Book Shelf: Truly, Wildly, Deeply by Jenny McLachlan

Annie is starting college. She can’t wait. No more school, no more uniform, and no one telling her what to do. It’s the start of a new adventure and Annie’s not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that. Freedom matters to Annie. She has cerebral palsy and she’s had to fight hard to get the world to see her for who she truly is.

Then she meets Fab. He’s six foot two, Polish and a passionate believer in…well, just about everything, but most of all Annie and good old fashioned romance. The moment Fab sees Annie, he’s wildly drawn to her and declares she must be his girl. Annie’s horrified. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s anything, especially if it means losing her independence.

But then Annie finds herself falling for Fab. As things go deeply wrong, Annie realises that love can make you do wild, crazy things, and so she sets out to win his heart with a romantic gesture of truly epic proportions!

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Review:

Truly, Wildly, Deeply by Jenny McLachlan is a sweet and endearing contemporary romance that is fun and flirty and just downright good reading.

Annie Demos refuses to let anyone define her. Despite suffering from cerebral palsy, Annie is determined to make the world see her for who she is, not just someone with a disability. Which is why Annie decides to go to college outside of town. This means she’ll have to catch a train everyday by herself and hopefully find some independence from her over assisting, albeit well-meaning, mother. Then Annie meets fellow student Fab; a Polish, 6-foot plus giant who is old fashioned and kind and determined that Annie “be his girl”. Annie is looking for adventure, not romance, but as her friendship with Fab blossoms, Annie soon realises that happiness can come in the form of the wildly unexpected…..

Jenny McLachlan is one of those contemporary writers I wildly enjoy. Her novels are always light, but so much fun with endearing stories and adorable characters. Truly, Wildly, Deeply is a companion novel to Stargazing for Beginners and features Annie Demos who readers were introduced to in the first story. I really enjoyed Annie in Stargazing for Beginners and was stoked to have her front and centre in Truly, Wildly, Deeply.

Protagonist Annie Demos has a disability, a fact that author Jenny McLachlan highlights throughout the story, rather than tiptoeing around. McLachlan instead chooses to showcase how normal and mundane Annie is as well as how crippling the stigmas that surround disabled people can be. I loved that Annie was just an everyday teenager; one who happened to suffer from a life changing disease, but still just an everyday teenager nonetheless.

Under normal circumstances being a teenager comes with its own set of trials, but factor in her cerebral palsy and Annie is facing a whole new set of difficulties. And yet, Annie was so fiery and determined. I adored how she stood up to those who saw her different and refused to be treated with any special treatment just because she had difficulties walking. Annie knew her limitations, but also refused to be defined by them—a strong and inspiring heroine in my eyes.

And Fab! Oh, don’t get me started on Fab! Fab may just be the nicest, most perfect human being on the planet. Fab was kind and considerate to everyone across all walks of life. If there was ever someone deserving of an award for simply being a decent human being it was Fab. Then throw in his adorable accent and odd way of dressing and his determination to understand the English language, and you have the most awkward, hapless but so adorable person in Fab. He was just an amazing character!

Truly, Wildly, Deeply features an absolutely charming romance between Annie and Fab. Fab’s intentions aside, it builds through a strong and endearing friendship. They’re effortless together while also being so darn cute. I couldn’t stop the smile that continually graced my face as I read their interactions—they were just beyond entertaining.

Highly enjoyable, sweet and down to earth, Truly, Wildly, Deeply was another great novel by Jenny McLachlan that can be read as a standalone or alongside it’s companion novel Stargazing for Beginners. I can’t wait to see what Jenny McLachlan releases next!

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by publisher (Thank you guys!)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia
Format: Paperback
Australian RRP: $14.99
Release Date: April 1st 2018
Purchase: Bookworld | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Final Thoughts: This book was just so darn cute--I loved it!