When the outside doesn’t always show what turmoil there is on the inside…

Synopsis

Some rules were made to be broken… especially when it comes to love.

After a tragedy left her heart shattered, deputy headteacher Adele Robson has rebuilt her life in Glenbriar, keeping her grief hidden behind a polished, no-nonsense exterior.

Rugged farmer Owen Lyndell is having a hard time with his wayward teenage son Max, and the summer holidays at Hillview Farm aren’t going well.

Term-time clashes over Max have made Adele and Owen loathe each other, so discovering her new dream cottage is next door to Owen’s farm is unwelcome news, especially when she’s finally built up the courage to carry out the summer bucket list she and her late fiancé dreamed of. And when Owen shows up accidentally during one of her bucket-list activities, they start to see a different side to each other.

Between horse riding, wild swimming, and sunsets over Loch Briar, both Owen and Adele have a chance to rediscover love. But only if Adele can overcome her past heartbreak… plus the immovable fact that she’s Max’s teacher, and when summer ends, she and Owen must return to a professional relationship.

But perhaps the last item on the bucket list is one already written in the stars.

My review

Adele Robson moved not so long ago to Glenbriar and is now deputy headteacher. While on the outside it seems that she takes no nonsense from anyone, nobody – not even her colleagues – knows about the tragedy she endured and why in fact she made the move to Glenbriar. While being a (head)teacher can be rewarding, it can also be a challenge. And for Adele, the real challenge is Max Lyndell, who is more than often pushing all teachers’  buttons and Adele has more than once called his father, Owen. And while Owen is struggling with Max, it also means that every time Adele calls Owen in the office, it is a clash between headteacher and parent. So when during summer, Adele discovers that her new neighbour is Owen himself, she isn’t all that thrilled. But as Adele has planned to use the summer to complete the bucket list she made with her late fiancé, she realizes that after Owen shows up accidentally during one of the activities, that he may be the person that can help her out to tick off some item. And the more time they are spending together, the more they start to understand each other and have even a chance to let love back in. Weren’t it that Adele is still finding it difficult to let go of her lost love, and the fact that being Max’s teacher is something unsurmountable.

I was very delighted to return to Glenbriar, as the author always is able to make me and the main characters believe that not only love can be found by everyone, but also that it can be found in the most unexpected ways, with the most unexpected people, while surrounded by wonderful people. People we also got to know in the previous books of this series.

Having read already how challenging Max is as a student, I couldn’t wait to see how the story between Adele and Owen would unfold, as for sure it wouldn’t be an easy story.

And just somehow (or rather, Margaret’s amazing writing skills) this story just got me…

It is clear from the very start that Adele has faced a terrible loss, and while I had an inkling of what happened, it isn’t clear of what actually happened. But I also felt that it didn’t matter what transpired, as Adele is obviously still grieving and having difficulties moving on.

And of course it is heartbreaking what she has been though, but what saddened me even more, was reading how she is keeping up this façade. After her move to Glenbriar, she shows herself as a strong woman, who doesn’t accept nonsense, nor from parents, nor from students. While she has made friends in Glenbriar, she hasn’t confided in them completely, told them about the reason she moved and what happened to her.

Reading how closed off she is, is what pained me also. Because yes, I can understand how Adele does not want to be pitied, but it is not only about pity, but your (new) friends can give you comfort when you need it. And in Adele’s case, be her biggest supporters.

I found it bittersweet reading how Adele also wants to fulfil the bucket list she made with her fiancé, even if now it will be a one – woman – task, and not a shared experience. And from the start I was hoping that not only it would give her some closer, but that she would meet someone on her path, making her believe in love again.

Obviously, us readers already know who her love interest would be in this story. Making it very hilarious reading Adele’s shock upon learning who her neighbours are 😊.

It would be easy to ‘condemn’ Owen as a parent who isn’t involved, who doesn’t care about the education of his son Max. And yes, I have to admit that before this book, that is exactly what I thought about Owen. Growing up isn’t easy and yes, playing up is part of being a teenager. But there are limits to what behaviour is acceptable and what not.

But, as I also already know, what we think of someone, at first glances, isn’t always what is true.

Though not at the same level, I felt sorry for Owen. He is trying his best to be the best possible father to Max. But he is truly struggling, as he wants to help Max, but is just out of his depth. He doesn’t want to push Max into a direction, but he also wants that Max learns how the world works. Things don’t always go your way, and we all have had to compromise somewhere in our own journey.

And we see the kind of person that Owen is. He is ready to help people out, and that for sure is a positive. But on the other hand, we also see that in the past there have been people taking advantage of his help, without ever getting any kind of help back. And perhaps Owen should also learn to ask for help when he needs it…

So it is clear that Adele and Owen are both troubled characters, for their own personal reasons. Add the fact that they have clashed in the past, you would think that on paper it just wouldn’t work as being now neighbours.

And yet…

What starts as Owen helping Adele out, slowly, very slowly, grows into a friendship, into an understanding and comprehension.

It was just so sweet to see how the both of them have walls up so high, and how they find with each other not only someone to confide in, but someone to trust, to connect with. Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight, but with each passing day, each day they are spending together, something starts to shift.

Seeing those developments, that growth, even if it is with some trepidation and fear from each side, truly warmth my heart. And even when at a certain moment, choices needed to be made, while heartbreaking, the maturity, responsibility of both characters was still so present. And it also shows how the both of them realize that while it would have been easier to be ‘selfish’, it isn’t the right choice to be selfish.

I don’t give that easily five stars to a book. In order for me to do so, it really needs to touch me, to move me. And somehow Margaret Amatt made it impossible for me to give the anything else but the maximum rating. While it wasn’t about recognizing myself in either main character, their story just moved me. It showed me how you *can* move on, how you *can* find that person that makes you open up again, and make you feel again.

Not only I just *had* to give it five sparking stars, but I also devoured it. I just couldn’t get enough of Adele and Owen, I needed to read more about their connection, their growth and just *them*.