1990. Please write and tell me why you should live here. Toby Dobbs received a big Victorian house with too many bedrooms to count as a wedding present from his father, but his marriage is over within a month. Very alone, and very lonely, Toby posts an advertisement seeking the "Unexpectedly Alone" to become his roommates. Fifteen years later the wayward souls he takes in are still living with him, with no intention of leaving. 2004. Please tell me how I can convince you to move out. Toby Dobbs has met Leah Pilgrim from across the road, and they're falling in love. But before they can begin a new life together, Toby and Leah must help Toby's house of sweet slackers and lovelorn misfits grow up, solve their problems, and set themselves free. But can their new relationship survive the test? Leah lives across the street from a ramshackle Victorian mansion called the Peacock House, and the only thing odder than the house itself is the people who live in it. For years she’s been curious about her neighbors but too polite to do anything but watch them come and go. When an accident happens right on their doorstep, however, Leah is finally introduced to the members of Peacock House, including Toby, the landlord. Toby took on his curious tenants out of empathy, but now that he’s nearly 40 he realizes he’s stagnated and needs a change—starting with his house. As Leah slowly becomes involved with Toby and the house, Toby takes it on himself to learn more about his tenants, why they’re there, and where they’re going, and this inquiry includes himself. Leah and Toby’s quiet relationship is touching and believable; the tenants are eccentric, but behind their quirks stand very real characters with emotional depth. A truly satisfying read that’s sincere without being sugary. --Hilary Hatton “It’s an intriguing premise: What if your very first love was the one you’ve been destined for all along? ...What makes their story much more than a cutesy chick-lit tale is Jewell’s realistic, often dark portrayal of modern love. The story, populated with well-drawn characters, is ridiculously readable, too. A-” - Entertainment Weekly “This is one of those rare books with the variety, complexity and unexpectedness of real life.” - Daily Telegraph (London) 1990. Please write and tell me why you should live here. Toby Dobbs received a big Victorian house with too many bedrooms to count as a wedding present from his father, but his marriage is over within a month. Very alone, and very lonely, Toby posts an advertisement seeking the "Unexpectedly Alone" to become his roommates. Fifteen years later the wayward souls he takes in are still living with him, with no intention of leaving. 2004. Please tell me how I can convince you to move out. Toby Dobbs has met Leah Pilgrim from across the road, and they're falling in love. But before they can begin a new life together, Toby and Leah must help Toby's house of sweet slackers and lovelorn misfits grow up, solve their problems, and set themselves free. But can their new relationship survive the test? Lisa Jewell is the author of six novels, including Ralph's Party and Vince and Joy . Born and raised in north London, she lives there still with her husband and children.