A chance encounter leads to the journey of a lifetime in this powerful and emotional love story, perfect for fans of One Day, Me Before You and In Five Years.
ALL ABOUT US by TOM ELLEN
Series: Standalone
Publication date: October 13, 2020
Published by: Harlequin
Genre: holiday fiction, time travel, romance
SYNOPSIS
If you could turn back the clock, would you choose a different life?
Ben’s always loved the month of December, but this year, with his relationship with Daphne on the rocks, it’s missing its usual magic. And then his old friend Alice gets back in touch. Ben’s always thought of Alice as the one that got away, and he can’t help but wonder: what if he’d done things differently all those years ago?
He never imagines he might get to find out… but when a stranger sells Ben a mysterious watch one freezing winter’s night, he’s astonished to wake up the next morning on 5th December 2005: the day he first kissed Daphne, leaving Alice behind.
Now Ben must make the biggest decision of his life, all over again. But this time around, will he finally find the courage to follow his heart?
All About Us is a captivating novel of heartbreak and loss, friendship and hope – and how the choices we make throughout our lives will shape our destiny.
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Praise for All About Us:
”'Magical and beautiful.”
-Josie Silver, author of One Day in December
”'An insightful, nuanced look at modern relationships, I LOVED it. A Christmas Carol meets Love Actually.”
-Holly Bourne, author of Pretending
”'Has all of the feels - the messy complexities of family and friends, the power of love and a sprinkling of magic. Gorgeous.”
-Clare Pooley, author of The Authenticity Project
”'I loved it so much. Brilliant, lovable characters. So sharp, funny and poignant.”
-Rachel Winters, author of Would Like to Meet
”'A heart-warming and surprisingly feminist Christmas Carol-esque novel of 'what if' and 'who am I' - this really left an impression on me. The best novel of the festive season!”
-Laura Jane Williams, author of Our Stop
”'An outstanding story about regrets, self-reflection and love. Fantastic to have such a warm, genuine male voice in this genre. It’s a sure hit for 2020 - LOVED IT!”
-Roxie Cooper, author of The Day We Met
”'A warm, cosy delight. It’s SO honest, funny and sad about relationships and love, plans and dreams and living up to your own expectations. Most of all it is full of hope. It tugged at ALL of my heartstrings, and I loved it to bits.”
-Cressida McLaughlin, author of The Cornish Cream Tea Bus
”'A magical, compelling and thought-provoking story, full of depth and heart. The perfect holiday read.”
-C.J. Skuse, author of Sweetpea
”'Clever, funny and romantic. I hope the Netflix adaptation comes swiftly after.”
-Melinda Salisbury, author of The Song of Sorrow
”'Funny, warm and touching, perfect for Me Before You fans.”
-Suzy K Quinn, author of The Bad Mother’s Diary
”'Oh my gosh, it’s wonderful! I cried so much!”
-Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child
”'Romantic and gloriously life-affirming.”
-Rachel Marks, author of Saturdays at Noon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tom is an author and journalist from London, England. He is the co-writer of three critically acclaimed Young Adult novels: LOBSTERS (which was shortlisted for The Bookseller's inaugural YA Book Prize), NEVER EVERS and FRESHERS. His solo adult debut novel is the romantic comedy ALL ABOUT US (HQ/HarperCollins, published October 2020). His books have been widely translated and are published in 20 countries. He is a regular contributor to Viz magazine, and has also written for Cosmopolitan, Empire, Evening Standard Magazine, The Daily Mash, Glamour, NME, ESPN, ShortList, Time Out London, Vice, Stylist and many more.
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All About Us by Tom EllenMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
When I saw that there was time travel involved in this book, I didn't hesitate to request a copy to give this new author a try. Time travel is one of my favorite tropes to read and unfortunately there isn't a huge selection to choose from. This kind of holiday book is typically much more up my alley. Something with a more serious tone rather than fluffy, over-the-top cute. It's about "what ifs" and figuring out how to get your life on the track that it was always meant to be on. The problem is, most of the time we're just fumbling through life. How are we to know which direction is the right way? This story is about one man getting the chance to redo his past in order to possibly change his future.
