Synopsis:
Delia Moss isn’t quite sure where she went wrong.
When she proposed and discovered her boyfriend was sleeping with someone else – she thought it was her fault.
When she realised life would never be the same again – she thought it was her fault.
And when he wanted her back life nothing had changed – Delia started to wonder if perhaps she was not to blame…
From Newcastle to London and back again, with dodgy jobs, eccentric bosses and annoyingly handsome journalists thrown in, Delia must find out where her old self went – and if she can ever get her back.
*
It’s Not Me It’s You is centered around protagonist Delia Moss, a 33-year-old, red-headed council worker who lives in Newcastle with her long-term boyfriend, Paul, and their matured rescue dog Parsnip. At the beginning of the story, we find Delia – and her bar owning boyfriend of the past 10 years – living in what seems to be a secure and comfortable relationship, working a somewhat uninspiring job as a press officer.
One of the first things we read is Delia proposing to Paul who, to our dismay, accepts her invitation to finally settle down rather unenthusiastically. Soon after, whilst waiting for Paul to return with their celebratory drinks, she receives a text – from him – actually intended for the ‘Other Woman’, where he expresses his apprehension at the recent proposal. Er, awkward? With her perfectly complete life now crumbling around her, Delia impulsively decides to move to London and start anew living with her best friend. But is running away really the best solution?
It is here, in London, where Delia takes time to step back and really focus on the nooks and crannies of her life, her job and most of all what is left of her relationship. We see her being completely honest with herself over the fact that she probably poured more love into the relationship than Paul because she simply loved him just that bit more than he loved her. I found these to be the most poignant moments in the book and often wished I could reach in and give her a big hug because we know exactly how she feels, don’t we? We, or at least someone we know, must have been in a relationship where they’ve made 110% effort and a million compromises just to make sure that their other half is happy, to find out that it’s all in vain. London is also where Delia meets a slightly obnoxious, but handsome Adam who seems to have sprung up just in time to make life that little bit harder for her.
As always, McFarlane offers us a brilliantly eclectic mix of characters and it becomes clear that first impressions can sometimes be the wrong ones. We’re given the troublesome Peshwari Naan whom, with his smart wit and torment of the council, gives us a few belly laughs along the way. As Delia’s friendship with The Naan blossoms, we realise that the elusive online troll is much more than that and for me this character was one of the most interesting characters of the book. In Adam, Mhairi very kindly gives us a smart, sexy and mysterious guy who is initially portrayed as Delia’s foe; however, as more of the story unfolds we’re shown that a hardened, cold exterior can sometimes hide a heart that longs to escape, burst and wash us with a torrent of warmth. There’s Emma, an exceptional lawyer who is everything a girl could want in a best friend – girly, loyal and supportive – and the game obsessed Ralph, Delia’s brother, whose childlike qualities make our hearts swell with love for this fragile, honest character and it is more than clear that he deeply cares for his sister. Then, of course, there’s Delia – a protagonist that you cannot help but love. She is warm, hardworking, funny and vulnerable, but most of all completely relatable which makes us stand on the sidelines and root for her; we feel her pain, anger and apprehension and we cheer her on – foam fingers an’ all – to make the right decision.
I think the biggest, heart wrenching scenes in this book come from the ones with Parsnip – Delia and Paul’s beloved rescue dog who, despite not being able to control his bladder, not only takes a hold of their hearts, but ours too. And, if you have yet to read this book, the best advice I can give you is to have your tissues at the ready for chapter’s forty-one to forty-four – unless you can pull off the make-up stained face and snotty nose look (and if you can, please tell me how you do it?!)
From the very first pages it was clear that McFarlane gives you something more than some of the other novels in this genre, lots of which can often be a little bland and hard to distinguish from the previous one you read. She seems to have a way with words that makes the book feel as if you’re living it, rather than just reading it; holding the ability to make you cheer, laugh out loud, gasp and cry just as much the next time you read her work as you did when you read it the first; she just keeps on giving.
There have been some seriously incredible books out this year and It’s Not Me It’s You is definitely one of them – pushing its way, elbows out to the side, into my top 5 books of 2014. It’s a perfect mix of everything you could want in a book, including one of the most beautiful cover designs I have probably ever seen – I mean, who isn’t a sucker for a bit of rose gold? An absolutely brilliant treat for fans old and new and one I can hand on heart say I’ll be reading again and again.
And Mhairi, if you’re reading this: more Delia please!
10/10
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: Hardback – 6th November 2014
Pages: 544
Author’s website: www.mhairimcfarlane.com
Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Speak Your Opinions 