Sophie Cousens (This Time Next Year) has created a wonderfully layered story of love and loss in Just Haven't Met You Yet. It begins when Laura Le Quesne (rhymes with Chesney), a lifestyle reporter whose parents fell in love in the Channel Islands, heads to Jersey to research their history for an article she's writing. Flustered by memories of her late parents, Laura accidentally grabs the wrong suitcase off the luggage carousel. In the suitcase she finds a copy of her favorite book, sheet music by her favorite artist, expensive men's shoes and a thick cable-knit men's sweater. She decides that this is it: she's accidentally swapped suitcases with her soulmate.
Laura enlists a taciturn cabbie to help her track down the owner of the suitcase, and things hilariously spiral from there. She does an Instagram Live with a grumpy beekeeper, accidentally witnesses two retirees having sex and starts to discover that there's more to Ted, the cabbie, than meets the eye. And as she hunts for her mystery man, Laura also begins to learn more about herself, beginning with the fact that Le Quesne, a common Jersey name, is pronounced Le Cane. If she doesn't even know her own name, what else does Laura not know?
Introspective and charming, Just Haven't Met You Yet perfectly blends funny, awkward moments with Laura's journey of self-discovery. Fans of Mhairi McFarlane or Sophie Kinsella are sure to love it. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Flagstaff, Ariz.