31 Days of Wonder - Tom Winter

Description

'And in that instant, he knows in his heart that today is a momentous day; come what may, he and Alice will meet again, and life will never be the same.'

Alice is stuck in an internship she loathes and a body she is forever trying to change.

Ben, also in his early twenties, is still trying to find his place in the world.

By chance they meet one day in a London park.

Day 1
Ben spots Alice sitting on a bench and feels compelled to speak to her. To his surprise, their connection is instant. But before numbers are exchanged, Alice is whisked off by her demanding boss.

20 minutes later
Alone in her office toilets, Alice looks at herself in the mirror and desperately searches for the beauty Ben could see in her.

Meanwhile, having misunderstood a parting remark, Ben is already planning a trip to Glasgow where he believes Alice lives, not realising that they actually live barely ten miles apart.

Over the next 31 days, Alice and Ben will discover that even if they never manage to find each other again, they have sparked a change in each other that will last a lifetime. In 31 Days of Wonder, Tom Winter shows us the magic of chance encounters and how one brief moment on a Thursday afternoon can change the rest of your life.

Review

Wow - what a book this is. I predict great things for this book and I can see it becoming a film. You really need to read this wonderful insightful book.

Two very separate stories of Alice and Ben - entwined by the author through a brief meeting at a park. Ben decides to track down Alice - he keeps seeing her anyway - or is it someone else who has a message for him. Two different journeys - one physical for Ben and his bike - discovering himself and what his family means to him whilst working through his mental health issues. The other for Alice with her own issues and being on an eternal diet - but who is she trying to please?

I was intrigued by the book jacket blurb but never expected what an absolutely delightful book this would be. Sure, there are some characters such as Alice's boss from hell and her Mother who aren't so nice but they have some classic one liners. As Alice's Mother asks her "what would you say if I got Botox and went on Twitter?". Both characters also have excellent support in the form of Dave and Rachel - not forgetting Neville the parrot. 

It's a great story that in places was deep but also had laugh out loud moments with subtle insights into how people get through life.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars My thanks to LittleBrownBook and Netgalley for an advance copy of the book.