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Review: Kate & Alf by Carrie Stone


Kate loves Alf. And Alf loves Kate… Doesn’t he?

Kate can’t wait for her long-term boyfriend Alf to propose. So he might be a bit of a control freak who’s obsessed with his career … and he also seems to have conveniently forgotten their two-year plan to get married, buy a bigger house and have children. But Kate’s sure that ring will be on her finger soon.

When her thirty-second birthday ends in humiliating, proposal-less disaster, even Kate is left wondering if Alf really is The One. Then Alf’s friend, Marcus, needs a place to stay. With his dark eyes, easygoing manner and kind concern for Kate, Marcus is everything Alf is not - and it's not long before Kate begins to wonder if there’s more to life than diamonds.

*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Being together for seven years, it's not unrealistic of Kate to expect a marriage proposal from Alf. But after he dissapoints her once again, she realizes this relationship isn't going the way she thought it would be. A clear wake up call is needed, and she decides things need to change between them. Alf's focus is too much on his career and he has no clue what is going on. It's not all his fault, they both realize things have become too much of a routine and they are in a rut.

Marcus staying with them is just another signal for Kate that things between her and Alf are not working out. This all happens pretty early in the story, but after that things become almost stale. Kate's inner turmoil becomes tiresome, and there is a lot of switching point of views that I found unnecessary. The story is not just about Kate and Alf, but also about Marcus and Megan, their best friends. Creating a whole second plot line that wasn't interesting to me.

The interactions Kate had with the elderly at the retirement home where she worked, were the most entertaining of all. Though her road to self discovery and further self development were interesting. I would liked to have seen more of that. I didn't understand the appeal of Alf or the fact that Kate was so hung up on him. Even after sevens years, it still takes her a while to fully realize what kind of man Alf is.

Honestly it was that epilogue that I found most interesting. It's the fresh start Kate wants to take, and a new development that I wanted to explore further. For me this story is so much focused on the past, and things or people that aren't good for you, that it's kind of depressing and dull. I also have the feeling that the writing style wasn't really my thing, as I just couldn't get into the story.

2.5




The Author
Carrie was born and raised in London and the suburbs, but tired of the dreary weather and her permanently pale skin, has spent the last decade living and working internationally.

Her third novel is published by Harper Collins and will be available early 2015.

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