Perfect Timing

by Jane O'Reilly

[kimbacaffeinate]

Perfect Timing by Jane O’Reilly delivered a fresh friendship to lover’s trope with a mix of personal growth, humor and self-discovery. I consumed this easy, and predictable read in a single evening.

Ruby Thrope has been in love with her best friend Jason since high school and is finally ready to move on. She is preparing to take a leap in her musical pursuits half way around the world and audition for the New York Philharmonic orchestra. It is time to stop waiting for Jason. She meets Jason for coffee to share her decisions, and his lovable dog accidentally destroys her cello. The tale that unfolds was sweet, and funny with moments of warmth, pain, and joy as these two try to figure it all out.

I immediately liked both Jason and Ruby. It is clear these two are best friends but also that they have deep feelings for each other. Ruby experiences many firsts from losing her virginity to finding herself. Jason was strong, dependable and late to the show but when he worked up the nerve, he certainly delivered. I loved Jason’s dog. He was sweet, ornery and added humor. The banter between Jason and Ruby was hilarious and kept me entertained. They both felt genuine allowing me to root for them. While the tale is relatively short the characters were developed and showed growth.

Perfect Timing flowed easily, and I quickly became caught up in the characters. It had moments of humor and a little angst, but nothing overdone. While completely predictable, the ride to my HEA was a pleasant one, and I would try this author again. The method the author used to give us background into the character was fun and allowed me to connect. There were a few twists, but these were quickly resolved due to the tale’s short length. I would have enjoyed more details in New York, with the orchestra and the couple’s relationship but the tale came together nicely. O’Reilly has a nice flow to her writing and her characters had a natural ease to them.

Perfect Timing would make a nice beach read or afternoon escape. I enjoyed the friends to lover’s trope and appreciated the likable characters O’Reilly created.


Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer