Her boyfriend Sam is back home in Britain, working as a paramedic and waiting for Louisa’s return.
As would be expected from Moyes, Still Me is an emotional rollercoaster of a read.
There are lows as Louisa’s plans for the year go spectacularly wrong and she finds herself jobless and homeless.
Moyes doesn’t spare her reader and we are exposed to the sadness and injustices Louisa experiences along the way.
Then there are highs as she meets the charming, handsome Josh.
We are also treated to a wealth of beautifully created characters who are an absolute joy to meet from Mrs De Witt, who becomes something of a mentor, to Dean Martin, the pug dog who steals the show.
Moyes captures the essence of New York perfectly.
The excesses of the incredibly wealthy make for fascinating reading and contrast starkly with the lives of the people at their beck and call, with Louisa as the thread that ties them together.
Still Me is an absolute triumph and my favourite of the trilogy.
Louisa Clark is a character who worms her way into the reader’s heart and stays firmly put as we cheer her on through all of her adventures, resulting in a joyful story with a pitch-perfect ending.
This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell
ESSIE writes a tongue-in-cheek Christmas round robin letter as a joke for her friend Scarlett.Â
But then her brother’s friend Lucas presses the “forward to all” button on her email and by the end of the next day she is single, homeless and out of a job.
So elderly Zillah offers Essie a room in her house on Percival Square and she finds a job at the bar across the street.Â
She enjoys her job, her home is lovely and she starts to make new friends. She hopes that life might work out for the best.
But it all takes a turn for the complicated when she is introduced to the owner of the bar: Lucas, the man who forwarded her disastrous email.
Jill Mansell returns with another wonderfully warm story filled with colourful and lovable characters who will lift your spirits.
Essie’s vulnerability makes her an endearing heroine while Zillah has a heart of gold in a tough shell, granting wishes for patients in the local hospice whose touching life stories we learn along the way.Â
This Could Change Everything contains incredibly poignant moments that bring a lump to the throat but are offset with humour and romance.
An uplifting, heartwarming and enjoyable read.
The Endless Beach by Jenny Colgan
FLORA runs the Summer Seaside Kitchen, a cafe on the Endless Beach of the Scottish island of Mure.Â
The cafe has become the heart of the community but Flora is still struggling to make ends meet.Â
Flora’s friend Lorna, a teacher at the local school, is also struggling but her problems are affairs of the heart: she has fallen for Saif, the island doctor.
Unlike Flora and Lorna who grew up on Mure, Saif arrived as a Syrian refugee, his heart broken because he lost his wife and two small boys on his terrible journey.
While The Endless Beach is a charming feelgood story, Jenny Colgan also tackles important topical issues.Â
Saif’s daily struggle to fit in with the islanders, to deal with his heartbreak and adjust to life in a new country is incredibly well done while Flora’s endless battle with finances and family are refreshingly realistic.
Jenny Colgan has created a community of lovable characters set against a delightful island that is brought brilliantly to life and I hope she writes more stories about this irresistible community.Â
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