Someone Like You - Rachel Dove

One broken marriage. One broken heart. One chance to meet someone new.

Hannah leaves her unhappy marriage with her daughter Ava and moves to the village of Leadsham to start afresh. She plans to keep a low profile, focusing on Ava and making a new life for them, far away from her violent ex-husband.

What she hadn’t counted on was Andrew Brody. A police officer with a strict moral code, he knows something’s wrong as soon as he meets Hannah, and he wants to help. But Hannah has been let down by the police – and men – before, and pushes him away.

But the more Hannah tries to ignore Brody, the more she’s drawn to him. Caring, kind and patient, he’s nothing like the man she’s running from. Can Hannah finally put her past behind her, and open her heart to someone new?

★★★★☆

A heartwarming single-parent romance book that eloquently explores domestic violence and the reality of leaving a harmful relationship.

Hannah White has escaped to Leadsham, a sleepy English village, in order to start a better life for herself and her infant daughter, Ava. What she doesn’t expect to find is Andrew Brody, a quiet and caring police officer, who would love to take her out for lunch.

I fell in love with Hannah within the first few pages of this book, admiring her strength and resilience in the face of such a tough situation. The romance in this novel was well done, progressing at the perfect pace given Hannah’s history, but not so slow that it gets boring. Andrew Brody is the perfect gentle giant, and his relationship with both his dog and Ava had me smiling throughout the whole read. I cannot fault this man, as he truly was kind, caring, and genuine throughout the whole book (as well as hot, which also helps!).

The side characters in this book are extremely well developed, and I loved how included they were in the narrative.

This book is more than just a romance, and the points made about domestic abuse in the UK, especially the lack of police intervention in some cases, cannot be left unmentioned. Rachel Dove perfectly captured the feeling of an abusive ex lurking in the back of your mind, and there is a tension felt by the reader throughout the book that mimics that of what Hannah would be feeling.

My favourite part of this book was the representation of friendships and their importance, as well as the lengths women will go to to support other women. In all aspects of the book, Hannah has people around her that she can turn to, separate from the romantic interest, and I particularly liked this portrayal of platonic support. This book is full of strong female characters, and I loved the emphasis on little Ava and her budding personality.