We’re delighted to be sharing Elena’s thoughts about The Accidental Housemate by Sal Thomas.
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Cath Beckinsale is in a jam. She’s a single mum of three, with her 40th birthday in sight and a precarious hold on employment. And she can’t quite let go of her late husband Gaz, whose ashes are still in an urn on the kitchen table.
To make ends meet a student lodger seems like the perfect solution – after all, what’s one more child in the house? But when Dan flies in from the US with guitar and chest hair on display, it’s immediately clear that he’s no teenager, but someone who quickly sends life in an unexpected direction.
The Accidental Housemate Review
Cath is a widow with 3 children to look after. Her husband’s ashes live on her kitchen table and she still talks to him as though he is alive. Her eldest, Leanne is 18 and about to fly the nest, and at the same time she finds herself out of work. In order to make ends meet she decides to take in a student from the USA, after all, what’s another teenager in the house!
When Dan arrives, he turns everyone’s life upside down. Firstly, he isn’t a teenager at all but a man in his 30s! He turns out to be much more than Cath could’ve imagined. Everybody loves him and his presence appears to be what the family need. Cath has been living in the shadow of grief for too long though and Cath finds it difficult to accept change in her life.
I absolutely loved The Accidental Housemate as it had so much depth despite me thinking it would be a light read!
The characters were fantastic – Cath’s children in particular. I felt as though I really cared about them all.
It’s really powerful with regards to the impact that someone’s death has to a family’s life but also gives hope for the future.
Parts of the book were also laugh-out-loud hilarious and the ending in my opinion was perfect.
An all-round excellent book!
About the Author
Sal Thomas likes to string words together, hopefully in an amusing order. BBC Comedy once described her as ‘that woman who keeps on sending us scripts’. She has performed as a stand-up, starred in an Edinburgh sketch show, tried her hand at film writing and sitcoms (all to zero financial acclaim) and finally settled on romcom novels as her genre of choice after realising the world can never have enough of the mirth-filled mushy stuff. She lives in Manchester, UK, with her husband and son – the two loves of her life. Her side hustle is managing her rampant anxiety.
Follow her on Instagram at @salthomasauthor or via her Sal Thomas Author page on Facebook.