Only Because It's You
A Novel
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
"Full of humour and heartwarming moments—Rebecca delivers pure joy!" —Chantel Guertin, bestselling author of It Happened One Christmas
Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith to land exactly where you're meant to be . . .
Miz is not the marrying kind. She's more of the no-strings-attached kind. No labels, only fun. So, when she finds a diamond ring in her casual-but-very-hot hook-up's gym bag, she immediately ends things and runs.
Kal is one of Miz's best friends, an aspiring actor who moved to Toronto from Ethiopia and is on the brink of his big break. But when he's suddenly at risk of having to return home and leave Toronto forever, Miz panics. She can't imagine her life without Kal.
There's only one solution: Miz will marry Kal to become his spousal sponsor. He'll get to keep pursuing his acting career, and she'll get to keep her best friend in the city. It'll be a quick, short only-on-paper marriage between friends, followed by a quick, easy divorce. Nothing will change, and life will go back to normal. Right?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This lighthearted if underbaked contemporary from Fisseha (Daughters of Silence) finds Ethiopian Canadian Mizan "Miz" Begashaw determined never to marry, and certainly never to fall in love, convictions reinforced when she discovers a ring in her boyfriend's gym bag and promptly dumps him. Then her best friend, aspiring actor Kalkidan "Kal" Legesse, reveals that his time in Toronto may be cut short by his expiring international work permit, forcing him to return home to Addis Ababa, where Miz's estranged father lives and the pair met as children. To help Kal stay in Canada, Miz reluctantly agrees to a marriage of convenience. It's a familiar setup delivered in a breezy tone and Fisseha adds interest by exploring cultural differences within the Ethiopian diaspora. Unfortunately, emotionally distant Miz and sensitive Kal's transition from friends to lovers feels unevenly paced and unbelievable; their initial friendship never feels particularly strong and their chemistry doesn't come through on the page. Meanwhile, many subplots—including the gym bag engagement ring that kicks things off—are dropped for large stretches of the story. Given the proliferation of marriage of convenience plots, readers will be better served elsewhere.
