Anna McPartlin is someone I found perusing book blogs from the UK. I figured if I could be so enamored with Cecelia Ahern, maybe I would love to read some of her countrymen (errr, women). In truth, I'm kind of in love with all things Irish, and her covers grab me so I gave it a shot. The first book I bought was Pack Up the Moon, about a year ago. Shamefully, it's on my bookshelf somewhere calling out for my attention. After grabbing this one at the Waldenbooks store closing sale (damn you economy, and ghost mall. I blame both of you) for a song, it's safe to say the other one won't be waiting to be read for long now.

Mary's been called Mary of the Sorrows for years. She's lost her mother before she ever had a chance to know her, her first love, and their child. Unaccountably, she's still the rock for all of her friends. Beyond her friends, she's understandably closed herself off to other people.

Sam's a record executive from America who walked away to save his life and salvage what he could of who he once was. Where better than the place his grandmother, the person who mattered to him the most, left behind in the 1930s.

Of course, Sam becomes Mary's neighbor and they get off to quite the rocky start. When Mary's confidante Mr. Monkles (her dog) needs to be lifted, Sam comes to help. Predictably this throws his back out and he's relegated to Mary's floor for some time giving them the opportunity to bond.

This novel is definitely chick lit, but I highly recommend it! McPartlin injects much seriousness and sadness into a love story and you find yourself really rooting for the the characters (several more characters and plotlines I didn't mention). In the end, it doesn't seem at all predictable, and I was close to speaking aloud urging characters to reconsider their decisions. The last three paragraphs put a huge grin in my face. Ms. McPartlin is definitely one I'll be looking forward to in the future!