#tom ellen

A Totally Awkward Love Story by Lucy Ivison and Tom Ellen

Hannah and Sam only have the holidays to find 'The One'. Their 'lobster'. But instead of being triumphant and epic, their summer looks veryyy awkward. The two must navigate the plotting of well-meaning friends, their own society-based fears, and an increasing number, of second-hand embarrassing social misunderstandings.

A Totally Awkward Love Story was partially inspired by their high school relationship, with Lucy writing Hannah's chapters, and Tom writing Sam's. Lucy Ivison and Tom Ellen met at the end of high school, quickly became sweethearts, then broke up in college. Though they remained best friends.

Spoiler: Fate's a b and a merciful angel, throwing Hannah and Sam together time after time, mistake after mistake.

First real snow here in MD!!!! I’ve spent most of today reading by the fire, but I also have gone out to walk in the snow/check on the chickens a few times. It is that sticky snow that coats everything and is absolutely gorgeous ❄️

Also my current read is so unbelievably cute and perfect for Christmas! All About Us by Tom Ellen🎄❤️📖

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Synopsis from the publisher: Ben’s always loved the month of December, but this year, with his relationship with Daphne on the rocks, it’s missing its usual magic. And then his old friend Alice gets back in touch. Ben’s always thought of Alice as the one that got away, and he can’t help but wonder: what if he’d done things differently all those years ago? He never imagines he might get to find out… but when a stranger sells Ben a mysterious watch one freezing winter’s night, he’s astonished to wake up the next morning on 5th December 2005: the day he first kissed Daphne, leaving Alice behind.Now Ben must make the biggest decision of his life, all over again. But this time around, will he finally find the courage to follow his heart?

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During these turbulent times, there are few things that provide the kind of comfort that Christmas romance novels do. I’d heard amazing things about this one so I was delighted when I was approved for it because I knew it would be the tonic that we all need.

Ben’s marriage to Daphne is going through a rough patch and he is riddled with guilt about more than one of his past decisions. When his former crush Alice gets in touch a few days before Christmas, he can’t help but wonder if the choices he has made were really the right ones. Then he meets a mysterious man in the pub, selling watches on Christmas Eve and a wild, much-needed ride begins...

Ben himself is a likeable, relatable guy. As a young man working in media, he has multiple opportunities to exhibit and take part in alpha male behaviour but he consistently chooses not to, giving him multiple brownie points. I trusted that he would always do the right thing and I felt pretty safe with him. It’s rare to read a romance from a male perspective but I really appreciated this fresh viewpoint. It’s still such a female-dominated genre but voices like Ben’s bring a wealth of new elements to it, which I highly appreciated. 

Tom Ellen writes realistic young love so well. I saw remnants of my own experiences of exciting new romance in Ben’s recollections of the early days of his relationship with Daphne. Ben recalls multiple instances where Daphne fully encouraged his dreams and offered unwavering emotional support. I got pretty caught up and invested in the success of their relationship, which is testament to the characterisations.

Ben had a wonderful relationship with his mum but he has so many regrets about their last conversation. The above passage where he talks about how much her consistent belief in her son’s abilities irritates him hit particularly close to home for me because I feel the exact same way towards my parents’ insistent claims that I am talented. Like Ben, I was raised to believe that I was special and that I could do whatever I wanted with my life. When those dreams weren’t realised, I couldn’t help but pass some of the blame on to those who had told me it was possible. I believe it’s a very common discourse between blindly supportive parents and their disenchanted, unfulfilled children. The more the world batters us down, the more our parents’ words seem like lies. It’s hugely unfair and heartbreaking because actually, a little self-belief is all that’s needed to break this tension. I shed tears over Ben’s despair and regrets over his mother’s death. The scenes in which he talks to her, knowing what’s to come, will definitely have you reaching for the tissues.

The book also explores the unreliability of memory. Despite believing that he has always held a flame for Alice, when meeting her with all the wisdom of his older self, Ben realises that he doesn’t actually like her that much. Unlike kind, accepting, goofy Daphne, Alice is driven by money and success and seems to enjoy complaining and pointing out other people’s flaws. It made me think about whether anyone that I was convinced was perfect in my early 20s is actually a pretty toxic, questionable human being. If I analysed their behaviours in the light of who I am now, the answer is probably yes.

Although Ben’s journey is ultimately about him analysing the changing face of his romance with Daphne, it seemed to me that his friendship with Harv also needed some reflection. At the beginning, Ben notices how Harv has changed since their uni days and that they have less in common than they used to. Usually this would be a sign that they’d drift apart but I was really hoping their friendship would stand the test of time. I don’t often read books that feature an adult male friendship as much as this one does but I loved their easy-going yet still intensely caring dynamic. The more I saw of them, the more I knew that Harv would never willingly stop drinking pints with Ben.

The watch salesman pops up several times in the narrative and I couldn’t decide as to who he really was. His presence added a magical, ethereal element to the book and I doubt it would have been the same without him. He seemed to be the anchor of Ben’s flights and indeed, Ben felt reassured whenever he spotted him. The above comment makes me think that perhaps he is some kind of personification of time or a kindly spirit that appears as a vaguely recognisable person to whoever is looking at him. I also considered that he may possibly be a future incarnation of Ben himself, from an era where time travel exists, come to warn and guide his younger self. 

When I first realised that All About Us is essentially a modern take on A Christmas Carol, (which was quite far into my reading, I’ll admit!), my mind was blown. The replacement of the typical cruel, stingy Scrooge archetype with this sensitive, awkward 30-something is something that I’d never seen before but that makes perfect sense. We don’t have to be an outwardly mean or unkind person to hurt those we love and cause terrible damage to our own lives. Sadly, in our flawed imperfect humanness, we’re all capable of it.

‘Dad, what is the meaning of life?’ And he’d laughed and then replied: ‘I suppose it’s to increase the sum of human happiness.’ 

All About Us is a delightful, tearjerking festive romance that discusses the power of choice and explores the meaning of true happiness. Touching on grief, regret, altering perspectives and letting go, it’s a wonderful Christmas read that will sit nicely in the stocking of anyone who loves a unique love story.

#BlogTour All About Us by Tom Ellen

Today it’s a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour All About Us by Tom Ellen and it’s Paperback Publication Day!

About the Author

Tom Ellen is the co-author of three critically acclaimed Young Adult novels: Lobsters (which was shortlisted for the Bookseller’s inaugural YA Book Prize), Never Evers and Freshers. His books have been widely translated and are published in 15 countries.