One Plus One

By: Jojo Moyes

My Rating: 4 stars

Who Should Read This: Anyone looking for a quick and fun read.

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages . . . maybe ever.

My Thoughts: The main character, Jess, has to be one of the strongest women I know. She works two jobs, takes care of two kids all by herself (one of which is not hers), and the reader comes to soon realize that she will do anything for her loved ones. I swear this woman can’t catch a break though. Then there is Ed, who kind of has it all, and then makes a very stupid mistake and kind of blows it. At first it was a little hard for me to feel sorry for Ed because I couldn’t really understand how someone could make that kind of colossal mistake. I would tell you what he did, but you don’t have to get too far into the book to figure it out, so I will let you discover it yourself.

                This book would actually be a perfect summer read. It’s quick witted, and although the two main character’s struggles (two VERY different struggles) seem bleak, the author does a good job in not presenting the book in a depressing manner. Jess’s constant optimism reminds the reader that no matter how hard life gets, there a still some positives ahead of you. In one part Jess does sort of fall apart (don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler) and you think, finally! How can someone keep it together that long? I fear I am starting to make this book sound more of a depressing read then it really is. I promise it is not. Something that I enjoyed was seeing the story pan out through various viewpoints. For the most part, Jess and Ed tell the story, but the two kids get to share their thoughts and the reader sees things from their vantage point. I think if this is done right, the story really becomes well rounded, and the author definitely has a knack for this.

                Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read, and I believe that Jess’s struggles are definitely relatable to a certain extent. I found myself starting to be very thankful for what I have and feeling that although I had some struggles in life, I might need to put them in to perspective a little more. A great book with great characters. Hope you enjoy!