UPSIDE DOWN, INSIDE OUT

Author: Monica McInerney ISBN: 9780345506245 7/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: BALLANTINE

EVA KENNEDY IS IN A RUT. After seven years of working at her uncle's Dublin delicatessen, her artistic aspirations have slipped by the wayside and her latest relationship has fizzled. Whatever happened to the Eva who was going to be someone? Hoping to shake things up and find inspiration, Eva takes a break and ventures to Melbourne , Australia , to visit an old friend who, for fun, gives Eva an exciting new identity. Eva is now exotic and adventurous and ... not herself. Joseph Wheeler is a successful London designer. Unfortunately his firm is thriving at such a high level that he doesn't have time to actually design anymore. And his love life is nonexistent. In Australia on business, Joseph meets Eva, and the sparks fly-even as Eva is stuck pretending to be someone she's not. Little does she know that Joseph has some secrets of his own.... When what starts as a holiday fling quickly blossoms into something more, Joseph and Eva discover that romance can turn life upside down and inside out at the bottom of the world.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Monica McInerney's UPSIDE DOWN, INSIDE OUT is story about journeys... to distant lands both in the the mind and the heart. It is a story about finding oneself where one least expects to be.

Eva and Joseph are both on holiday, taking breaks from their "real lives" and each hoping to find the direction needed to continue their lives with renewed vigor. Eva hopes for a new direction, career-wise, and Joseph is just hoping for some peace from his job. Where better to holiday than in the gorgeous land down under? This book actually showcases both Ireland and Australia, its descriptions so vivid the reader feels like a stowaway on the characters' journey.

At the beginning of their acquaintance it seems almost inconceivable Eva and Joseph will find a way to get past the excess junk they bring to their holiday fling. Even as they grow close, their lives become more and more mixed up. Identity switches, impolite kittens, misread interests... they all contribute to the general confusion. But they finally unravel their mixups and it is this sorting out that gives the most insight into this couple.

This is a delightful romance! In my heart I knew that despite the chaos, this couple would find a happy ending. Traveling along with Eva and Joseph is probably the closest I'll ever come to visiting Australia or Ireland so I'm glad the trip was so memorable!

Monica McInerney's storytelling ability shines in this romantic treasure. UPSIDE DOWN, INSIDE OUT is pure fun!

Kay James