Review – London, Can You Wait? – Jacquelyn Middleton
London, Can You Wait?by Jacquelyn Middleton
Series: London Belongs to Me #2
Also in this series: London Belongs to Me
Publisher: Kirkwall Books
Publication Date: October 26, 2017
Genres: Romance
Pages: 462
Source: NetGalley
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My rating:
Alex loves Mark. Mark loves Alex. But is love enough?
Since moving to London from the US, twenty-four-year-old Alex Sinclair seems to have it all: a coveted job writing for the theatre, supportive friends, and the man of her dreams—gorgeous Irish actor, Mark Keegan. But in the year since the acclaimed debut of her play, Alex and Mark’s lives have been turned upside down.
Thanks to his role on a smash-hit British TV show, Mark is catapulted to stardom. Alex couldn’t be happier—until her boyfriend’s popularity and insatiable drive to succeed means they’re apart more than they’re together. Forced to share Mark with showbiz heavy-hitters, intrusive press, and unrelenting fangirls, Alex’s hopes for a stable and committed life with him start to fade. Her struggles with panic attacks, career uncertainty, and Mark’s increasingly worrisome behaviour make her wonder: how much more can she bend before she breaks?
A passionate tale of secrets, loss, and ambition, London, Can You Wait? is the eagerly-awaited sequel to Middleton’s debut novel, London Belongs to Me.
Side note: Isn’t the cover absolutely gorgeous?
While I enjoyed the first book, London Belongs to Me, I had a lot of problems with it, as well, so I was a bit worried about this. Happily, my worries were completely unfounded. At its heart, this is a story about relationships, about secrets, about keeping the lines of communication open. This is exactly what a new adult book should be – showing the painful and amazing ways people grow into themselves and their place in the world around them.
Though it’s only been a year since the end of the last novel, it feels like so much has changed for Alex and Mark. I was very pleased with Alex’s strength and tenacity in tackling her anxiety, and also in making heartbreaking decisions to protect herself. I can’t say much more than that without getting into major spoilers, but Alex truly came into her own in this book, in terms of her personal life, relationships and career.
The secondary characters felt much more fleshed out, and their story arcs complemented Alex’s. I’d honestly love to read spin-off books about several of them, especially Lucy. I also loved the peeks into Alex’s and Mark’s families and the history and support they provided.
I could not put down this book once I started reading it. An amazing second book, and I hope to read more about Alex in the future!
4 out of 5 globe-trotting stars!
