Release Blitz + Review: "The Certainty of Chance" by Jacquelyn Middleton

Congratulations to author Jacquelyn Middleton on the release of her latest novel, "The Certainty of Chance."

American Madeleine Joy is supposed to be spending Christmas week in Paris with her famous actress sister Shantelle, but when a volcano erupts in Iceland and creates an ash cloud that shuts down European airspace, she gets stuck in London while her sister is in Thailand. The last thing Madeleine wants is to be alone as the first anniversary of her best friend Kellie's death approaches, but her sister urges her to make the best of things by exploring London, a place Kellie always dreamed of visiting. Upon leaving the airport, Madeleine is driven to her hotel by cabbie Julian Halliwell, who mentions that he's also a London tour guide. At first she's not interested because Julian seems like "the British version of Buddy the Elf," and Madeleine isn't feeling the Christmas spirit. However, when they run into each other again the next day, she changes her mind and decides to take him up on his offer of a tour. Surprisingly, she connects with Julian and finds herself spending more and more time with him as she waits for the airports to reopen. Could Madeleine's accidental sojourn in London turn out to be exactly what she needed after all?

Objectively, this was a good, well-written book, but I struggled to stay with it at times. It's a character-driven, slow-paced story that deals with the heavy subject of grief, which can be difficult to read. It didn't help that parts of the book read like a London travelogue, and other parts felt like I was reading a self-help book. The biggest problem for me, however, was that I had a tough time connecting with Madeleine. I can't fault her for wanting others to acknowledge that her grief over losing her best friend was valid, and I also agreed with her point that everyone grieves in their own way and time. For lack of a better explanation, Madeleine seemed to need to grieve "out loud," sharing her feelings with friends, family members, and even random co-workers and acquaintances at the drop of a hat. When they didn't respond as sympathetically as she hoped they would, she seemed to take it as a personal affront. For me, grief is more personal, and I don't need (or want to) share it with anyone other than those closest to me. Madeleine's way of dealing with things seemed like it completely took over her life, and I just couldn't relate to that.
 

My other big problem was the relationship between Julian and Madeleine, who only knew each other for five days by the end of the book and yet were somehow "in love." Not only that, those few days were enough for Madeleine to decide to completely uproot her life and move to London. It might have been easier for me to accept their feelings for each other if Madeleine hadn't been so focused on her grief the entire time, and if their interactions over the first few days hadn't been so focused on her playing tourist. In the end, I believed that they had a strong connection, but love was pushing it, and I had to wonder if Madeleine's big move wasn't more a reaction to feeling close to Kellie in London than it was about her feelings for Julian. 

Again, "The Certainty of Chance" was objectively a good book, and I know there are a lot of readers who will really connect with the story. It's unfortunate that I wasn't one of them. However, I really liked Middleton's writing style and would absolutely pick up another one of her books in the future.

 

*Review copy provided by the author/publisher via Grey's Promotions. All opinions expressed are my own.     

 

About "The Certainty of Chance"

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT DECEMBER…

Madeleine Joy is feeling more meh than merry. When an Icelandic volcano erupts six days before Christmas, hazardous ash congests European airspace, canceling flights indefinitely—including the thirtysomething's connection to Paris. Stranded alone in London, separated from her sister, and with the devastating one-year anniversary of her best friend’s tragic death just days away, Madeleine has never felt less festive. And as if things couldn’t get worse, the cute guy driving the cab to her hotel won’t shut up about carolers and tinsel…

Julian Halliwell is one of life’s sunny optimists. A former music journalist, he’s embraced his love for London by starting his own black cab business, enthusiastically ferrying passengers from one historic landmark to another. But life hasn’t always been easy for Julian. Having navigated several life-changing setbacks including a cruel betrayal by his former fiancée, Julian remains hopeful that he’ll meet somebody kind, who shares his love of music, his corgi named Winnie, and of course, the magic of Christmas time in London.

Despite being an unlikely match, fate seems determined to throw them together. But can the grieving American find joy again in a world where the lights have all but dimmed?