By: Amy Miller
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this book and allowing me a spot on the book tour!
BLURB:
Hattie gazes at her husband’s empty green-and-white-striped deckchair, the fabric blowing in the breeze. Blinking away tears, she clutches her own chair’s wooden frame with trembling hands. ‘What will I do without him?’
Olivia’s heart breaks watching her mother Hattie withdraw after her husband’s sudden death. Without him, she’s never been lonelier. Every morning, Hattie places a pair of tired old deckchairs looking out to sea. Staring at the empty chair beside Hattie, Olivia comes up with a plan: One deckchair for hire! Must bring good conversation and have own flask.
Posting the advert in a beachfront café, responses from other lonely locals start flooding in. There’s psychic medium Miriam who, besides talking to the dead, finds it therapeutic to belt songs from musicals. Glamorous Glenda has a penchant for teapot wine and skinny dipping. And even a reluctant Hattie can’t resist the endearing quirkiness of Jacob, walking the south-west coastal path in memory of his wife.
Everyone who sits in Hattie’s deckchair has a little pearl of wisdom to share, each bringing a tiny bit of the familiar sparkle back to Hattie’s eyes.
But as more and more visitors take up residence in Hattie’s deckchair – and her heart – will Hattie ever find a way to return to the woman she once was? And in the process, can Olivia also learn a lesson or two about reopening her own heart to love?
MY REVIEW: This is such a wonderful book about loss, grief, heartbreak, friendship, family, love, life, and second chances. There is so much depth in all of these that the book breaks and fills your heart at the same time. Each of the characters were strong, well developed, and had a place in the book, whether or not you liked them. It’s a book that really makes you think and it makes you want to reach out to those you love to tell them that you love them. There’s also a theme in here about protecting your children and doing whatever it takes to protect them, whether or not that decision is the “right” one. As a mother, this really resonated with me as I struggle daily hoping that I’m making the right decisions for my kids. There is just so much to love about this book, and I don’t want to give anything away. That’s why it’s best if you just go read it!
Get your copy of this book here.
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