When the new Jojo Moyes book, 'The One Plus One' landed on our desk last week, we were so excited that we did a write up which will be on page 13 of this week’s Irish Country Living. However, as Ms Moyes has seriously impressed us in the past, we felt the book deserved more detail in this week’s book blog.

Meet Jess Thomas, a character that many can relate to, a woman who does the best she can for her family, day in, day out.

However, life as a single mother isn’t easy. Add in two busy jobs, a teenage stepson who is being bullied and a drooling demented dog, and Jess really has her challenges. The other big problem that Jess faces is that her daughter Tanzie is a bit of a genius but a quirky genius who is brilliant with numbers but needs some help in order to be able to really utiise her abilities.

Then Ed enters their life, a successful businessman whose life is the exact opposite of Jess. Ed is literally living the dream when it comes to money and business success but family life is devoid and empty.

Jess cleans his house but their lives are really thrown together after an accident one night. Jess is really eager to get her daughter entered into a maths competition that will give her the scholarship she needs, and what follows is a roadtrip full of nausea, fights, advice and a touch of romance.

Honestly, although it was easy to like the children’s characters immediately, it took a bit more time for us to embrace the adults, flaws and all, but persevere through and you’ll start becoming engrossed in this novel which you quite literally won't be able to put down. Its got laughter, a bit of tears but like other Moyes books, its unpredictable and will leave you wanting more.

It really will make you a believer in the little things in life, the random acts of kindness that can make a difference so if you’re having a hard time and looking for a book to cheer you up and offer a bit of hope, then this book of the week is the one for you.