From the publisher: Ben is handsome (under all that beard) and adventurous (leaps from small bridges in a single bound). He’s also sexy as hell and planning to shuffle off to Berlin before things can get too serious. Oh, and Ben lives in a public park.
Julia is an English teacher in Vienna, Austria. She wishes she could be an author, but every time she has an idea, she realizes that story has already been written. Every day is the same for Julia: she goes to work and then she goes home and watches tv with her cat. Talking to new people is just something she gets paid to do– until a man sits next to her on a bench. Ben is funny, sexy, and well-traveled. He also lives in a bush at a local park. The two have plenty of challenges to face, including disapproving friends and vast lifestyle differences, but they’re pretty sure they only want each other.
I was initially drawn to this book because of the unique love story; it’s a different twist on the “chance meeting” trope. The story is very fast-paced and, clocking in at a crisp 230 pages, was a quick read. It’s charming to watch Julia and Ben grow as characters as they each decide what risks they are willing to take to discover what is important to them throughout the story. While Julia learns that taking risks can lead to fun and exciting things, Ben learns that making commitments and settling down takes a lot of effort. Julia and Ben both have very strong senses of humor, which leads to a few cringe-worthy situations. Neither of them are afraid of saying exactly what they think, though Julia’s outbursts are mostly jokes to get attention and Ben’s are frank expressions of how he feels. Overall, this is a cute, lighthearted read.