I’m doing a reading challenge for the local library and need “a book that became a movie” for bingo, and how I wish this book qualified because, if Hollywood knew what they were doing, it should be optioned and filmed before I finish this sentence.
It’s a top-shelf British romcom,1 the supporting cast is laughably great,2 as is the audiobook, which makes it feel that much more movie-inclined, and to top it all off, the subverted grand gesture at the end was written for me, grumpy as I am re: the grand gesture trope.3
Moreover, it gets the thing that’s irked me with a couple of romcoms I’ve read lately: flaws are better than perfection, every time. And the low stakes of the Beetle Drive are the kind of relatable stakes I need in a romance like this one.
So much fun, by text or by audio, so if you like British romcoms, get all over this one.
The 1990’s Hugh Grant shelf ↩︎
Having just read Glitterland, I had a fleeting mixup where I thought Alex would be filling the Oliver role, and I was here for it, and I want that book too. ↩︎
Basically, the grand gesture exception is Johnny and Gheorghe in God’s Own Country.4 ↩︎
And okay, Notting Hill. ↩︎