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However, while chocolate is somewhat significant in this book, it’s mostly about intimate relationships, not all of which were based on love. The main protagonist - and narrator - is a young woman called Amber. I liked her, on the whole. She’s a cautious person who is loyal to her friends, and conflict-avoidant. She likes to be a peacemaker whenever possible, and tends to make jokes rather than get caught up in serious conversation.
And she loves chocolate. She likes the smell, and the sensations of it melting. When she meets a new person, she associates them with a particular form - or bar - of chocolate. Sometimes she realises she’s wrong, or that the person has extra layers, but it’s a clever method of showing her impression of people without too much description.
When we first meet Amber, she’s just recovering from a night of extensive passion with Greg. It’s evidently the first time they have been to bed together; yet they know each other well. He has often stayed the night in her flat. It turns out that they have been close friends - buddies, or mates - for three years, and until the start of the novel she had never thought of him in that way. In a large part this is because he is highly promiscuous, and has usually regaled her with tales of his conquests. She’s helped him out of some tricky situations, too, including vouching for him at a police station…
Amber’s best female friend is Jen. They met at university, when they discovered that they both had dysfunctional families. This set them apart from the majority, and they were able to talk to each other about their homes and difficult childhoods without judgement. Amber and Jen chat regularly on the phone, see each other every week, and sometimes hang out for entire weekends. At least, they used to. Jen has been going out with Matt - who is Greg’s best friend, just to complete the circle - for three years, and he gets a bit jealous of her time with Amber.
But the four of them get together regularly. Amber doesn’t much like Matt, but she tries not to make it obvious. So when Matt and Jen announce that they’re moving in together, she is enthusiastic for their sake, even though she realises she’ll see even less of Jen in future. Jen has wanted this for a long time, but Matt seems to be holding back. Amber does understand this, as she is also rather wary of commitment, or of thinking too far ahead.
I didn’t understand, at first, why Greg and Amber don’t tell Matt and Jen about their new status as lovers, even when they decide they want this to continue, rather than being a one-off. Amber isn’t sure it will continue, although she is also worried that they can’t go back to being ‘just’ friends if they break up. Greg is usually very open about the women he’s with, so it’s a bit surprising that he doesn’t want to tell the world; he also seems a bit negative about Matt and Jen moving in together.
All of which is just an introduction, although it takes a few chapters to sort out who is whom. And then the book follows a kind of chick-lit theme - lots of nights of passion (thankfully without any gratuitous details), and scenes in the workplace. Amber is an assistant in an office devoted to a film festival, and has two colleagues who quickly guess that she’s no longer celibate, and with whom. Which makes it all the more puzzling that Jen and Matt are oblivious.
We meet Amber’s brother Eric - a very likeable man, who is married to someone Amber adores - and we hear quite a lot about Greg’s past, as well as Amber’s previous boyfriend, as they talk to each other. The pace is good; the frequent references to ‘great sex’ became a bit tedious after a while, and I was wondering where the plot was going, if anywhere. Other books by Dorothy Koomson have complex twists and turns and some elements of thrillers, but this one, while very readable, didn’t seem to be going anywhere.
However, around half way through there are a few extra, unexpected scenes and some revelations from the past which lead to dramatic reactions and communication breakdown. Amber starts to realise that she has been running away from things all her life; she hears it from more than one person and doesn’t agree; but she’s honest enough with herself to start examining her life and behaviours. We also discover some of the reasons why Greg has been so wild.
In a sense it’s a coming-of-age book, even though Amber has been living on her own for some years; it’s nicely done and, I thought, mostly believable - if a tad dramatic at times. There are some lovely minor characters (I particularly liked Amber’s stepfather, known as Dad2), and an entirely satisfactory ending.
I could have done without the regular references to sex, and the ‘strong’ language; at one point I almost abandoned it, but I’m glad I persevered. I liked the second half of the book very much, and by the last hundred pages or so could hardly put it down.
I don't know that I'd recommend this, however, unless you're a fan of chick-lit in general. If you'd like to try this author, I'd suggest 'Marshmallows for breakfast', which I reread in January.
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