Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced reader’s copy of Half the World Away in exchange for my honest review.
- Title: Half the World Away
- Author: Rebecca Banks
- Publisher: self-published
- Pub. date: 1 April 2021
- Series: DEBUT
- Pages: 217
- Genres: adult fiction, contemporary, romance, women’s fiction, chick-lit
Divorced and keeping a heart-breaking secret, Abbie Potter is sleep-walking through her life as a publicist at a London football club. She seems to spend more time covering their scandals than celebrating their wins, and has had enough. Though she’s already prepared for a fresh start, some shocking news pushes her to take an opportunity even further from home – in Salt Lake City.
The first morning of her new life, Abbie bumps into Kyle Miller. He’s persistent, and Abbie’s more than intrigued by him. Everything else seems to fit into place too: she has a fulfilling job, is on a journey of self-rediscovery, and has revived her love of music thanks to a new-found friendship.
She can’t risk losing what she’s built for herself, but how can she stop it from slipping through her fingers without shattering the façade she hides behind?
Say “British” and “rom-com” and that’s all the reason I need to read that book. And that’s all the reason I needed to request this e-ARC.
Half the World Away follows Abbie Potter as she finally sheds the old London life she is unhappy about and makes a move to Salt Lake City in the US. Things in London were pretty crappy for her and a final shocking announcement is all she needs to accept a new job offer in Salt Lake City. Not only does she make new friends and new bounds in her career, but she also meets all-American Kyle.
While she redefines herself and sets new goals in her life, Abbie starts to wonder if it’s time for another go at some romance. But her rocky past relationship and her uncertainty about Kyle takes her on a whirlwind path of self-discovery.
Abbie’s journey of self-discovery is the best part of this story. She picks herself up like a champion and really works on herself and her future. I’ll be lying if I say I wasn’t empowered by her work ethic and passion.
I found Abbie’s move to the US so relatable! I was reminded of my own experiences abroad since I love sightseeing and stepping into cafes/eateries as she does here. Those bits made me smile a lot!
There was quite a bit of amusing humour in here. The story wasn’t as funny as I thought it would get, but the unexpected funny dialogue is what really got to me.
Violet is by far my favourite character! Her Irish charm and her being a boss of a best friend to Abbie really got me loving her with every scene she popped up in.
I wasn’t very impressed or interested in the romance. There was a decent amount of fluff but no steam. That really bothered me for some reason. Also, it was so fast; even their fights are like split-second events!
The pace was pretty good in the first half of the story but it picked up way too much speed past the 50% mark. Each chapter went through events so fast that I was sort of speed reading to keep up.
Even though I loved Abbie’s self-discovery journey, I was not a fan of her character. I found Abbie’s self-destructive trust in other people very annoying. Rather than taking everything with a grain of salt, especially since these people are virtually strangers to her in the beginning, she ends up hanging on to their words like it’s gospel or something, even when her own experiences prove otherwise.
The dialogue feels very scripted at times. I find it very hard to believe that people actually converse in full formal paragraphs even if they are British. Where are the pauses?
I did not like Kyle much as a romantic interest. He was a textbook good guy with way too perfect lines. He was literally carrying their relationship on his shoulders with all his romantic gestures and gifts.
I had high expectations for Half the World Away by Rebecca Banks, but I was sorely disappointed by the end of it. Although it really did justice to Abbie’s growth and some great characters, the writing and the main characters didn’t really appeal to me.
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