Being miles apart generally means physical distance. But what if you’re miles apart and in the same room?

What was the book about?
Which mistakes are irredeemable? Would you fight to save a five-year relationship after your lover’s had a drunken one-night stand? Alex is torn by this question. The past twelve months have seen her and her girlfriend Terri slowly drift apart, and the revelation of Terri’s betrayal shows her just how far apart they are. The longer they fight, the less she wants to try. On a business trip to Canada, Alex meets Justine and, over the course of one evening, a connection is formed that shatters everything Alex thought she knew about herself. Returning to London, she’s faced with choices that will irrevocably change her life. A lesbian romance that asks the interesting questions, not the easy ones.

Featured Tropes
Long-distance relationship, cheating, Insta-love that turns into slow-burn (It works. Go with it)

Book Strengths:
The writing is really tight. There are a number of secondary characters that fill the bowl that is this story. And they play an important part as Brooks ensures that society’s reactions and opinions about hook-ups, cheating, and insta-love are demonstrated through the commentary from these characters. The author’s feelings about these topics are not pushed onto the reader at all. We are left to make up our own mind. I went into this novel with a tiny dot-pointed list of beliefs and I enjoyed having those points challenged. Plus I got to read a really lovely, well-written story. Bonus.

Much of the book is about opening doors, looking inside, not finding what you were looking for, and trying another door. Even though the thing you want is right there inside the door labelled ‘hazardous but perfect’. Look carefully, because even if you think the thing you want is miles away from you, it could be right there.

Book weaknesses:
The blurb irritated me. Weird, I know. I just thought it could have been better constructed. Anyway, the topic of cheating may put off some readers because it is a major aspect of the novel, not because the two MCs cheat on each other (they don’t), but because of how damaged their trust is by others cheating on them.

Character Chemistry:
The chemistry is awesome. You are drawn into the instant attraction that Alex and Justine have. They have excellent emotional journeys and arcs. They’re a little inside their heads at times, but the issues they’re dealing with probably allow for a pile of introspection. 

Heat Rating:
4 flames

Conclusion:
The novel deals with the complex. The messy. Sometimes you want to be miles apart from the chaos that is the tangled web of lies and lust, and once you’re far apart, you can see clearly what it is you actually want.

Star Rating:
4 stars

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