Hardback: 360 pages
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance,
Publisher: Michael Joseph 2026
Source: Tywyn Public Library
First Sentences: Nora is on the train home when Bren emails her, after months of nothing. It is the same day that Robin has asked her to marry him, and she is still dazed, and full of celebratory butter cake, and feelings she cannot quite name.
Review Quote: I ADORED this novel. A grown-up love story that delves into matters of the human heart with such nuance and insight. Claire's prose is so finely woven that every beautifully honed sentence immerses you fully into the emotional dilemmas of her characters. I stayed up until the early hours reading it. It deserves to be a huge hit’ -- HANNAH BECKERMAN
My Opinion:
This is the second published novel by Claire Daverley but the first I have read. It caught my eye at the library and I am glad as it is an engrossing read.
'People In Love' is a love story that takes you right to the heart and minutiae of the lives of the characters. Nora's boyfriend Robin has just proposed to her and the first person she tells, by email is her friend Bren whom she has not seen for twelve years. He turns up unexpectedly at the Engagement Party which causes Nora to question her future as she discovers she still has feelings for him. Will she settle for a safe and secure future with Robin or adventure and freedom with Bren?
An emotional and delightfully told love story. Recommended if you enjoy a love triangle romance.
Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:
A long-lost friend reappears and ignites an old spark, leading to an emotionally fraught love triangle.
One bright blue day, on a bench by the river, Nora’s partner Robin proposes.
It is unexpected; they’d always agreed that they didn’t need a wedding. But after a decade of in-jokes, dancing in the low-lit kitchen and sharing morning toast in bed, Nora says yes. Why wouldn’t she?
The answer lands on the night of their engagement party, when Bren turns up on her doorstep.
Growing up, Bren and Nora were the sort of best friends who everyone swore would end up together. But when a sudden heartbreak turned their lives upside down, Bren left, Nora stayed, and the silent longing between them remained unspoken.
Now, he’s back, and their tentative yet undeniable spark reignites, forcing Nora to ask herself: How can you know your heart, if it feels like it’s split in two?
Tender and compelling, People in Love is a story about what-ifs and maybes, and the moments of misunderstanding that can shape our lives. It’s a book about living one life while musing on another, exploring how our choices shape our relationships and inform our regrets, and revealing, in the end, that the real love story is not always the one you'd expect.
One bright blue day, on a bench by the river, Nora’s partner Robin proposes.
It is unexpected; they’d always agreed that they didn’t need a wedding. But after a decade of in-jokes, dancing in the low-lit kitchen and sharing morning toast in bed, Nora says yes. Why wouldn’t she?
The answer lands on the night of their engagement party, when Bren turns up on her doorstep.
Growing up, Bren and Nora were the sort of best friends who everyone swore would end up together. But when a sudden heartbreak turned their lives upside down, Bren left, Nora stayed, and the silent longing between them remained unspoken.
Now, he’s back, and their tentative yet undeniable spark reignites, forcing Nora to ask herself: How can you know your heart, if it feels like it’s split in two?
Tender and compelling, People in Love is a story about what-ifs and maybes, and the moments of misunderstanding that can shape our lives. It’s a book about living one life while musing on another, exploring how our choices shape our relationships and inform our regrets, and revealing, in the end, that the real love story is not always the one you'd expect.
Author Profile:
Courtesy of Goodreads
Claire Daverley was born in 1991 and has been writing stories ever since she was six years old. After graduating with a degree in Fine Art from The University of Oxford, she began a career in publishing, writing about books by day but penning her own by night, on trains and in the light of the early mornings. She has spent most of her life in Hertfordshire, but now lives in Scotland with her husband and spaniel. Her debut novel, Talking at Night, has sold in twenty-four languages to date.
Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.