The Book:
Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis
Published September 28th 2021 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Date read: October 1, 2021
The Characters:
Noelle
Sam
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
In this romantic and heartwarming novel, two strangers meet in chance circumstances during a blizzard and spend one perfect evening together, thinking they’ll never see each other again. But fate seems to have different plans.
On a snowy evening in March, 30-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear.
The two strangers part, positive they’ll never see each other again, but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence.
The Review:
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio for a complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started Eight Perfect Hours. The cover made me think holiday romance, and the synopsis reminded me of This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens. I ended up getting a little of both, along with all kinds of emotions I wasn’t expecting!
The Chinese proverb of the Red Thread is one I’ve known about for a long time, and I’ve always loved its sentiment.
I definitely wouldn’t call this book a rom-com. The underlying story of grief and loss experienced by both characters was too serious for this book to be considered comedic. Noelle’s life is kind of depressing, and while Sam provides her with an escape, it isn’t in a humorous way. Usually the hallmarks of rom-coms are scenes of banter and chemistry between the love interests, and there wasn’t really any of that either. There was no steam or even closed-door sex scenes in this book.
That said, if you go into this book expecting a “rom-dram”, you’re sure to love it. I really enjoyed reading about Noelle’s struggle to balance caring for her family with having a fulfilling personal life. I loved her friendship with Charlie and especially with Charlie’s husband Theo. (I actually think Theo was my favorite character, despite him having a relatively small role.)
I’m definitely interested in checking out Dear Emmie Blue after how much I enjoyed this novel.
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