Hannah Storm is a Canadian TV writer who’s just been fired. Her marriage has ended, and she’s feeling the years creep up on her even though she’s only thirty.
Wanting to get away from it all, she uses a new app — Good Nights — to book a month’s stay in a rental home in France. She’s got a new screenplay to write and wants some peace and quiet. Things don’t quite work out to plan, of course.
An ornithologist by trade, Brit Tripp Wilson is on the hunt for an elusive bird, one which he thinks can be found on a small island off the coast of France. Using the modern day technology available at his finger tips, he finds a great place to stay and is enjoying the solitude —until Hannah and her macaw, Jughead, show up. A glitch in the system have caused them both to be booked in to the same house, at the same time. Of course, a large amount of mayhem and complications ensue.
This is a laugh-out-loud story, not least because of the sharp and saucy comments from the inimitable Jughead. As always in one of Stewart’s romantic comedies, there are so many real-life moments that we all recognize — both funny and sad — and the reader is pulled along and gets to watch it all unfold as if they’re a fly on the wall.
Both Hannah and Tripp are relatable, likable and have personalities that fly off the page. The little French island they both end up on is so well described you feel you’ve been there by the time you’ve finished the story, and you’ll find yourself wondering if the Short-tailed Skinks Babbler will thrive in its new home.
Of course, as it’s a romance novel, the sparks begin to fly between our leading man and lady, and their differing character traits cause no end of hilarious misunderstandings and awkward moments. I particularly liked Hannah’s penchant for making up new words and expressions in an effort to avoid cussing — especially the f-bomb.
Tripp’s Britishness also lends itself well to some confusion, facepalming and endearing moments.
This is a great read for a lazy Sunday afternoon, relaxing on a beach lounger, or in the shade of a parasol in your favorite spot in the backyard.