A sweet if a little melancholy rom-com

Damn, this was sweet… And a little sad. And relatable. When Robin’s fiancée cheated on her, the wedding was cancelled and Robin forgot about the honeymoon in a Canadian ski resort. Not the most obvious choice when you live in the north of England but Robin didn’t have much say in that relationship. As Christmas approaches and, with it, the nightmare that are their mother’s holiday cooking and the extended family visiting, Robin’s sister convinces her to take advantage of the honeymoon since she already paid for it anyway. In for a penny, in for a pound, once there Robin signs up for a couple of ski lessons, which turns out to be both the worst and the best idea she could have had.

I wasn’t sure I’d like Robin at first. She felt whiny and gullible and a pushover. I was wrong and she grew on me, bad puns and all. She’s extremely sweet and funny and quirky and I’m sure she’ll live in my mind for a while. On the other hand, Neve’s stubbornness made me want to shake her repeatedly yet her fears are entirely understandable.

Rachel Bowdler doesn’t make things easy for her characters. They’re not perfect, they make mistakes, they cling to their denial, and I couldn’t help but root for them, I wanted to see them both (and the people around them) happy, I wanted them to get a break and feel loved and understood. Fighting for what you want and deserve doesn’t seem to come naturally to many of us, and Robin and Neve’s journeys will probably sound familiar to more than a few readers.

The majority of books I read are set in the United States and I always forget how much I love when one isn’t. Honeymoon for One takes place in Canada and England, and I could hear the different accents, especially in the way Robin speaks, which definitely added to the pleasure of reading. 4.5 stars.