Sometimes the simplest holidays are the best!

Synopsis

A simple holiday just got complicated …

Single mum Amy has been struggling since her mother’s death and now her son, Harry, has been accused of bullying schoolmate Oliver — giving Amy’s dictatorial ex-husband yet another reason to criticise her parenting.

All Amy wants is the chance to spend time with her son. Where better to escape all her troubles than camping at the remote but beautiful Lake District farm where she spent idyllic summers with her mother when she was a little girl?

Her tranquil escape seems doomed when Oliver, and his widowed dad, Matt, turn up on the neighbouring pitch — but at Elder Fell Farm, unlikely friendships can be forged. Are Matt and Amy ready to fall in love again? And will their boys bring them together – or drive them apart?

My review

Amy is a single mum, and has been struggling since her own mother’s died. Harry, Amy’s son has been accused of bullying schoolmate Oliver, and her ex – husband does not agree the way Amy is raising Harry and cannot stop criticizing Amy’s parenting skills.
Even if things are difficult, and Amy cannot spend tons of money over a holiday, she decides to go camping at the Lake District farm where she spent many summers with her mother too.
What she didn’t expect was that next to their tent, Oliver and his dad Matt are staying with their campervan.
Is this holiday doomed before it really started? Or is this the opportunity for the two boys to become friends? And what with Amy and Matt? With so much time spending together, are they ready for a chance at love again? And most importantly, are their sons too? 

For me, I cannot imagine something worse for a holiday than going camping. I’m not saying that nobody should go camping, but that is just not my cup of tea. I just see so many things going wrong, with putting up the tent as first, then sleeping on an air mattress, and I am not taking about when it will rain, animals crawling around etc. Okay, maybe I watched too many horror movies! 😊 

But even if camping is not my thing, I absolutely enjoyed reading this wonderful book!

From the very start I totally liked Amy. She is having a rough time, and just tries to make the best of everything. I can only imagine the struggles she is facing. She just lost her mother, Harry is not the easiest child around, her ex – husband is not afraid to criticize her parenting skills and she isn’t really swimming in money.
But despite all the above, we can see how an amazing mother she is. She understands Harry, she knows how to act when he is being difficult, and the love she has for him is just obvious.

Oooh, Harry… don’t you just like the innocence of children? And Harry takes it all next level! Despite the rumours at school, and his tantrums once in a while, he is just a good kid! He is the reason I laughed so much while reading. He thinks he knows a lot, causing us readers to have fits of giggles!
And if he truly were a bully, would he really be friends with Oliver during their stay? 

Obviously for us, it wasn’t a shock when Matt and Oliver are Amy’s neighbours, but I can completely comprehend Amy’s reaction!
But it was just great to see how not only Harry and Oliver are getting best friends, but also Amy and Matt getting closer. 

I loved going on an adventure with Amy, Harry, Oliver and Matt. Each new chapter I was looking forward to their new plans and I felt like I was walking together with them.
What I also absolutely adored, was reading how Amy tries to re-enact with harry the same things she did with her mother. Obviously, as years have passed, things have changed overtime, but going back to places also reveals some secrets about her own mother Amy didn’t know.
But also seeing how feelings are growing between her and Matt, it felt like finally the two of them could have a new chance at love again, and it just felt right…

This story shows us not only that a holiday doesn’t need to be luxurious to be memorable. But it’s not only about the holiday itself, it’s about the people we love that are part of that holiday. In this book, both Amy and Matt prioritize their children, even at cost of their own happiness (Although, even if I comprehend Oliver, some of his own tantrums were driving me crazy!).
It’s clear that parenting doesn’t come with an instruction book, and no matter how many books you read, each child is different, so there is no ‘standard’ rule of how to raise your child.
Parenting is not easy, it’s all through trial and error… And sometimes we just have to follow our instinct for doing the right thing.
The author shows us perfectly the struggles but also the beauty of parenting.  

It was an impossible task to put this book aside, I only took a few time – outs when they were strictly necessary.
I laughed so much while reading, my heart melted at other moments, I got angry (the ‘B’ word does not only apply for children!) and I fell in love with lovely characters, who have gone through some hard times, but are daring to love again.
But… no matter how much I loved this story, I still won’t go camping!