One Plus One/Jojo Moyes/368 pgs.

Jess Thomas has a life no one would envy: she's a single parent (her deadbeat husband left to live with his mother to get his life back together); she holds two crummy jobs; her teenage stepson,Nicky, is constantly being bullied; and her young daughter, Tanzie, is a math whiz. Through it all, Jess keeps a pretty positive attitude--until it gets to be too much, and the only solution to a better life is for Tanzie to compete in a math competition in Scotland. Ed Nicholls enters the picture--and has his own problems. The novel is told in different chapters through the various characters' voices. There is sadness, humor, misunderstandings, twists and turns--all ending in a wonderful novel. Highly recommended!