My enormous thanks to Sara-Jade Virtue for inviting me onto the blog tour for Three’s a Crowd by S. R. Booker and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review. I’m delighted to share that review today.

Three’s a Crowd was published by Simon and Schuster on 27th October 2022 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Three’s A Crowd

Out-of-work actor Harriet is recuperating from a crash-and-burn affair with Damian – aka ‘Cockweasel’ – and making ends meet as a barista when she meets two rather lovely men. Tom is a regular at the café, and seems like such a nice guy. Smooth-talking DJ Richard is older, but in great shape – a real silver fox.

Deciding to take a chance on both of them, Harriet doesn’t realise at first that she is actually dating father and son. Tom and Richard aren’t on speaking terms, and don’t share a last name – so how was she to know? By the time everyone finds out, both Tom and Richard are truly madly deeply in love with Harriet, and she’s faced with an impossible choice.

But as the battle for her affections intensifies, ‘Cockweasel’ makes an unexpected reappearance and begs her to give him another chance…

My Review of Three’s A Crowd

Harriet’s love life is about to get complicated.

What an absolute treat of a book. You know, occasionally the right book comes along just at the right moment for a reader and S.R. Booker’s Three’s A Crowd was exactly that for me. It’s one of those narratives where you realise your face feels odd and that’s because you’ve been grinning with pleasure from the very beginning. Three’s A Crowd brought back my sense of humour and made me happy.

In Three’s A Crowd there’s a wonderful conversational tone that makes the reader feel the characters are speaking directly to them, ensnaring them completely. I loved the way that character comments directed at the reader gave compelling hooks at the end of chapters as it made me excited to read what might be coming next and made me feel involved in the narrative.

And for anyone who thinks rom-com style fiction is simply formulaic boy meets girl, they break up and then get back together again, S.R. Booker makes them look a fool. Aside from the fact Harriet finds herself embroiled with an estranged father and son, the plot is fabulous as it twists and turns with so many elements that I simply didn’t see coming but that held me captivated. I genuinely had no idea how Three’s A Crowd would be resolved. There’s a fast pace that romps along and strands that are most unexpected that add to the sheer enjoyment of the story.

With a relatively small cast of central characters there’s the opportunity to get to know Harriet, Richard and Tom intimately so that the reader cares for them completely. I’m not usually a fan of multiple viewpoints, but here the individual voices are so clear that I absolutely loved them all. I think it illustrates the quality of S. R Booker’s writing that I simply couldn’t decide how I wanted Three’s A Crowd to end. And what I got wasn’t what I expected, but you’ll have to read the book for yourself to see what I mean! I also loved meeting those, like Nan, who don’t have such major roles. Whilst I wasn’t sure I’ll enjoy the same films in my 80s, I think Nan has several traits and habits that I might just adopt! Again, I’m not telling you which! You really do need to read this fabulous book for yourself to discover all its delights.

However, much as Three’s A Crowd is frothy, witty and fun, it has at its heart some profound themes such as identity, responsibility, mental health and family that give it really satisfying depth too. I thought the balance was perfect. Harriet’s ‘Thoughts’, although extreme, are eminently relatable and the family dynamics between Tom and Richard are central to humour and poignancy making Three’s A Crowd surprisingly emotional as well as funny.

I loved Three’s a Crowd because it’s fun, fresh and fabulous. I could not have enjoyed it more and really recommend it.

About S.R. Booker

Author and screenwriter Simon Booker writes crime novels and prime time TV drama for the BBC, ITV and US TV. He is also Writer in Residence at HMP Grendon.  His TV credits include BBC1’s Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Holby City and The Mrs Bradley Mysteries; ITV thrillers The Stepfather and The Blind Date; and Perfect Strangers, the CBS romantic comedy starring Rob Lowe and Anna Friel.  Simon lives in London and Deal. His partner is fellow crime writer and Killer Women co-founder Mel McGrath. They often discuss murder methods over breakfast. Three’s a Crowd is his first contemporary fiction novel.

