An inheritance making a change possible

Synopsis

New starts and hopeful hearts…

At 25, Daisy May’s life is not living up to expectations. Her childhood dreams of being an artist feel as unachievable as a committed relationship or managing to save enough money for a deposit on a house. But a surprise inheritance could change all that.

After Daisy learns she’s now the new owner of a forty-foot narrow boat, she sets out for Wildflower Lock, where the fresh country breeze and the calm water is enough to assure her everything will be okay.

With the help of the ruggedly attractive, yet grumpy riverman, Theo, she begins to work on her new home, the September Rose. Can she breathe new life into the old boat and learn to navigate not only the canals themselves, but also the people who live there? Or will the whole venture pull her under?

My review

Daisy May is a 25 – years old young woman who feels that she is not living up her expectations. Her artistic dreams are as stored as far as possible, a committed relationship isn’t on the table, and we are not talking about how she cannot afford a place of her own.
Until she receives the news that she inherited from her grandfather, whom she only saw once in her life. An inheritance in the shape of a forty – foot narrow boat, in Wildflower Lock. The September Rose could be the answer to her prayers, only not in the way se thinks.
Because no matter if she thinks that selling the boat and the cash would help her, she finds herself more at home on the September Rose, and with the help of riverman Theo, the boat will return to its glory once again.
But will she be able to put the boat that feels like home for sale? Or will she have finally found a place to call home, with people who may be closer to her than thought… 

Isn’t it always intriguing having a story where the main character receives a mysterious inheritance? What would the inheritance be? And what would he/she do with it? Why did he/she receive the inheritance? And what other mysteries are waiting to be uncovered? 

This book for sure had my interest, as I was asking myself all the above questions. So without a doubt I just had to open it and discover the answers myself! 

At the start of this book, we can clearly see how close Daisy and her mother are. It’s always been them against the world, as Daisy’s father left them and never looked back.
And while that was sad to read, because no one deserves to be ignored by their father like that, it’s also clear that there is more to that story than Daisy actually knows. A feeling that only grows while getting more into the story and the more we see Daisy’s mother odd behaviour at moments.
And to make things even more suspicious, why would Daisy ever inherit the September Rose if the paternal side of her family never looked after her at all? 

I have to admit, for me, inheriting a boat would not be a great gift. I wouldn’t know how to live in it, to look after it, never mind renovating it!
Yet I could see how the September Rose would fit Daisy, even if she isn’t aware of it yet.  

Daisy starts as a real city – girl at the beginning of the book, but slowly we get to see how at easy she is on the boat.
And it was wonderful to see how there is a shift in Daisy, from a young woman with many disappointments in life, to a strong determined young woman to find the courage to dare to dream again, finding not only herself again, but also finding herself at home in the most unexpected place. 

Obviously this is only the start of the journey for Daisy, and she wouldn’t get to where she is now, without the help of her friends. Her old friends, but also new friends, like Theo. 

Theo for sure is the surprise of the book, as while there may be something simmering, we see the honestly and care of a real friendship growing.
Daisy finds a real friend in Theo, who helps her with not only the manual work, but is also there when she has the need to unload or when she just needs a shoulder to cry on. 

This book is, like I said, the start of a whole new journey for Daisy, where she discovers the truth about her family, which obviously shocks her. But she also has to find a way to overcome the feeling of betrayal, because in the end, the love she has is still there and is genuine.
But it’s also the journey about finding a home. A home, and not a house. Because a home is where you can just be yourself, where you can find your inner peace. And that doesn’t always come in the shape of a house, but in this case, in the shape of a boat. 

It’s a journey about finding yourself, daring to pick up your dreams again, even with trail and error. And it’s a wonderful journey to read about, even if the ending was rather abrupt, as I was expecting to read more chapters about Daisy and her quest.
But as this is clearly the start of a new series, I am already looking forward to the next trips of Daisy on the September Rose!