“She was always tired, these days. She put on one of those smiles that wasn’t really a smile at all, and they went on.”
In One Plus One, Jess is barely hanging on. Day by day, she tries to make enough money to survive and provide for her two children. Well, one child is hers and the other is her husband’s from another woman. Her husband left two years ago to move in with his mother to help deal with his depression. She works two jobs because he offers her no financial support. Her stepson is getting beaten up by neighbors. Her daughter is offered a partial scholarship to a private school for her math abilities, but she can’t afford the rest of the tuition. Then, she catches a break – a man leaves money in a taxi and her daughter can compete in a Math Olympiad. The money could cover the down payment until the competition award comes through and she plans to pay it back. Then, her car breaks down on the way to the competition and the man who offers them a ride is the one whose money she “borrowed.”
I have enjoyed several JoJo Moyes books – The Giver of Stars, Me Before You series, and Horse Dancer. I have always wanted to read more of her books and I had a week when I had no books on loan from the library and found One Plus One on my Kindle. I had bought it several months ago when it was on sale.
Just as it seems Jess is finding some breaks in life, things turn for the worse again. The road trip to the Math Olympiad takes several twists and turns, but once she says goodbye to Ed, they have to ask him for help again. I don’t want to give too much more away, but the plot twists keep coming. The book doesn’t have a single boring page.
Fans of Jojo Moyes and chick lit will enjoy One Plus One. The book describes the romance a little bit so I would recommend it for mature readers. It would be a fun book club read.
Have you read any JoJo Moyes’ books? Which one was your favorite? Share in the comments!