The Two Of Us By Andy Jones

[amazon_link id=”B00MZAS05A” target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link] ‘The Two Of Us’ is Andy Jones’ debut novel.

Fisher and Ivy have been an item for a whole nineteen days. And they just know they are meant to be together. The fact that they know little else about each other is a minor detail. Over the course of twelve months, in which their lives will change forever, Fisher and Ivy discover that falling in love is one thing, but staying there is an entirely different story.

I met Andy Jones at the recent Books And The City event, he was a lovely man with a great sense of humour, who was surprised when I said that I hadn’t read his new book, but when he read an extract from the book, I told him that I would read the book next and true to my word, I did.

The story is solely seen from the perspective of Fisher, a lads man who hasn’t been in many relationships but when he meets Ivy, an older woman, he falls heavily for her. But as they are in the throes and excitement of getting to know each other, Ivy discovers that she is pregnant and they have only known each other 19 days. The story then flows on as the new couple get to know each other and prepare themselves for impending parenthood.

It’s refreshing to see a love story from a males perspective, I’ve always enjoyed books by Matt Dunn and Mike Gayle, so it’s a lovely to see a new boy on the block. It’s frank and fun, as we see into the male mind, we see the fear, the insecurities and the tenderness as the relationship progresses. Fisher and Ivy are a great couple, that are a delight to read from the start, the banter and moments they share make for sweet reading as they discover new things about each other and how every day is like a first date for the pair. It’s also very honest, in the worries and fears that we all experience with new relationships, the getting together is the easy part but the staying together and the compromise is where the hard work starts. The main story is all about the new relationship, but there is another story with El, who is Fisher’s best friend and suffers from Huntington’s disease, a degenerative disease which is slowly taking his life and independence away. Fisher visits El regularly, to give El’s boyfriend Phil a break and these scenes regularly make for heartbreaking reading as we read about a man who is terminally ill but with all twitches and slurs, we see a honest man with a wicked sense of humour and who isn’t afraid to tell Fisher what he really thinks. I adored El, he’s a sweetheart with a huge heart and accepts what he has been given with open arms.

As I sat down to read this book, I genuinely had no idea what to expect. I did think it was going to be lads story with loads of sex but instead I read an emotional, romantic and honest story about the fear of love, parenthood and rejection, filled with twists and turns and a sincerely heartbreaking moment that stayed with me long after I closed the final page. ‘The Two Of Us’ is an engaging book that flows along at a lovely pace, with just the right amount of romance and humour to make it a stunning and memorable debut.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”B00MZAS05A” target=”_blank” ]The Two of Us from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.