Clare O'Beara's Reviews > Someone Like You

I enjoyed this story but thought that the title is undistinguished and could have been something more individual.

A hardworking young woman in New York finds that her boss - and fiancé - in the software company is getting too close with another lady behind her back. Bravely Kayleigh Renshaw dumps both him and the job. He won't give her a reference, which in Europe would be actionable, but he says that he won't help opponent companies. Hold on, she could apply to do computer work in any kind of office, so she should still have pushed for a reference. But not surprisingly she wants to be as far away from the slimeball as possible and get on with her life.

Kayleigh meets up with a war wounded man who has been a friend of her family for years, but lately just lives indoors and works on line. Niall Walsh copes well despite his disability but can't communicate properly with Kayleigh as he was present when her brother died, which military rules forbid him from discussing. When Kayleigh comes up with an idea for a matchmaking phone app, she thinks Niall and she could go into partnership to develop it. Niall doesn't agree, on either the usefulness or the business plan. Now what?

The focus expands to take in two other generations and more of the community, with a family barbecue, a senior residents' home and a Botanic Gardens as backdrops. I enjoyed the way that the story built and how Niall is finally shocked out of his introspection. This is a sweet romance with a gradual increase in enjoyable tension between the two main characters, much character growth and modern dilemmas. Karen Rock is improving her stories and world creation in every book.