Review | 99 Percent Mine

Title: 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

Date Published: January 29, 2019

Dates Read: February 1-3, 2021

Current Goodreads Rating: 3.44/5

So after the sad book that was The Lonely Hearts Hotel, I decided to go back to where it all started; with a Sally Thorne romance novel. Let me tell you it was a breath of fresh air. After I finished it I went straight back to the library and picked up a few more books that sounded right up Thorne's alley.

Ok, what happens? Darcy Barrett is a woman on pause. Her grandmother has recently passed away leaving Darcy alone in her run down cottage. In her will she stipulated that Darcy and her twin, Jamie, were required to use the money she set aside to renovate the dilapidated house, sell it for profit, and split the money between the two of them to do with as they pleased. Darcy already plans on using her half to galivant the globe, but first she has to find her passport.

Enter Tom Valeska. He's the house-flipper who's going to make this cottage look beautiful again and he's also the Barrett twins' oldest and best friend. Darcy's been practically in love with him since they were eight, but Jamie saw him first so he has first dibs. Now that Darcy and Tom are in close proximity to each other it's clear that there is something between them and Darcy wants to explore those feelings, but does Tom?

Ok, what did I think? Ugh, Thorne knows her way around good romance tropes. I know technically writers are supposed to stay away from clichés, but come on. Mutual pining? Sign me the fuck up.

I will admit I prefer The Hating Game just a smidge more than 99 Percent Mine, but that doesn't mean that 99 Percent Mine is a bad book. On the contrary I think Thorne does a great job at creating a believable relationship between twins and the guy they adopted as their best friend at a very young age. Darcy is a kickass bartender who doesn't take shit from any dumb boy who thinks he's a man and, honestly, I would love to hang out with her just so I can watch her make men cry. She has a rocky relationship with Jamie, who thinks he knows everything (like most men, am I right ladies?), but when push comes to shove they are both there for each other.

I mean....I get it Darcy.

Which is a kind of terrible way to go back to my description of Darcy and talk about her underlying heart condition. I have a soft spot for characters with a weakness that they refuse to acknowledge. Like I said, Darcy is a badass and she's not going to let her bum heart ruin that persona she's built up. I really enjoyed watching her learn how to still be a badass while taking care of herself and I definitely enjoyed watching the people closest to her realize that they can care and worry about her without babying and pitying her. I thought Thorne did a great job with character development all around.

Finally, I will say that sometimes some interactions took me out of the story. I stand by what I said earlier - the character growth is, I think, phenomenal, but sometimes a character (specifically Darcy) would say something and I would cringe so hard it would take me a second to get back into it. BUT here's my little asterisk on this note - I think this may just be because, as an introvert and recovering shy person, I would not say some of the things Darcy said.

Some slight spoilers ahead. For example, when Darcy discovers that Tom and his longtime girlfriend (and recent fiancé) Megan have broken up she practically pounces on the guy. In a conversation where they partially destroy the kitchen Darcy says the words and I quote:

"Get in me."

Which, to be fair, she cringes about for the rest of the novel, but if I were in that situation I wouldn't have said it at all. I also probably would never had said anything and the book would have ended with the house being renovated and absolutely no love happening at all. Just construction and pining.

Long Story Short:

• God, I love fun romance novels

• Don't tell a guy to "get in you" when you want to sleep with him. Just, like, talk to him idk

• I really want to flip a house now. Was that what I was supposed to get out of this novel?

My Rating: 4/5