I didn’t enjoy this story. I might have, had I been in a different mindset. But this story reminded me of a Sophie Kinsella story and I read some reviews of that to remind me, and this story has some of the same flaws: bashing ambition in women.

Milly Finch is totally focused on her career. So focused she doesn’t see the bus coming and ends up in hospital, where she is kept in an artificial coma for a week. When she wakes up from her coma her brother immediately starts arguing with her that she’s always got her nose to the screen of phone and has put her career before friends, family and her own well-being. Which is a pretty shitty thing to do - the brother’s remarks, I mean - Milly just woke up from a coma. You’re not put in an artificial coma to help mend a broken arm; Milly probably had swelling to the brain, she may have brain damage and at the very least have a concussion. In Milly’s case however, a coma seems to be a nice rather long sleep as she is capable of arguing back at her brother.

The message of the book is set: career bad, family and friends good. At least the family and friends come to your hospital bed and the people you knew through work did not. It turns out no one told the work people that she was in hospital, so it’s not like they actually got a chance. And the friend and family only seem to be there to tell her what a bad person Milly’s been.

But, no more of that. After two weeks in hospital, Milly has missed all her deadlines and all her clients have let her know they never want to work with her again because she is unreliable. From a freelancer with a great network, she has gone to unemployed with nothing. She even has to move in with her ex-boyfriend because not paying rent is about all she can afford.

From then on Milly as a different person. She makes a few halfhearted attempts at still wanting to be independent and pulling her own weight (or putting casseroles in the oven), but other than that she’s looking up to appreciate the beauty around her, like making small talk with strangers.

A lifestyle most of us can’t afford because we do have to work before we can eat.

Not even the main hero can hold my attention, because he suffers from a flaw all Maxine Morrey’s heroes seem to have: they are too darn perfect. They are absolutely nice and understanding, make a lot of money and all ways have time for their tonnes of friends. They don’t even leave their shoes in the hallway in a way you can trip over them.

Time to just skip to the epilogue.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.