A pleasant romantic novel perfect for an easy holiday read.
Feature image credit: Simon & Schuster
Reminiscent of the Hallmark Christmas holiday movies, this romantic comedy, It’s Probably You, is the typical “boy meets girl, boy and girl don’t hit it off, reader wonders whether (or usually when) the boy ends up with girl” story.
Set in the USA, happily single Gillian Pritchard lives in the holiday town of Willow Cove, on the banks of the St Lawrence River in the North Country of New York State. She is the local pharmacist, has lots of friends and is loved by everyone in the town except the all-powerful Louise March! Unfortunately, Louise is the chair of the gardening club and lead judge in the annual garden competition. Even though her gardens are extraordinary, Gillian has never won.
The older lady who lived next door to Gillian has all of a sudden moved to Tampa and sold her house to a very handsome man named Noah West. Much to Gillian’s horror, the first thing Noah does is remove the hedge from between their properties, ruining the aesthetics of Gillian’s garden. Tempers flare and Noah finds he has no one in the town on his side.
One of the highlights of the book is the group of three well-meaning but very nosy and lovable older ladies, Carol, Judy and Arnette, who live near Gillian. They always know exactly what is going on, and what is best for everybody. Always with Gillian’s best interests at heart, there are no secrets where they are concerned.
Gillian also has an imaginary Bette Davis who chain smokes and follows her around the house disagreeing with all Gillian’s life choices. At times the reader may forget she is not actually a real person.
The fact that the lead character is plus-sized will resonate with many readers. It is nice to have one who is not stick thin but very happy within her own skin, regardless of the opinions of some men. The perils of online dating will also be familiar to many and some of the downright weird dates Gillian goes on are hilarious.
Author Jayne Denker has written several romantic comedies. It’s Probably You is the second one set in Willow Cove.
It’s Probably You does not pretend to be a great literary novel, but it is well-written with some good fun characters. Not much of the story is a huge surprise but it is an easy holiday read, and sits well within its genre.
Reviewed by Sue Mauger
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Simon & Schuster Australia
Released: January 2024
RRP: $32.99
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