This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Victoria Sutton
There is always something unique about a Cecelia Ahern novel. It starts with the cover – always a joy to behold yet different to what has come before. Then, when you open the pages, you are drawn into a world of perfect escapism where Ahern takes something from our modern day lives and sprinkles it with magic to weave a story that warms the heart and touches the soul. Her novels are like modern day fairy tales for grown ups!
Christine and Adam are thrown together on the night she stops his suicide attempt on Dublin’s Halfpenny Bridge. Having only recently felt that she failed to stop another man from committing suicide, Christine is determined to ‘fix’ Adam. He gives her a deadline of his birthday to convince him life is worth living, which she soon discovers is in just two weeks time. At first, it is Christine who is meant to be saving Adam, but it soon becomes clear that Adam might just be saving Christine too …
Christine is a long-time self-help book aficionado who has just walked out on her husband after realising she didn’t love him. She is from a slightly bonkers but loving family, who hold their own secrets, as we will gradually discover. Accustomed to usually being the saviour of others, including her best friend and her clients at her recruitment firm with a difference, Christine has found herself in a rather hopeless situation following her marriage breakup. Meeting Adam gives her a project to focus on, but has she taken on more than she can handle?
Adam is quite possibly the most handsome man that Christine has ever met. He is the soon to be heir to Basil Chocolates, a famous Irish Chocolatier, but it is not a position that he wants. Recently, he has also lost the job he loved, his father is dying and he has just discovered that his girlfriend – who he was about to propose to – has run off with his best friend. Adam certainly has a number of issues that brought him to Christine on the Halfpenny Bridge that night, and she has her work cut out trying to help him rediscover the joy in life, whilst unexpectedly learning how to fall in love herself …Ahern delivers again, masterfully tackling a difficult subject and making it a joy to read. How to Fall in Love is a beautifully written and thoughtful novel with more than a few moments of humour and an underlying message to take away with you. I was left with a renewed sense of faith in humanity, the determination to appreciate life more – and a developing interest in self-help books!
A perfect ‘New Year New You’ read!
9/10
Cecelia Ahern's Website