I’ve always been such an admirer of Paige Toon’s books. I remember finding my first copies at a market in my local town, this being before I was familiar with the author, and taking them home with me, excited to discover the stories within. It took only one story for me to fall in love with Paige’s style, one book to have me confirming myself as one of her biggest fans. These were the heady days of discovering Chasing Daisy and Pictures of Lily, swiftly followed by Lucy in the Sky and Johnny Be Good. I was absolutely head over heels in love with these books, and they’re now sat upstairs on my bookshelf, much-loved and often admired. She is just a superb writer, and it seems she continues to charm her readers with each story she create, myself absolutely included in that group.
In The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon, readers are introduced to Hannah, who is then, quite by chance, introduced to Sonny. Their paths cross in the small, independent opticians in Newnham, Cambridge, where Hannah works as a dispensing optician. Catching her attention instantly, Hannah takes care of Sonny’s visionary needs and sees him on his way, although it’s impossible to ignore the charge of chemistry and attraction which she feels towards him, and she thinks he feels it too. Certain of his return, Hannah is excited to see Sonny again, but their second meeting is nowhere near as promising as their first. Seeming like a completely different man second time around, Hannah grows curious and deeply concerned about Sonny, unable to comprehend the change in him. Intrigued, Hannah becomes unable to think of anything else, only the broken shell of a man who had seemed so content and confident the first time she had met him.
As the novel progresses, we watch as Sonny and Hannah’s paths continue to cross, and Paige oh-so-slowly begins to bring them closer together. What I loved most about this story though was, although I adore romance written by Toon, it wasn’t solely about that. There were so many deeper levels to this novel, so many singular threads weaved throughout the pages, absolutely drawing me closer to the characters and their pasts. There is no doubt that Sonny is a haunted and troubled human, but it appears that Hannah is quite the same. This coming-together of their problems was utterly, utterly perfect and, although they seemed to try to pull away, it seemed that fate was determined to push them ever-closer, and it was delicious.
Paige Toon creates the most wonderfully fascinating and unique characters in her stories, and this always ensures I feel as though I’m part of the friendship circles that grow throughout the pages. What I really loved in The Minute I Saw You was that readers experience the gaining of new friends as Hannah does exactly that. From Matilda who she seems to meet purely by chance, to Archie and the rest of the friendship group she finds herself surrounded by. She’s such a lovely warm and friendly young woman, and seems like just the sort of person you’d want in your own friendship circle. She’s so supportive and brilliant at giving advice, which is even more heart-warming when you realise that there are things she is holding back, secrets she keeps to herself that she’s too scared to tell anyone about. It’s not that she doesn’t want to. It’s more that, when she’s tried to share her troubles in the past, her trust has been tragically broken, so now she’s understandably reluctant to do the same again, even with someone she likes and trusts as much as Sonny.
Although this story boasted that much-loved, genuine Paige Toon sweetness to it, I’d be lying if I told you that it was all sunshine and butterflies because it absolutely is not. In fact, I was a little taken aback by the darker direction which this story went in. It wasn’t an entirely bad thing but I certainly wasn’t expecting it so it took me by surprise. However, the themes that are discussed within this story were genuine and very real, and they grounded this story in a way that made me feel even closer to the characters. The author approaches both Hannah and Sonny’s very separate situations with tenderness and consideration, and in a way that made me want to reach into this book and give both of them a huge hug. It was such an emotional and gut-wrenching situation that lay between the pair, and though I wanted nothing more than for them to tumble into a passionate and heated embrace, I just knew it wasn’t going to happen, but I understood that and, instead, wanted them both to feel comfortable and happy in themselves. That took precedence in this story, I think.
The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon was an incredibly touching and meaningful novel, with a massive amount of heart and tenderness weaved around each and every single word. I fell so in love, instantaneously, with these characters and their stories, which were so unique and special, who have carved themselves a place in my heart. Hannah and Sonny, I hope, will both go on to live a long and happy life, completely free of hurt and shame, and instead, full of love and contentment. Paige Toon is such a magnificent storyteller, I doubt I’ll ever have my fill of her books, and I’m already excited about her next. A deeply moving, complex and rich story such as this one deserves all of the stars from me. I adored it, from first page to last.
Read on to find out more about The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon.
When Hannah meets Sonny, she’s irresistibly drawn to him: he’s sexy and confident, but only in town on holiday. That’s fine with Hannah – she doesn’t do long-term relationships. And luckily for her, neither does Sonny. But before they can even so much as kiss, Sonny receives some shocking news and commits to making serious life changes – ones that can’t and won’t include romance.
With even a short fling now off the cards, Hannah and Sonny settle for being friends. But as summer hots up and their chemistry shows no signs of cooling, they start to question their reasons for shutting each other out.
Are they both too broken to find love? And if they tear down the walls between them, will they still like what’s on the other side?
Yorumlar