This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Kay Brooks
A holiday in Devon, sharing a very big house in the country with two other families sounds idyllic; however, these three families are bringing an awful lot of baggage along with them. Evie Herrera is tired from running around after her husband, three children and slightly naughty, very stupid dog. She’s ready for a break but at some point, she is going to have to tell her husband what she is planning for her own future. Shen Little is glamorous, gorgeous and married to one wealthy business man. The fact that he’s had other wives and never managed to stay faithful doesn’t mean she’s not the woman to change that though, does it? Then there’s the notoriously odd Brown family. If Paula could just relax and stop fretting about intruders on the grounds, they might finally be able to have a good time together.
Firstly, there are a lot of characters to get used in this novel! The Herreras have three children who are all very different; the youngest is headstrong Mabel, next there’s Dan who seems to be sidelined to some extent and 17-year-old Scarlett, who is just starting to find herself. The Little’s have two children together: Miles, who again doesn’t seem to play much of a role at all, and baby Fang. They also arrive with a sexy nanny in tow called Elizabetta and gain a member of the family when Clive Brown’s son from a previous marriage, Zane, arrives in a rather controversial manner. The Browns comprise of Paula and Dan, plus their daughters, Tillie and Amber. Luckily, apart from the two young boys, all the characters are very individual, different and well-rounded, so I got to know them quickly.
The storyline is full of twists and turns, so I was never quite sure who was hiding a secret from who or even who was being genuine. It certainly kept me on my toes. This meant the novel was also really difficult to put down. I found myself wanting to read ‘just a little bit more’ and when it felt like the climax of the plot had passed and everything was coming to a calm conclusion, a few more unexpected twists were thrown in!
This is a wonderful holiday read that is easy to get completely lost in. If you do pack this one in your carry-on bag, prepare to be absolutely captivated.9/10