Two strangers meet in chance circumstances during a blizzard and spend one perfect evening together, thinking they’ll never see each other again. But fate seems to have different plans.
Fate is at the forefront of Lia Louis’ new wintertime novel, Eight Perfect Hours. This cute, yet thought-provoking story will have you pondering if we are in control of our lives or if we are we all just travelers of destiny.
It starts when Noelle Butterby is stranded on the highway amidst a major snowstorm. Marooned alongside of her is Sam Attwood, who invites her into his car to use his phone charger when he sees that she needs help. The two strike up conversation and chemistry ensues, but at the end of their “eight perfect hours,” they both drive off toward the horizon without each other’s contact information. Serendipity is on their side, however, and these two may just be seeing more of each other in the future if fate has any say in the matter …
There’s so much to spoil in Lia Louis’ latest book, so I won’t do that here; however, know that this book is all about serendipitous circumstances. If it sounds like this could be the plot of a Hallmark movie, it’s possible, but there are also a lot of heavy topics covered here, including death and grief, caring for ill parents, and gaining adult independence, making Eight Perfect Hours a book that is pretty balanced when it comes to light and dark.
I personally thought that this story would focus more of the plot on the “eight perfect hours,” and was disappointed to find that not only did the time spent in the car encompass only a small fraction of this novel, but that it was also fairly uneventful. Those eight perfect hours didn’t feel “perfect” to me. There was no chemistry between Noelle and Sam, and nothing swoon-worthy happened either. Because those eight hours actually felt less than perfect, I didn’t get the set-up I needed to fall in love with the rest of the story. That’s not to say that others won’t absolutely love this novel, however, and by looking at the reviews, it seems that many do. I just needed that initial connection between Noelle and Sam to go deeper than it did to make me feel completely invested and engaged in this story.
Availability: eAudiobook in cloudLibrary
Rating: *** Stars (I liked it)
Reviewer: Brooke, Public Relations Librarian
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! Eight Perfect Hours
GENRE: Contemporary Romances; Romantic Comedies
CHARACTER: Well-Developed
PACE: Leisurely Paced
TONE: Chaste; Romantic
WRITING STYLE: Witty
LOCATION: England SUBJECT: Blizzards; Chance; Fate & Fatalism; Former Lovers; Men/Women Relations; Options, Alternatives, Choices; Rescues; Strangers
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