Picking up the pieces after love broke everything

Synopsis

With the recent breakdown of both her ten-year relationship and her parents’ marriage, thirty-five-year-old Marnie Barnes no longer believes in love. To give her life the shake-up it so clearly needs, she books a ticket to Canada.

Thousands of miles away from her home and her twin sister, she struggles to have the life-changing experience she dreamt of – until she meets Nova, a dinosaur-loving space nerd with a penchant for living in the moment. After a wonderful day together in Vancouver, they part ways. Though gutted, Marnie thinks it’s proof that she’s not meant to find love and tries to move on with her life.

But a few months later, back in England, she bumps into someone achingly familiar. As Marnie navigates her new feelings, takes chances and makes the first move for the first time in her life, can she regain her faith in love – and find it for herself?

My review

Marnie Barnes no longer believes in love. Not only has her own relationship broken down, but also her parents’ marriage is in the past now.
So when she went on a holiday to Canada, it gave her the peace she needed.
Back home in England now, she has to not only make up to her friends and family for disappearing, but also hold on to think peaceful feeling she found in Canada and make again something of her life.
And then someone she thought she would never see again, is also in England. Maybe this is Marnie’s opportunity to believe in love again?

Before I even started reading this book, I thought it would be a real romance, our main character would, after seeing her previous relation getting ended, meet someone new and fall in love and by taking baby steps, believe in love again.
But after reading the prologue, I quickly realized that it wouldn’t be that kind of story. so I was intrigued.

I have to admit, I admired Marnie’s courage to just pack and go all by herself to Canada. That surely wouldn’t be something I would dare to do. I always need someone by my side, just in case!
Although I would have loved to read about her adventures there, she was rather quickly back home and then the story really took off.

It was sweet to read how everybody saw that Marnie got that ‘Canada Glow’ over her, a sign that the trip really did her good. But of course life didn’t stand still and Marnie quickly realizes that while she was away, not everyone knows the truth, making her look like the guilty part of the end of the relationship.

If you are looking for a pure romance book, I understand that you will be a little bit disappointed, because this book is more about the journey Marnie is making, and finding her own happiness again. She is determined to keep that glow with her, and slowly we start to see the real Marnie. And the real Marnie is such a nice, caring person, easy to like.
Even if you would only see the way she interacts with Paislee at school, you would know enough. Marnie is the kind of person and teacher that knows how to get through children and just understands them.

This book takes us through everything that Marnie goes through. The good bits, like her sister and best friend standing by her side all the time, or how she is happy to see Paislee open up more, but also on the not so good bits, like seeing the end of her parents’ marriage or realizing how the truth can be twisted and how people easily believe rumours.
However, the good parts prevail, and also seeing how there may be a love interest, was beautiful to read.

Talking about that love interest, I am not going to say very much about it. Not because I didn’t like it, because I did, and that person may be just the right person for Marnie. But I don’t think the focus of reading the book should be on this aspect…

Seeing Marnie bloom again was the real treat of this book and all the rest was a nice extra. I saw this as a lesson not only of love, but mainly about how it’s okay to fall a little bit apart after a tough time, but by taking your time (no matter how long it takes of how far it takes you), you will be able to pick up those broken pieces again. And that maybe that falling apart is exactly what you needed to find yourself again and be the best “you”.