• 3.5 stars
• Release date: 8th June
• Buy on Amazon*

I was not aware of the controversy around this book when I requested it – and it wasn’t until I was halfway through and I was updating my progress on Goodreads I saw the negative reviews. It’s important to note that the blurb I read before requesting is not the same that has been circulating online.

Jess is a liberal black woman and Josh is a republican white man, they both work in the banking – at Goldman Sachs to begin with – and it plays out very much as an enemies to lovers book. To begin with as I was reading it I enjoyed it, it was set in 2016 – it finishes on the night of Donald Trump’s inauguration – but had flashbacks to their time at college, where they weren’t friends but they knew each other.

The differences between them are, social economic, cultural, political and moral. I think it was as the book went on it became obvious that it wasn’t a healthy relationship as much as you may have been rooting for them as a couple to begin with, as it went on you realised that he wasn’t an ally for her and it seemed she backed down a lot more than him during their discussions and he was constantly gaslighting her.

Knowing what has happened between then and now totally changes the book, and I think if it had been written and released during the presidential campaign it may have been received differently, a time when no one thought that an extra from Home Alone 2 would win. But knowing what happened over those 4 years there were times I genuinely felt fearful for Jess. There’s one particular discovery by Jess that I found hard to believe that she would’ve backed down from, that almost stopped me reading the book.

There’s also a theme running through the book of Jess’ relationship with her culture. There’s a point where she realises that she only has one black friend and during a discussion with him her about this, he says “it’s healthy for a soul to have some relationships where there’s no need to explain anything” and I would’ve loved if this led to more of a journey for Jess, exploring her history and culture. Her relationship with her dad who raised her on his own after the death of her mother when she was a child was also really interesting, it’s a very strong relationship but she doesn’t tell him about Josh. I do wonder if towards the end of the book and after a particular event in Jess’ family life she would’ve forgiven Josh for the issue I mentioned earlier?

I really enjoyed Cecilia’s writing, and her insight into a woman working in a male dominated industry shows that she’s drawing on her personal experience. I look forward to reading more from her and would love a book that catches up with a Joshless Jess.

I think this is a book that should be read and discussed in book clubs.

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