‘<Beth to Jennifer> I think I’m pregnant. Normally, two days before my period, my face is broken out, and I get pre-cramps cramping. But my skin is as clear as a baby’s bottom. And instead of cramps, I feel this strangeness in my womb region.

<Jennifer to Beth> I dare you to call Ask-A-Nurse and tell them that you’ve got a presence in your womb region.’

It’s 1999 and for the staff of one newspaper office, the internet is still a novelty. Colleagues Beth and Jennifer frequently email each other, discussing their lives in hilarious detail. Shy IT guy Lincoln has been hired to police the company’s emails and in doing so stumbles across Beth and Jennifer’s conversations. As Lincoln finds himself drawn into their lives, he decides it’s time to find out whether there is such a thing as love before first sight.

This is a big departure, book-wise, for me. I don’t think I’ve ever read a rom-com before, but I decided that if there was a time to give one a go, it was while lying on a sun lounger on holiday. I’m glad I gave it a chance, because Attachments turned out to be a delightful, fun read.

Lincoln’s personal journey is interspersed with Beth and Jennifer’s email conversations, a structure that manages to be both clever and funny. You get to know the two women without actually meeting them properly, and I found this an original way to introduce two new characters. Their snappy exchanges are fun to read and will at least have you smirking, if not laughing out loud.

Rowell’s writing is both touching and funny, without being overly cliché. Her characters are realistic and relatable with just enough quirky details to keep them interesting. Episodes from Lincoln’s past are told with particular melancholy flair, sweet without being saccharine.

The inevitable falling in love of Lincoln for one of the women is given an edge by the fact that he only knows them because he has been secretly reading their emails. The question of whether this could be overcome, should they ever meet, adds an extra dimension to an otherwise fairly typical rom-com plot.

There were a few flaws. Chief amongst these was the typical problem of rom-coms, that being that the ending was predictable before you even start reading. I also found myself wondering why Beth and Jennifer, who admit through their exchanges that they are best friends, aren’t having their conversations face-to-face.

Despite this, I would recommend Attachments to anyone looking for an easy, light-hearted read with a few laughs thrown in for good measure. Perfect for lazy summer days.

Attachments is published by Orion.