I am always partial to a bargain – and Amazon offered me a free book (can’t remember why, think I agreed that a delivery could be outside my usual Prime terms) – and ‘The State We’re In’ was one on the shortlist. It appeared to have been on best seller lists, and it involved a flight to Chicago, where I’d been last month, so I opted for it.

The Amazon blurb is fairly vague:

“THE STATE WE’RE IN is the unforgettable, emotionally powerful novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Adele Parks.
What are the odds that the stranger sitting next to you on a plane is destined to change your life? Especially when they appear to be your opposite in every way.
She’s a life-long optimist, looking for her soul mate in every man she meets; he’s a resolute cynic – cruel experience has taught him never to put his faith in anyone.
People can surprise you. In the time it takes to fly from London to Chicago, each finds something in the other that they didn’t even realise they needed.
Their pasts are such that they can never make one another happy and it’s when they get off the plane that their true journey begins…”

When I started reading this I got really confused. There were chapters headed up with the names of different characters, and they seemed completely disparate – and I thought I was going to find it hard work. But I’m not one to give up on a book (hey, I waded through the Goldfinch!!) so I persevered – and I am sooooo glad I did.

I can’t really give you too much of the back story without giving away fundamental twists and turns of the plot – but I couldn’t put it down – and was desperate to know what was going to happen next. There’s emotion / love / lust / travel / family secrets / rude bits / shopping in Chicago – and, as is my usual style, sobbing at the end.

I am a bit gutted that I finished it this evening to be honest. I know I like most books I read and review on here (generally by being sensible in what I chose to read in the first place) but I really liked this one!