Tell Me Everything: An Rx Chronicles Book
EeJay Enekwa 405p, e-book, $6.99, ASIN B0BRLVRSQF
This heartening romance featuring young professionals figuring themselves out keeps it light despite a focus on family reconciliation and personal growth. The therapist whom pharmacist Nichole begins seeing to address her PTSD after a robbery at her store suggests an accountability partner as she explores broader issues. Nichole surprises herself by choosing Kam, the obnoxious know-it-all to whom she drunkenly spilled her guts at a mutual friend’s wedding rehearsal. As Kam pushes her toward reconciliation with her estranged father and standing up for herself at work, Nichole’s therapeutic efforts make her ready to upgrade from her unsatisfying “situationship” to considering something more real.
Enekwa quickly builds sympathetic appeal for both leads, despite narrating the story primarily from Nichole’s perspective and presenting Kam as initially difficult. Their mutual friends, meanwhile, are encouraging but not pushy about getting the couple together, and the pages pulse with lively relationships, memorable dialogue, and an enticing vibe of upbeat cosmopolitanism. The positive characterizations (except for explicit antagonists like Shawn, the non-boyfriend, and Tom, the lazy pharmacy manager) continue through the book, making it easy to believe in and cheer for Nichole’s ability to make things better. Enekwa deftly highlights the cast’s cultural diversity, through conversation and wedding and holiday traditions. Much of the book’s pleasures come from feeling invited into this group.
An emphasis on the details of Nichole’s therapy sessions makes Nichole’s emotional states and growth goals clear, though often her personal growth is charted through exposition rather than dramatic scenecraft. The story glosses over some disagreements between Nichole and Kam, leaving Kam’s internal states a bit mysterious. Still, Enekwa’s warm, feel-good storytelling will resonate with lovers of light, appealing romances with lovable friends, an interest in personal growth, and more vulnerability than sizzle.
Lovers of romance high in personal growth and low in drama will find this satisfying.
Great for fans of Talia Hibbert’s Act Your Age, Eve Brown, Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare.