by Sally Thorne
January 29, 2019
368 pages
Goodreads Summary:
Crush: 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.
Crush: 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.
Review
It's been such a long time since Sally Thorne's first novel but I have never forgotten her or The Hating Game. It's a book I've reread many many times. Imagine my excitement when an early copy of 99 Percent Mine landed in my hands. It. Does. Not. Disappoint!
The writing’s quick which may feel a little jarring to begin with but once I got used to it I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. I love the straightforward what-you-see-is-what-you-get vibe. The dry humour in the conversations, the tense but tender interactions and the snarky inner monologues evoked so many feels.
Darcy and her brutal honesty is my kind of heroine. Her bluntness is inspiring. She may be direct with her words and impulsive with her desires but she has an insecure side too. Her persistence on hiding her heart condition behind a brave façade made her all the more real.
Even if he doesn't agree with the twins there's no denying Tom is perfection. He's constantly under pressure but I thought he handled temptation and demanding situations well. I love how he cared for Darcy and how he saw her in a different light than others.
This shouldn't come as a surprise but holy smokes did Darcy and Tom have chemistry. The UST (unresolved sexual tension) was palpable in every scene they were in. Even their innocent moments together felt steamy. So agonizing but delicious. I savoured every little thing about them.
Someone who I was most not impressed with was Jamie. His treatment of his twin sister was unacceptable. I understand they were coming from a vulnerable place but he did not have to be so rude and judgy. Jamie was only tolerable near the end and given what we discover about him and Truly, I wouldn't mind if he completely redeems himself in a spinoff. *wink wink*
99 Percent Mine has joined its predecessor, The Hating Game, to rank high on my favourite romance chart. More please. Even if it takes another few years for another book like 99 Percent Mine, I'll be waiting. I have all the patience in the world for Sally Thorne.
The writing’s quick which may feel a little jarring to begin with but once I got used to it I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. I love the straightforward what-you-see-is-what-you-get vibe. The dry humour in the conversations, the tense but tender interactions and the snarky inner monologues evoked so many feels.
Darcy and her brutal honesty is my kind of heroine. Her bluntness is inspiring. She may be direct with her words and impulsive with her desires but she has an insecure side too. Her persistence on hiding her heart condition behind a brave façade made her all the more real.
Even if he doesn't agree with the twins there's no denying Tom is perfection. He's constantly under pressure but I thought he handled temptation and demanding situations well. I love how he cared for Darcy and how he saw her in a different light than others.
This shouldn't come as a surprise but holy smokes did Darcy and Tom have chemistry. The UST (unresolved sexual tension) was palpable in every scene they were in. Even their innocent moments together felt steamy. So agonizing but delicious. I savoured every little thing about them.
Someone who I was most not impressed with was Jamie. His treatment of his twin sister was unacceptable. I understand they were coming from a vulnerable place but he did not have to be so rude and judgy. Jamie was only tolerable near the end and given what we discover about him and Truly, I wouldn't mind if he completely redeems himself in a spinoff. *wink wink*
99 Percent Mine has joined its predecessor, The Hating Game, to rank high on my favourite romance chart. More please. Even if it takes another few years for another book like 99 Percent Mine, I'll be waiting. I have all the patience in the world for Sally Thorne.
*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way.
I can't wait for this! Love, love The Hating Game. I'm a little surprise that it's not getting such a good review on GR, though. :/
ReplyDeleteI can kind of see why some people wouldn't like it. I think her writing style's really unique so the main character's voice is very different. And if you're not used to it you probably wouldn't be a fan...
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