Readers and critics alike raved over USA Today bestselling author Sally Thorne's smash hit debut novel, The Hating Game-which sold in over 20 countries. Now she's back with an unforgettable romantic comedy about a twin sister and brother struggling over an inheritance-and the sexy best friend who comes between them.
Crush (n.): a strong and often short-lived infatuation, particularly for someone beyond your reach...
Darcy Barrett has undertaken a global survey of men. She's travelled the world, and can categorically say that no one measures up to Tom Valeska, whose only flaw is that Darcy's twin brother Jamie saw him first and claimed him forever as his best friend. Despite Darcy's best efforts, Tom's off limits and loyal to her brother, 99%. That's the problem with finding her dream man at age eight and peaking in her photography career at age twenty-ever since, she's had to learn to settle for good enough.
When Darcy and Jamie inherit a tumble-down cottage from their grandmother, they're left with strict instructions to bring it back to its former glory and sell the property. Darcy plans to be in an aisle seat halfway across the ocean as soon as the renovations start, but before she can cut and run, she finds a familiar face on her porch: house-flipper extraordinaire Tom's arrived, he's bearing power tools, and he's single for the first time in almost a decade.
Suddenly Darcy's considering sticking around to make sure her twin doesn't ruin the cottage's inherent magic with his penchant for grey and chrome. She's definitely not staying because of her new business partner's tight t-shirts, or that perfect face that's inspiring her to pick up her camera again. Soon sparks are flying-and it's not the faulty wiring. It turns out one percent of Tom's heart might not be enough for Darcy anymore. This time around, she's switching things up. She's going to make Tom Valeska 99 percent hers.
- ISBN10 0062439626
- ISBN13 9780062439628
- Publish Date 29 January 2019
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint Collins
- Format eBook
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
ammaarah
"I think I met my ideal man when I was eight, and no one else has ever measured up." (Darcy Barrett)
I've been in the mood to read light-hearted contemporary books recently, mostly because uni has been putting me through the wringer.
Darcy Barrett, the main character, is smart, witty, sassy and spunky. I usually love badass, snarky and impulsive heroines, but Darcy is selfish and immature. She has a heart condition, but she doesn't even try to take care of herself. Her heart condition is also used as a plot device.
While the characters have unique traits, they aren't developed and I couldn't connect with them. The characters in 99 Percent Mine are nothing new.
I'm not a fan of the romance. Darcy and Tom have plenty of chemistry, but their relationship is more about lust than love. I'm also not a fan of the possessiveness and jealousy in their relationship. It felt like the only reason Darcy wanted to be with Tom was because of the competitiveness between Darcy and her twin brother, Jamie. Tom is a human being, for goodness sake.
Plot-wise, 99 Percent Mine doesn't have much substance. There's miscommunication and I really couldn't understand the reason why Tom and Darcy couldn't be with each other. I found all the will-they-won't-they annoying.
Also, there's something about the writing that bothered me. I found it extremely difficult to follow the dialogue and the scene transitions were so weird. I thought this would get better, the more I read, but it didn't.
I picked up 99 Percent Mine because I thought it would be a fun rom-com. However, I ended up reading about underdeveloped characters, a relationship that I didn't care much for, a plot that lacks substance and writing that I just couldn't get used to.
"Once someone's mine, they're gonna stay mine. One hundred percent, forever. You know what I'm like." (Darcy Barrett)
leahrosereads
I think I would have rather had this story focus on the twins' dynamic with the romantic relationships as an aside.
mrs_mander_reads
Joséphine
Initial thoughts: 99 Percent Mine was entertaining what with a trio consisting of a snarky main character, her twin brother, and his best friend who also was her romantic interest. As complicated as their relationships were though, I didn't think I got to know the characters as well as I should have. Still, this audiobook offered good fun with some intense complications along the way.
KitsuneBae
bookperson
I was so excited for Sally Thorne's new book since previous one is one of my favorites, but I couldn't get into this one. I feel like she's trying to explore heavier topics in her writing and make characters more rustic and raw, but with the sprinkle of usual romance cuteness. I think that makes them less genuine, like people who trying to act cool but you can clearly see that they're not.
I hope with the next book her writing evolves yet another time and we're going to get something awesome. This one just wasn't for me.
Lynn
Darcy Barrett is a fighter. . . for attention. As the younger twin, she's lived in the shadow of her alpha brother Jamie, a fact amplified by her health issue. Growing up the two fought until their parents 'adopted' a neighbour's son, who became the peace-keeper between the squabbling siblings. During this time, her brother dominated the attention of Tom Valenska, but now Darcy wants him for herself.
Tom Valenska will always be grateful to the Barrett family for helping him and his mum when he grew up. Now, he's been asked to renovate the house his childhood friends inherited. It's the first job he's undertaking after setting up his own company and Darcy will be there too, but for how long?
First off, I really, really liked Tom. He's tall, good looking with a compassionate and caring nature. Very different from his childhood friend Jamie, who dominated his attention. However, his friendship with Darcy meant as much to him too…yet it's something which has gone unsaid.
Darcy wasn't a heroine I instantly warmed to as her personality and actions made her come across as aggressive and reckless. So, it's satisfying to get to know her once she tones down her bravado, there's a young woman who wants what many others want . . . a happy ever after with the 'one'.
I like how Ms Thorne wrote this romance because of the reversal in dominance. Despite Darcy been the weaker twin, she has a very alpha attitude and presence for a woman, which contrasts with Tom's beta male personality.
With fast and furious banter, the pace of the narrative speeds along and the pages turning, creating an entertaining novel which lives up to my expectations.
***arc generously received courtesy of William Morrow via Edelweiss+***
kimbacaffeinate
stacey_is_sassy
***4.5 Stars***
I met Sally Thorne at a book signing a couple of years back and if I hadn’t loved her before then I would have loved her after meeting her. She’s the cutest little thing and she was FREAKING OUT in a *strangers want to TALK TO ME* kind of way. I think we as readers forget that authors are just like us and may or may not love to be the centre of attention. I gave her a hug and tried to convince her that it would all be OK, just take it one fan at a time. She gave me that deer in the headlights look, took a deep breath and returned to her side of the table. I love book signings.
While I was talking to Sally, I was doing my own version of fangirling and congratulating her on The Hating Game. I asked her how her second book was going, and she admitted that she was struggling with the amount of pressure she was under to produce something different but as good as her first. I gave her all the peppy speeches that I thought any new author would want to hear and told her…she’ll be right, mate. And, guess what, she was right, mate.
I admit to starting 99 Percent Mine a little hesitantly. I didn’t want to set my expectations too high. Maybe, in the back of my mind, I was remembering her worries, and I was hoping she had worried for nothing. But, when you’re reading a new author’s second book, especially when it’s not part of a series, you kind of expect it to not be as good.
OMG!! I’m such a horrible person!! I can’t believe I just admitted ^^^that^^^ to you.
Hello, my name is Stacey (who thinks she’s Sassy, but I’m pretty sure it’s all in her head), and I admit to having low expectations when it comes to reading the second book by a new author…
Now, I have that off my chest, let me tell you how I felt about Sally Thorne’s second book.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!! There were highs and lows that sent my emotions crazy. I was so frustrated with Darcy for a lot of the book. She’s a self-destructive, scaredy cat who does a runner whenever things go dodgy. So, I was frustrated but could completely relate to her. I even started dreaming of doing a runner myself. How cool would it be to just pack your bags and leave your troubles behind? Obviously, I’d need to pack my hubby and kids bags too, sell the house, try and learn how to home-school my kids…stuff it…too much like hard work.
Anyways, Darcy was a very interesting character. She has been in love with Tom since she was a kid but said the wrong thing to him when she was 18, and nearly ruined their friendship. Time moves along and she runs, runs, runs and runs some more, and Tom moves on with his life. Luckily, they’ve stayed friends because the other most important person in her life, her twin brother Jamie, is Tom’s best friend.
There is absolutely no way I can go further into this storyline because it would take a ten-part-exposition to explain it all. I will tell you this, I loved 99 Percent Mine especially because it wasn’t perfect. The characters are not perfect, the love between the characters broke my heart, and they all made so many mistakes. Secrets, fibs, manipulations and trust are all things that made my emotions boil. It was so bloody realistic. Sometimes you make a bad choice, take a runner instead of standing your ground, and manipulate to get the best outcome. In the end, I was extremely happy with how it all played out and completely convinced that Tom and Darcy would struggle through together for the rest of their lives.
Sally, you so got it right. 99 Percent Mine was perfect in an imperfect kind of way. Who wants to be perfect when it’s so good to be bad.
Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.