Synopsis:
Ten years after losing her husband, Christina Connelly has worked through the pain, focusing on raising her teenage daughter and managing her small decorating business. But her romantic life has never recovered. Still, it’s irksome to be set up with arrogant, if handsome, doctor Andy Stern at her friend’s wedding. If he wasn’t also a potential client, needing his Upper East Side apartment redesigned, she would write him off.
This is never going to work, Andy thinks. Still grieving his wife and struggling with a troubled son, he’s not looking for a woman, and certainly not someone as frosty and reserved as Christina. Their relationship will be strictly business. Yet to everyone’s surprise—including their own—these two find themselves falling in love.
But if reconciling with their pasts is difficult, blending their lives and children to create a new family is nearly impossible. They've been given a second chance …but can they overcome all the obstacles in the way of happily ever after?
This is never going to work, Andy thinks. Still grieving his wife and struggling with a troubled son, he’s not looking for a woman, and certainly not someone as frosty and reserved as Christina. Their relationship will be strictly business. Yet to everyone’s surprise—including their own—these two find themselves falling in love.
But if reconciling with their pasts is difficult, blending their lives and children to create a new family is nearly impossible. They've been given a second chance …but can they overcome all the obstacles in the way of happily ever after?
My Thoughts:
To be honest, I wasn't sure at first how much I was going to enjoy this story because it took me a little longer than expected to get into it. It starts out with Christina and Andy meeting at a wedding and they both seem to regard the other as pompous and rude. Christina, a decorator, immediately came off rather cold and unlikable as she made her way through the wedding host's home and nitpicked at their taste.
Andy, or Dr. Stern, didn't impress me at first either. He seemed stiff and stuck up and seemed to like being rude for absolutely no reason other than that he could be. He too was judgmental and I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to connect to characters who were constantly judging people based on their tastes or where they lived. But as I read on, I realized that these were the actions of two people who were hurting badly and were trying to cope any way they knew how, even if that meant that their comments and actions were often taken the wrong way.
Christina's business isn't going very well with less and less new clients and another client who hasn't paid her. She needs this job to help support her daughter, Jordan, whose only goal in life is to become a dancer. Jordan barely eats, pushes her body to its limits and is also still devastated from the loss of her father ten years before.
Andy is a highly successful OBGYN with a demanding schedule. He rarely has time for his son, Oliver, and even though has seen the signs that Oliver is becoming distant and withdrawn, he has yet to do much about it. Oliver seems to be the one in this story who is struggling the most emotionally. He is still in denial about his mother and things only get worse when things go wrong with his girlfriend and best friend. He doesn't know how to express his feelings and doesn't think anyone would understand him even if he tried.
The relationship between Andy and Christina is anything but quick. In fact, they despise each other at first. Christina only agrees to decorate Andy's house because she is struggling and needs the money. They keep a strictly business relationship at first, but things change for Andy when he sees that Oliver connects with Christina, and then again when they are forced to spend a few hours stranded together. Their relationship progresses slowly and in a way that feels natural and not forced. I quickly found myself liking Andy and Christina more and more and was desperate for them to build a family together.
Two of a Kind is written in alternating view points, switching each chapter to advance the story along seamlessly and expertly. Each character has their own unique voice and their stories are enough to suck you in and hold you for hours. If you are looking for a quick read, this isn't it. The author takes her time, carefully choosing each word, slowly creating a heartfelt tale of love, loss, friendship and family.
Two of a Kind was not at all what I was expecting. It was more. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys longer, descriptive reads, Chick Lit, or is looking for something a bit heavier and emotional.
For more about Yona Zeldis McDonough and Two of a Kind, visit her website here.
Purchase:
Giveaway:
One winner will receive a print copy of Two of a Kind provided by the publisher. Giveaway is open to US/Can only and ends 9/12.
Good Luck!
*I received this book for free in exchange of an honest review. This did not influence my opinion in any way and all views and opinions expressed are 100% my own.
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