
What is love? Is it something spiritual or wholly physical? Can our feelings be explained and quantified? Or are we all actually two halves of a whole?
Ask Alice and Luke and you’d receive vastly different answers.
Despite her world having been recently dismantled by a messy break-up, Alice would tell you that love is the most important – albeit ineffable – human experiences. But when she once again crosses paths with her old school nemesis, Luke, he challenges this. Luke is a scientist and he’s certain love can be measured and explained – just like everything else.
So the two decide to make a bet: they’ll each venture back into dating and if one of them falls in love, Alice wins, if not, then Luke does.
But can anyone win when you’re playing with emotions?
My thoughts: Like Alice, I studied philosophy at A Level, but unlike her, I abandoned it for my love of books. Now she’s putting her belief in love to the test, having made a bet with old friend Luke, a biologist who believes love is merely biology.
As the two get closer and attempt to win their bet, Alice rebuilds her life after a disastrous break up that’s sent her home to the northeast, working in a Chinese restaurant and making new friends. She’s also hoping to go back to uni and finish her philosophy degree.
As Alice’s life starts to get better, and she reconnects with her home town and community, she starts to find purpose and happiness in the little things (bingo, coffee at soft play with her friend) and the big ones (arguing with Luke, saving the community centre) and slowly falling in love.
A bittersweet rom com about going home, finding yourself and realising that love shouldn’t hurt (literally and metaphorically).

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.