ARC Review | In For a Penny by Caroline Frank |

In this debut novel, Penny doesn't realize, saying '"It's fine,"' is actually not fine.

Would you make a truce with your ex, promise to discover yourself without inhibition, live life as if there's no tomorrow, find yourself capable and return back one day to your favourite place where it all began for you both? I'm not sure about that. For some couples on temporary break, they may feel the same tingly flutters all over again but ex-couples like Penny and Austin, who don't know how to act around each other, promise they would get back together once life feeds them good, moreover, with a handwritten letter, reminding, ""I.Love.You.Please, always remember that""? Oh, Penny, I truly, understand your feelings. 

Title: In For a Penny 

Genre: Romcom, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction 

Author: Caroline Frank 

Publisher: Independently published

 Publication date: July 10, 2021 

Where you can buy? Click here

Caroline Frank's In For a Penny, is about a twenty-two-year-old, New Yorker, Penelope Marquez aka Penny, who isn't sure how she can move on from her complicated ex-boyfriend, Austin. London is supposed to be a fresh start for her. Getting a Master's degree in Politics, is the only getaway to breathe without Austin, though she knows how badly she's going to miss New York. She and Austin promise they would get back together once they are independent and capable of starting a life together instead of agreeing to do long-distance or any plan to patch up. When Penny is finally in London, she leaves her pity-self behind. Enter New Penny, who embraces her amazing enthusiastic friends in campus, gets drunk than ever, makes an irresistible policy with big flirt, Oliver, while resisting her awkward feelings for her best friend, Josh and enjoys her freedom nonchalantly until the date night, her new world crumbles down. Penny picks a wall with her friends and questions what she is still doing in London. Will she stay and fight or fly back to her home where she can feel safe? 

The beginning kicks to a great start - hilariously. The fiction is told by Penny's point of view. The prologue holds me intrigued after reading how Austin and Penny are unsure of their next moves around each other. The narration will hook you in. The writing style is lucid and smooth. The more you read, you will feel like walking with Penny hand-in-hand. The scenes delved me in but the dialogues mostly piqued my attention. Also, warning you, even when the author has warned beforehand, there are some scenes which are highly sensitive for those struggling with bulimia/eating disorder. It was uneasy for a normal person like me reading about Penny go through her relapse. For the reader, it may not feel so comfortable but if you can brace through the few pages without imagining the pain, then you can continue reading the rest. Although, the story moves at a good pace, showing how Penny is faring with her newfound calling in London until the plot takes a sharp turn. I wasn't prepared to gape soon. 

The characters are written phenomenal especially Oliver and Josh but I couldn't like Penny so much. She is messy, impulsive, highly indecisive but sweet, friendly and considerate. She makes choices out of the blue. Sometimes, she appears uninspiring. Though, she is not entirely bad but my opinion changed when she stops Oliver and Josh reporting about her date who took advantage of her. I thought, later, maybe, she will muster up her courage and like bad-ass she will confront the assaulter. But, she proves otherwise. Her thoughts about allegation were casual. She disappointed me when I was expecting her to stand up for herself and fight the perpetrator. Instead she says ""It's fine,"". I was shocked. It appalled me when she mentions that she would forget without taking action. I screamed, "What's wrong with you, girl!" Getting hot and heavy with Oliver is consensual but the set-up date forcing her against her will, how can this be, ""It's fine,""?

Caroline has written a humorous and heartbreaking novel that had so much potential. She could have given an unforgiving-strong persona to her main character. It would have been more appealing and inspiring to readers. Otherwise, I like the storyline. I completed reading this fiction in four days. Though it was entertaining, I still couldn't like Penny. If you want to read something dramatic without feeling uneasy, then you may try reading this novel.

P.S. I voluntarily read and reviewed a digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Note, quote or related content used by me from the book may vary in the published version.

Priyanka Patra is a self-published writer of Upon Me. She lives in Odisha, India with her family in a small town. She has done her MBA in Marketing & HR from Birla Global University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. She is aiming to write more books especially in fiction genre.