Review & Giveaway: One Plus One by Jojo Moyes (CLOSED)

Title: One Plus One   

Author: Jojo Moyes       

Published: July 2014, Pamela Dorman Books/Viking   

Format: ARC Paperback, 384 pages   

Source: Publisher  

One single mom. One chaotic family. One quirky stranger. One irresistible love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You

American audiences have fallen in love with Jojo Moyes. Ever since she
debuted stateside, she has captivated readers and reviewers alike, and
hit the New York Times bestseller list with the word-of-mouth sensation, Me Before You. Now, with One Plus One, she’s written another contemporary opposites-attract love story that reads like a modern-day Two for the Road.

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act,
your teenage stepson is being bullied and your math whiz daughter has a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s
Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor
offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the
obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But
Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to
the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages . . .
maybe ever.

One Plus One is Jojo Moyes at her
astounding best. You’ll laugh, you’ll weep, and when you flip the last
page, you’ll want to start all over again.

My thoughts: Oh Jojo…you’ve done it again!!! You’ve written yet another heartwarming, touching tale that I just couldn’t put down. And once again this book is completely different from your other books and I love that! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this latest book and was ecstatic to pick up it up at BEA this year.

I loved the characters in this book. Jess is a single mom, abandoned by her husband and doing all she can to raise her two children, working two jobs and just trying to be a good mom. Tanzie and Nicky are good kids, but a little different than your average kids – Tanzie is a math genius and Nicky is into goth and usually gets picked on for this. And then there’s Ed, a man that Jess meets at the bar she works at and who also happens to be one of her clients in her house cleaning business. He’s a computer geek extraordinaire  who happens to be dealing with some serious legal problems.

The journey to the Math Olympiads is full of surprises. First, it’s surprising that Ed even offered to take the family of three and their dog, Norman, all the way to Scotland. Then, along the way, mishap and mishap pop up, some quite funny and some not so much. But through it all, the group manages to foster friendships that you only hope will last beyond the journey to the Olympiad.

The way that Jojo Moyes writes these characters, you can’t help but fall in love with them and cheer them on. Each time the family suffered a new hit – whether it be more money problems or another attack on Nicky – I wanted to reach out to them and give them all hugs, telling them it would all be okay. These characters are far from perfect – they are flawed and that makes them all the more real.

I loved this story…it’s one of my favorite reads of the year so far! It’s definitely the kind of story that stays with you long after you finish that last page – not because of the action or details of the story but because of the characters…they are just so endearing. And the writing is just spot on. I can’t wait to pick up my next Jojo Moyes book!!!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS – CLOSED (US/Canada only)  

Thanks to the Annie at Viking/Penguin I have one paperback copy of One Plus One to give away to my readers. 

To enter…

• Leave a comment below & be sure to include your email address.
• Tweet, share on Facebook, or blog for 2 extra entries.
• You MUST include email address or entry will be invalid.
• I will contact winner at the conclusion of the giveaway & they will have 2 days to respond or I will pick a new winner.

This giveaway is open to US/Canada residents only and ends July 11th.

Good luck!