Sheila O’Flanagan is one of Ireland’s best loved authors and quite rightly so. Her style is fluid, her themes are universal and her characters are realistic. If You Were Me, her latest offering, ticks all of those boxes and more.
Carlotta O’Keefe is a lot of things; determined, successful and proud. She doesn’t get on with her future mother-in-law and she doesn’t like to show her emotions. She also doesn’t expect to come face to face with her past during her latest business trip but that is exactly what happens.
Years after she last saw him, Carlotta bumps into her first crush Luke Evans while in Seville for a job. He’s everything she remembers but yet different to the boy she once knew. As her plans to return to Dublin (and her dependable fiancé Chris) unravel, so too does her life.
The novel explores the complex nature of love, friendship and the past through an intriguing group of characters who aren’t without their flaws or secrets. O’Flanagan paints them in their full,unfiltered glory. Nobody is perfect but that’s what makes it such an enjoyable read.
You feel like you can relate to and are invested in the book’s protagonist although don’t be surprised if you don’t always agree with her decisions. Like real life, there are grey areas and twists which keep the story interesting.
If You Were Me is incredibly easy to read and thoroughly entertaining. Like all of her books, O’Flanagan keeps the story moving at pace which makes it hard to put down. It doesn’t demand too much but is engaging and therefore definitely worth a read.
Rating… 3 1/2 stars.
Read if… you want a book that’s not too demanding but will keep you hooked.
Don’t read if… you’re not open to the odd cliché.
Don’t forget to check out our Between The Covers podcast where we’ll be discussing If You Were Me. We’d love to hear your thoughts and book suggestions so please do give us a shout via Facebook, Twitter or email on [email protected]
