Sally Thorne’s follow up to the Hating Game, 99 Percent Mine, has a sunshine yellow cover with purple text, but that bright cover doesn’t totally match up with story. Thorne’s latest has a totally different vibe. It opens in a biker bar. Heroine Darcy Barrett is a twin who’s lived in her brother Jamie’s golden boy shadow. She’s more fishnets and combat boots than an aqua bodycon dress. She perpetually takes off to avoid dealing with life when things get tough.
Now Darcy has to curb her wanderlust and oversee renovation of the cottage she and Jamie just inherited from their grandmother. Their childhood neighbor and Jamie’s best friend Tom Valeska turns up as lead contractor on the job. And no matter where she’s traveled, no one has ever measured up to Tom.
Thorne’s forté is quirky heroines, but where The Hating Game’s Lucy Hutton was Smurfs and strawberries, Darcy is boudoir photos and custom underwear embroidered with snarky sayings across the butt. She’s quirky, but a badass. She’s also a little bit destructive tendencies and sadness. She crushes bro-ey bar patrons with ease. Her internal dialogue is sometimes kooky, sometimes sexy. She’s flawed, but funny. And that’s why I loved her.
99 Percent Mine is a more overtly sexy slow burn, because Darcy thinks and says and does things to Tom Valeska that would never occur to Lucy Hutton. That’s part of what makes 99 Percent Mine such a fun read. We’re not re-treading the same ground. This time, it’s the heroine with the serial killer eyes. Finally getting her chance, Darcy isn’t afraid to say, “Are you gonna put your hands on me, or what?” And while it takes a bit to get there, once it’s on, it’s ON. It’s Tom’s flirty lines that’ll give you a giggle.
99 Percent Mine is not perfect, it has some gaps for me…Darcy’s heart condition is vague; Jamie despite being such a big influence on her life doesn’t fully show up until almost 3/4 of the way in (and he’s awful when he does). The story meanders in the middle like most home renovation projects. But Thorne brings it back together in what I can only describe as a love conquers all ending. Truths are revealed, past transgressions owned up and forgiven, and it’s a pretty satisfying close to the story.
I like seeing this new side of Thorne’s work. With 99 Percent Mine, she’s continuing to carve out a niche that brings the sexy to quirky (usually Brit) chick-lit. I’m all in.
4 stars
Thorne is coming to the US in April and will make an appearance at Avon’s KissCon in Chicago.
Get 99 Percent Mine at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon