One Plus One by Jo Jo Moyes

The difficulty I have with writing a review of one of Jo Jo Moyes books is that the book is so much better than what I can say about the plot.  She has a wonderful way with a story, and so you have to just plunge in even if it doesn't sound like it is going to be your cup of tea.

This is a different spin on the Eliza Doolittle story.  Jess Thomas is a single mother who is raising her stepson and daughter on a shoestring and a prayer.  She works days as a cleaner and nights as a bar tender and she is still short at the end of the month more often than not.  Ed Nicholls is one of Jess' cleaning jobs and he is about to be indicted for his role in an insider trading job, a crime he absentmindedly is guilty of.  He is also guilty of not treating his cleaners particularly well.

Ed gets a second chance to make a good impression after Jess makes a series of decisions out of desperation and ends up with no money and an impounded car on the side of the road and a deadline she can't miss.  The rest of the book is about what happens, and it is messy, hopeful, and entertaining.