In Cedar Road, all the residents are getting ready for Lexi Warrington’s annual summer party. A night to be spent sipping Prosecco under twinkling fairy lights and gathering around the hot tub marvelling at Lexi’s incredible and glamorous life with husband Hamish.
For Julia, it’s a chance to pry husband Charlie away from his potting shed and their horrendous house renovations. A chance to pretend her life is just as exciting and perfect as Lexi’s.
That is until WhatsApp messages of Julia’s get leaked onto the Cedar Road group, messages that reveal the steamy dreams she’s been having about Hamish.
Running out of the party, Julia ends up on a trip of a lifetime…one that will change her life.
I can’t quite believe I’ve never come across Jenny Oliver before, I requested this title on NetGalley on a bit of a whim. It sounded like it was going to be a light-hearted rom-com, and it was that but also so much more. It was a sun-soaked story of self-discovery.
I found the first couple of chapters quite slow, and I thought perhaps I had made a mistake selecting this book, but once Julia sets off on a somewhat haphazard journey with Amber I was hooked.
Oliver’s writing style is effortless to read, full of delightful descriptions that painted the French countryside in my mind to perfection. Every sound and smell, especially at the antiques market, came alive and off the pages.
The characters are all perfectly imperfect, but for me the stand-out character was Martin, his dry humour and quick wit had my laughing out loud. I often find characters relatable, but I very rarely see myself in them. However, I found echoes of my own personality in both Amber and Julia, making both protagonists much more real for me.
If you’re looking for an easy going summer read, with a little more than the usual hearts and flowers, this is definitely the book for you. I will most certainly be reading more from Jenny Oliver in the future.
** Thanks to HQ, via NetGalley, for this ARC **
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