If only there was someone to guide you through life, to help you make the right decisions and choose the correct path. Well, that’s exactly what fifteen-year-old Grace gets when Remy comes into her life, and delivers her letters containing sage advice. However, it’s not all clear-cut; lives are changed and lost, hearts are stolen and broken, and Grace’s life takes a twisting path across the years to get her to her happy ever after. Whilst this is a pleasant, escapist story, with a setting that’s easy to picture and fall in love with, I thought overall it was average rather than great. There’s a magical element to the storyline that for me felt a bit silly and whilst it obviously serves to give the novel its name, I didn’t feel it was particularly necessary to how Grace’s story evolves. There are three strong characters – Grace, Charlie and Danny – whose interweaving lives are absorbing enough across the span of the decades. Pack this for your summer hols if you’re after something light and easy. (JC)
Letters from Lighthouse Cottage, by Ali McNamara sees Grace return to her hometown.The summary says: "Sandybridge is the perfect English seaside town: home to gift shops, tea rooms and a fabulous fish and chip shop. And it's home to Grace - although right now, she's not too happy about it.
Grace grew up in Sandybridge, helping her parents sort junk from vintage treasures, but she always longed to escape to a bigger world. And she made it, travelling the world for her job, falling in love and starting a family. So why is she back in the tiny seaside town she'd long left behind, hanging out with Charlie, the boy who became her best friend when they were teenagers?
It turns out that travelling the world may not have been exactly what Grace needed to do. Perhaps everything she wanted has always been at home - after all, they do say that's where the heart is..." Letters from Lighthouse Cottage is out in July 2016.