Just. Got. Real. The romance and revenge book from Jane Fallon.
Joni is divorced and her grown up daughter Imogen has moved out and started her own life on a course she loves. It seems the perfect time to find someone new. Encouraged by her daughter Joni joins a dating site and meets a promising sounding man called Ant who she likes. The two of them exchange messages back and forth and a little naughty fun on the phone. But Joni has a secret. The profile pictures she used on her online account aren’t hers. They’re someone else’s. Surely when she meets Ant he won’t look anything like his picture either. No one does online do they? Except when she gets to the cafe he does and Joni just can’t do it. She runs off without meeting him.
Joni tries to explain it to Ant but he doesn’t want to hear it. He leaves the app and blocks her messages and calls. Joni is devastated but what can she do? Then she realises that she has enough information to meet Ant in real life without him ever having to know it’s her. They could start again and have a real connection. So she puts her plan into motion. With a fake name and information it’s a juggling act to keep her real life and dating life separate. Though this is nothing compared with the secrets that Ant is keeping.
Under normal circumstances that plot would fill the whole book but that really is just the beginning in this book. There is so much more to go and because there’s so much early on it does keep you guessing as to where it might be going. There is a big plot point which seemed quite obvious coming but I was happy to follow along at the pace of the characters and to see what they did with the information once they had found it.
This story is definitely a cautionary tale about online dating and the dangers of people from the internet not being who they say they are. It’s also a very sweet story about a woman who has had a hard time over the past few years who is quite isolated and at times lonely. I really warmed to Joni and wanted to hear her story and to see what would happen to her. There was so much good about her that as you’re reading it you want her to start seeing it too. So many great people for her to build a support network around her. A group of friends to brighten her days and to bring a little spice back into her life. This book is a great reminder that life can be so brilliant because of your friends and not just because you’re seeing anyone romantically. Dating isn’t always the answer but friendship almost always is.
The book doesn’t necessarily go where you would expect it to go. It is quite a long book which is not really necessary. It’s at a nice pace so I didn’t mind but it could definitely have been edited down. It does lead you to some fun places.
The book felt very modern and up to date to read. It’s a post pandemic dating book that shows dating online and in person to be problematic in lots of ways and liberating too. Fallon captures the moment well and makes some well observed comments on dating and modern living.
An enjoyable book for any Mums with grown up children who are looking for what comes next. The book highlights the stark realities of that well. The positive side of new freedom and friends and the contrast of the potential loneliness of that situation and what it may feel like to be left behind and the guilt for even feeling that way. There are a few heart wrenching plot lines but they are done in a light hearted way that pulls you towards the positive.
There’s a lot of humour even in the subplots with an ongoing battle between Joni and her colleague Lucas who she has never met as they share the same job part time, never overlapping. They leave each other work and create scenes out of figurines. That really made me laugh out loud and was very memorable.
A fun book to unpack feelings around the vulnerability of dating and isolation. The need for friends to enjoy a bustling and fulfilled life that has nothing to do with having a partner. How it is always possible to go from simply existing into really living life again. A light and heartfelt book that will make you smile.
Also available as a really nicely read audiobook with Tamzin Outhwaite who has the perfect voice for Joni.
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