Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens
Summary (from the publisher): From the New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year comes a heartwarming and hilarious tale that asks: What if you pick up the wrong suitcase in an airport, only to fall head over heels for its unseen owner?
Laura's business trip to the Channel Islands isn't exactly off to a great start. After unceremoniously dumping everything in her bag in front of the most attractive man she's ever seen in real life, she arrives at her hotel only to realize she's grabbed the wrong suitcase from the airport. Her only consolation? The irresistibly appealing contents of the case: a copy of her favorite book; piano music; and a rugged, heavy knit fisherman sweater only a Ryan Gosling lookalike could pull off. The owner of this suitcase is Laura's dream man--she's sure of it. Now, all she has to do is find him.
The mix-up seems written in the stars. After all, what are the odds that she'd find The One on the same remote island where her mom and dad had first fallen in love, especially as she sets out to write an article about their epic romance? Commissioning surly cab driver Ted to ferry her around seems like her best bet in both tracking down the mystery suitcase owner and retracing her parents' footsteps. And if beneath Ted's gruffness lies a wit that makes their cab rides strangely entertaining, so much the better. But as Laura's long-lost luggage soulmate proves difficult to find--and as she realizes that the love story, she's held on a pedestal all her life might not have been that perfect--she'll have to rethink her whole outlook on love to discover what she really wants.
Review: Laura is on a business trip to the Channel Islands but discovers on arrival that she's grabbed the wrong suitcase. The consolation is that the contents lead Laura to suspect that the suitcase's owner is her dream man. While she waits to hear back from the mystery man so she can exchange bags and meet him in real life, she commissions taxicab driver Ted to ferry her around the island and retrace the sites of her parents' love story. But as she does so, she learns that the love story that she idolized her whole life was not what it seemed. And Ted isn't just a surly taxicab driver.
I have still never read a novel by Sophie Cousens that I haven't loved. She writes the best rom coms, and this one was no different. I loved Laura as a character. She flies by the seat of her pants somewhat, is idealistic when it comes to love, and doesn't take herself too seriously. I love that Ted describes her as "joyful" when they first meet. She is the perfect pairing with Ted, who has been through a hard period in his life and really starts to come back to life while getting to know Laura. I also appreciate that Cousens gives a rich back story to her characters. We learn a lot about Laura's family and the way her parents' story has impacted how she thinks and feels about love, a bedrock that is shaken over the course of this story.
I loved the ugly duckling to beautiful swan transformation that Ted undergoes over the course of this novel. He has quite the glow up from Laura's first impression of him as too old and unattractive. I also liked the emphasis on the love itself being more important than the love story. The way something feels is more critical than the way it looks.
From early on in the novel, there is a love triangle at play between Laura, Ted, and the mystery suitcase man, which I don't typically enjoy. Laura seems genuinely torn at times, but I knew who I wanted her to end up with from the beginning. In the end, the love triangle is a great lesson to show that even though something looks perfect on paper, that doesn't mean it works great in practice.
Stars: 4
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