Love Overdue (Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus, A&U)

Love Overdue, the new novel by Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus (Fancy Meeting You Here), is an uneven but ultimately charming contemporary romance for readers who enjoy Jodi McAlister (An Academic Affair) and Amy Hutton (Love from Scratch). The story moves between two timelines. In ‘Then’, Wren is a shy high school senior with literary dreams who never expects to capture the attention of charismatic, carefree Jamie – until proximity and a burst of courage create an opportunity. Soon, they are writing both graphic novels and their own love story. In ‘Now’, Lauren is the vice-principal of a suburban Melbourne primary school, managing everything and everyone around her, including her inept boss, her rambunctious students, and her veterinarian parents’ menagerie. While working with April, a troubled student, Lauren is reunited with Jamie, now a lawyer and April’s dad. Berg and Kalus bring light, engaging prose and organic character development to the story, offering moments of genuine emotion and a satisfying, realistic resolution. However, Lauren’s actions and choices may frustrate readers, with the reasoning behind her behaviours revealed too late in the novel to build empathy. Dedicated romance readers may also find the novel’s diversion from one of the genre’s key conventions difficult to overlook, despite an epilogue that attempts to offer resolution. Overall, Love Overdue is an engaging and fun read.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Kate Cuthbert is the publishing director at Books+Publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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