When your best friend is going to marry someone who isn’t right…

Synopsis

Love is in the air…

After difficult times, Holly is finally adjusting to her new normal. Her daughter Hope is happy, she’s created a beautiful home, and an unexpected offer may mean fantastic opportunities for her sweet shop, Just One More.

But her sense of calm is shattered when best friend Giles drops a bombshell – a proposal to Sienna, a woman Holly barely knows and who isn’t right for Giles at all.

For Giles’s sake, she tries to make peace with Sienna, throwing herself into wedding planning. But as everyone else cheers on the ‘happy’ couple, Holly’s left questioning whether her doubts are about them – or about something in her own heart…

Return to the cosy world of the Cotswolds in this heartwarming story of love, friendship and second chances – perfect for fans of Holly Martin and Jessica Redland.

My review

Years have past since Holly lost the love of her life, Evan. And it took her a while, but now she is finally rebuilding her life together with her daughter Hope. Obviously it helps that she is surrounded by her family and friends, who understand what she has been through and have helped her through every step.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in these years has been the reinforced friendship she has with Giles. While in the past things have been awkward between them, Giles is now Holly’s best friend.
But when after an accident, Giles proposes to his girlfriend Sienna, Holly tries to be happy for them, even if she believes that Sienna isn’t the right woman for her best friend. As being the ‘best woman’ for Giles, Holly tries to make peace with Sienna, which is easier said than done. And the more she thinks about the upcoming wedding, the more Holly wonders if what she feels for Giles is deeper and more significant than just friendship…

After the devastating, heartbreaking yet also hopeful previous book of this series, I was eager to read how Holly would be living in a world without her Evan.

So when I discovered that this book is taking place five years after the previous one, my system went a bit in short circuit. Because I had that eagerness, and I was very curious how Holly would learn to cope even more.

But that doesn’t’ t mean that I didn’t enjoy reading this book, as it shows us perhaps that even after losing the love your life, it takes time to get your life back on track and even believe in love again.

And perhaps it wasn’t a bad idea of the author to let Holly enjoying her life, and not still feeling that heartbreak. Of course Holly still misses Evan, but the pain has diminished and she is able to look brightly at what life still has in store for her.

With Holly being surrounded by loved ones, friends and family, it’s in a way easier for Holly to move on. She doesn’t feel guilty for allowing the happiness back in her life, making changes that she would normally make with Evan, but now is making on her own. Evan will always be part of Holly’s and Hope’s life, but his absence wont hold this little family back. And is was so sweet to see how Evan’s family, even if living on the other side of the world, are still part of Holly’s world.

I have to admit, that i was surprised to read how close Holly and Giles got, after everything that happened between them. In a few books, their relationship has completely changed. But of course you also have to take in account that years have passed since the last book. And Holly and Giles also show us that people can change, that new chances can be given. And that with a new start, some of the best friendships can begin.

And while perhaps in the past Giles wasn’t my favourite character, and he already kind of redeemed himself in the previous book, he for sure shows his real nature in this book. He is an amazing friend to Holly, and their friendship truly works both ways: Giles would walk over water for Holly and Holly would drop anything if Giles needs her.

And just like is normal with best friends, Holly wants the best for Giles. And Sienna is not the best for Giles, as Holly sees so many signs of the mismatch. But it is also a testament to Holly that she tries to befriend Sienna, even if her own feelings are not as nice. All this for the sake of Giles, as Holly knows that not only it would make Giles happy, but also that if it would have to come between Holly and Sienna, Holly would lose.

Seeing the turmoil Holly is in, is not only eye-opening for her, but also for the readers but also very realistic. Because it’s only when we risk losing what we care about the most, that we realize how much we truly understand how important it has become. And that a life without it, or that person, is truly unimaginable. Of course it is also important to understand if the feelings are genuine or rather an act of jealousy.

In this book we see a lot of fear in a way. Fear  of losing, fear of mistakes, fear of admitting feelings, or allowing new feelings. Fear of acting upon those feelings too. But life is filled with fear, and letting all those fears hold you back, will also make you miss out on perhaps the best things, even things you thought you would never feel or experience again.
But there is also a huge mountain of warmth and love in this book. From friends, family, even some hard love at times, that forces the characters to come clean.

And this complete emotional rollercoaster, chaos in the book makes it an amazing book to read. Life can be hard and difficult, it can be a real challenge. But Life doesn’t give us anything that we cannot handle. It forces us in a way to get out of our comfortzone, it dares us to take that leap, that jump into the unknown.
I don’t think that the author could have come up with a better ending for a series, for characters that have been through hell but also to (maybe a bit over the top…) heaven.