Vince and Joy: A Novel

Vince and Joy: A Novel

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Editorial Reviews

Remember falling in love for the first time? Remember thinking, This is The One? Remember life getting in the way? From adolescent snogging to apartment shares, relationships, career crises, and children, Vince & Joy is the unforgettable story of two lives lived separately but forever entwined.

Back in the 1980s, teenagers Vince and Joy met, fell desperately in love, and never quite said good-bye. Now nearly twenty years later they've both begun to ask themselves if that long-ago romance was the enduring love that they've been searching for.

Customer Reviews

A great read!!

Reviewed by Joyce Åkesson, 2009-09-16

Vince and Joy meet on a holiday in their late teens. They fall in love and have a physical relation. They are meant to be together from the beginning but are awkwardly separated by life's events. Fate however brings them back together and the ending is happy after many different frustrations.
The story is a great read!

Joyce Akesson, author of Love's Thrilling Dimensions and The Invitation

Boy meets girl; both fall in love; girl disappears. Can fate bring them back together?

Reviewed by Beth Cholette, 2009-08-05

I came across this novel in a used book sale and, remembering how much I had enjoyed author Lisa Jewell's One-Hit Wonder (and to a lesser extent, Thirtynothing), I snatched it up and saved it for summer beach reading. As the title would suggest, the story centers around Vince and Joy, but it is far from a traditional romance. Rather, it is one of those sometimes frustrating tales where the two main characters are obviously meant to be together but somehow keep missing their chances.

Vince and Joy first meet on holiday with their respective parents when they are both in their late teens. After a somewhat awkward beginning, Vince and Joy not only fall in love but also lose their virginity to each other--a surprisingly wonderful experience for both of them. Unfortunately, as quickly as their love affair begins, it comes to an end, leaving Vince in a state of confusion, Joy in one of embarrassment. From there, both go on to live seemingly separate lives, each believing that they will never see the other again. But fate seems to be playing a role in the lives of Vince and Joy, inexplicably drawing them back together. Of course, the reader must suffer constant frustrations, watching both characters make major mistakes that will send them careening down paths which are obviously wrong for them, but like all good love stories, everything works out in the end.

Although this book could definitely be considered "chick lit" (or Brit chick lit, with its English characters and setting), in addition to the male lead, Jewell has a humorous writing style that is reminiscent of Nick Hornby, and so I think the novel is likely to appeal to at least some male readers as well. However, romantics of either gender might be a bit disappointed that at the end of the book, Jewell takes Vince and Joy just to the threshold of their new life together rather than giving us a more complete glimpse of what that new life might hold. Still, while perhaps not Jewell's best work, this is an extremely engaging novel, and my final rating is 4 1/2 stars.

My Guilty Pleasure!!!

Reviewed by Chikiliz, 2009-08-02

This book just absorbed me after reading the first pages. I've read all Lisa Jewell's books and once more she surprised me with her caracters, their thoughts, their feelings. My best holiday read!

very cute book

Reviewed by L. Reda, 2009-02-18

i liked this book a lot. the characters were well thought out and the story was sweet. not too predictable, and i was sad when i was done with the book, as i could not put it down. great read!

Whatever You Do, Don't Settle

Reviewed by Laura Christine, 2008-11-18

This review will give some of the plot away.

This was my favorite book by Ms. Jewell, and I have read perhaps half of them.

I am a sucker for star-crossed lover stories, especially when the two finally unite in the end. However, this book is anti-climactic that we only get to see Vince and Joy standing at the edge of their "promised land". The story stops short of allowing us to actually see them embark on a life together.

The painful part of this book was watching Joy become involved with another man along the way. Not only was her short-term husband not really "it" for her, but he showed some disturbing signs of dysfunction before they actually married. How desparate was she to be involved with someone? Why did she ignore the warning signs and actually marry him? Oh Joy, there are far worse things than being single!

Although this was mostly an enjoyable novel that ended favorably, it could also serve as a cautionary tale against being with somebody just to be with somebody. That type of situation will rarely last, and one or more of the parties are bound to get hurt.

All told, this book kept me reading and kept me coming back for more of Ms. Jewell's books.

I recommend this story, especially to single women that are toying with the idea of "settling". Stay patient and your day will come!