There’s been discussion in the media lately about residential colleges -- the problems show more of hazing practices and a drinking culture, and the relationship between these and sexual assault. It’s something which needs to be talked about more -- preferably before young people are confronted with it -- and fiction is one way of doing that.

When Freshers wasn’t making me uncomfortable, it was easy to read and often funny. I was delighted by how wholly British it is, right down its vocabulary and idiomatic grammar. I liked the bits about Phoebe and Luke studying English lit, and how so much of the story was about their friendships; I liked that they had friends who didn’t drink and this was accepted.

“Still,” he carried on, “at least I’ll get a decent job after uni. Unlike you, who’ll be stuck in a skip, writing poems.”
“That’s the dream,” I sighed. “Although you don’t walk straight into a gig like that. I’d probably have to intern in the skip for a few months.” show less

This book had its highs and lows, but I read it in less than a day so overall, I'd say it's a win. A book about college for young adults? Awesome. We need more post-high school books. And while I didn't drink or party in college because I was a Mormon nerd, so much of this book still managed to hit me in the college feels. It's such a weird time, going from basically having everything structured and controlled for you to.....I make my own choices? What? How? When did this happen? Which, show more hello, circles back to we need more post-high school books! Finally, I loved the character development and the relationships that developed between everyone. And the humor--I laughed out loud more than once, which I'm sure my husband really enjoyed listening to. My only real complaint is that the story felt choppy at times. It wasn't terrible by any means, but some of the major moments ended up a little jarring because there wasn't much build up or development toward them. Smoothing out the flow of the story would have made it five-star read, for sure. show less