Portobello Book Blog

Something Old Something New is a heart-warming feel-good romance from Darcie Boleyn. Annie is a teacher working hard to support her three children. She is feeling a bit of a failure having just got divorced for the second time. I won’t tell you where she has to retrieve the divorce papers from in case you are eating! She gets on well with both her ex-husbands though and is still carrying a bit of a torch for her first husband Evan. Their marriage split up after they had a baby very young which caused problems as Evan’s work involved a lot of travelling.

For me, what makes this book so engaging are the characters which Darcie Boleyn has created. Annie in particular was a character I could really identify with being of a similar age (okay – she’s a bit younger!) and with children growing fast. How many mothers don’t recognise this scenario? “Whatever the time of the day or night I decide to have a soak, a phone will ring, someone will knock on the door, one of the dogs will throw up on the carpet, a child will be sick or someone will need a poo.”  As well as having two young children and two slobbery bulldogs to deal with, Annie is also coming to terms with her older daughter, Janis, growing up and having a boyfriend. This is really making her think about how her own life has panned out, quite differently from how she had hoped when she was younger. “It seems that my daughter’s journey into womanhood is making me question my own situation. Everyone comes across different turning points in their lives, and I guess I’m at one of those points now.” Annie’s everyday issues and bigger dilemmas seemed very real making her a really authentic voice in the book.

Annie’s friend and neighbour Cassie was a hoot with her aerobics and obsession with fixing up Annie, as well as herself. Cassie was a really lovely friend though, such a support for Annie, and she had her own vulnerabilities too. One of the main focuses of the book was whether Annie and first husband Evan could, or indeed, should get back together all these years later. I’m not going to tell you that of course but the way Darcie Boleyn writes about the two and their hopes and fears will have you wondering just how everything will work out.

The book shows the complications of modern family life, especially nowadays when families can be more than the traditional mum, dad and 2.2 kids model. But it also shows the joys of extended families, where there can be a lot of support whether from family or friends. This is a book which will make you giggle, create a real sense of empathy with the characters and may have you wiping away an emotional tear or two. This is the second Darcie Boleyn book I’ve read, the other being her Christmas novel Wish Upon A Christmas Cake. I find her style very warm and engaging and thoroughly entertaining and will look forward to reading more from her.

My thanks to the publishers Carina UK for allowing me to read a review copy via Netgalley. Something Old Something New was published yesterday, 16th May 2016 as an ebook. You can order your copy here: Something Old Something New

From the back of the book

Will you marry me…again?

When Annie Thomas agrees to give her ex away at his wedding to his boyfriend, she thinks she’ll be fine. With her three children at her side, she can handle anything. Then she finds out her gorgeous first ex-husband Evan Llewellyn is flying in from his glamorous life in New York to attend as well!

An unexpected pregnancy ended their relationship and as she stumbles through the ups and downs of life as a working single mum – helping everyone else find a happy ending along the way – Annie refuses to believe their old and incredibly hot spark can still exist.

It’s only when she and Evan are forced to face up to the past together that they’ll discover if they can have their own happily-ever-after too!