Our Stop, and the beauty of modern romcoms

I have my 'serious' reading list, and then I have a bunch of chicklits which I like to call my palette cleansers. They are the lighthearted, sometimes trashy, always predictable novels I pick up when I've read a particularly good (or bad!) book and can't quite face starting another narrative which requires proper attention. After the disappointment that was The Secret Commonwealth, I needed to fill my ears with something light and breezy, so I caved in to Audible's persistent recommendations and finally bought Our Stop.

I wasn't sure quite what to expect, but after all, this is what drew me to the book in the first place. It's different from the regular cookie-cutter romance novel, where you have an overworked protagonist working in PR/fashion/journalism who is happily living with her boyfriend until douche-face breaks up with her, sending her on a life-changing journey of self-discovery, during which she's reluctant to fall in love but does so anyways (You'd think a girl would learn), only for a BIG DISASTER to cause a rift between her and the love interest, just so they can be reconciled before the credits.

Our Stop presents a different take on modern romance. The leading lady is actually a scientist (gasp! a leading lady who works in science? no way!), the male protagonist is in touch with his emotions (it's alright for men to have these in 2020? astounding!), and the happy ending is hard earned, as is the case with most real-life relationships. Plus, we've got narration from both points of view, and I'm always a sucker for seeing the two sides of a love story! This also plays out well with the fun underlying twist of the narrative which sees the two main characters miss each other by a hair's breath numerous times throughout the book.

The novel mixes in modern references to reality TV shows, dating apps and lifestyle trends (e.g. Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop brand) with the timeless magic of a romance that was 'meant to be'. Better yet, the latter is served up in nugget-sized portions throughout the story to pain a convincing picture, rather than just showing something-or-other ex machina in your face and shouting 'BECAUSE ROMCOM'. We have the tube rides, the holidays in the same place, the setup from a friend, and finally the meet-cute which seals the deal.

Oh, and did I mention, Nadia and Daniel have their own Twitter hashtag, bestowed upon them by shippers following their romance. And, if that's not meta enough for you, the hashtag is #OurStop. Is it a bit on the nose? Maybe. Did it make me giggle when I first heard it? Absolutely!

I can't sign off without briefly talking about feminism. As romcoms go, in the year 2020 you'd still be hard-pressed to find one that passes the Bechdel test, let alone feature a whole cast of feminist characters. And I'm not just talking about the female characters. Daniel is a very decent dude, who puts his mum and her grief above chasing a beautiful lady. He's respectful to women, self-aware enough to know approaching people on the Tube is borderline creepy, and he know his consent basics.* His university friends are also all surprisingly lacking in toxic masculinity, and the goofy doorman sidekick surprises with his soft side and romantic insights.

*Since I made such a big fuss about trigger warnings a few reviews back, I should pause for a second to tell you that we briefly deal with what could have become a rape-y situation when Daniel's housemate seems adamant to sleep with his intoxicated girlfriend. But all's well when it ends well, asshole housemate gets punched in the nose, no sexy times happen and he even has an 'I gone and fucked up' moment before the story ends. Overall, the side-plot sends the right message about these situations, and I'm not too mad about it being included, despite being decidedly uncomfortable listening to this part.

Back to feminism, we also have kick-ass Nadia and her two female friend, all of whom are absolutely fantastic, empowered and hilarious in their unique ways. Nadia deals with romance and bumping into exes like a real human being, which is refreshing and relatable. Her friends, meanwhile, are absolute power-couple goals, and I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed watching them be gay for each other (we're not as oblivious as our protagonist!).

If you're looking for your next light read, I highly recommend Our Stop. It's feel-good, feminist and cute, and it breaks up the usual romcom patterns to present a charming narrative. Plus, audio book lovers are in for a treat - voice actors Carrie Hope Fletcher and Felix Scott both bring their characters to life beautifully.

5/5 stars