Books Read: The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper

Stephanie and Jamie are meant to be. The problem is they're both with other people...

Stephanie doesn’t believe in fate, true love or living happily ever after. She’s content enough being engaged to Matt. But then she meets Jamie, who understands her more than anyone else ever has.

Jamie is happily married to his childhood sweetheart Helen and believes in everything Stephanie doesn’t. So why does he have such a strong connection with Stephanie?

When Stephanie and Jamie meet one fateful weekend in 2006 it will change everything...

Ten years. Two people. One epic love story

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I'd like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour and Tess at Ebury Press for my proof copy of The Day We Met to review.

As the title suggests The Day We Met tells the story of Stephanie and Jamie who meet by chance on an art course and make an instant connection, one that they know that cannot take further as both are in committed relationships to other people.  However, that's not to say that they don't develop a friendship of sorts over the course of a number of years, one that is completely separate to their everyday lives and one their partners know nothing about.

This book had me in all sorts of moral quandaries whilst reading as even though there was no physical connection when they first meet, the fact they build a deep emotional connection with one another is just as dangerous in my eyes.  No smoke without fire as they say... if everything they were feeling and doing was above board, why could they not be honest with their spouses?  I was completely torn in how I felt about everything that was going on which is what makes this such a hard one for me to review objectively.

The story is told in alternating chapters from Stephanie and Jamie over the course of a period of time from their initial meeting in 2006 until the final chapters in 2018.  During this period we get to explore them as characters, see what makes them tick and the conflicting emotions both are struggling with whilst at the same time trying to get on with their everyday lives with their partners and subsequent families.  At times I felt myself wanting to knock their heads together and say that if you're meant to be together then just get on with it and make the breaks as I could see how unhappy they both were and how this was impacting their relationships.  But at the same time I don't and can't condone cheating in any form as it has such a long lasting effect for everyone involved, adults and children alike.

As I've said this book had me so conflicted as I wanted the perfect outcome for them but knew that for that to happen, others would have to get hurt and I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy.  It's a lose/lose situation for all involved and you could really sense the remorse they were feeling as they struggled with what decisions they had to make and how their relationships evolved.  As for the ending, it was one that left me feeling a little bereft and even a tad emotional as the author really put them through the wringer.

The Day We Meet is a warts and all, thought provoking read that will certainly have you questioning your morals with its sensitive subject matter which is why I think it would make it the perfect read for a book club as not everything is always black and white.