For further information, follow Simon on Twitter @simonbooker and find him on Facebook and Instagram.

My huge thanks to Mikka at Everything With Words for sending me a copy of This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny by Laura Clark in return for an honest review and for waiting so patiently as I became inundated with requests for blog space. I’m delighted finally to share my review today.

Published on 22nd September 2022 by Everything With Words, This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny is available for purchase here.

This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny

Dr Molly Beaujolais (Lecturer in Performing Arts and Applied Theatre) and Jonathan Nylon (Lecturer in History) both keep diaries and have offices next door to each other. Two unlikely lovers, particularly since much of Molly’s time is taken up internet dating while Jonathan Nylon obsesses about his presentation of the battle of Narvik, his course on medieval disease and punishment and his impossible lodger, but life likes to play around with the impossible. Wickedly funny, clever and daring. And touching because it’s all about being human in a very lonely world.

My Review of This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny

Molly and Jonny are looking for love.

It’s a long time since I’ve laughed aloud so frequently reading a book but This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny made me snort with laughter time and again. It’s quirky, witty and steeped in both convention and, ironically, pretention (as in Molly’s ongoing conversations about Nathaniel) in a unique, intelligent and vibrant manner that makes it such fun to read. I confess that not every allusion was within my frame of reference, but that only added to my enjoyment and to the academic setting for the story. I looked up some elements and had memories sparked by others.

In many ways the characters in This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny reminded me of a modern day cast of Commedia dell’Arte with their quirks and roles in highlighting Molly and Jonny, especially as student theatrical performance is one of the themes of the narrative. I thought the role of Beacon lighting the way to true love for Molly (that she initially misses) was inspired and I have no idea if I’m reading more into my interpretation than was intended, but Vincent’s narcissistic photographic behaviour made me think of Vincent Van Gogh’s self portraits. Honestly, This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny might be more a novella in length, but I think it could be read and re-read many many times and even more interpretations and allusions could be found and enjoyed. It’s a rich tapestry of life past and present that offers so much more than just a diverting narrative.

Set against this fascinating background the two central characters of Molly and Jonny are brilliantly prosaic, concerned with all the things we all worry about. Have we said and done the right things? Have we made fools of ourselves? Will we find true love? Their lives swirl around one another in an entertaining and believable courtship dance that never quite synchronises so that the reader begins to despair that they will ever truly be happy. What Laura Clark does so brilliantly is to explore the human condition, and the need we all have for connection and intimacy in a world gone mad with political intrigue and global concerns. Molly and Jonny are the very microcosm of humanity. Whilst This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny is set just before Covid, it is just as relevant now and has a universality that will endure.

I thought This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny was a super read and I devoured it in one sitting because I found it so engaging. Maybe, in the spirit of Molly and Jonny I should sum up my review in a diary entry of my own:

21st October Linda Hill- Read This Diary (World) Belongs to Molly and Jonny. Laughed frequently. Fell in love with Molly and Jonny. Loved spotting cultural, historical, geographical and literary allusions. Shed a small tear at the human need for intimacy and connection so brilliantly displayed. Thoroughly enjoyed the book!

About Laura Clark

Laura Clark grew up in Gloucestershire and studied music at the University of Birmingham. Highlights of her musical career include singing at St Peter’s Basilica and getting a fork for Gareth Malone’s couscous, before he was really famous. She has written for: Musical Opinion, San Francisco Classical Voice, New Humanist, BBC Music Magazine’s news feed, Jazz Journal, Warships International Fleet Review, Drama and Theatre, CBeebies magazine, The Wotton Times, Good on Paper and others. Her children’s story book A Conker for a Pearl was made into a stop-motion animation by Sasha Langford and screened at InMotion Festival in Aberdeen.

For more information, follow Laura on Instagram.