It's Now Or Never

by Jill Steeples

Do not miss the new romantic and heart-warming story from bestselling author Jill Steeples, perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond, Sophie Kinsella and Fiona Gibson

‘For Jen Faraday - Not to be opened, in any circumstances, until April 2016’

When smooth-talking Alex Fellows tells Jen Faraday he can predict her future – and leaves a note with the bartender for her to collect in one year’s time – she thinks it’s just a line. After all, how can a man she’s known for only one night see what her future holds? Or maybe it’s not too hard. Recently her life has been a series of things she hasn’t done. She didn’t go to college – family trouble. She didn’t get married – dumped. And she hasn’t yet handed in her notice at work – too scared! If she had to predict her own future, would it be ‘More of the same’?

Or maybe not. After all, she’s just had a passionate one-night stand with a man who is rich and ridiculously good looking and totally not her type. That was unexpected. And she is going to resign from her job… Things are already changing. Whatever that prediction says – and how Jen wishes she knew - perhaps this year is the year she takes control of her destiny!

Praise for Jill Steeples

'Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off by Jill Steeples is a well written and easy to like book.If you are looking for a chick lit with a twist then give this one a read.' - HarlequinJunkie

'So gripping, vivid, enjoyable and fascinating!!!' - Sky's Book Corner on Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

'It was a thoroughly enjoyable read that kept you wanting more.' - A Book and Tea on Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

'Jill is a great writer, she knows how to tell a story. I can’t wait to read more of Jill Steeples.' - Dreaming with Open Eyes

• ISBN13: 9781474035545
• Publish Date: 29 June 2015
• Publish Status: Permanently Withdrawn
• Out of Print: 13 January 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HQ Digital
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Leah]

It's always such a pleasure when I hear there's a new Jill Steeples book out. She's become one of my favourite authors and I love her quirky storytelling. I've really enjoyed her three previous books and was super excited to get stuck into It's Now Or Never, and while it was an enjoyable story, it didn't blow me away, which actually made me so sad.

The premise of the story was awesome - Jen meets a guy, Alex, who leaves her a note in a bar for her to open exactly a year later revealing her future, and I liked that it was the catalyst for Jen to change her life. Except, she changes her life and we're only told about it afterward - for example, Jen starts a blog and we don't see its beginnings, we just see when it's popular (the typical fictional blogger who's famous after one post). There was too much showing, and not enough telling. The months whizz past - in fact, I'm almost sure the timeline wasn't right; because we somehow skipped Christmas without nary a mention??? It was all just a bit rushed, with too many months skipped; and only being told afterward what Jen was up to. I wanted to see her become a success, see her branch out on her own, and not just be told it.

I absolutely loved Alex, which made Jen's prejudices of him hard to swallow, because it was all based on word of mouth and perhaps a bit of her own fear, but Jen never actually gave Alex the opportunity to defend himself against all her accusations. It was so frustrating to see her blow hot and cold, and it surprised me that Alex was so willing to just put up with it.

Don't get me wrong, this was not a bad book. I did like Jen, a lot, I just wished she was less indecisive, and stopped worrying about some unknown woman with pearl earrings. She seemed like such a strong character that it was hard to see why she was so nervous of Alex, of putting her heart on the line. I understand she had planned to marry her boyfriend of 9 years, but that's all we know of it, so it's not as if we know if it destroyed her trust in men or anything, because we're never told. When Jen and Alex are together, it's quite magical, and it was clear to me that they had something special. I also loved Jen's relationship with her Gramps, although her negativity towards Marcie was baffling. Yes, her nan was gone, but surely she would want her Gramps to be happy?

This was a topsy-turvy read for me. I wanted to love it, but there was a lot about the novel that I just couldn't get on board with. Jill's one of the finest Chick Lit writers around, I will always read her novels, this one just disappointed me a little bit, especially with the ending. Where was my big romantic scene?? There was like this big reveal and then nothing really happened. Where was the rain and the romantic scene, etc? :(