99 Percent Mine

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne (2019) 342 pages

Darcy's photography ambitions have been shelved indefinitely; now she spends her time working as a no-nonsense bartender. Her salary only pays for her health insurance, essential since she has had heart trouble for her whole life. She and her twin, Jamie, have inherited a cottage in poor condition from their grandmother, with the proviso that they have it renovated and sell it, splitting the proceeds. A quarrel has left them estranged. They've hired a longtime childhood friend, Tom, to renovate the house. The trouble is that Darcy has always had a crush on Tom, but snubbed him in order to travel the world, and when she came back, much later, he had a girlfriend. In order to assuage her unhappiness, Darcy has had some relationships, but never with anyone who merited permanence.

This novel serves as a dance between Darcy and Tom, as they spend time together handling the renovation, each figuring that the other is unavailable to them. There are a number of unrealistic details that just don't seem to fit properly, except to be more important later as the plot develops. How will all the connections between the characters work out? I had to suspend my disbelief, but in spite of that, mostly enjoyed the story.

Roommates Wanted

Roommates Wanted by Lisa Jewell (2007) 461 pages

Leah lived with her boyfriend across the street from a rather distinctive three story tall building in need of updating. For three years, they watched the comings and goings of the people inside, wondering who the people were: a rather reclusive man with thick curly hair and muttonchop sideburns, a young woman with a guitar, another woman who frequently changed her appearance, a young man of nineteen, and more.

We learn that a poet named Toby was given the house 15 years ago as a wedding present by his absent father. There was one old man, a sitting tenant, who remained in the house when they moved in. When Toby's wife left him after a month, Toby advertised for more roommates to fill the house, preferring to have artists and other creative types, with the rent negotiable. He had no trouble filling the rooms in the house, but basically withdrew from the world, seldom even interacting with his tenants.

Toby learns that his father will be visiting in a few months and wants to see if Toby has been successful in his poetry career and improved his house. (He has not.) When circumstances bring Toby and Leah together in an extraordinary incident, they become friends. Toby confesses that he needs to find a way to get his tenants to leave so that he can sell his house and move on with his life. Leah helps Toby find a contractor to renovate his house and she and Toby plan ways to help his quirky tenants at the same time.