Friday, May 22, 2020

Book Review: The Plus One Pact




By Sara Steven

Cara has officially run out of men. Her most recent dates have gone from bad to worse, and when her dating app informs her there is no one left in her area to choose from, she is at a dead end.

But with a summer of events ahead of her, she needs to find a solution, fast; someone to keep her company at the never-ending weddings, family gatherings and gender reveal parties that she can’t face going to alone. So when she meets handsome, confident, Millsy on a night out she may be in luck. They could not be more different in personality, but he too has a summer of events ahead and is desperate to get his family off his back about finding a ‘nice girl’. What if they made a pact to help each other out and be a plus one for the summer? Just as friends of course...? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

The Plus One Pact was a strong reminder in not judging characters by their covers. In the beginning, we see Cara as a more introverted person, who doesn’t really like to make waves or step outside of her comfort zone. Then there’s Millsy, a man who is loud and exudes confidence, who isn’t afraid to put himself out there, regardless of the outcome. As the story progresses and the two begin to learn more about the other, there are a lot more similarities and growthful moments that happen, not only from an individual standpoint, but as friends.

The pact starts out as a means of providing support in getting through tedious family gatherings and weddings. But it’s also a starting point in a potential budding relationship that goes beyond the friend zone. There are a lot of pressures that have been put on Cara, that she should be married by now, with children and all the trimmings that come with that sort of lifestyle. Millsy feels pressure to find a new profession, that he’s not successful enough. It doesn’t help that one of his relatives could be a potential love interest for Cara, and he’s faced with trying to identify for sure on what his friendship with her really means to him. Is it just that, or something more?

The fact that Cara and Millsy help each other in so many wonderful ways, speaks volumes on bringing out the best in someone you care about, in helping them to discover more about themselves that they didn’t even know were there under the surface. Characters can change, and it’s hard to judge either of them by who they initially portray themselves to be. Ultimately, that might have been the real Cara and Millsy all along, anyway.

The premise to the story was a lot of fun. Finding a friend who will be your plus one to all of the quirky engagements in life only means making the experiences all that more bearable, and the special pizazz of these two were like a one-two punch combo to the heart. All of us could use a little more Cara and Millsy in our worlds!

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links: 
Amazon US
Amazon UK

Portia MacIntosh is a bestselling romantic comedy author of 12 novels, including It's Not You, It's Them and Honeymoon For One. Previously a music journalist, Portia writes hilarious stories, drawing on her real life experiences.

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