Title: The One
Author: Claire Frost
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Synopsis:
What happens when you lose the love of your life just three months after you meet him?
Lottie Brown has finally found The One. Leo is everything she’s ever wanted – he’s handsome, kind, funny and totally gets her. Three months into their relationship, Lottie is in love and happier than ever before.
But then Leo tragically dies, and Lottie is left floundering.
As she struggles to stop her life falling apart, Lottie learns more about the man she thought she knew, and starts to question whether Leo really was as perfect as he seemed…
My review:
The One is a sweet, emotional read which starts with a real shock. Lottie has finally met The One, the man she wants to be with forever, called Leo. They’ve only known each other three months but they’re utterly in love. One day, completely out of the blue, Leo dies and Lottie is left to pick up the pieces of a short-lived but very intense relationship.
This book jumps between the present day – ‘after’ Leo’s death – and the time period leading up to it. We see how Lottie and Leo met, the way they connected and how her friends and family reacted. You really get a sense of what a huge thing this was for Lottie but we don’t get that insight from Leo, because we don’t see his side of the story – we see everything through Lottie’s eyes.
This novel does a good job of showing the devastating effect of grief, especially when Lottie discovers that Leo had a big secret he was hiding from her. It throws him into a new light and shows even the most romantic relationships have their issues. Would they have been able to stay together if Leo hadn’t died?
The One is obviously about a very serious, sad topic – grief, loss, death – but it manages to be light-hearted too. There’s (unsurprisingly) a lot of romance in there, which can feel cheesy and cloying when done wrong – but in The One it’s just right for the story and the characters.
Lottie is a likeable character and, as the reader, you’re rooting for her despite her faults – the fact she’s not perfect makes her all the more likeable. The fact that I predicted some parts of the plot a long time before it happened didn’t take away from the sweet storyline.
This book is, ultimately, a purely indulgent read, one to pick up when you fancy something enjoyable and fairly light (which again may sound odd given the subject matter) because ultimately, it is uplifting, and funny at times too.
Many thanks to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review, and including me in the blog tour!
About the author:
Claire Frost grew up in Manchester, the middle of three sisters. She always wanted to do a job that involved writing, so after studying Classics at Bristol University she found a job in magazines. For the last 12 years, she’s worked at the Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous magazine, where she is Assistant Editor and also responsible for the title’s book reviews.
She can mostly be found at her desk buried beneath an ever-increasing pile of books or at home writing funny and heart-warming novels about love, life and social media.
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