Dear Ava,
How do you start writing a letter to someone, six years after breaking their heart?
Ava is unlucky in love as well as in life. The new office bitch has landed the dating column Ava wanted, and she canât remember the last time she had a second date. Itâs a good thing she has best friends Max and Gwen to pick up the pieces.
Deep down, Ava knows the reason why one date never turns into two â sheâs in love with someone else. Someone sheâs never even met.
It all started six years ago, with a letter from a secret admirer, Mr Writer. He seemed to know her, really know her, and his words touched her soul. But then they suddenly stopped and Ava was heartbroken.
Now the letters have started again and Ava knows it could mean winning back the dating column at work. But this time sheâs determined to unmask Mr Writerâ¦and find out once and for all if heâs Mr Right or Mr Very Definitely Wrong!
Just the Way You Are
Lynsey James
Copyright
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2015
Copyright © Lynsey James 2015
Lynsey James asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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E-book Edition © June 2015 ISBN: 9781474033596
Version date: 2018-07-23
LYNSEY JAMES
I was born in Fife in 1991 and have been telling people how to spell my name ever since. Iâm an incurable bookworm who loves nothing more than getting lost in a good story with memorable characters. I started writing when I was really young and credit my lovely Grandad â and possibly a bump on the head from a Mr Frosty machine â with my love of telling stories. I used to write my own episodes of Friends and act them out in front of my family (in fact Iâm sure I put Ross and Rachel together first!)
A careers adviser at school once told me writing wasnât a âgood optionâ and for a few years, I believed her. I tried a little bit of everything, including make-up artistry, teaching and doing admin for a chocolate fountain company. The free chocolate was brilliant. When I left my job a couple of years ago, I started writing full-time while I looked for another one. As soon as I started working on my story, I fell in love and decided to finally pursue my dream. I havenât looked back since.
When Iâm not writing, eating cake or drinking tea, Iâm daydreaming about the day Dylan OâBrien finally realises weâre meant to be together. Itâll happen one dayâ¦
I owe it all to Maz (aka Mum).
Chapter 1
Iâve hated weddings for as long as I can remember.
Everything about them sets my teeth on edge: the meringue-like wedding dresses, the cheesy first dance, the dreaded walk down the aisle and especially the quiet notion that the marriage will be over in a few monthsâ time. At those weddings, it can feel like all the fuss is for nothing, given that the happy couple will soon be battling it out in divorce court to see who keeps the cat.
So as you can imagine, I was less than thrilled to find myself as a bridesmaid at my mumâs seventh â yes, seventh wedding.
As the organ began to play the all-too-familiar bridal march, I walked down the aisle, clutching my bouquet of lilies so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I tried to keep my gaze on where I was heading, but couldnât resist throwing sideways glances at the guests gathered in St Markâs Church. Everyone on my mumâs side of the room gazed at me with a nostalgic fondness that misted their eyes and made them whisper shared stories with each other. On Boring Brianâs side, however, I was regarded with a silent suspicion. Theyâd made no secret about the fact they hated their beloved sonâs choice of bride. It wasnât her multiple marriages that bothered them though, it was me. Iâd overheard his mum and dad talking about it at the engagement party.