Editorial Content for And Then There Was You

Nothing makes you come to terms with how far you’ve come in life (or not) than a rapidly approaching class reunion. That’s the situation in which 31-year-old Chloe Fairway finds herself at the beginning of AND THEN THERE WAS YOU.

Once upon a time, Chloe was a shining star of the theater department at her Oxford college. The only question was whether she would make her name as an actress or as an award-winning playwright or screenwriter. Instead, with her 10-year college reunion on the horizon, Chloe is working as a production assistant for a producer of B movies and is living at home with her parents after the collapse of a long-term relationship with a man who turned out to be emotionally abusive. In many ways, she loves living with her folks, but she knows that no one in her high-achieving college class will view her as a success.

"[T]hose who persevere will be rewarded with a truly swoon-worthy romance, the stakes of which ratchet up as scenes from the present-day reunion are interspersed with flashbacks to the gang’s university days."

If only she had a steady, successful boyfriend to accompany her to the reunion. But sadly, all of her attempts at online dating have been abject failures. On the heels of one of those disastrous dates, she encounters a former colleague whose life supposedly has been transformed since joining a matchmaking service called “Perfect Partners.” On a whim, Chloe contacts the firm and soon finds herself escorted to the reunion on the arm of Rob, a man so handsome, thoughtful and well-read that he might as well have been made for her.

At the reunion, Chloe is nervous about the possibility of reuniting with Sean, her one-time best friend and creative partner. Ever since an ill-conceived attempt at hooking up towards the end of their undergraduate days, things haven’t been the same between them, and they’ve fallen out of touch. But Chloe is all too aware that, unlike her, Sean has made it big in their chosen career as a big-deal film director in Hollywood. Might seeing Chloe with a handsome new beau get Sean to reconsider what they almost had once upon a time? Or is it possible that there’s a third option beyond Rob or Sean that might be what she's needed all along?

Some readers might have trouble getting past the book’s fairly outlandish premise, which feels in many ways a little too sci-fi and far-fetched for Sophie Cousens. But those who persevere will be rewarded with a truly swoon-worthy romance, the stakes of which ratchet up as scenes from the present-day reunion are interspersed with flashbacks to the gang’s university days. Along the way, Cousens manages to incorporate plenty of discussion-worthy considerations of what metrics we use to measure success in ourselves and others, as well as the toll that technology might take on our social, emotional and creative lives.

One fun note for audiobook fans: Seeking out the novel on audio is worth it just for the unexpected delight of listening to the one chapter narrated from Rob’s point of view. Of course, the printed version also includes a personality questionnaire that promises to pair readers with their own “perfect partner,” so you truly can’t go wrong, regardless of how you choose to enjoy Cousens’ surprising novel.