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You won't want to miss the new story from New York Times and #1 international bestselling queen of romantic women's fiction Jill Mansell, Didi Laing met her first love, Shay Mason, on a magical winter visit to Venice. They were rapturously happy together and Shay came to work at Didi's parents' hotel in the Cotswolds. Then one shocking event changed everything, and Shay disappeared. For thirteen years, no one expects to hear from him again. Then one day out of the blue, Shay returns to fulfill his father's dying wish. Moving into the best suite in Didi's hotel sets off a chain of events that affects the whole town. Everyone has their own stories and secrets, more intertwined than anyone could have guessed... Praise for Jill "Uplifting, heart-warming and supremely feel-good."— SOPHIE KINSELLA , #1 New York Times bestselling author, for It Started with a Secret "Laugh-out-loud entertainment."— Fresh Fiction for Kiss "A frothy, escapist romp."— Booklist for Fast Friends
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0The interweaving storylines of the book are interesting, but I feel that it distracts from some deeper character development in the "main" line. I also had no interest in Rosa's story, I'm sorry to say. The parts about her husband and wanting to sneak back to his tree were emotionally sweet but I could not have cared less about her quote unquote romance.
Honestly, Layla's narrative was the most interesting and fun in my opinion. You knew she and the taxi driver would get together but her unlucky in love plot was kind of a necessary jolt anytime it was her chapter. I think she could have had a book all to her own and it would have been successful.
The two leads were...fine. They lacked some depth which would have made the more relatable but mostly I just wanted to know why they liked each other. Yes we saw their "magical snowy night" that set everything off, but...I don't really understand what made them a match.
Overall, I would read this again, I enjoyed the prose, but I don't think it's one I'll add to my shelf.
0Didi and Shay met thirteen years ago on a trip in Venice, Italy. They were each other’s first loves, but unfortunately, something tore them apart. Thirteen years later, Shay is back in town and staying at the hotel that Didi owns and manages. He has really made a name for himself and is back in town to fix up his childhood home for his dying father. When Shay returns, old feelings are brought up between them. Didi had moved on and gotten engaged to a sensible man. Shay knows that he missed out on his chance to get back together with her. This book chronicles the lives of Didi, Shay, Red, Rosa, and Layla in a Love Actually style romance that will suck you in from the first chapter.
I really love books like this, where the author tells many different interlocking love stories. I loved each of the characters’ stories so much, but I think Rosa’s was my favorite! The writing was really beautiful, but sometimes I got confused at the beginning of each chapter because there were so many narratives. This was a cute and fun read that romance lovers will adore!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the Advance Reading Copy in return for an honest review.
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