Someone Like You: An emotional and heartwarming page-turner perfect for summer by Rachel DoveMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
DNF at 45%.
Hannah's husband is violent and abusive, one night, with the help of a friend she takes her baby daughter Ava and flees to the village of Leadsham. With barely any money, no afraid to use any documentation that her husband might use to trace her, Hannah is keeping a low profile, until an opportunist bugger tries to steal her bag in the park. Hannah is rescued by off-duty police officer Andrew and his dog. Despite all efforts to repel him, Hannah gradually finds herself drawn to Andrew, sensing that he is an honest and decent man, especially when he helps her get a part-time job in the bookshop owned by his former partner. However, Hannah is too ashamed to share her past with Andrew and scared that her husband could sweet talk his way around anything she claimed, after all he's done it before with the police. Hannah's inner monologue is 'this man is kind and gentle, but I am ashamed of being beaten up by my husband, I can never tell Andrew and so I must push him away, but he has been kind so I must return the favour'.
Frankly, Andrew is a pretty poor cop if he doesn't see a young woman with a baby, no money, terrified of men and violence and can't infer that she may be an abused spouse, certainly the slow and quiet way in which he moves and talks to her suggests he has his suspicions. However, his inner monologue is all 'what is she hiding, why won't she tell me, I must know the truth'.
Throw in a small town, a pregnant bookshop owner (the partner's wife, not Andrew's partner) with a heart of gold and I'm afraid you get the simpering sweetness of a Hallmark Sunday afternoon film with all the menace of a paper bag. Andrew appears to be trying to bring down an organised crime drugs ring, yet he also appears to be the local beat copper in the small town, known to everyone and his police dog goes to the local library to meet the small children and their mums!
Overall, its slow, its dragging, and its totally predictable so I gave up at 45% after stopping and starting reading several times.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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