Andy Jones (7)

Henry does something terrible, apparently on the spur of the moment, leaving devastation in his wake. Zoe suffers a traumatic event that changes her life. The two meet, and click pretty quickly although by this stage Zoe has decided to spend a year travelling, so she doesn't really want to start a new relationship...

The book takes a while to get going, and I didn't like Henry at all at first, although he grew on me as the story continued. There are some quite serious issues covered, and although there are light-hearted touches, I think the cover is really too frivolous for a book which, while well-written with some very human touches, is not at all amusing.

On the whole, I enjoyed it.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-trouble-with-henry-and-zoe-by-a...… (meer)

This was my first introduction to Andy Jones' work and I was not disappointed. Easily one of the best books I have read in a long time, I absolutely LOVED Girl 99!

To be perfectly honest, I nearly passed on this book. However, I was fortunate enough to win a copy from a Goodreads giveaway, and thought I might as well give it a go since I had it. Lucky, lucky me!!

Written by a man and told from a man's POV, Girl 99 is easy to devour. The characters are brilliant, flawed and spectacularly (sometimes painfully) real. The situations grab you and keep you engaged. During my reading this book, I went through so many emotions. I cringed, I cursed, I felt sad, I laughed and I even applauded. And despite his many mistakes, I felt completely vested in the happiness of our main character,Tom. He's human and easy to love.

If you like romcom/chicklit type books, I'd highly recommend this gem.

I am really looking forward to exploring more books by Andy Jones!… (meer)

I didn't take too much notice of the synopsis of this book before deciding to read it. I love Andy Jones's writing and would read anything he writes so The Last Act of Adam Campbell was a must-read for me. Books about death and dying wouldn't necessarily be the first books I would seek out but the author writes such poignant scenes that he turned what could understandably be a very sad subject matter into something that, as a whole, is incredibly uplifting and beautifully written.

Whilst Adam is a major character this is actually an ensemble piece and it's a brilliant one at that. Adam joins a support group for people who are terminally ill and along with getting to know him, we also meet Tom, Laura, Pat, Vernon, Erin and Raymond. They are a disparate bunch, a variety of ages, temperaments and backgrounds, but the one thing they have in common makes them into a tight-knit little group and they have fun together when they embark upon producing a play based around deaths in Shakespeare plays.

Jones is such a wonderful writer and he's produced something really special with this book. There are lots of lump in the throat moments, and tears were shed several times too, but it also made me smile and it made me think. Each of the main characters has their own way of approaching their fate and I thought they were all portrayed perfectly (although I must admit to a particular soft spot for Pat) and in such a way that when the action changed from one to another I was never disappointed to leave one behind as I knew that each individual strand of the story was strong and powerful in its own right.

This is a book that is raw and honest and at times the way each character's illness affects them is hard to read, but at the same time I felt enriched by it and moved by the legacy that we have the ability to leave behind. I love a book that makes me cry because I know that it's really affected me and The Last Act of Adam Campbell certainly did that. This is a book and characters I won't forget.… (meer)

I absolutely loved Andy Jones' debut novel, The Two of Us, so I didn't need to think twice before reaching for a copy of Girl 99. There's something so very refreshing and appealing about Andy Jones' style of writing; it's so honest and genuine that it feels like the book is talking to you. Although you don't need to have read The Two of Us to enjoy Girl 99 (but seriously you NEED to read The Two of Us), I was thrilled to see the inimitable character of El make another appearance and welcomed him as if he was an old friend of mine rather than Tom's.

Tom is a very multi-faceted and hilarious character. On one hand he is a lad's lad but on the other he is a loving part of a very close knit family, a family that is stronger than ever after suffering the devastating loss of Tom's mother when his sister was very young. Tom has almost taken on the mother role as he acts as intermediary between his Dad and his teenage sister, Bianca.

Tom gets himself into trouble and ends up breaking up with his girlfriend, Sadie, when he admits to kissing a colleague, Holly. When Sadie is collecting her things from the flat she finds Tom's diary (I know, a man with a diary!) but it's more of a notches on the bed post record than a diary as Sadie sees she is number 85 on Tom's list of conquests. Furious, she then makes plans to get her revenge and it ends up in a superb custody battle over the Mini Cooper!

When Tom meets his friend, El, for a night out to drown his sorrows, El encourages Tom into a bet that he will make it to 100 ladies before a set deadline. It's a gamble that Tom willingly accepts and sets off on his quest to hit that magic number, but he didn't gamble on falling in love along the way.

So warm, witty and all-round good fun, Girl 99 is as charming as it is hilarious. Seeing so many sides of Tom, I thought I would despise him for treating women like a number but that's not who he is underneath. The way he acts with his family and his elderly neighbour, Doug, shows the strength of character he really has. Add to this Andy Jones' ability to make me laugh on almost every page and you have a winner of a book; I should have known not to read it whilst eating as I almost choked on my rice salad when reading at lunchtime about Tom's first 'dorty book'. With hilarious quips about Brighton and Paul Daniels, I could not contain my laughter and I was gutted that I had to stop reading to wipe the tears of laughter from eyes.

Another fabulous book from Andy Jones, who is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. A recommended read for anyone who loves a good romcom with an emphasis more on the realism of lad-lit than the mushiness of chick-lit.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.… (meer)