The Minute I Saw You

Product Information

When Hannah and Sonny meet, a spark ignites that is hard to ignore and impossible to forget. Weeks later, their paths cross again, but Sonny appears distant and reluctant to meet Hannah’s eye. It soon transpires that Sonny is at a crossroads. He’s committed to making serious life changes – ones that can’t and won’t include romance. Chapter 3 If I thought I was going to be able to stop thinking about him, I was wrong. As April melded pleasantly into May, Sonny continued to be a distraction. And not a pleasant distraction, not in the way it was at first. That look in his eyes was so stark, so bleak. He seemed broken. I couldn’t forget it. I confided in Umeko that he seemed upset when he came in to collect his glasses. She replied that she didn’t know his father well enough to call him about personal issues, but promised to ask after Sonny the next time she spoke to his dad about something accounts related. To my knowledge, that hasn’t yet happened. * One late afternoon in mid-May when I’m out at the front dead-heading the roses, I hear the side door to Evelyn’s clinic open. I can’t decipher specific words, but I can hear Evelyn’s serene, musical voice and the low, deep tone of a man’s reply. A minute later, this same man, I’m presuming, appears from the side of the building, wheeling his bicycle down the gravel driveway towards the road. I straighten up with a start. It’s Sonny. My sudden movement catches his eye and he glances my way, giving me a cursory nod. Then he does a double take, puzzlement creasing his brow. ‘Sonny,’ I say. ‘Oh, hi,’ he replies vacantly, coming to a slow stop. ‘Hannah. I work with Umeko,’ I remind him awkwardly as his gaze sweeps over my appearance. ‘I didn’t recognise you,’ he admits. It’s a fair comment. My casual clothes couldn’t be more different from the strait-laced uniform I’m required to wear for work. I don't want to talk about the story too much, it is so special that I want you to discover Hannah and Sonny's history for yourself. I will say my heart broke a little, the secrets and surprised were not what I expected. I think we all try to guess what may happen, or what the dramatic twist may be and I hadn't predicted this at all, well not completely. I enjoyed watching Hannah and Sonny get close, seeing their friendship grow and evolve throughout (without them realising how close they were actually getting). I loved the rest of the additional characters – Bertie for one will having you laughing but Matilda and Archie will prove extra special too.

I’m certain the warning he gave me earlier was genuine, so this feels a whole lot like playing with fire. If we get burnt, the blame is squarely in his corner.”Toon’s leads are interesting, well presented and haunted by their pasts, as well as present day hang ups. Toon paired this couple up very well, they complimented each other but there was also a sufficient amount of tension between Sonny and Hannah which helped to move the novel along. I liked the initial attraction between these two, the complications, personal baggage, trust issues, the obvious chemistry, tension levels and eventual pathway to happiness. Supporting Hannah and Sonny are great cast of secondary characters who lift this novel to greater heights. I really loved the canine companion included in the story, it was a heartwarming touch. Personal relationships, friendships, extended family and support networks remain of the utmost importance in The Minute I Saw You. I appreciated Toon’s focus on these aspects within her novel. I absolutely adored Matilda and Archie, their romance was as equally as adorable as Hannah and Sonny’s, and I found myself wanting to be a part of their friendship group. Are they both too broken to find love? And if they tear down the walls between them, will they still like what's on the other side? Paige Toon’s voice is electric, passionate and fresh. I was hooked immediately and really liked how the storyline developed. The book is also very sexy and exciting.

They meet again through Hannah’s new friend Matilda. A friendship starts to build up between them, but their connection is still obvious. I really enjoyed how their relationship developed, because it was different. They start spending more and more time together, sometimes with their friends or canoeing on the river or just hanging out at the pub. When Hannah meets Sonny, she's irresistibly drawn to him. The best thing is he's only in town on holiday which works for Hannah as neither of them do long-term relationships. But as time goes on and their chemistry shows no sign of cooling, they start to question their reasons for shutting each other out. Are they both too broken to find love? And if they tear down the walls between them, will they still like what's on the other side?Wow Wow Wow! This was classic Toon and I absolutely loved it. If I had a spare 5 minutes of listening time then I took it, I hated having to put it down and step away from Hannah and Sonny. I bonded with Hannah right away, she seems like such an easy going type of person and someone that it would be easy to chat to and get along with and so I was invested in her right from the start. She has had a tough start in life and her secret heartbreak is always there with her affecting her everyday thoughts and actions. Sonny also wears his heartbreak right out there. He is a complex fellow and I have to admit I was somewhat wary of him to begin with but he is a total cinnamon roll of a man, he has a bit of a tough exterior but is soft and lovely in the muddle. He has a whole host of skeletons in his closet and all of those contribute to his complex past and his own secret heartbreak.

Sonny'nin iki tane kızı var ve bunu yakın zamanda öğrenmiş, ki kendisi hiçbir zaman uzun ilişki yaşamış biri değilmiş. Çocukken ablasının erkek arkadaşı ona "onu ablasından daha çok sevdiğini" söylermiş, onunla çok zaman geçirirmiş ve sonra da birbirini seven insanların neler yaptığını göstermiş.. Sonny, ablası bu çocuktan ayrıldıktan sonra okulda cinsel eğitim almış ve yaşadığı olayın ciddiyetinin farkına varmış. Pedofili rezaleti bir hayatı daha mahvetmiş anlayacağınız. Öyle işte, Sonny bunu unutamamış, uzun ilişki yaşayamamış. Both characters have led lives that would set them apart from others, both are hurt, living with scars from traumas that are very different. Hannah and Sonny are struggling with their own secrets but feel so drawn to one another. The blossoming friendship is a joy to behold. I always know I can tryst a book by Paige Toon to give me some escapism!... Hannah and Sonny's relationship is gorgeously flirty and the whole book is uplifting, touching and romantic while hitting some pretty big topics. I'm sad it's over!... This was a pure delight to read.' GIOVANNA FLETCHER, Sunday Times bestselling author of Some Kind of Wonderful For our lovely friends, Georgie and Lewis Barnes. When’s our next Grantchester pub crawl and can we continue to pretend it’s research? Worldwide bestselling author Paige Toon, has more than a dozen published novels behind her but unfortunately I hadn’t yet read one, so I was keen to read one of her books after hearing such good things about her stories. “The Minute I saw You” is her latest novel and aptly named for its unique optometry theme. I’m so pleased I read this book, as although it’s no denying a romance, the powerful emotional themes running through it, makes this story so much more. I’ve never read a book which focuses on one of the issues covered and I was without doubt, caught out by the revelation of it. It broke my heart to read in places and I really can’t imagine how Hannah and her parents felt during the years gone by.

Perhaps that’s why we love a rom-com so much; because while there is a familiarity to the formula, it can be tweaked, played with, inverted, and changed about in a virtually limitless number of ways, while giving us the comfort of knowing more or less where they’re headed. The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon is a reasonably standard romance book, but it has some interesting thematic threads of mental health and the importance of looking after your emotional wellbeing before you can actually enjoy a healthy relationship. While there is undoubtedly some very sad moments within this story, a particular gravity to some scenes that leave quite the imprint on you, I found this overall to be an incredibly hopeful story. And as you all know, I am all there for anything with even just a hint of ‘uplit’ about it. I became quite invested in Hannah and Sonny, both as individuals and as a couple. They might have been a risk to each other, in terms of the trauma they each brought to the table, but their love story was beautiful and deeply meaningful.