Estranged childhood friends unexpectedly reunite under bizarre circumstances and bicker their way to love in this bonkers romantic comedy. Ava Archer misses her best childhood friend most especially during the month of April. Ask any tax attorney, it's a lonely, grueling time of year. Luckily, Ava has just received a surprising and delectably absurd offer from her posh doppelgänger at work. She must pretend to be the aforementioned posh co-worker for one night at an extremely fancy party; a party so fancy, there exists absolutely no chance anyone will recognize her or suspect her ruse... Desmond (Des) Sullivan is a thief. And not the heart-of-gold kind. He’s the steal-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-also-rich-so-he-can-get-paid kind. He does, however, have one firm rule never steal what the target can’t afford to lose. After a brutal falling out with his father, Desmond hasn’t returned to Chicago in over ten years. But when a good friend is swindled and something priceless is stolen, Desmond must return home, both as himself and his thieving alter ego. Infiltrate a dangerous secret society of the world's most elite billionaires while leveraging his estranged father’s resources and not blowing his cover? Sure. No problem. Or it wouldn’t be a problem if Ava Archer hadn’t just walked into the room, wearing a ridiculous wig, speaking with a preposterous accent, and pretending (badly) to be someone she’s not. Bananapants is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy filled with hijinks and shenanigans. It can be read as a standalone, but the parents of the main characters will be familiar to anyone who has read the Knitting in the City series.
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3.5 stars
This story was a mixed bag for me. It took me a long time to read and I know a lot of that had to do with what was going on in my life at the time I was reading the book. But it also had some very heavy themes within the fun and, dare I say, bananapants antics. Penny Reid is always great at infusing her love stories with flawed characters with real-life problems. When I’m going into one of her books I know I will see these characters treated with respect and that I’ll maybe learn a thing or two.
When it comes to the love story of Ava and Des, I was all in. I appreciate that it’s noted that they haven’t known each other for 10 years and are not the same people they were before so needed to get to know each other again in many ways. I was frustrated with the way they pussy-footed around their feelings, but I could understand how scared they both were. Ava for what she perceived as a past rejection in a big way, and Des needed to be sure he wasn’t pressuring Ava or using her in any way.
As for the characters themselves, I loved them. Ava is kind but doesn’t take any guff from anyone. Des is a thief, but he’s a moral and ethical thief. They both need their families but are exasperated by the nosiness they have to put up with. No matter what is going on around them and if they are fighting or at a family event, Des and Ava fit together like complimentary puzzle pieces.
For me, this story is more about the growth of Des and Ava’s understanding of his mental conditions than anything else. Des’s thievery and the “bad guy” were interesting in the beginning, but soon began to wear on me and I found I wanted that part of the story to be over already. I wanted Ava and Des on the page together with no subterfuge. I did get that, but I wanted more of that and less of the other.
0Ava and Desmond made me cry. Desmond and Quinn made me cry even more.
Not perfect, but I loved it. You will enjoy it more if you’ve read the Knitting in the City series and know the original families.
The ending wrap up with Henri was a little anticlimactic. But needed to be finished without being drawn out too long so I wasn’t disappointed.
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