Debbie Johnson (The Moment I Met You; Maybe One Day) has written a sweet story of redemption and second chances in Jenny James Is Not a Disaster. Almost two decades ago, 17-year-old Jenny James ran away from her Cornwall home with her boyfriend and has been estranged from her parents ever since. Jenny got pregnant, her boyfriend left when her son was two, and single motherhood has defined Jenny's life. She and Charlie never have quite enough, but they rent a cute coastal cottage, and she's made sure that Charlie has had as many opportunities as possible.
Now 36, with a son about to leave home, Jenny is contemplating what her life will be like as an empty nester when suddenly everything changes drastically. In one day, her job is made redundant, her car breaks down permanently, and her lovely cottage falls off a cliff into the sea.
Forced to rethink her life, Jenny turns to her gruff neighbor, Luke (who lives in a motorhome) for advice. And when Luke suggests a road trip as a chance to escape their currently dreary circumstances, Jenny and Charlie jump at the opportunity. Little do they know that the trip across England is going to change their lives forever.
Witty and thoughtful, Jenny James Is Not a Disaster has the perfect amount of banter and makes for a delightful vicarious tour of the English countryside, ideal for Anglophiles longing for some armchair travel. As Jenny finally faces her issues with her parents and discovers that Luke is more handsome than she realized, readers are sure to root for Jenny James to be a success. --Jessica Howard, freelance book reviewer