ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – One Day to Fall in Love by Molly James

One Day to Fall in Love by Molly James was published by Quercus on 1st August 2024 in paperback, eBook and audiobook. My thanks to the publishers for the review copy.

I read Molly’s first book, Skip to the End, two years ago and was thrilled when I found out that Molly James is Belinda Jones’ alter ego. I’ve been reading Belinda Jones’ books since the first one, Divas Las Vegas which came out in 2001, and although I haven’t read them all, I have loved all of the ones I have read (I Love Capri was a particular favourite). Belinda’s books are travel fiction and Molly’s are more speculative which I can now see is the direction in which Belinda’s last book, her independently-published time travel book, The Hotel Where We Met, was heading. Anyway, whether she’s Belinda or Molly, this is a wonderful writer and One Day to Fall in Love is really special indeed.

Escape to Torquay this summer with Molly James’s charming and magical romcom.

The clock is ticking, don’t let love run out . . .

When the love of her life falls for someone else, Rena finds herself desperately scrolling for a solution. That’s when an ad for a new dating app pops up:

24 hours to fall in love ❤️ A guaranteed love match by the end of the day or your money back.

Fueled by heartbreak and tequila, Rena signs up and prepares for her life to change. What she doesn’t know is that she is bound to repeat this day over and over again, until she finds her perfect match. One day they said, but there was no mention of how many times that day would play out . . .

It’s not very often I applaud at the end of a book but I closed One Day to Fall in Love and did a little clap. This book is an absolute masterpiece!

It’s set in Torquay where Rena lives, working at the Princess Theatre and pining for her friend, Dylan, who she’d really like to be more than a friend. In desperation she signs up for a dating app that promises to find her love in 24 hours but what she didn’t bargain for was that she would have to relive the same 24 hours until she found her love. Alongside her best friend, Nat, Rena has all kinds of experiences as she tries to find her soulmate.

My goodness, this is an amazing book. I expected to like it, having enjoyed Molly James’s previous book, Skip to the End, and also her books as Belinda Jones, but One Day to Fall in Love knocked everything else out of the park for me. It’s so joyful, and if I wasn’t guffawing out loud I had a huge smile on my face. Rena has some really funny dates and some gorgeous interactions with her dad, all set against the lovely backdrop of Torquay, a place the author clearly loves.

The storyline is really cleverly done and plotted superbly. It can’t have been easy to keep all the balls in the air but it works brilliantly. I loved the characters too, all so warm and likeable. Light-hearted, hilarious and fun, I truly adored every single page of this wonderful book.

Molly James is the pen name of Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author Belinda Jones. While Belinda’s romcoms double as travel guides to dream destinations from Costa Rica to Capri, Molly’s love stories come with an exciting twist of magical realism. Belinda is dog-besotted, Molly favours felines. Both love a lavender latte! Find out more at hellobelindajones.com and @mollyjamesauthor on Instagram.