Read August 2019. Published 22nd August 2019 by HQ.
After breaking up with her boyfriend of eight years - the boyfriend that was supposed to be "The One" - teacher Lil Bailey finds herself unexpectedly back on the dating scene.
How to even begin? Well, a dating App seems appropriate for the times, after all, everyone lives their lives using Apps these days, don't they? One swipe right later, Lil ends up on a date with the unbelievably handsome mountaineer, Max.
They hit it off straight-away and as first dates go, this one is a huge success. After a very pleasant evening, with the wine and conversation flowing easily, it seems oh so natural to accept Max's invitation back to his place, even though Lil is nervous about having sex with a new "someone". Lil is on the Pill after all..what could go wrong?
The passion flows as easily as the wine and conversation, and Lil is surprised by how much she enjoys herself with the very fit Max, but he is worryingly absent when the morning comes and he proceeds to ignore all her messages after their date. Oh well, onwards and upwards....
What follows next is not exactly how Lil envisaged her future. One positive pregnancy test later, Lil has some serious decisions to make. She is single, thirty-one and living in the spare room of the tiny Brixton flat of a sexually athletic Australian couple, so not exactly the happily-ever-after she was hoping for.
When Lil decides she is ready to do the baby thing on her own, it seems she has to tell Max about his impending fatherhood. The Max that it turns out is the celebrity son of Lord and Lady Rushbrooke....the Max that is currently trekking up a dangerous mountain in Pakistan....maybe he wasn't ignoring her after all?
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I absolutely loved Sophia Money-Coutts' debut rom-com The Plus One, so I when I got the chance to read What Happens Next? before publication, I was very excited indeed!
I just love Sophia's style of writing - the words simply roll off the page and once you start you cannot help but lap them all up until you get to the delicious end. Her characters are adorable (except the ones you are clearly allowed to hate), her wit flows freely, and there is enough emotion to require the nearness of a handkerchief at all times. She also has a way of writing about "posh people" that gives you a real glimpse into their lives - whether it be highlighting tragedy or eccentricity - that shows they can be just as normal as the rest of us (or not!). I have, yet again, laughed and cried my way through another of Sophia's books, and loved every minute.Yes, this is a wonderful romantic comedy, with plenty of heart and soul, but it also poses an interesting question. What do you do if you find yourself pregnant after a one-night stand?
Well, it seems that the answer really boils down to "might this be your only realistic chance of motherhood?". Lil reasons that had she been in her twenties when this happened, her immediate response would probably have been abortion. Being in her thirties however, casts a different light on her predicament - how many real chances would she have of having another baby if she chooses not to go ahead with this pregnancy?
The stark way in which Sophia Money-Coutts outlines the probability of someone Lil's age being able to get pregnant again is pretty harrowing - it comes down to a numbers game that is probably not going to be in Lil's favour at her age, especially since she is single. Lil's only realistic chance to be a mother is the one she has been given right now, and it seems obvious to her that she has to grab it with both hands - even if she faces the prospect of being a single-parent.
When, and if, to be a mother is a dilemma for the modern age - one that has come with the advent of birth control (although accidents to occur, as Lil discovers!) - but the influence of "Old Father Time" on biology does have a part to play in our choices. What do you do if you are single and want to be a mother, but the clock is running down? Food for thought....
Second books can be tricky, especially when your debut has been such a huge hit, but let me say right off that this one is going to be a real winner too!
I am a firm fan of Sophia Money-Coutts and cannot wait to see more please!
PS. Sophia...am I right in detecting that Miss Montague has a little secret of her own?
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About Sophia Money-Coutts
Sophia Money-Coutts is a journalist and author who spent five years studying the British aristocracy while working as Features Director at Tatler. Prior to that she worked as a writer and an editor at the Evening Standard and the Daily Mail, in London, and The National in Abu Dhabi.
She writes a column for The Sunday Telegraph called Modern Manners and often appears on radio and television channels talking about important topics such as Prince Harry's wedding and the etiquette of the threesome!
What Happens Now? is her second novel, following her debut, The Plus One, published in August 2018.
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