Customer Reviews

His N Hers Chapter Samplers (Packs of 25)

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4 star:		(3)
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I had flu this weekend and decided to go to Tesco's for some medicine. Aswell as filling up the trolley will lemons, various flu tablets and pain killers, I threw in Mike Gayle's His n' Hers for £3.45.

Having read all of Mike Gayle's novels so far, I was ready for what he delivered. Its another classic Mike Gayle and you get what you expect, which is nice.

The story flies by and within 6 hours (in between blowing my nose and sneezing) I had finished the book. It was excellent. The story, though predictable, is nice to follow. I did feel, however that Jim's sudden change of heart towards the middle-end was very abrupt, turning the story sideways all-too-sudden. Obviously, I dont want to give too much away.

For all residents of the UK, there is one MAJOR error that all should spot. The day is Tuesday and he's 'watching Coronation Street'!!! Errrrmmm... Coronation St is a soap opera institution in the UK and has never run on a Tuesday! (Monday and Wednesday originally, then including Friday and now including Saturday (omnibus) and Sunday). Thats the kind of error that should be spotted straight away.

Aside from that, a very good read, especially if you have flu. You dont have to think too much, just follow the story and it projects itself on the page like a movie.

EXCELLENT!!!

His N Hers is the third book by Mike Gayle I've come across. It's a lot better written than his debut novel My Legendary Girlfriend, simply due to the fact that the two main characters Jim and Alison are much more likeable and interesting characters than Will Kelly the main character in that one. I like the written through the eyes of both Jim and Alison style, however at times I had no idea which character was narrating until someone else they interacted with referred to him or her. Maybe it would have worked if each had an alternate chapters rather than paragraphs which sometimes kept the same character for the subsequent one.

Overall His N' Hers is an enjoyable novel albeit it with a very predictable ending. I also didn't really believe Jim's right hand turns in personality that happened twice in the novel, neither fit his personality up to then, but I guess they were needed to for the simple plot to work. There's not really a plot, we're just along for the ride as two people meet each other at university, eventually get together, have their relationship tested when one gets a career breaking job down in London, years later split up, then on the death of the cat who spent most of its life with the two of them decide to meet up before going to the vets to decide on how to dispose of the cat. The book doesn't occur in chronological order either, we know at the start the cat's dead, and they've been split for quite some time. I would have enjoyed the novel more if this had all come as a surprise, but that's not how it's written and it's still a good read anyway finding out why.

If you don't want to take a gamble on a full length novel by Mike Gayle check out his short story from the Quick Reads series Men at Work. That's the excellent book I first discovered this author's work with and decided to give a few of his full length novels a try.

This was my first read of a Mike Gayle novel and I was impressed. Author Mike Gayle has a crafty gift for character development and story telling. The book drew me in so much that I finished it in a few hours on a cross-country flight! It is a shame that it sat on my shelf for so many months before I got to it.

In this novel that is set in the U.K., we follow two love birds Jim and Alison through a friendship, romance and break-up as they each tell their own side of the story. Jim and Allison first meet at a party for freshers (beginning university students). Mike Gayle captures both the male and female voices perfectly and fashions a tale that has you vacillating between feeling for Alison, while still wishing Jim well. Brought back together by the death of a jointly shared cat, Jim and Alison have both gone on with their lives, but are driven to reflect on their relationship and its demise.

"His `n Hers" is an intriguing read that will be enjoyed by men and women alike.

Having been a student at Birmingham University at about the same time the story is set, this book hit sooooo... close to my heart.

But even without the very personal points of reference I think this book is well worth a read - it's romantic (without being soppy), heartwarming, funny and down-to-earth. Four stars instead of five for being slightly predictable, but still massively enjoyable.

Although I didn't end up marrying a University boyfriend, this book really made me want to call up and see how they are and recommend this book!

I consider myself a die-hard fan of Mike Gayle. He delivers a fresh take on Chick-Lit while maintaining his masculinity, all while perfectly conveying the female voice.

HIS N' HERS is the story of Jim and Alison, two individuals who meet in college and fall in love under the most unusual of circumstances. In this book, we get both sides of their stories written in two unique styles. Every detail of their lives for 10+ years is written in great detail and you sort of feel like your eavesdropping or reading someone's diary.

Taken place in London, we begin with the first time they meet at a college party for freshmen. Jim immediately develops a crush on Alison, but she has her heart set on Damien - who later becomes her boyfriend. As time goes on, Alison learns more about Jim and finds herself falling for this peculiar character. While she maintains her relationship with Damien, she realizes its not meant to be and finds a way to break it off with him and wind up with Jim. From then on we take a ride on the emotional rollercoaster that is their life. We watch them grow, become closer and develop a relationship that many only dream about.

Eventually, one of them has a change of heart and their relationship is over just like that. But, years down the line an unfortunate occurrence brings them back together. Though both have moved on, this time together gives them the opportunity to reflect on their relationship and where they went wrong.

This is an intriguing story that I think will cater to both men and women, as the voices in the story are ones you can relate to. There were some laughs and some sadness and it all came together perfectly. Definitely another winner from Mike Gayle!