My Secret Lover

by Imogen Parker

Lydia knows she should be more serious. It's meant to be the end of trivia, but all she can think about when she watches the evening news is how the reporter on the front line manages to iron his shirt into such nice creases, and why Will doesn't move about a bit more when he sings.Lydia realises she should be happy. She's got her health, a job she loves, a terraced cottage, one down, two up, a nice, steady relationship, and a number of other things to be grateful for which her mother would certainly list if you were interested. It's not that Lydia covets a high-profile career like her beautiful sister Joanna, nor a house from the pages of Hello! (which, by the way, she only reads for research), but just occasionally, she finds herself thinking there ought to be a higher point in her life than winning the regional pub quiz with Gordon. And surely gratitude is not the primary emotion you should feel towards your boyfriend, even if you are quite plain?Lydia wonders who it is who creates the strange, scientific-sounding words that are the language of face cream, and whether Visage or ReVitalift would make any Visible Difference. It's what's inside that counts, her mother always says. Lydia's not even sure whether there is much inside, until one New Year's Day, she finds herself in a great outpouring of existential angst to someone on the other side of the world, (Resolution 1: Never click on Send when you're drunk), and suddenly, her quite ordinary life begins to turn extraordinary.The questionA) Can you fall in love with someone you've never met?B) Can you only fall in love with someone you've never met?C) Who is he anyway?Teachers are supposed to know the answers, but Lydia doesn't have a clue.

Paperback

First published February 3, 2003

Reviews

[Nina Draganova · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.02.17

Ако можех да напиша книга, щеше да наподобява тази най-вероятно по стил.
Почти непрекъснато водя разговори на ум със себе си.
Понякога много интересни.
Разбира се има и сарказъм и ирония в тях, понякога закачка.
В много от случаите виждат и бял свят , но не и в писмен вид, или поне рядко.
Та това е направила авторката,споделила е повечето си мисли и случки , почти като монолог.
Няма някаква разтърсваща история.
Но малко са хората , на които се е случила такава.
Няколко мисли, които забелязах и ми харесаха :
".... трябва само да откажеш мъжете и да смениш боята за коса.
"Проблемът е ,че ако твърде дълго твърдиш,че си щастлива да живееш обикновен живот,в един момент осъзнаваш,че грешиш, и изведнъж животът ти се изпълва с безкрайни,обикновени неща,които се простират пред теб."
"Жените напускат някого,когато осъзнаят,че вече не го обичат.Мъжете напускат някоя,когато си намерят друга.

[Vicky Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had this on my shelf for years. Rather a fun read!

[Edgars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Šī laikam tiek definēta kā vieglā lasāmviela, bet, ja nekas cits nav pa rokai, kāpēc nepalasīt, vai ne? Tīri interesanti vispār, likās jau, ka beigas būs paredzamas, tomēr bija patīkams pārsteigums, ka tā nebija vis. Aprautas varbūt mazliet, tas gan.

[Lizzie Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book, great character voice/tone - felt quite Bridget Jones-esque. Good read and a bit of a random plot. But you wanted to read until the end - VERY easy read.

Definitely could tell it’s set in 2003 - lots of culture references and ‘emails’ as primary form. Nice throwback which made it an endearing read.

I wish we met *some* characters earlier in the book but it seems fitting in style of the genre and decade it was written in.

[Lou · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've just read the most boring rubbish for 150 pages that I've ever read n I'm not reading any more!! The only reason I read that far was because my sister had rated it 4* so I presumed it got better?!!?

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is really easy to read and maybe is not the most interesting I've ever read but it keeps you reading to the last page, there's always something going on in Lydia 's life so you won't get bored.

[Claire Sayan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really liked this, not my usual genre but I picked up a cheap copy. Annoying in parts, especially any that involve her sister and the stupidly named twins but a good read overall