We here at Trashionista loved Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees’ latest offering, so I was very tempted by the offer of a copy of their first collaborative effort. 'Come Together' follows the simple, well-tested formula of 'boy meets girl, loses girl and tries to get girl back' (like I was going to tell you whether he was successful or not…), but it's told from both sides. It sounded like a great idea, but was this novel as good as the most recent, or did it take a couple of false starts before our most loved writing duo found their feet?
‘Come Together’ tells the tale of Jack and Amy. Jack loves all the fun and games that come with living the single life. He’s tried being in a long term relationship, but...well, it didn’t work out and who needs that kind of hassle from something that’s supposed to be fun? Amy, on the other hand, hates the single life. It’s been six months since she last got anywhere near a man, and she’s beginning to think there must be something wrong with her. Cue a near-chance meeting, and the beginning of what could be a perfect relationship.
As with any good book, the relationship doesn’t, thankfully, go smoothly. The book proceeds to take us through the twists and turns of the first few months after Jack and Amy meet. Cue some big laughs and even bigger moments to make you cringe. Each incident is hugely believable – you can easily imagine your best mate sat down the pub telling you about it happening to them.
The characters are all hugely realistic. In an escape from some other writers in the chick lit genre, no one is larger than life, or has any extreme characteristics. Instead each character is well-developed and no different from the people you mix with every day. Not once did I stop and think how wrong the authors had gotten it. I think the characters also benefit from the dual-writing – there are none of the moments when you think ‘a (wo)man wouldn’t really do that’.
All in all this is a thoroughly enjoyable, light read. Whilst possibly not quite as slick as their latest novel, this is a fantastic debut offering that few could find fault with. My only gripe when I finished it was that I wanted more… so tune in again tomorrow! [Jenni Nock]
Like this? Try The Three Day Rule by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees
