Thank you to Bookouture for providing me with an advanced copy of Drew Davies’ novel, The Shape of Us, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - The Shape of Us follows the lives of several Londoners, as they experience major life changes; such as new love, separation, and grief.

LIKE - The Shape of Us reminded me of one of my favorite films, Love, Actually. Both stories are set in England, but more that, the similarities are in tone, with different characters/plots offering different moods. For example, in Davies’ novel, we have a newly involved couple, Daisy and Chris, whose story is primarily light-hearted. Chris does have a tragic backstory, which I will not spoil, but for most of the novel their interactions are sweet and light, two people who are attracted to each other and are fumbling through the early stages of a relationship. On the other end of the spectrum, we have a teenager named Dylan, who is ill and has a crush on a slightly older woman, who has helped him conquer the fears of his illness, but is also very sick herself. Additionally, Dylan has been abandoned by his mother and is being raised by his single father. Every story in The Shape of Us has a mix of seriousness and humor, but Dylan’s is a touch darker than the rest.

The most bizarre character is Adam. Adam has recently become unemployed and is having a tough time rebounding. He finds an employee key card and manages to gain access to the offices of a very prestigious company where he would love to work. Adam takes a chance and uses the card, passing himself off as the card’s owner. Adam keeps pushing his luck, by entering the building at night and snooping through the computers, in which he discovers that some employees are up to no good. If he speaks out, he will blow his cover and possibly go to jail. He is a man who is very lost and continuing to become more muddled with each passing day.

Davis begins each chapter with a few paragraphs about Londoners and living in London. It provides a wonderful touchstone that brought me back to the strong setting for the stories, making London itself, another character. London is one of my favorite places and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the city. Davis really showcases the vibrancy of London and its equally colorful inhabitants.

DISLIKE- I very much enjoyed The Shape of Us, but I was irked by the book’s tagline = “Not All Love Stories Are Heart-Shaped.” This makes it seem like a cliche love-story, which it is not. This tagline is selling the novel short. The cover with a heart-shaped hot air balloon does not help either. Please know that Davis’ writing is witty and complex, far better than his book cover implies. His writing reminded me of Nick Hornby, whom I adore.

RECOMMEND- Yes. ignore the cover and buy The Shape of Us. It’s quirky, emotional, and delightful.