Stevie‘s review of Reasons to Heal by Jenn Matthews
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Ylva Publishing 13 Jul 20
I’m always interested in reading coming-out stories from the point of view of other cultures and backgrounds, since explaining some things to white middle-class folk of an older generation can be difficult enough. In fact, I’m interested in any sort of revelation that explains new things about the one telling their story and those hearing aspects of it for the first time. Obviously, then, a story about two women from different backgrounds and at different points in their lives and careers, although not significantly different in age, was bound to appeal, especially when the book was on offer the day I picked it up.
Molly Blue is a police officer in training, who has moved to Bristol from a small village in Devon, leaving behind her mother and three siblings. Kudzi Mufaro is a physiotherapist working mainly with the police and their civilian support staff. Although the two have seen each other in passing on Molly’s early forays into Brstol’s gay scene, they meet properly after Molly is badly injured while assisting with an arrest and sent to Kudzi for assessment and treatment. Molly is both the worst and best sort of patient, anxious to get back to full duties sooner than advised, but also keen to follow her exercise routine precisely in order to achieve her aim. She is also very attracted to Kudzi and suspects she has overdone the flirting when she is assigned to a different physiotherapist – in spite of being assured that this was an organisational decision – although that does free the pair up to see each other socially.
Molly and Kudzi come from very different backgrounds. Molly is very open with her lively family and spends a lot of time encouraging her Deaf sister to open up about why she isn’t getting along with the carer brought on to help in Molly’s absence. Kudzi, meanwhile, is out to her sister, but not to her very traditional Zimbabwean parents. Molly, like Kudzi’s previous girlfriend, is unhappy with this situation as the pair grow closer, but while Kudzi tries to talk to her parents, comments they make in passing about other people’s relationships keep putting her off the idea. Her indecision drives a wedge between her and Molly, and it is left to one of the new friends Molly has made at her group exercise therapy classes, along with Kudzi’s sister, to make the pair of them see sense.
While I liked the premise of this story and was happy to see the relaxed relationship between Kudzi and her sister, and the fast friendship between Molly and Lucy, I found the relationship between our main protagonists a little uninspiring. Not because the romance was slow to develop – I’ve had plenty of relationships that mainly involved very gentle and laid-back walking or coffee dates – but because there seemed not to be enough of a spark between them. I’m never keen on stories that jump from the making-up scene to the epilogue, either. So, an okay story, but not a great romance from my point of view.
Grade: C
Summary:
English police constable Molly Blue is devastated when an assault forces her to endure weeks of therapy and disrupts her promising career. The cute physiotherapist getting her back on her feet is an intriguing distraction at least.
Physiotherapist Kudzi Mufaro is a bold, confident woman in every area of her life except one. She hasn’t told her Zimbabwean parents she’s gay. That probably explains the parade of men her family keeps trotting past her nose. Is it time to finally be honest?
But when Molly takes a visit home, it rocks her to the core. She is forced to decide whether to stay and look after her sister or not. It would mean giving up her career and any hope of something more with Kudzi.
Read an excerpt.
