Reviewed by Danielle

TITLE : The Little Things
AUTHOR: Jay Northcote
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 214 Pages
BLURB: There are lots of things that brighten Joel’s life. His three-year-old daughter, Evie, is one. His close relationship with her mother, his best friend from university, is another. Joel’s boyfriend, Dan, adds spice to his child-free nights, and Joel is pretty happy with how things are.

Then one cold and rainy night, everything changes. Joel’s life is turned upside down when he becomes a full-time dad to Evie, and his previously carefree relationship with Dan cracks under the strain.

Meeting Liam, who acts as if getting hurt isn’t a foregone conclusion, shakes Joel to the core. Their attraction is mutual, and Liam makes no secret of how serious he is about Joel. But Joel is wary. He tells himself he’s keeping Liam at a distance for Evie’s sake, when really he’s protecting his own heart. Taking a chance on this new relationship with Liam may seem a small step—a little thing—but is it one Joel can take after losing so much already?

Review:

How to start this review…?

Perhaps my expectations were too high after reading “Nothing Serious”? I don’t know but this story just didn’t work out like that one did for me. I was excited when I read the blurb and like I said after “Nothing Serious” I couldn’t wait to read a new book from this new author.

When I started reading I noticed that this story started out slow and I was seriously confused after reading the blurb. I mean 40 % in and it’s still Dan who’s there as lover and partner and there is no Liam or anything and the story is still centered about Joel being a single father for Evie.

Some parts I found hard to read because I don’t have any experience in how a 3-year-old would respond to a death let alone that of her mum (thank goodness that i don’t ). But it made me question her going from not really recognizing it to a point where we suddenly read that she is having a hard time with it?

In the beginning the focus is on a casual relationship that Joel has with Dan (a 19-year-old who’s trying to be supportive when Joel is dealing with losing Clair (his former best friend and mother of his daughter) and taking care of Evie, his little girl.

This takes a very large amount of the story until the point where Joel decides that there’s no future for him with Dan and breaks things off.

Uuh Dan was there in the story with Evie for quite some time, spending a lot of time with her. How did that work out? We don’t read about that and we only get one further reference in the story when Evie mentions that Dan doesn’t come visit anymore. And in my honest opinion this is just a little example of a bunch of ”little things” not working out properly.

There are also, of course, good things to this story. Liam is the highlight. What a fantastic man! So generous and sweet and sincere! When he comes into the story you feel a wave of comfort coming over you. Also Miranda, Joels sister, feels realistic with her emotions and troubles.

Liam quickly bonds with Evie. I would have liked to have seen how that worked a bit more but it is sweet to see them bond also because they have similar characteristics like the hair and the eyes.

In the final part of the book it goes really fast. Joel and Liam getting together and then breaking up in a way that made me cringe and I wanted to do something to Joel. Them getting back together and then on to the epilogue that takes place many months later.

What I do want to say is that the story kept me reading, probably to know what was going to happen and because there was such a long built up. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Evie and to Joel.

I have to say that the author has a nice, comfortable way of writing. I also have to say that I’m looking forward to her third book that is releasing in a few months. After “Nothing Serious “and “The Little Things”, I would like to see what the new instalment is about.

Summing up into a rating I will say a tiny 3 stars.

Danielle rates it –

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press

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Danielle is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: DANIELLE’S REVIEWS
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