One Ordinary Day at a Time by Sarah J Harris #Review

 

Today we have an original and affecting novel by Sarah J Harris, One Ordinary Day at a Time. It was published by Harper Collins on June 10th. 

 
TWO PEOPLE

Simon Sparks is the man you know from behind the counter at the local Prince Burger (‘hold the gherkin!’), fry shovelling, shelf stacking, hiding away from the world. And Jodie Brook is the single mum you see crossing the street with her son Zak – always chasing a dream she can’t reach.

ONE LIFE

What if life could be so much more? When Simon and Jodie’s worlds collide, it upends everything they know. But in chaos comes opportunity. And for every person who’s ever doubted them, they find someone who’ll finally believe…

ONE ORDINARY DAY AT A TIME

From the award-winning author, Sarah J. Harris, comes a warm, uplifting story about ordinary people, extraordinary tomorrows, and all the ways that life can surprise us…

 My Thoughts

This is one of those novels which is thought provoking, at times, comical and at others, poignant. I loved all the characters, from Simon and Jodie through to their friends and neighbours. Even the cat at the burger bar emerges as a force to be reckoned with. Jodie's story is one of courage and determination. Despite her difficult childhood when she was a Looked After Child, she has retained a drive to succeed and a determination to make her own luck and to aim high. There are times in the story when her confidence wavers but you are always rooting for her to succeed. 

    Simon is a complicated young man who is the product of an abusive childhood. Both Jodie and Simon have been the victims of bullying and coercive behaviour. Whereas Jodie has been overlooked by the system, Simon has been hot housed. However, the results of both experiences were not positive. There are some unlikely friendships formed in the story. The message which comes through loud and clear, however, is that kindness and friendship are the key to a happy life. Emotional intelligence is so much more important than rote learning of facts. This is at times an emotional read but full of humour and humanity.

In short: A tale of lost potential and new beginnings

About the Author

SARAH J. HARRIS is an author and freelance education journalist who regularly writes for national newspapers. The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder was Sarah’s debut adult novel and a Richard & Judy book club pick. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

A note from  SARAH J. HARRIS:

I’m a freelance education journalist and on A-level and GCSE results’ days, I usually write about the youngest child to pass an exam. Every year, they get younger. I often wonder what happens to these children when they grow up. Are they happy? Do they wish they’d had a normal childhood? Will they become tomorrow’s great thinkers, inventors and scientists or have they simply been drilled to sit exams?

Simon was born from those thoughts – a former child genius who is pushed too hard, too early, with disastrous long-term consequences. I was also keen to write about his complete opposite – someone who is written off by the education system at a young age and consigned to the scrapheap.

Children in care are at a particular disadvantage – it horrifies me that not enough is done to support many of these youngsters when they are still at school, let alone when they’re deemed  old enough to fend for themselves in the world.

This person became Jodie, a bright young woman who was thrown out of school and told she’d never succeed in life, yet still has a burning ambition to study English at Cambridge. I wanted to write about lost potential, ambition against the odds and an unlikely friendship. Both Jodie and Simon must overcome the wounds of the past before they unlock a brighter future, but they  can’t do it alone.

My book is about how what we learn from human connection, kindness to others  and life experience is so much more important than memorising facts and figures from  a textbook – all served with a side of Prince Burger fries and a dollop of humour!

You can follow Sarah here: Twitter  |  Website 

Book links: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Sarah J Harris, Harper Collins and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.  

Chrck out the rest of the tour!

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