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Where Do I Start? (2017, Penguin Random House) 4 stars

Review of 'Where Do I Start?' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I really enjoyed this one.

An interesting second-chance Romance in that the couple broke up 2 years prior to the beginning of this book due to cheating. That'll be a deal-breaker for many readers of Romance, which is one reason my reading group decided to give it a go.

If the best part of reading a Romance is falling a little (or a lot) in love with the main characters, then, yeah. This one has succeeded for me.

I had to use a little mental gymnastics to be OK with it all, but, at time of cheating, the cheater (Fletch) would've been 22-23. He's now 25. Brain maturity, and all... I could believe he was ready to change.

There were a few times when the alternating 1st-person confused me (I'd forget which head I was in during a fast-paced dialogue and have to back up). And there was one bit I'd change up if I could; when the Fletch knows something and is reacting to a scene based on that knowledge, but withholds the knowledge from the reader until later... It meant I got angry AT him for his decisions and reactions, when I could have had a more complicated mix of sympathy and uncertainty as to his best course of action alongside him.

Regardless, my heart broke for Roger early on and I just wanted the best for him. And Fletch grew on me... although, I remained as guarded as Roger, despite having insights into Fletch's head. And I guess that just goes to show how risky the cheating trope is to write.

If you're looking for two beautiful people who love each other, but are both too scared to admit it, and one was too scared to commit to it previously... then this is a book for you.