Sometimes you just need a billionaire and a sunset or two.
Sometimes I want a book that twists my brain into knots, makes me suspicious of everyone, and has me scribbling notes in an attempt to figure out who killed whom. And sometimes I want to go to France with a billionaire. The Best Wild Idea by Lily Parker was exactly what I was in the mood for.
Grant, Silas, and Juliette were best friends throughout college. Eventually, Grant and Juliette fell in love and became engaged, while Silas inherited his father's billion-dollar company. Unfortunately, Silas didn't handle his father's death particularly well. In his grief, he turned into a rich jerk, pushed away the people who cared about him, and badly damaged his friendship with Juliette. Then Grant became terminally ill.
Before he died, Grant made one final request of his best friend. Exactly one year after Grant's death, Silas was to take Juliette on the trip of a lifetime and help her remember how to enjoy living again. There's just one tiny problem. Juliette hates Silas.
Of course, I knew this was a romance when I picked it up. I knew where we were probably headed. There would be forced proximity. There would be feelings. There would be page turning of the decidedly non-plot-related variety. I knew what I had signed up for. And you know what? I enjoyed myself.
I bought the developing relationship between Silas and Juliette. That was important because Grant wasn't some conveniently awful fiancé who needed to be removed from the picture so these two could get together. They both genuinely loved him, and his loss mattered. Juliette is trying to figure out how to have a life after Grant, while Silas has his own regrets to face and relationships to repair.
As for the billionaire lifestyle, I cannot speak to its accuracy. I have never met a billionaire. I have also, somewhat regrettably, never been one. I'm therefore willing to take Lily Parker's word for it.
But honestly, realism wasn't what I wanted from this book. I wanted something light that didn't require me to think too hard. I wanted to suspend reality for a while, travel somewhere beautiful, picture a gorgeous sunset in Spain, and watch two people who had been through some pretty awful things find their way forward. The Best Wild Idea gave me exactly that.
Was it realistic? I have no idea. Ask a billionaire.
Was it a lovely escape for a few hours? Absolutely.
