A story of life and love, relatable characters and so nice to see a female strong lead character. Would make a great film or limited series, and the scenery would be fantastic.

Lovebirds by Aussie author Amanda Hampson is a beautifully written love story between Elizabeth (Lizzy) and Ray. Lizzy was only sixteen when she ran away to be with Ray. They were so in love and enjoyed living in Sydney where they both had great jobs. Lizzy and Ray couldn't be happier, but all that was about to change when Ray was called upon to join the Vietnam War. Lizzy missed her much-loved Ray and couldn't wait until the day he came back.

When Ray returned from Vietnam, he was a different man. While we follow their journey through marriage and family, we also follow Ray, who suffers from severe PTSD. For Ray, things will never be the same and he wants to be alone, so he decides to leave his family.

Lizzy is now in her sixties and terribly lonely as her children and grandchildren are grown up and she rarely sees any of them. Her only real companion is her talkative budgie Eric. When her fifteen year old grandson Zach gets into trouble with the law, Lizzy knows she must help him and in doing so they set out on a road trip to find her beloved Ray. Their road trip turns into quite an adventure and as Lizzy and Zach get to know each other a lot better they also meet a lot of great people along the way, but will they eventually find Ray.

This was a wonderful love story that I really enjoyed. A truly heartwarming story with great characters, including Eric the budgie and a plot that touched on some real life issues such as PTSD. This book made me laugh out loud sometimes, but then there were times I felt like reaching out for a tissue. Highly recommended.