Best friends May, Lara and Clare are desperate for a holiday. They have been dreaming of a little cottage away from it all, long walks in the country and just a bit of time away from it all. But when they arrive in Ren Dullem, a small Yorkshire seaside town, it seems it is not the place they thought it was...
May has never quite found her niche in life, or her Mr Right. Then in Dullem she falls hook line and sinker at first glance for one of the inhabitants - but he's already taken...
Lara is living with James and his awful step-children who taunt her with tales of his younger, prettier ex whom they adored. The woman who Lara walks in to find James in bed with despite all his protestations that he wouldn't touch her again with a barge pole. Reeling from the hurt, she needs the sea air of Dullem to heal her. What she doesn't need is to be constantly in battle with the owner of the holiday cottage - a man who is every bit as bitter and resentful and untrusting of the other sex as she is.
Clare's fiance Lud wants her to go and live abroad with him for two years, but she's just been offered the promotion of a life-time. She needs some headspace to think about what she needs to do, but then she meets a very bad boy who is everything Hugh isn't - impulsive, wild and dangerous. Will this holiday be the break they all need? Or will it bring them all to breaking point...?
Review: something completely different again for Milly Johnson. She seems to have the ultimate gift for discovering something that hasn't been covered in Women's fiction and writing about it. This books deals with the weird and wonderful, but at the centre of it still has that lovely heartwarming tale of three women just trying to get the best out of their lives that Milly Johnson does so well!
I was completely drawn into this book from the word go, it literally travelled everywhere with me! It starts out telling you all about the dramas that are going on in the lives of May, Lara and Clare. As always these things are completely realistic and something which a lot of busy working women will be able to relate to. Not having time to have coffee with my friends is something I suffer from too. They are all unlucky enough and then find themselves unlucky in holidays too, when they wind up at the worn holiday destination, something which I'm sure one or two of us have inadvertently done too! The tale which follows is somewhat unusual but entirely captivating and definitely a page-turner!
These characters are Johnson's usual strong women with loud voices and big ambitions in life. I found Clare's struggle with what was obviously depression hard to read at some points, but I found I could relate to all three of the women and I am sure that there will be something for everyone amongst these three women somewhere. The male characters in the book were certainly that-real individual characters. Each of them added humour to the story and were very easy to picture from the descriptions the Johnson gave of these intriguing men!
Something else which was well described was the setting. It is set in a seaside town which meant lost of wonderful descriptions of the ocean, the bay and of the course the smell of the sea air. The cottage which the women stay in is also well described and I would have loved to have curled up in one of the comfy beds in the cosy cottage where they spend their week.
Without giving too much away in old say this is a wonderful summer read for anyone looking for something light and fun with a strong wholesome message thrown in for good measure. Whether you are a fan of this amazing author or not, I am sure that you will enjoy all this book has to offer. Although it is a long one, it is definitely worth popping in your handbag or your suitcase this August. You will find wonderful characters, and intriguing storyline and plentiful smilies to keep you smiling from start to finish. Another hit for this fabulous author!
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