When being stood up makes you meet someone else…

Synopsis

Sometimes love happens when you least expect it…

When Nadia and Tom are both unceremoniously stood up by their dates under the clock at Waterloo Station, fate throws them together in the most unusual of circumstances.

What starts as a brilliant story for future dinner parties soon turns into a wonderful friendship, and both Tom and Nadia realise they’ve found the perfect partner in crime.

Tired of dating but always needing a plus one for weddings, parties, and the like, they agree to fake date each other. But as their pretend relationship starts to feel more real, Nadia and Tom begin to wonder if there’s more to their connection than convenience.

Could the relationship they’ve been faking be the one they’ve been waiting for all along?

A heartwarming fake dating rom com, perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Sophie Kinsella.

My review

After some persuasion, Nadia decides to agree on a blind date. But when waiting under the clock at Waterloo Station, and there is a no – show, Nadia realizes that she has been stood up. However, under that same clock, she meets Tom. He also is waiting for his date, but also it dawns to him that he has been stood up. With freshly engaged Bea and Ruth, and freshly discovering a cheating husband Rachel, a random meeting under that clock forms unexpected friendships. And as both Nadia and Tom are tired of being asked about their relational situationships, they decide to be each other’s plus – one. No strings attached, no expectations, just someone to have by their side to avoid questions. But their agreement can only last for a time, so what will happen when it’s time to ‘break up’?

There are so many books in the world, about people agreeing to be a pretend boy/girlfriend, that you would think that you have read them all, and that maybe you shouldn’t bother with this one?

Well, let me tell you that you are wrong if you just even think about skipping this one. Because, yes, it may seem like a thirteenth book in a dozen, but it for sure isn’t one!

Being on a blind date can be a great experience, but can also be the total opposite. And trust me, I have been through the latter! But the worst thing possible on a date, is being stood up. While Nadia and Tom are finding themselves in the same situation, of being stood up that is, their mindset or purpose is completely different.

While as Nadia is truly meeting a stranger for the first time, Tom already knows who he is meeting with. Nadia is in for a first encounter, and hopefully a good one, Tom is at the station for an agreement made ten years ago. See, already a unique setup! 😊

I have to say, I don’t know if I would be speaking to complete strangers in any station. But that is me, being an introvert and just wary of everything and everyone. Although, when there is a lockdown taking place, it makes sense somehow to be speaking to the people around you. And both Nadia and Tom find great people to take with, Bea and Ruth are just wonderful, and Rachel, despite finding out about her cheating husband, is also a great persona!

It was great to see how the Waterloo Five just instant connect, become friends and each other’s supporters. It may seem unlikely that real friendships can be made so easily, but these five show that it is possible.

But back to Nadia and Tom…

Nadia and Tom couldn’t be more different from each other, but them left stood up brought them together and in another situation, they would have never met. And them being in an alike situation, it makes sense to join forces.

What I liked the most about their ‘scheme’, is we can call it like that, is that there isn’t a lot of pretending taking place. Yes, towards Nadia’s colleagues they pretend to be a couple, but in other occasions, they never explicit tell anyone that they are together. Obviously, people make assumptions, and Tom and Nadia don’t do their best to prove them wrong, but that makes it even funnier to read!

There are so many funny bits in this book, but also so many heartwarming ones. Like I said, Tom and Nadia couldn’t be more different, yet together they have the best of times, whether it’s talking about worst dates ever, or playing tennis with Tom’s family. Their constant banter was truly delightful.

Of course their friendship changes, as their feelings for each other is slowly shifting. But while I truly wanted them to give in to their feeling, I also liked it how they respected their friendship and tried to hold to their agreement.

And obviously there has to be one extra event to shake things up even more. And while that appearance angered me, it was also what both main characters needed to truly understand the depths of their feelings, for whoever those feelings are.

I absolutely loved reading this book, as it for sure put a smile on my face. And it was different from the fake boy/girlfriend trop, only making it even better! Plus the fact that there are amazing friends to be found, made it only extra – extra better! 😊

But what I loved the most, was that perhaps the best kind of people, whether friends or even more, can be found in the most unlikely places, in the most unlikely situations. But aren’t those the best kind?