This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Kelly Allen
One day Hadley Dunn decides to apply for a year of study in Switzerland. Having stayed at home to study for her degree, she sees an opportunity for an adventure and at the last minute, she applies for a place. To her surprise she is accepted and when she arrives in Lausanne, she instantly falls in love. It has the charm, beauty and excitement that you find in picture postcards and her adventure begins when she meets the enchanting Kristina. After a short space of time, they become the closest of friends and, apart from their studies and secret chance meetings with the men in their lives, they are inseparable.
One snowy night, the group venture out for Hadley’s birthday, but the next morning they discover there was a tragic accident. Hadley’s world is turned upside down and she turns to an elderly gentleman called Hugo for help and advice. She also seeks out her Professor, Joel, a man with a deeper understanding of grief, but this relationship leads to an intimacy far beyond the realms of friendship.
During her year in Lausanne, Hadley has to come to terms with life and death, love and hate and the fact that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I absolutely loved it. It was so easy to read each chapter and imagine the beautiful scenes brought to life by such vivid and original descriptions. I thought Hadley was a fantastic character, with her own opinions, observations of others and the bond between her and Kristina that occurred so fast, yet so realistically. It really made me think back to my own experiences with friends and how quickly you can just connect with somebody you hardly know.
When the terrible moment occurs in the book, my heart broke as I thought about my own friends and how awful grief and loss is. The anger Hadley shows in the face of everyone else continuing their lives and actively ‘moving on’ from the awful event is so incredibly realistic. I connected with the anger and bitterness that Hadley feels when the world keeps turning and she is left empty and broken. There is an honest sincerity in the book with regards to grief, and I felt I shared a secret understanding with Hadley, a wonderful yet sad thing to have experienced.I absolutely loved the strength in each character and at no point did I ever feel confused or as if there were too many characters to keep up with. The interaction between the students and their changing relationships was very realistic and the interesting twists and turns between each chapter left me wanting to read more and more. I actually felt sadness when the book came to a close, wishing there was more to read and more to think about and question.
The story was really well written and nicely balanced throughout; at no point did I feel bored or confused. I was just blown away by the world Hadley was thrown into and then swept along with her romantically tragic journey. Since reading this book, I have an overwhelming need to visit Lausanne and trace the steps of Hadley through her journey of the strangest, most heart-breaking year of her life.
If you have ever loved and lost, you will truly lose yourself within this book. Simply beautiful.
9/10
Emylia Hall's Website