I don't read much of this kind of thing but needed a break from violent death and this has been on my bookclub pile for ages and looked like a quick easy read, which it was. Nell returns from holiday with her teenage daughter after her husband has left her for another woman, is mugged at the airport and decides to take a self-defense class and look up her ex. Most of the book is about the trials of having a 15-year old and feeling sorry for yourself, but it's obvious from the first paragraph he's introduced in who she'll end up with. There were lots of mentions of South-west London and references that made me nostalgic - Alpen! - and it made me think about old boyfriends and whether I'd look them up in the same situation - probably not.
3 1/2 stars. Felt like something light, this wasn't a bad choice. Author has a nice way with words, and this flows along well. Couldn't overly relate to the main character, who is a newly single mum with a teenage daughter, but I liked her. Was really interested to see how Patrick ended up - to this 80's fan, his description was very attractive. I was disappointed he never actually appears! I also thought something more could have been done with the Mimi and Tess subplot. Overall, this was a nice little story which could have been a little more than it was.
