On the morning of her twenty-fifth birthday, Lily Harper opens the very last letter written to her by her beloved mother, who died when she was eight. Learning about the first and only real love of her mom's life is a revelation.
The same momentous day, Lily meets Eddie Tessler, an actor fleeing fame who could change her world in unimaginable ways. But her childhood friend Dan has his own reasons for not wanting Lily to get too carried away by Eddie's attentions.
As secrets past and present begin to emerge, Lily's not sure what-or who-to believe. But one thing is clear: in the beautiful Cotswold village of Stanton Langley, nothing will ever be the same again... (Pub Date: Jul 5, 2016)
Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley.
This reading was a charming 3.5.
Lily has never met her father, nor does she want to. Even now she has read the last letter her long-deceased mother left, all she searches for another connection, the person her called the love of her life. Her friend Patsy, on the other hand, is about to give up going after her one due a string of the worst sort of men. Coral, the one who took care of Lily, lost her husband two years before and doesn't think about finding another any time soon. In the small town the three live, the status quo is about to change, and secrets to be revealed.
This story isn't what I'd call heartwarming at first glance but when I think back, that was the feeling that lingered. The main theme seems to be "bonds thicker than blood", even though the words from the title originally comes from how Lily's mother ended the letters. And that was lovely to see developed and put to test as the plot thickened.
A love story was also involved for Lily—well, all three women had their own but Lily's occupied maybe 70% of it all. I also felt mostly satisfied in this part but it was also dull. The dialogues exchanged—here and throughout the book—were perky, they always managed to rob me a smile at the very least. However, the path from beginning to end was exactly as expected.
What really got me glued were the characters. Not all of them were perfectly round. I found Coral's love adversary, for example, the out-of-the-manual-witches witch. And so were all of the men Patsy dated but her ex-husband. The same applies to Lily's father. The moment the author needed some people being mean, she made no effort. Additionally, I felt bothered with the repetition of side characters' names, like Tanya and Will.
And yet, for a book with a plethora of characters, she made me love each of the main ones differently. I appreciated how quick she could familiarize the reader with them. I will miss all of those people and the whole town. Such an idyllic place!
I feel this could have been multiple short but nice stories; maybe that way could have been more entertaining. Not that it was too long but my urge to turn to the next page decreased too soon. The story is well written and makes for an easy read but we have no page-turner here.
Still, not only are the characters enticing, as above described, but it also raises themes for a good debate. Moreover, a lot happens without being overwhelmingly eventful. Having enough to chat about, the novel could be recommendable for a book club, or even a pair-reading with a friend.
Rating: 3 out 5.
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