The Beach Holiday by Isabelle Broom

A somebody. A nobody.

A love story waiting to be written . . .

All aspiring novelist Honor has ever wanted is to be successful. It's the only way she can impress the father who abandoned her, the boyfriend who gave up on her, and the nagging voice in her head that tells her she's not good enough.

Still, wanting to tell a story is not the same as having a story to tell, and Honor knows she needs to find a new source of inspiration.

When she's invited to spend a summer abroad in The Hamptons, Honor realises it could be the dream setting for a book, especially when a chance encounter provides her with the perfect leading man.

But blurring fact and fiction is a dangerous game, and Honor soon discovers that writing her way to success might come at the expense of her own happy ever after . . .

Title: The Beach Holiday

Author:  Isabelle Broom

Published By: Hodder and Stoughton

Publication Date: 22nd June 2023

Links:  

UK:  Amazon   US:  Amazon

Waterstones

WHSmith

Our Review

I have literally travelled the world with Isabelle Broom, well in a literary sense I have anyway as her books are set in such beautiful destinations all around the globe.

Despite loving all of them I think this was one of my favourites. I was excited to read this book from the moment I saw Isabelle was on a research trip in the Hamptons and she was in Montauk where the brilliant TV series The Affair was based.

Honor had a difficult relationship with her father made even more awkward because he was a famous action author and she an aspiring romance author. When she goes to visit him for the summer they go to the Hamptons and that is when her adventure begins. Her cycle ride is brought to an abrupt stop when she crashes into the extremely hunky Cellan who says he's a stunt man. The meeting with him inspires her to write although she daren't show her father because of his previous criticism.

As she and Cellan keep bumping into each other they develop a friendship which for various reasons isn't easy for either of them as they find it hard to trust people.

I loved all of the exploring of the beautiful area as Honor finds her way round and the fun days on the beach and in the hotel. They eventually discover that someone cant be trusted and I felt so sorry for Honor when the public find out who she is and make horrible comments online and she is accused of something extremely hurtful. It highlights the toxicity of social media and of someone trying to live their life out of the public eye.

This beautiful slow burn relationship was a delight to read about and I just loved everything about it. Isabelle Broom at her very best with this perfect summer read.

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Isabelle Broom was born in Cambridge nine days before the 1980s began and studied Media Arts in London before a 12-year stint at heat, the UK"s top celebrity magazine. Always happiest when she's off on an adventure, Isabelle travels all over the world seeking out settings for her escapist fiction novels. Currently based in Suffolk, where she shares a home with two dogs and approximately 467 spiders, Isabelle fits her writing around a busy freelance career and tries her best not to be crushed to oblivion under her ever-growing pile of to-be-read books.

Find Isabelle on Twitter @Isabelle_Broom, Instagram @Isabelle_Broom_Author, Facebook/IsabelleBroomAuthor and on YouTube/IsabelleBroomAuthor, where she hosts a weekly author interview series called Hello (Again). To learn more about her books, view location galleries, read excerpts and sign up to her monthly newsletter, visit her website www.isabellebroom.com

The Book Lovers' Retreat by Heidi Swain

One long summer. One perfect setting. Can fiction inspire real life…?

Sometimes a book grabs you by the heart and grows to mean everything to you. That’s what Hope Falls is to friends Emily, Rachel and Tori. So, when they get the chance to spend a whole summer at the cottage in Lakeside where the film adaptation was located, they know it is going to be the holiday of a lifetime.
Spending six weeks away will give them a chance to re-evaluate their life choices. For Emily to decide which way her career will go – the safe route, or the more risky creative option? And for Rachel to decide whether to move in with her partner Jeremy. Then Tori has to drop out at the last moment, and her space is offered to another Hope Falls afficionado, Alex.
But when Alex turns out not to be who they expected, the holiday takes an unforeseen turn. And as the summer develops, so does their friendship. Could this be where they uncover their future selves, find love in all its forms and where their lives will change course forever…?

Title: The Book Lovers' Retreat

Author: Heidi Swain

Published By: Simon & Schuster UK

Publication Date: 13th April

Links: UK:  Amazon      US:  Amazon

Waterstones

WHSmith

Our Review 

Omg I cannot believe this is Heidi Swain’s 16th book especially as I met her when she’d just had the offer for her first book The Cherry Tree Cafe and those years have flown by. I’ve loved every single one of them so far but this one is by far my favourite and I just had goosebumps when I read the ending as it was so beautiful. 

 As soon as I heard the title of this book I knew I was going to love it and then when Heidi talked about the concept of it I simply adored it. 

The thought of being able to rent out a house that was in a film of a book is just amazing and brilliant and I can just imagine Hallmark wanting to bash Heidi’s front door down with film offers for this book. 

Em and her friends Rachel and Tori have had this holiday booked for years, they are all ardent fans of both the book Hope Falls and the movie based on it so when the time comes they are beyond excited. 

Up until Tori’s Dad puts a stop to their plans by not letting Tori go. 

Em and Rachel have to decide whether to cancel or choose someone from the waiting list of fans to share with them. 

The person they choose is not quite what they were expecting and their carefully arranged plans begin to fall apart. 

They eventually meet Connor, the handsome pub landlord and they all become great friends. 

As they reenact scenes from the book they become aware of their own failings and wishes and even though none of them quite believe in themselves enough they gain strength from the belief that their friends have in them. 

I don’t want to give too much away because spoilers but this book is so uplifting and gorgeous and you will not want to put it down. Em’s creative project is just genius and beautiful and I loved the way her creations helped bring about comfort. 

Watching the friendships withstand hardships and troubles and come out stronger than before was inspiring and watching the love story between two of the characters blossom and grow was gorgeous. 

Uplifting and emotional, a story of friends sticking together through thick and thin with a large helping of love and new beginnings. 

Sincerely

Book Angel x 

About the Author

Heidi Swain is a Sunday Times Top Ten best-selling author who writes feel good fiction with heart for Simon and Schuster. She releases two books a year (early summer and winter) and the stories all have a strong sense of community, family and friendship. She is currently writing books set in three different locations - the Fenland town of Wynbridge, Nightingale Square in Norwich and Wynmouth on the Norfolk coast.

Heidi lives in beautiful south Norfolk. She is passionate about gardening, the countryside, collecting vintage paraphernalia and reading. Her tbr pile is always out of control!

Heidi loves to chat with her readers and you can get in touch via her website heidiswain.co.uk/ or Twitter @Heidi_Swain