I am a big Heidi Swain fan and have read all of her books so far so I was really excited to give this a read. Unfortunately it didn’t hold my interest and I gave up about half way through. Not for me, this one.

3.5 stars. Fun, predictable light story. Good narrator.

As always another super read from Heidi Swain!

I have read each and every one of Heidi Swains previous novels and absolutely adore them and when I found out that her new novel was set in Wynmouth I couldn’t wait to return here and escape in her warming writing style.

Tess works for her father at his company and she has always been such a dedicated hard worker but she has reached the point where she has physically and emotionally burnt out. After the loss of her mum and the discovery of a diary amongst her belongings Tess yearns for the comfort of her childhood haven where she spent so many happy years with her parents as a child, Wynmouth is calling her and she wastes no time in setting off for an extended break. Away from technology and being uncontactable allows Tess to switch off but as she begins to read the diary she found she begins to uncover painful secrets, but the folk of Wynmouth are soon on hand to bring a little light back into her life and distract her.

One thing Heidi always manages to do is create an idyllic setting with such a strong community spirit and characters who I become so fond of I just want to fall into the pages and live my life amongst them and this is exactly how I felt reading this book, I would love to have been enveloped in Sophie’s love and care and looking out at the wonderful views and tasting her delicious delights!

There is a higgledy piggledy hint of romance flowing through the storyline that although was a little predictable I still felt myself longing for certain couples to come together. There was a little lol point in this book which I though my attention was slowly drifting but there was then a couple of revelations that were revealed that I did not see coming at all and left me completely surprised and I actually think having my attention wavering slightly made these revelations more of an impact and had me hooked back in and greedily turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next.

The supporting characters were all loveable, friendly and supportive and it was great to see them all taking Tess under their wings and her being able to help them and their businesses in return.
This was another enjoyable and uplifting read by Heidi Swain, the perfect book to escape from the madness in our world right now.

Really enjoyed this book. When Tess moved to Norfolk, it felt like I had moved with her - the way the story is written, the location coming alive across the pages, it felt like I was there right along. While I liked the laid-back pace and the sense of discovery Tess encountered as she went about her days, this same pace got a bit stodgy and dragging around the half-way mark and I just wanted something to happen to make it all move along. One of the big reveals of the story had had me guessing about it from the very start, but a couple other reveals did hit me as 'wow!' revelation and that felt really nice. Just, it all dragged a little too much to get to those reveals in the last 20% of the book. Still, it is a nice read with memorable characters and a stunning location not usually seen in books