Crush: a strong and often short-lived infatuation, particularly for someone beyond your reach… Darcy Barrett has undertaken a global survey of men. She’s travelled the world, and can categorically say that no one measures up to Tom Valeska, whose only flaw is that Darcy’s twin brother Jamie saw him first and claimed him forever as his best friend. Despite Darcy’s best efforts, Tom’s off limits and loyal to her brother, 99%. That’s the problem with finding her dream man at age eight and peaking in her photography career at age twenty—ever since, she’s had to learn to settle for good enough. When Darcy and Jamie inherit a tumble-down cottage from their grandmother, they’re left with strict instructions to bring it back to its former glory and sell the property. Darcy plans to be in an aisle seat halfway across the ocean as soon as the renovations start, but before she can cut and run, she finds a familiar face on her porch: house-flipper extraordinaire Tom’s arrived, he’s bearing power tools, and he’s single for the first time in almost a decade. Suddenly Darcy’s considering sticking around to make sure her twin doesn’t ruin the cottage’s inherent magic with his penchant for grey and chrome. She’s definitely not staying because of her new business partner’s tight t-shirts, or that perfect face that's inspiring her to pick up her camera again. Soon sparks are flying—and it’s not the faulty wiring. It turns out one percent of Tom’s heart might not be enough for Darcy anymore. This time around, she’s switching things up. She’s going to make Tom Valeska 99 percent hers.
Like a lot of readers out there, I, too, devoured The Hating Game in one evening and then sat back and cried and cried once I realized Sally Thorne had just one book out. However, since I didn't read THG until 2018, there was at least some good news--her sophomore novel would be coming out in early 2019! And the synopsis sounded right up my alley, full of some of my favorite tropes: friends-to-lovers, older-brother's-best-friend.
Needless to say, I was ecstatic to receive an eARC of 99 Percent Mine in December to devour over the holidays. To be completely honest, I devoured it way before the holidays ever officially started.
And I wasn't disappointed. 99 Percent Mine is nearly perfect. I loved the sweet teasing between Darcy and Tom, their tumultuous history and that gut-dropping feeling you get when you just want two characters to get together already but they have Issues and there are Things To Sort Through. If you love that rollercoaster feeling (The Hating Game had it in spades, as I recall), you'll love every minute of the ride. I also loved Darcy herself as a character, as prickly as she is. She pushes people away, she runs, she's frightened, but we know she'll get there eventually.
But what everyone will be thinking to themselves, reading any review of 99 Percent Mine before reading the book itself, is if this book is better than The Hating Game. And I'm not sure I can say that. I felt there were some plodding points, but mostly I felt all torn up about the relationship between Darcy and her brother. There is some ugly family drama that is never really addressed in this book and it didn't set right with me. There aren't any deep dark secrets or skeletons, but folks are just pretty mean to each other...I dunno. If you have read this book and have thought about the family dynamic, please let me know!
Should you read it? If you loved The Hating Game, you know you'll be picking up 99 Percent Mine. Despite any small issues I about about the family drama, Sally Thorne did it again and 99 Percent Mine is a delicious book full of complicated characters who can't wait to get it on with each other and will demand your attention from start to finish.
4 Stars
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Published January 29, 2019 by William Morrow Paperbacks