“Never has a quirky lead character been so lovable or well drawn as Annie, the lovelorn chemist who carries This Won’t End Well. Though she pretends to be closed off to the world, in fact she can’t stop caring—and that push-pull of who to let into her life, and under what terms, is something we all understand at a soul-deep level. Annie’s journey from oblivious in love to aware and empowered had me cheering and turning the pages madly, unable to tear myself away. If you want to laugh and lose yourself in a great read, this is the one for you!”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagan is my first foray into her work, but given how much I enjoyed the book, it is unlikely to be my last.
Annie Mercer is not having the easiest of times, she has just resigned from her job due to ongoing harassment from her superior, she is living with her mother who she worries about constantly and now her fiance Jon has flown off to Paris for a month to find himself.. She can’t even turn to her best friend Leesa because every conversation they have seems to turn into a sales pitch for the healing crystals and oils that Leesa is flogging. It seems like the safest and simplest course of action is to cut herself off, and try to avoid new people, but she finds herself falling at the first hurdle when she comes to the assistance of a young woman who has just moved in next door.
Suspicious circumstances and strange bruises soon have her worrying about the woman’s safety, so when she notices a man lurking in the neighbourhood she immediately assumes the worst. When she confronts him, she learns that he is a P.I. working surveillance, and soon she finds herself breaking her self imposed rules once again, at first to help him out on a case, and then because she finds herself enjoying the time she spends with him. All of this does not negate the fact that she is not even sure she is still getting married, or what will happen between herself and Jon, especially when he decides to extend his stay in Paris and invites her to join him there.
Annie is a wonderful character, so easy to relate to in her mix of insecurity about personal issues and confidence when it comes to work and career . She has a real charm that carries the book and keeps the reader engaged in her story and rooting for her to find happiness. While the rest of the characters are by their nature less detailed in their execution, they are still completely believable, and at times definitely frustrating in their actions. Overall a warm and wonderful story , and one I really enjoyed.
Reviewed by:
Annette Jordan
Added 27th April 2020
