This review is written with thanks to the publisher for my copy of Becoming Ted.

Blurb:

A charming, joyful and surprising story about love, friendship and learning to be true to yourself, Becoming Ted will steal your heart.

Ted Ainsworth has always worked at his family’s ice-cream business in the quiet Lancashire town of St Luke’s-on-Sea.

But the truth is, he’s never wanted to work for the family firm – he doesn’t even like ice-cream, though he’s never told his parents that. When Ted’s husband suddenly leaves him, the bottom falls out of his world.

But what if this could be an opportunity to put what he wants first? This could be the chance to finally follow his secret dream: something Ted has never told anyone …

Review:

I chose to read Becoming Ted completely on a whim, so I wasn’t even sure what to expect, but it took me totally by surprise! 

Becoming Ted is a mostly character driven story and I grew to love Ted, our protagonist, pretty quickly. I loved his sense of humour and a lot of his story resonated with me. I would love Ted to be my BFF! He’s surrounded by some wonderful characters in his family and friends, who are all very different but complement him perfectly. 

Throughout the novel, I was rooting for Ted and I wanted him to find the happiness he so desperately deserved. I found myself giving him pep talks through the pages and there were moments when I could not help but laugh and cry along with him. 

The author also raises some more serious issues through the novel and themes such as homophobia and the history of homosexuality, domestic abuse and family relationships all play a part in this engaging story. The author tackles them all brilliantly and with sensitivity, giving the reader time and space to process their own thoughts.
I listened to most of Becoming Ted using the audio book, which is narrated by Samuel Barnett. He’s the perfect choice of narrator and he really brings the characters to life using distinctive voices for each one, including a lovely Polish accent for Oskar.

Becoming Ted is available from Amazon.