Thank you William Morrow, #partner, for the finished copy of The Half of It in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Published: April 11, 2023
Summary:
One perfect night. Forty years of buried hurt. One chance to make it right. Can the past ever be fixed? With humor, heart, and grace, USA Today bestselling author Juliette Fay delivers an immensely satisfying page-turner, perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Jojo Moyes.
“I’m wondering if we can be friends again.”
When fifty-eight-year-old Helen Spencer reviews her life, what she sees are the mistakes. Over the years, things seemed to go sideways incrementally, one little wrong decision at a time. She can even pinpoint where it all started to go awry: a wonderous, romantic night in the woods her senior year of high school with a boy named Cal Crosby. A night she would soon work hard to forget.
Forty years, one marriage, three children, and one grandbaby later, suddenly there he is—Cal (expletive) Crosby!—right in front of her with grandchildren of his own in tow. The chance to finally get some answers and sort out what happened is within reach. But Helen would much prefer to keep that night and all the fury, hurt, and sorrow that followed tightly locked away where she doesn’t have to face it.
Cal Crosby, however, is ready to talk. He has no idea of the can of worms he’s about to open. In fact, he doesn’t know the half of it.
A warm, poignant, propulsive novel about settling the past, rekindling lost friendships, and rediscovering love when you least expect it.
My thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read by Juliette Fay and I enjoyed it. I don’t typically read a lot of romance but this was definitely a nice palatte cleanser to read in-between all the darker thrillers/crime fiction that I tend to gravitate towards. It was definitely a fun, light-hearted read.
I love dual-time lines and this one really worked well here. I appreciated getting to know the main characters that way, both in the present and the past. I also loved that this story featured more mature characters. Being a bit older myself, I find these stories to have a bit more weight to them – they ring a bit more true.
I think what really struck me with this story is that I met my husband when we were in the 8th grade. We didn’t date back then, even though he wanted to, but became the best of friends. It wasn’t until we were in our 30s that we reconnected and went on an actual date. And it seemed our timing was right at that time, because we’ve now been together 16 years, married for 14. Timing really is everything! I don’t think we would have lasted if we dated in high school, but I know we are perfect for each other now.
This story hit home for me and I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would. And that ending…oh gosh, it sure tugged at those heartstrings! I am so glad I gave this one a chance and definitely recommend picking this one up if you enjoy a second-chance romance with a feel-good story.
