What happens after the “happily ever after”? That’s often one of the drivers of sequels, with authors eager to return to their characters and readers eager to read more about them. For me, when I realised there was more to tell about Valerie, Max and Amy, the thing that struck me was how far their relationships had come by the end of the first novel. I won’t spoil anything for those who haven’t read it yet, but it’s fair to say that everyone has to change and make adjustments to get that happy ending at the end of Valerie.
However, the narrative of Amy emerged partially from the fact that people can change, and they can be forgiven for what they’ve done in the past, but that past can’t be completely forgotten. It’s always going to be there in the background, ready to rear up if something triggers it.
So, as much as Valerie and Max are solidly together at the start of Amy, the difficulties of the previous few years and the inherent flaws they both possess are never far away. While they’ve made a commitment to each other, the tensions of trying to build a life together can feel like walking a tightrope. In that respect, they’re like every other couple out there.
Valerie has her political life; Max has her taxi business to run. With two demanding jobs that are incredibly different, how you start to navigate time together? What do you share during that time together? If you’ve got conflicting hobbies and interests, how do you maintain a meaningful relationship during that time you do manage to schedule?
That’s partly where Valerie and Max begin in Amy. They’re trying to navigate all this normal stuff when the spectre of a party leadership election rudely jumps in their way. That’d cause ructions for even the most well-balanced of couples, and their relationship is on a knife edge to start with.
One thing’s for certain – their relationship will have changed again by the end of Amy.
Amy will be released on Friday 13th September.
Buy Valerie here.
