Can dream bring you the man of our dreams?

Synopsis

Forty-nine-year-old Miranda is at a crossroads.

Her children have left home, her perfectly civilised divorce is more than a decade behind her and her romances since have been lacklustre, and her career has stalled. The bright spots in her life are best friends Sophie and Kirstie, but it’s clear something has to change.

So, when she’s knocked off her bike and wakes up in hospital bruised but not broken, Miranda wonders if the universe is trying to tell her something. And when she starts to be plagued by recurring dreams featuring the same featureless man, Sophie insists it’s a sign.

Her repeating dreams offer five clues to the man’s identity so, with nothing to lose, Miranda sets off on a journey to the future she’s always longed for. Somewhere there’s a life and a love waiting for Miranda, but will she grasp it with both hands or will she let her destiny slip through her fingers even when it’s right in front of her…

An uplifting, magical story about fresh starts, best friends and soulmates. Perfect for all fans of Lucy Diamond, Beth Moran and Jill Mansell.

My review

Miranda cannot say that she is unhappy. But she also cannot say that she is living her life at the fullest. The most that she can say, is that her life is a bit boring and predictable. Her children are all grown and away, her ex – husband is still a good friend of hers but has his own family to look after. And she loves her job as a teacher, but she also knows that when there are costs to be made, it’s last in, first out. And unfortunately, she is often the last one in… After an accident, Miranda wakes up in the hospital, and realizes that she needs to take matter in own hands, and make a change. And then the dreams start… dreams where she is happily in love with a man with a Geordie accent, with a dog named Colin, but a man without a face… Her dreams have given her 5 clues, clues that make her determined to find the man of her dreams. No matter how crazy it may seem, Miranda heads off to Newcastle, in the hope to not only find the mysterious man, but also to find the inspiration and drive for a new and fresh start…

People that really know me, know that I have the strangest dreams ever. Dreaming about getting married to strangers, being pregnant, even chased by dinos, been there, done that. And while some dreams I wish they would could through (hello, all the hotties I married in them! 😊) there are more moments I am happy that dreams are just that, just dreams.

So when I started reading this book, I knew that Miranda would chase her dreams. And even if that sounded a bit crazy, I kept an open mind, because I know this author, and I had faith in her and her amazing writing skills.

And I was right, because I truly liked Miranda, and I could easily understand the turmoil she is in. She doesn’t really have any reason to complain about in her life, but things for sure could also be a lot easier. And I could understand that she feels that something is missing in her life. She doesn’t need a man in her life, especially as she just discovered that her boyfriend has been cheating on her, but there is something to say about having someone in your life. And yes, she has lovely, crazy friends, but don’t we all need sometimes someone just more?

The accident that makes her end up in the hospital is the start of her wake – up call. Because it’s there she hears the voice with the Geordie – accent for the first time. A Voice with that same accent that suddenly starts to appear in her dreams.

Initially I thought it made sense that right after the accident, she would be dreaming about the man with that voice. But reading as how even after months the dreams keep on coming, well, I was intrigued! 😊

I admired Miranda’s determination to follow her dreams (literally) and her hope to find not only the man of her dreams, but perhaps also a purpose in life. And I liked how her best friends supported her, even if they have their own doubts. That shows how deeply they care about each other, supporting each other in the crazy ideas too.

I don’t know if I would ever do what Miranda is doing in this book, as there are several moments that I for sure would have just walked away, turned around and be very very wary of the people Miranda is meeting. But that is the beauty of books, isn’t it, it can let you see what would happen…

Now, I am not going to spoil a lot in this book, by saying who Miranda meets in Newcastle, and how those meetings affect her, one way or another. But I was pleasantly surprised to see Miranda out of her comfort zone, doing things she would never imagine, and just making new friends.

There are also a few moments I wanted to shout at Miranda though, as she wasn’t making the choices I wanted her to make. But in a way, that also shows us that it isn’t always easy to understand what it is that we truly want and need… Life doesn’t always come with a manual, and life is made by trail and error. It is what we learn from our errors, and how we grow from them.

Clare Swatman wrote once again a heart – warming story, about being courageous in life, even doing something crazy once in a while. But also about friends supporting you even through the craziest ideas. And it was just a great story reading how the man of your dreams may or may not be found in… your dreams.