The New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer returns with “a romantic gem” (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author) about a young woman who decides to finally live for herself rather than rely on the universe for answers.
Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.
But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.
Hands down one of my favorite books of the year. I love a little magical realism in my reads, and Daphne is your regular gal with no super powers but … before she meets a man, she’ll find a slip of paper with his name on it and a length of time. Are they from the universe, a person – no one really knows, but she understands over time these slips of paper are not just a coincidence. When she gets a paper with just Jakes’s name on it and no expiration date, she conclude this is it – this is her husband.
While she enjoys her dates with Jake, she doesn’t feel the spark she thought she would feel for her life partner, but the papers have never been wrong, so why would this one? Through her time with Jake, Daphne relies on her best friend (and once ex-boyfriend) Hugo for guidance and support, especially as she deals with a personal issue that was quite the plot twist about halfway through the story.
An enchanting novel that goes beyond just a light-hearted storyline, I was drawn into Daphne’s world from the jump. While parts of the novel could feel a little predictable, I never felt 100% sure I knew what Daphne’s choices were going to be, especially when we learn more about her halfway through the book. The writing was fluid and descriptive, from the setting to Daphne’s inner thoughts, and it was tough for me to put my Kindle down. One to read before the end of the year!
