Better than the Real Thing (Brooke Crawford, HQ Fiction)

Brooke Crawford’s debut novel, Better than the Real Thing, is the kind of delightful escapism you’d expect from a Netflix Christmas movie – comforting, heartfelt and brimming with second chances. Netta Phillips is about to turn 40, and her life in Melbourne looks nothing like she imagined. She longs to have a baby, but fertility struggles and a recent breakup have left her adrift. When, just before Christmas, she discovers the childhood diary of musician Morrison “Mo” Maplestone and is asked to deliver it to him in person in London, Netta sees an unexpected opportunity. The payment he offers could cover her mortgage and fund her fertility treatments, but it would mean breaking a promise to herself never to return to the UK. Better than the Real Thing delivers a romantic story about healing old wounds, rediscovering self-worth and finding love when you least expect it. Crawford plays beautifully with the grumpy/sunshine trope: Mo is the brooding celebrity whose guarded nature meets its match in Netta, whose warmth and down-to-earth charm disarm him, yet she refuses to let romance fully blossom until both have done the work to grow. Woven through are warm, funny side characters who bring extra heart to the story. Better than the Real Thing is a feel-good holiday read that invites readers to suspend disbelief, and fans of Nina Kenwood’s The Wedding Forecast will find much to love here.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Jess Lomas is the reviews editor at Books+Publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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