Review: 'The Two of Us' by Andy Jones (2015)

Falling in love is the easy part. What matters most is what happens next...
Fisher and Ivy have been an item for a whole nineteen days. And they just know they are meant to be together. The fact that they know little else about each other is a minor detail. Over the course of twelve months, in which their lives will change forever, Fisher and Ivy discover that falling in love is one thing, but staying there is an entirely different story.
I was lucky enough to receive an early review copy of Andy Jones’ promising novel ‘The Two of Us’ a few months ago. The Kindle edition of the book was released by Simon & Schuster in February 2015 and the paperback version will follow on the 7th of May, and I think this is a release lots of people are quite excited about, including me! I mostly read fiction written by female authors, so I looked forward to picking up this one, a romantic novel written by a male author and with a male perspective! Since the Kindle release of 'The Two of Us' I've only heard positive things, so I definitely had my fingers crossed for an entertaining read!
Will Fisher and Ivy Lee have only known each other for a few weeks, but they find themselves in the middle of a whirlwind romance; completely crazy about each other and not really caring about anything else that's happening in the world around them. But then the excitement is suddenly taken away when, to Fisher's surprise, Ivy seems to lose interest. This is, however, just the start of twelve months in the lives of William and Ivy; filled with big changes, for the both of them, in which they will have to decide whether they want to tackle things together or go their separate ways.
I actually ended up starting and finishing this book in one day and that hardly ever happens to me. I instantly fell in love with Andy Jones' writing style, which is well-paced, flows easily and managed to hit me with the right emotions over and over again, from laughter to tears. I really enjoyed experiencing things from the perspective of the main male character, Fisher. He's a great guy; down-to-earth, crazy about a girl and trying to figure out what it is she wants and what he himself wants. All characters were really well-drawn, though, and realistic. I personally didn't particularly warm to Ivy, who is quite a complex character, but this definitely didn't stop me from enjoying the book. 
I liked the fact that there was a focus on the romance side of the story, but also a focus on the friendship between Fisher and his best friend El, who is suffering from Huntington's disease. This part of the book was incredibly touching to read and just heart-breaking in places. I don't want to give too much away about what happens in the book, but it deals with some contemporary and realistic topics in a moving and convincing way. This novel is actually a follow-up to Andy Jones' 'Girl 99', but can undoubtedly be read as a stand-alone. Overall, 'The Two of Us' is a touching, addictive and honest love story that will make you both laugh out loud and shed a few tears; a truly enjoyable read that is certainly worth picking up!

Rating:8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.