Product Description

Lydia knows she should be happy. She has a job she loves, a terraced cottage and a nice, steady relationship. But she wonders if there's more to life than the regional pub quiz. One New Year's Day, she pours out her angst to someone on the other side of the world, and life becomes extraordinary.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #301979 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 409 pages

SHE Magazine
'A heart-warming ray of fictional sunshine'

Heat
'Enchanting'

B Magazine
'A funny heart-warming tale of the unexpected'

Customer Reviews

Light and funny...
A friend recommended this as a funny, light read and I enjoyed it for what it was - just that.

I laughed out loud at some of the bits about the children in Lydia's class and could relate to the email relationship that she started with her 'Secret Lover'(I hope she is as happy with her internet lover as I am with mine once they leave cyberspace for the real world!)

Not the greatest litery work ever but a funny story with likeable characters.

Refreshing read, recommended
I've read some really bad books lately, and this one i'm glad to say was a refreshing, easy to read, nice book.

For once, the main character is a fairly pleasant person, and i think it would be hard to find her annoying. The story line is good, although it does head towards that final sought after happy ending fairly late on, so there is a long neutral section where it seems there isn't much to be happy about. It does have a good ending though, and is satisfying to finish.

Overall, its a nice book, which is far from a heavy read. Its got bits to make you both ponder and laugh about. The blurb on the back cover certainly doesn't do the book justice.

An entertaining if forgettable read
The blurb on the back of this book describes it as a 'romantic comedy'. It's perhaps rather unfortunate then that I found it neither romantic or funny. It raised a smile or two, certainly, but that's all. And romance is virtually non-existent in Lydia's life. The 'secret lover' of the title hardly registered with me while I was reading - we see his emails, but it's hardly enough to make you long for the herione to get together with him or even consider the possibility of her developing a romance with him.

That's not to say this book can't be enjoyed. It's a pretty good read - in my opinion above average chick lit (save a few complaints about how as usual the herione feels overshadowed by an impossibly glamorous relative etc). I certainly enjoyed it enough to want to finish it in one session. And Lydia was an interesting woman with real problems. The cast of characters was also slightly more unusual than I've come to expect of characters in this genre - in particular I would have liked to see more of the apparently-fertile Michelle!

I feel the title of this book is misleading, and that the publishers have tried to play with the summary to make it appeal to your average chick lit fan. It's really not a girly romance in the conventional sense. The little Amazon summary certainly describes it a little better. However,it's an enjoyable enough read - fluffy with a hint of darkness that raises it above many of its peers.