An Extra Shot

by Stephen Anthony Brotherton

An Extra Shot continues to tell the story of Freddie and Jo-Jo. It moves backwards and forwards through time in a series of first-person flashbacks and describes how the couple fell in love as teenagers, why they drifted apart, what happened in their lives away from each other, and what happens when they meet up again over thirty-five years later. A failed reconciliation in book one, Another Shot, has left Freddie at a railway station thinking about jumping under a train and Jo-Jo in a hotel room consumed with the dark secret she has carried for most of her adult life. Freddie is saved by his best friend, Jack Sparrow, and Jo-Jo is convinced by her daughter, Amy, to meet up with Freddie again. Freddie then persuades Jo-Jo to go away with him for a long weekend in Devon and the couple return home with their love seemingly reignited. However, Jo-Jo can't let their relationship continue without telling Freddie the truth about her dark secret. Is their love strong enough to get them through?

• ISBN13: 9781912881444
• Publish Date: 28 July 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 August 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Book Guild Publishing Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 200
• Language: English

Reviews

[Lynn]

This novel picks up where Another Shot ended, after Freddie and Jo-Jo's disastrous reunion. Both full of regret, they decide to try again and see where it leads as we continue their story in Another Shot.

The writing style follows the same format as before as a collection of vignette's highlighting events from the past as well as the present. We get to understand more about their perspective lives and how life events shaped them. We also learn the reason, why, Jo-Jo wanted to see Freddie again before starting a new life in New Zealand. It's poignant, with the author dealing with the subject in a thoughtful and respectful manner.

The author manages to inject realism into the protagonists and their feelings for each other. It's easy to feel the shared affections for each other in a way first loves do. It reflects the fact they have forgiven each other for past hurts because the attraction and positive emotions outweigh the negative. Still, despite their love for each other, their relationship remains complicated.

An Extra Shot is the second novel in this intriguing trilogy, full of nostalgic references which will stir up many memories for readers who grew up in the nineteen seventies and eighties. The references certainly add to the overall appeal of the narrative. Yet most importantly, it's Freddie and Jo-Jo I'm rooting for and can't wait to find out how their story plays out in the final instalment.

***arc received courtesy of the publisher via Rachel's Random Resources***