The Rundown
Sometimes, you feel like the universe is at your beck and call and everything is great. And sometimes, you just don’t get the ideal happy ending. Jimmy Rowland is living the dream. By day, he works as a bartender in his favorite bar and by night, he has the greatest times with his two best friends, singing in a band. Where Jimmy stands, it’s the perfect life.
Then Erin Poppet enters the stage. She walks into Jimmy’s life like a crashing crescendo. He falls knees-deep in love. But like fireworks, it was intense yet short, leaving Jimmy nursing a broken heart and his dream life in utter ruin.
This book has a simple premise: love isn’t all cuddles and chocolates. This might appeal to many who grow tired of the hearts and flowers romance stories often shoved their way, while some might find such premise quite bitter – and perhaps it is. Yet it has to be said that Hurley’s writing makes for a realistic yet whimsically light story that might just appeal to anyone who has gone through the euphoria of loving someone and the sheer heaviness of heartbreak.
The early stages of Jimmy and Erin’s relationship may be filled with the heart-fluttering, giggly moments one would often enjoy in a romance story but one could already tell the chaos palpably bubbling underneath the surface, eager to erupt. Tensions were straining as the story progresses, until things ultimately broke and fell away.
Jimmy makes for an entertaining narrator. With his snarkiness and self-esteem issues, he is a flawed character and yet very much relatable. His character development throughout the story is believable. However, it felt as if everyone else isn’t given much more depth.
YOU, ME AND US was never a love story from the start – and it never claimed to be. There was never a happy ending with the two together. And this realness, along with Jimmy’s wittiness and the modern reference sprinkled all over the novel, is what makes this novel so enjoyable to read. Anyone who enjoys 500 Days of Summer or any other non-love story between a boy and a girl will want to give this book a try.
The Recommendation
YOU, ME AND US was never a love story from the start – and it never claimed to be. Anyone who enjoys 500 Days of Summer or any other non-love story between a boy and a girl will want to give this book a try.
The Rating
4 Stars (out of 5): Recommended. For the right audience, this book is a great read. It can hold its own against any traditionally published novel in its genre.
The Pros & Cons
Pros: Believable, HumorCons: Character Developement
