Romcom set around EUROPE

Around the World in 80 Dates by Jasmine Burke, romcom set around Europe

Amorie Grant has posted a very casually put-together video, where she is clearly having a meltdown and losing it. However, her genuine self shines through, it has had millions of hits. Driven by the rollercoaster visibility, perhaps now is the time to pitch a piece to New Traveller and get away from her day job working in a coffee shop.  Advised to “Pitch What You Know” for a possible column, she nevertheless plumps for never having had a boyfriend and she’s actually never really dated. Capitalising on the momentum garnered by her video, she has a foot in the door.

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She will be spending 6 months checking out the dating scene and sharing her experiences with her growing fan base. At Brussels she gets stuck at the ticket barrier, which doesn’t bode well for her proposed odyssey, but a young man – Noah – comes to her rescue. They bond very quickly and she decamps to his holiday rental but of course takes the spare room. They decide to continue the journey together, as companions, whilst she fulfils her commitment to the magazine, and he maybe goes on a date or two himself. Next destination is Rotterdam and then Berlin, and Prague and Budapest, down to Italy and then via Nice to Spain.

The title is, of course, a play on Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. And the ‘world’ in this instance is only Europe. The bigger cities where they stop simply form a chapter heading, and it feels like a real wasted opportunity not to distinguish each stop. The odd trip to Cafe Central in Vienna or Park Guell in Barcelona confirms setting, but otherwise it is pretty much ignored. One might also expect to find a destination beyond the confines of Europe, given the title of the book.

The author has Amorie hook onto partners, some of whom seemed determined to make her do things that she doesn’t like, which felt a little disconcerting, whether it’s consuming beer courtesy of Barrier Boy (that is Noah’s moniker) or olives, which she hates, or being forced to go to a museum, for example.Those controlling elements felt like a bit of dissonance given the general feel-good flavour of the novel.

Whilst researching this novel it became clear that there is another book (a biography) with exactly the same title, penned by Jennifer Cox, with exactly the same premise (although this one travels the world). A curious coincidence.

It’s a fun, it’s a will-they, won’t-they story, as the couple  stumbles through the motions of being good and supportive friends.

In all honesty, the story here was a little different to the one I was perhaps expecting and I wonder if others will  find this too.