Finding Felix - Jo Platt (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 17/08/2018

Author: Jo Platt

Publisher: Canelo

Place: United Kingdom

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

About the book:

Singleton Dot Riley’s grandmother, Nanny Flo, is on her deathbed, surrounded by family and distraught at the thought of Dot being all alone in the world.  Desperate to make Flo’s final moments happy ones, Dot invents a boyfriend – plumping in panic for her childhood friend, Felix, a firm favourite of Flo, but whom Dot hasn’t actually seen for 15 years.

But when Flo makes an unexpected recovery a few weeks before a family wedding, Dot is faced with a dilemma.  Should she tell her frail grandmother that she lied and risk causing heartache and a relapse?  Or should she find Felix and take him to the wedding?

Dot opts for finding Felix.  But it’s not long before she discovers that finding him is the easy bit: liking him is the real challenge.  

An uplifting romantic comedy about finding something you didn't even know you were looking for.   Finding Felix is perfect for fans of Anna Bell, Tracy Bloom and Debbie Viggiano.

My Review:

    Well, this year has given me a series of surprises when it comes to books. A not so appealing cover, a very dull beginning and how can one imagine that I have in my hands a gem of a book! But that was what 'Finding Felix' was. Dorothy (Dot) finds Felix and I have in turn found the perfect romantic comedy to turn my day a happy one.

     I never had the pleasure of reading Jo Platt before and her quirky, humorous language captivated me the moment the story shifted its perspective to Dot's. I am not against stories told through both the protagonists, but the highlight of having a single point of view is that it gives us a lot to imagine. I very much doubt 'Pride and Prejudice' will be this famous if it was using a double narrative including Darcy's take on things. 'Finding Felix' pursues a similar vein where it is Felix's actions and not his thoughts that reveals his character. It was fun imagining what could have been going through that charming, intelligent brain of his.
      The author introduces a plethora of characters including Dot's meddling but loving mother, caring grandmother, protective father, intuitive younger sister and a stern but supportive best friend and business partner. I loved reading about them all which added a certain depth to the novel apart from the romance.
      That being said, we can't ignore some of the loose ends in the plot, particularly the one concerning the missing letters. Even at the end, the readers are not enlightened as to what was there in the letters and how it got misdirected. And I can't help but wish to have more of Felix and Dot. 
   Thank you, NetGalley and Ellie Pilcher of Canelo for giving me a copy to review and for inviting me to this blog tour. I completely adored this book and it took a while to settle on the next one to read as I was not able to come out of the world of Dot and Felix.

Meet the author:

Jo Platt was born in Liverpool in 1968 and, via the extremely winding route of rural Wiltshire, London, Seattle and St Albans, she is now happily settled in Bristol with her husband and two daughters. She studied English at King's College London before going on to work in the City for ten years. In 2000 she escaped into motherhood and part-time employment, first as an assistant teacher in a Seattle pre-school and then was a Bristol-based secretary to her husband.

Have a look at the other stops in the tour: