"Self-professed rom-com devotees will adore Lea’s playful and steamy second novel"
As you’re reading this book review right now, it’s a pretty safe bet you are something of a rom-com fan, like our bubbly heroine Tara Chen, who loves to self-referentially point out the tropes of her life with lines like ‘as a lifelong connoisseur of romance novels, I’m keenly aware that eye contact lasting longer than three seconds is ripe with romantic potential.’
Exes and O’s opens with two twists on the meet cute: first, a meet-cute-turned-mugging followed by a meet-cute-while-he’s-having-sex-with-another-woman (‘Things go tits up from there. Literally.’) It’s a playful kick-start to Tara deciding to go on her own quest: revisit her ten exes (‘the men most women friend-zone, ignoring their potential and understated sex appeal until it’s too late’) to create her own second-chance romance. Meanwhile, she’s becoming increasingly jealous about the one-night stands of her ‘annoyingly attractive’ fireman flatmate, Trevor… Who of course, calls her by her surname (hot).
The vibe is cute and tender, sometimes sarcastic , sometimes steamy, but always unabashedly heart-warming. Swifties will be pleased to know the epigram is from Blank Space (‘Got a long list of ex-lovers / They’ll tell you I’m insane’). The main character Tara narrates her scenes to her fans on a video blog TaraRomanceQueen, and the words TikTok sensation are printed on the front cover so it’s one for the online girlies! If you like Talia Hibbert and Helen Hoang, line this one up next.
| Primary Genre | Romance / Relationship Stories |
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