It’s always rather lovely when I get a chance to catch up with books that I haven’t committed to reading as part of a blog tour – the breathing space this month is largely because of unwelcome (and rather torrential!) rain when I was on a break in Derbyshire the other week, when I was unexpectedly able to get well ahead with my reading list. So I’m really delighted today to share my review of The Typo by Emily Kerr, published by One More Chapter in May 2024, and available for kindle, in paperback, and as an audiobook. The e-copy I read was my own, purchased via Amazon.
So, of all the books I had waiting – all of them with “must read” added alongside – why did I choose this one? Well, I’d really always meant to read Take a Chance on Greece, Emily’s book that won last year’s RNA Romantic Comedy award – but I’ve just never found the time to fit it in. And then I saw, in an email from Leeds Libraries, that she was coming to Wetherby to talk about her books and writing (October 3rd) – so I eagerly booked my free ticket (if you’re local, you can book yours here) and thought it’d be rather good if I’d read one of her books before I went along. And I did rather like the look of her latest…
One typo. Two complete strangers. Ten thousand miles between them…
Amy and Cameron have never met. But when Amy receives an email meant for Cameron, their lives entwine in ways they could never have imagined.
Cameron lives a life of adventure as he navigates an expedition around Antarctica whilst Amy’s life is firmly on solid ground in Edinburgh.
As their connection grows, Amy finds herself asking; is it possible to fall in love with someone you’ve never met?
This was a romance with a real difference – well it’s not often that one half of the potential relationship is living a humdrum life in Edinburgh, the other on a ship in Antarctica – and I have to say I found it totally delightful.
When Amy receives an email asking her to enter a competition to exhibit her photography, she knows it’s not intended for her – so she tracks down the most likely recipient with a similar name and email address, finding a stunning photo on-line of a murmuration of starlings. and forwards the email so he doesn’t miss out on the opportunity. And that’s how she starts to correspond with Cameron – he might be on the opposite side of the world, and living a far more exciting life, but with little other than work at a failing theatre to keep her busy, she begins to really look forward to their email exchanges. His emails are full of his excitement about everything he’s seen and done – so when he asks about her life, she invents a rather different one as a successful violinist (in reality, her violin hasn’t been out of its case in a very long time), doing some busking while preparing for a major audition, and a hectic round of outings and parties (her best friends are all coupled up, and when they do meet up often forget to invite her).
When its clear their on-line relationship might be going somewhere, she’s wracked with guilt about the lies she’s told – and decides she must try to do something to make her life into something she’s rather more proud of. Instead of being propped up in the corner as a scratching post for her neighbour’s visiting cats, her violin comes out of its case again – she tries out busking for real (and finds she rather enjoys it), even manages to line up an audition with an orchestra. She reaches out to those elusive former friends – and manages to make some new ones too. And, when the theatre where she works (in marketing, communications and as a general dogsbody – certainly not in the spotlight) is threatened with closure, she finds the confidence to take on a major new challenge in the manager’s absence – the creation of a new performance space that might just help to save it.
This really was the loveliest story of fresh starts and second chances, with wonderfully drawn characters and tremendous warmth to the writing – Amy herself really won my heart, and I was with her all the way, cheering her on, as she did everything she possibly could to change her life for the better (and there were certainly times when I really just wanted to hug her…). There’s a lovely focus too on family (her parents really are fantastic…) and friendship – the friends of all ages and backgrounds, the newer relationships particularly heartwarming and uplifting. There’s a lovely touch of humour throughout, but a lot of poignancy too – all just perfectly balanced. But how about that possibility of romance – if Amy confesses to Cameron that everything she’s told him about through their long correspondence (and I so enjoyed their exchanges) wasn’t the whole truth, will it be over before it ever starts? Well, I’m not sharing – but I have to say that I thought the ending was really perfect, everything I wanted it to be.
I hadn’t seen many reviews of this lovely read, but I’m so delighted I decided to pick it up – and if you like the same books that I do, I really couldn’t recommend it more highly. Very different, so engaging, beautifully written, and with characters I really loved – do give it a try!
About the author
Emily Kerr has been scribbling stories on bits of paper ever since she learnt how to write. She works as a journalist and is based in Yorkshire, England.
She can generally be found with her nose in a book, or hunched up over her laptop typing away, though she has been known to venture outside every so often to take part in various running-based activities.
Her book Take A Chance On Greece won the Jane Wenham-Jones Award for Romantic Comedy at the Romantic Novel Awards 2023.