Ben is at a crossroads in his life. He's unhappy in his professional and personal life and wonders how he could have gotten everything so wrong to arrive where he is. His wife Daphne has a successful career in publishing, and he can't help but feel inadequate because his career is non-existent. He once aspired to be a writer like his father who abandoned him and his mother, but that dream fizzled out when he accepted that he would never measure up. He loves his wife, but as the years have gone by, they've drifted so far apart that he's afraid that it's too late to bridge the gap. Their home is filled with heavy silences and cynical stares. They've been through challenges and heartache in their fifteen year relationship, but he can hardly say they've been through it together. Secretly he admits to himself that he's been unforgivably selfish in how he handles things. Guilt eats him alive for things he's said and done-and he pushes it all deep down as tight as he can fit it without cracking. He just doesn't know how to fix it.
Everything changes when he goes out for a drink with his best friend. He runs into a man who offers him the opportunity of a lifetime: reliving pivotal days in his past to help guide him into the future. If he had done things differently, would he have the perfect life? One that didn't fill him with shame and regret? At first he believes that his bizarre trip is meant to give him the chance to rewrite what already happened. But he soon discovers that the events that have occurred can never be altered. You know the expression, "Hindsight is 20/20?" Going through the motions of his past experiences, he's sometimes appalled at he took the most important people in his life for granted. How he treated them shabbily, always expecting a tomorrow to make things right again. Ben was much too consumed with self-pity and feelings of inadequacy to see his own worth.
To be honest, Ben becomes pretty hard to take for a while. He's insufferably rude at times, selfish, and contributes nothing to his marriage-emotionally he checked out long ago. There were times I wondered how his wife Daphne put up with his behavior for as long as she did. It helped that it was told from his POV, because he isn't without remorse. He's bursting with it. That softens that harsh edges of him considerably, but when we finally get to the Paris chapter he disappointed me big time in how he relived it. It didn't make sense to me that something that at him alive with guilt happened in the same way the second time around. If it destroyed him even thinking about what he did...why do it AGAIN? He did other things differently and felt he'd learned something about himself in the process. I was kind of pulling my hair out over that one because it was a massive mistake on his part that caused a great deal of harm.
The most touching moments were the ones Ben spent with his mother. After he lost her suddenly, he was never the same again. It was just the two of them growing up, but he always had her in his corner cheering him on. When she was gone, there was an emptiness there that couldn't be filled. Just imagining being in his shoes as he steps into the past and comes face to face with his mother again was really poignant. There are so many of us who have lost loved ones and we would give anything in order to have one more day with them. To say all of the things that we didn't and maybe take back some of the things we did. When he broke down over the gift of more time with his mother my heart ached for him.
It wasn't clear in the beginning of the book, but as things wore on, I realized that All About Us is something of a modern Christmas Carol retelling with romance. I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I also loved the watch-seller's impish moments. He took such calm delight in ruffling poor Ben's feathers. He couldn't seem to pin down straight answers from the man for the life of him. But then again, where would the fun be in that? Ben must discover what-and most importantly-who he wants in his life when this crazy trip he's on is over. Or will he even have a choice? Towards the end, the suspense really ramped up because you could see disaster looming. It was only a question of how and when.
Ben wasn't always the most well-adjusted person. As a matter of fact, he's pretty much the opposite. But I can appreciate the emotional journey he went on to become a healthier version of himself in the end. He discovered that happiness isn't handed to you on a silver platter. You have to put blood, sweat, and tears into earning it. Not only did he figure out a fulfilling career to pursue, he learned how to have a deeper relationship with the people in his life by giving back just as much as he took. I had to give him full credit and respect for that which rounded the book off on a very high note. I really appreciated the uniqueness of this holiday story, and would definitely read another by this author in the future. If you're like me, and prefer a holiday book with heavier themes woven through, this will be a good bet for you.
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