Book clubs in Worcestershire

This book had me gripped, laughing, hoping.. it’s just a lovely book overall.

I really enjoyed the apparently plausible solutions to the technological problems encountered, but appreciated the “humanity” of the relationships even more.

It's heartwarming, true and celebrates friendship between the generations.

It's considered by some to be a departure from Hazelwood's other rom-coms, with darker and more serious themes, and a more prominent focus on erotic romance. The novel features a dual perspective narration, with the heroine Rue's point of view in the first person and the hero Eli's in the third person. Both main characters, Rue and Eli, bond over shared personal traumas and darker backstories. Rue experienced food insecurity as a child, which drives her passion for food science, while Eli has his own family issues. The development of trust and emotional connection between Rue and Eli is intertwined with their physical intimacy, which is described as more explicit ("steamier") than in Hazelwood's previous books and includes exploration of kink.

Best summarised in this review: This is an intriguing and unusual novel which draws you in, to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. The central story line (spoiler alert!) is of an ordinary Anglican Clergyman living a fairly bland life in a comfortable English market town, whose existence is thrown into turmoil when, through an unexpected but credible turn of events, he comes to control the town’s main employer. However, all is not as it at first seems, and what could have been a dream come true turns into a nightmare for survival, during which he and others have to make life changing decisions. The background of competing pressures and priorities reflect real life, where life goes on regardless of other events. Matters come to a head during a desperate mission to a small war-torn African country. The lives of his family, and all living in the town and beyond, are touched in many ways, and are part of the narration. This gives the book balance and wide appeal, and is a change from so many modern novels which are channelled into a genre and written to a formula. The skilful use of dialogue and prose is well crafted yet easy to read. It is hard to remain objective whilst reading this book, as the dilemmas faced by the characters make the reader care and want to influence events, and it is this which makes the book difficult to put down. Though the early chapters are a little slow, frustration with this is part of the story, and the pace accelerates throughout; patience is rewarded many times over. It would probably appeal to a mature reader more than to youngsters, and is a bit more than a ‘holiday book’, in that it makes you think a bit rather than turning off the brain, but it is nevertheless a really good read for all occasions. Five stars!

It is a story of ordinary people coping with extraordinary events. Its characters are credible and the events believable. After some early scene setting it becomes a page turner.

Easy read and insightful

I thought I knew what was coming and where the story was going so many times, and I was wrong so many times. Each time I was wrong it just got better!

It explores the themes of racism and prejudice as witnessed through the eyes of children and makes the reader interested in the story and feel compassionate towards its characters. It champions justice and evokes feeling of liberation.