And Then There Was You
And Then There Was You is not your typical contemporary romance and is unlike anything Cousens has written before. I’ve loved Cousens’ romcoms and, initially, wasn’t sure what to make of this quirky, unique science fiction romance. I’m so glad I read it! The story explores how the rise of AI is changing our world that I found very timely. The novel also has a big twist that I wasn’t sure about but it won me over by the end.
When the story opens, Chloe is on another bad date. The guy asks what she does and when she tells him that she is a PA but wants to be a writer, he scoffs and tells her there is no future in it because it’s being taken over by AI. She begins to wonder if all men are awful when a friend suggests a private, highly elite dating service called Perfect Partners. Chloe is getting ready for her ten-year Oxford College reunion and is feeling disappointed in her life. She’s recently broken up with her controlling boyfriend and has moved back home with her parents. She decides Rob, from Perfect Partners, will be the perfect date to take with her to the reunion.
She is reunited with her old friends from Oxford and remembers the good times they had performing musicals together. There is Sean, whom everyone thought she would go out with and who is now a famous Hollywood director of action films. Then there is John who was a musical scholar and their musical director. He has a loveable support dog, Richard, who goes with him everywhere. When Chloe is at the reunion, she feels like she’s in the middle of a love triangle between Rob, who seems perfect in every way, John the romantic, and Sean the successful director. I was almost half way through the story before I knew who Chloe’s love interest was. I wished I knew a little sooner so I could root for them!
I enjoyed watching Chloe evolve. As she sees her old friends, and begins thinking about her life, she realizes she hasn’t always been a good friend and sets out to change that. I also found much of the book funny–Cousens is, as usual, able to write humor very well.
The author took a risk with this story and I admire her for it. I enjoyed the romance, once I figured out who Chloe’s perfect partner was. Readers looking for a less traditional romance with a little science fiction and humor might want to give this a try.
Recent Comments
I’m reading the book and I love it because it portrays the feeling of “not finding good men” very well so far, although I keep thinking about how many men I’ve heard who also feel that women don’t enjoy things they would like to enjoy with a girl (yes, yelling during a game). I’m only on chapter 11, so maybe I’m missing some development, but I hope the book’s final message is mature and balanced. I have faith.
But I don’t really support demonizing a certain character for distancing himself from the heroine when she rejected him and prioritizing his girlfriend’s comfort. It is awful being the girlfriend while the “best friend” is the girl your man longs for but can’t have, the one who insists on spending time with him even though she knows he loves her. It’s also not nice being the best friend who gets rejected, having your feelings swept under the rug, and the other person insisting on acting like they always do. It’s a denial that your feelings are there, and you feel like the other person just wants you “get over it” because you’re stepping out of the sisterly-friend role they want you to play. Sometimes friendships aren’t meant to last forever because there’s no way both people can have the kind of relationship the other wants, and that’s okay.
You are very right. I never thought about it so clearly, how that feels from both angles. I would hope that the friendship might come back, but as a minimum, you would need a couple of years or more of distance, before you could check whether something is possible again. But, as you say, maybe the friendship just needs to end.
This does sound like a wonderful read. I’m curious though…how/why is it science fiction??
I think to say why would be a spoiler. But it is–on Amazon they call it A science-fiction twist on romance.
Thanks for the clarification :)
Sounds charming!