Those of you who tuned in last week will know that I really enjoyed reading Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees’ debut novel ‘Come Together’. My only gripe? I wanted more… and that’s exactly what I got from this, their second book. ‘Come Again’ takes up the tale just a few months later, but in what seems to be an inspired piece of thinking the focus this time is on some of the minor characters from ‘Come Together’ with Jack and Amy taking a crucial, but minor role.
Matt, best friend of Jack, is feeling a little unsure of himself with all the changes going on around him. H, best friend of Amy is starting to wonder if there’s more to life than her blossoming career. Stringer, friend to the lads, is desperate to find a fulfilling relationship – but is trying hard to hide a secret he can’t bare to even think about. Susie, friend to Amy, threat to H, finally decides that the only way she can sort out her life is if she swears off men for the foreseeable future. Their paths become intertwined as the relationship between Jack and Amy develops.
This is a cleverly thought out book, with the requisite laughs and cringeworthy moments that you expect from writers like this. However, as I read it I found myself preferring the story between Stringer and Susie, than the one between Matt and H which was clearly supposed to be the major thread running throughout the book. This didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book – in fact it made me feel that this book probably had something to offer for every reader. One of my favourite parts of reading this book was the way you could frequently see what was about to happen – but in the same way you can watch a glass of red wine spill in slow motion over your Mom’s favourite cream rug… you could only watch the events unfold in front of your eyes.
Lloyd and Rees continue where they left off with all of the characters. I loved the way in which they really developed characters who’d been firmly in the background in ‘Come Together’, and the way in which my perception of some of the changed once I knew more about them. I felt a real sense of empathy for the characters and wanted everything to turn out well for them all.
This is a great book, both as a follow up to ‘Come Together’ and as a stand alone novel. It’s written in such a way that if you hadn’t read the previous book it would not matter – there is little of the first book that is referred to in a way that presumes you have read it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone. [Jenni Nock]
If you liked this try The Three Day Rule by Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees.
