Last week I shared a fun #TenThings from Joanne Boden as she chatted about what she does when writing a first draft – and it isn’t all writing! You can read that here: #TenThings. Today I’m pleased to share my review of her latest book, The Old Bookshop of New Beginnings.
About the Book
Can two lost souls find themselves in Little Bluewater Bay?
In the space of a single day, Harry Taylor achieves the impressive feat of losing a girlfriend, his London flat and his bookshop job. So, when his cousin Lucas invites him to his home in the seaside village of Little Bluewater Bay to recuperate, Harry jumps at the chance.
Beth Smith works at a diner and is quickly overstaying her welcome sleeping on her friend’s sofa. Overhearing a conversation about Little Bluewater Bay reminds her of better times, and she decides to throw caution to the wind and try her luck for happier memories in the coastal village.
Could a bookish business proposal and oldest new bookshop in Little Bluewater Bay lead to the new beginnings Beth and Harry so desperately need?
My Thoughts
Harry and Beth both need new starts and for various reasons, end up arriving in Little Bluewater Bay at the same time. There couldn’t be a better place for new beginnings it seems.
It was such fun reading Harry and Beth’s story. Despite fancying the pants off each other, they were so wary of starting a relationship and so unsure of how the other felt. It seemed that everyone else on the island knew exactly how they felt but they couldn’t quite see it themselves! The attraction between them was magnetic and it was hard to see how they would be able to resist such a strong force.
Sometimes Beth’s reactions to little things annoyed me a bit. She seemed overly sensitive and over-reacted to certain situations. But then, I suppose people do react in different way depending on their personal circumstances and experiences. I so wanted her to listen to Harry and give him a chance rather than effectively turning her back on him! I was willing her to act on the advice of one of her favourite songs to “don’t stop believin’ “, to realise that there was a future for her in Bluewater Bay.
Once again, the community of Little Bluewater Bay played a huge role in the story. It’s such a welcoming, friendly and above all supportive community. Harry in particular found this quite difficult to accept at first, how everyone genuinely wanted to help get the bookshop off the ground. I enjoyed catching up with characters from the first book and, as I mentioned before when I read that book, I would love to read more about Lucas who runs the store which seems to have everything you could possibly need and Pamela who runs the café.
I really enjoyed The Old Bookshop of New Beginnings. It’s a lovely story of an heart-warming romance, in a wonderful location. As you can tell from the title, it shows how new beginnings and happiness can be found when they are most unexpected. I look forward to going back to Little Bluewater Bay again to read more about this community.
Buying links
Kindle UK: https://bit.ly/3XCrc9q
Apple UK: https://bit.ly/3XHvFbh
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3T8zRzi
nook: https://bit.ly/3HavApw
About the Author
Joanne lives in Lancashire with her husband and their two sons. When she is not busy writing, she likes to take her boys to the local museums, cafes and for walks in the countryside. Joanne has published 4 non-fiction works aimed at parenting children on the Autistic spectrum, based upon her experiences as a mother of an autistic son. She has also self published a contemporary romance novel, Picking up the Pieces.
Joanne writes contemporary romances with gorgeous heroes.
Follow Joanne on Twitter: @JoBodenAuthor
And on Facebook: Joanne Boden
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