I have most of Cecelia Ahern’s books so when I saw The Year I Met You in the new releases in Waterstones before Christmas I knew I had to get it. It just took me a while to actually get round to reading it (I reckon it’ll take me the rest of the year to get round to reading the Game of Thrones collection)!
The Year I Met You is, thankfully, one of her non-fantasy titles and not as cheesey and predictable as her others. It’s about the year business consultant, Lizzie, met her neighbour, superstar radio DJ, Matt. They’re both at a crossroads both personally and professionally and what starts as a mutual annoyance becomes friendship as they help each other heal and grow.
OK, that sounds kinda sappy, which it can be in places, but they’re definitely both fully fleshed out and well-rounded characters. And despite being narrated by the heroine, it was Matt I warmed to most. Lizzie reminded me a lot of Elizabeth, Ahern’s heroine in If you Could See Me Now, and Matt was a nice alternative to the men who usually feature in Ahern’s novels.
It’s definitely one of her better stories but it’ll take a lot to beat her debut, PS I Love You.