Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens

 

My Thoughts on Just Haven't Met You Yet

aka we love a really well-put-together rom-com.

        All right people, whomever you may be, last summer I started this blog and have not kept up with it consistently since. So not cool on my part. Yet, that ends TODAY! So, I would like to start off with posting consistently by writing a review on my first (official) book of 2022, Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens!

    Now, *SPOILERS* ahead because honestly, reviews are not nearly as fun unless you can air it all out. If you want inspiration to read this book and don't mind if I spoil it just a bit, keep reading. If not, just go to Goodreads or something. I do not typically post spoilers there, although fair warning my Goodreads reviews are often cryptic unless you have read the book and are living in my brain and thinking the same thoughts as me. Anyway, moving on. 

    This book was, simply put, cute and well put together, and we love that. Seriously we do. I can't count the number of times I have read a rom-com with a great premise, but like so many plot holes. I read a lot of romance, and I really like most of the romances I read. The beauty of the genre is that there is no need to be profound or complex. It certainly can be but is not a requirement, and I find that awfully refreshing. Yet my biggest pet peeve with any book that has romance in it is when I as a reader have not seen the main relationship develop enough to really appreciate it. I mean, it's great to see how things play out once the characters are together, but to get there I really need to see why they are together, what got them to this point and how the relationship developed. Honestly, it's probably the reason I don't end up loving most books with the instant-love trope. Getting these relationships across enough for the reader to become attached to it is a task that can be awfully daunting especially with stand-alone novels. Yet it can be done, and this book is a prime example. 

    The main love interests in this book, Laura and Ted (or as I will be referring to them throughout the rest of this review for fun and convenience, Led), spend almost this whole book getting together but not in an agonizing way, but in a fun, deep, emotional let's get weirdly close in a short amount of time way, and then realize we like each other after we are close and be ourselves with each other kind of way. Led are an actually convincing couple, and throughout the story, we see why they get together, which is part of the reason this whole thing was so put together. 

    What are some other reasons you may ask? Well one, we have here a great cast of supporting characters. Both sides of Led have great friends and family, and each person is present in their lives and this book serves a purpose. I would like to give an honorable mention to both Gerry and Sandy, Ted's father and neighbor who just have the best relationship, are hilarious, and are all-knowing. Two, this book is funny! Laura spends half the book referring to Ted as "Beardy Mccastaway" and one particular scene involving a coat nook actually made me laugh out loud, which rarely happens when I am reading. 10 points to Sophie Cousens for making me laugh out loud!

    Another thing I generally love in Romance or Contemporary Romance books is when the plot involves more than just the main relationship. This book is about Led, but more importantly about Laura finding herself as an individual, recovering her past, and redefining what her life and priorities look like after some seriously needed self-discovery. Laura is a sunshine optimist, but she is also super naive. I mean, the girl accidentally switches suitcases with a man, looks through it, and happens to see he has a ton of stuff she could relate to, and then absolutely REFUSES to give it back unless she can hand it to him herself because she is convinced, he is her soulmate. I said it once and I will say it again this time in bold letters, we love a really well-put-together rom-com.

    Now, this seemed like it was going to be predictable, but then it really threw me for a loop. Like one, who knew she would end up with the cab driver. Seriously, I read the back of this book and thought it would be some wise old man who guided her around this island and helped her reconnect with her past, yet it was not, it was actually a really nice age-appropriate man, and all of the sudden he was thrown into the loop and for a while there I genuinely had no idea whom she was going to fall for. 

    Last, but certainly not least, the travel aspect of this book was awesome. I am a sucker for novels about travel, and I loved visiting the island of Jersey with Laura. Everything about it was nice, and I particularly loved the adorable map at the start of this book. It sets the tone and embodies the book perfectly. 

    I mean I did not even get to such on some of the great parts of this book, there were so many. I'm telling you; it was well put together and it meshed well.  I give it 4 stars. It was fun, mostly clean, and it gave me a major case of wanderlust and had me laughing out loud which is a win for me. I highly recommend it, particularly if you are traveling soon. This would be the perfect book for travel. Now one more time, say it with me, we love a really well-put-together rom-com and this was one!