Confession: When I was in high school, chicklit was my vice. I just couldn't stop reading about these women whose lives seemed to fall apart just so that they could finally fall together. I would dreamily read through each one, only to replace it with another. I LOVED them. Then, during my first year of university, I hit a wall. I wanted to read something utterly different and I jumped from Sophie Kinsella to Douglas Coupland. Whenever I would return to chicklit, I would giggle my way through the first few pages, only to be reminded that, ah, yes, this is going in the same direction it always does.That was until debut author, Jessica Thompson's THIS IS A LOVE STORY. Drawn in by the cover (which I assumed was made to look super cute in order to make fun of the whole concept), I took a copy home from work at the same time as one of my bosses. We would reconvene every morning while I made my coffee and she toasted her bagel and discuss Nick and Sienna, two of the cutest but also most frustrating characters in my literary history. Though I wouldn't classify it as chicklit exactly, and it definitely didn't follow the usual plotline, it brought out that part of me that loves watching good people finally get what they want. Except, I wasn't sure if that would actually happen and this is what kept me reading.Nick and Sienna fall in love at first sight, and their chance encounter on the morning train only explodes when they discover that they are working in the same office. But, nothing is as simple as it seems. Both convinced the other feels nothing, Nick and Sienna proceed to date all the wrong people, while simultaneously never being able to let one another go. Their blossoming friendship fools no one but themselves.While I have never read David Nicholls' ONE DAY, I have heard many wonderful things and based on the plot synopsis (and the movie trailer, sorry!), I can say that the concepts are similar though dealt with much differently. THIS IS A LOVE STORY had some sad parts (one in particular) but I didn't bawl my eyes out -- which my friend Yaz did while reading ONE DAY. This story is slightly fluffier, but what makes it so much fun to read is the characters.Nick, to me, was a Ted Mosby. Maybe I'm just watching too much How I Met Your Mother, but Nick is constantly battling between what he wants and what he thinks he needs, just like our favourite sitcom guy, Ted. Sienna is that ridiculously sweet, "I want to help the world", driven but slightly naive young woman who knows what she needs but tries to deny herself what she wants. What a perfectly confusing match! THIS IS A LOVE STORY is the story of how sometimes, you just have to let go and run with life. My favourite part of the whole book was the dialogue and all the witty British banter. This is the perfect read to get you into spring mode!
