What is love? Is it something spiritual or wholly physical? Can our feelings be explained and quantified? Or are we all actually two halves of a whole?
Ask Alice and Luke and you’d receive vastly different answers.
Despite her world having been recently dismantled by a messy break-up, Alice would tell you that love is the most important – albeit ineffable – human experiences. But when she once again crosses paths with her old school nemesis, Luke, he challenges this. Luke is a scientist and he’s certain love can be measured and explained – just like everything else.
So the two decide to make a bet: they’ll each venture back into dating and if one of them falls in love, Alice wins, if not, then Luke does.
But can anyone win when you’re playing with emotions?
What did I think?
I absolutely loved Rebecca Ryan's debut novel, My (extra)Ordinary Life, so I was very excited to read her new book, The Philosophy of Love. Well, just imagine my delight when I found out that it was set just a few miles down the road in Easington Colliery. What a lovely surprise!
After breaking up with her boyfriend, who was also her boss, Alice suddenly finds herself homeless and unemployed. So, she packs her meagre belongings and leaves London to live with her parents in a little village in County Durham. It's not long before Alice bumps into her old schoolfriend Luke and the sexual tension between them virtually sizzles off the page, although neither of them can see it; they're too busy trying to win a bet about love.
The chemistry between Alice and Luke is like a smouldering candle just waiting for a little draught of air to ignite it, but the last place that Alice thinks to look for love is right in front of her. Of course it would have been a very short story if she had fallen for Luke right away!
As well as the wonderful romance, there's a really strong sense of family and community in the book as the villagers all come together to save their local community centre. I loved how Alice's family all rallied around her, along with her friends new and old. Village life in the north-east is depicted beautifully in this book as well as the warmth and friendliness of the people in the region.
Rebecca Ryan admits to using a lot of artistic license to recreate Easington for her readers and her writing is so wonderfully vivid that it really brings the village to life. Whilst I understand the need to change and embellish some things in the village, it's a shame that the names of a north-east landmark and university were changed. It didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all though, it's just that I get a kick out of seeing places I know in print.
Funny, flirty and completely captivating, The Philosophy of Love is filled with north-eastern charm and wit and it delighted me from start to finish. Rebecca Ryan is certainly one to watch and I definitely consider myself a fan.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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