To find solace and comfort in a place that is just *home*

Synopsis

Isla Stewart has a glittering publishing career in London, but when she’s unexpectedly made redundant, she faces an uncertain future.

Licking her wounds, Isla heads home to the Cotswolds. Keeping her devastating redundancy a secret from her proud parents, she seeks refuge at Finch’s, the enchanting bookshop she worked in as a teenager. With the owners struggling with their health, Isla steps in to manage the shop hoping to convince them that the business has a future.

Isla likes nothing more than chatting to people about books, but her safe haven is soon disturbed when she comes face-to-face with her first love, Charlie Brace, made worse by the arrival of Guy Madley, the incredibly handsome property consultant who has advice for owners Jon and Miriam.

As Christmas approaches, Isla has decisions to make. Does her future lie in London or can a whole heap of books and a sprinkling of festive magic offer a life that she could never even have dreamed of?

My review

After being made redundant in her publishing job, Isla Stewart returns back home to the Cotswolds. As it’s the Christmas period, she decides to keep her redundancy a secret from her family, hoping that something else will cross her path quickly. Being back home also means for Isla visiting the bookshop that during her teenage years was her workplace. But when the owners of Finch’s tell her that there are health issues and that running the bookshop has become more difficult, Isla does not hesitate to help these lovely people out, and she offers to manage the shop during the holidays. Especially as Isla hopes that Finch’s will prove its worth and its success. She enjoys chatting with the customers, even if that means meeting her first love again, who broke her heart. And then there is Guy Madley, who starts to stop by the bookshop more and more, but is also the property consultant, ready to sell Finch’s as soon as Jon and Miriam decide to sell. So even when the attraction seems to grow, Isla is also wary of Guy. Not only because his goal is to sell Finch’s, but also because Isla herself does not know where her future will bring her…

I always love reading books where something happens to the main character, forcing her (in this case) to return home. And then home, the place where that person would least think it, wonderful things start to happen.

In this particular case, Isla knows how wonderful her hometown is, how it’s filled with beautiful and kind people. So of course, after her redundancy, she wants to go back home, even if she is keeping that little detail a secret from everyone. And it was lovely to see how everyone welcomes her back, and also how proud her parents are of her.

So while perhaps I didn’t agree with Isla keeping her redundancy a secret from everyone, I could also comprehend why she does. It can not be underestimated how strong the burden of making parents or family proud of you, is. And as Christmas is approaching, it also isn’t the most ideal time to bring such news, is it?

I found it sweet also reading how at home, and how at ease Isla finds herself. It seems like she never left. And the fact how she doesn’t hesitate to help Jon and Miriam out. Because she cares about the two people but also because Finch’s is a place that fills her with many happy memories.

Rather early in the story, I was thinking that the romantic bit in the story would be about Isla meeting with her first love again, and that they somehow would find each other again. And that at the same time, Isla would meet Guy, feel an attraction and that Isla would find herself needing to choose between two men.

But I was happy reading how in fact, the story is not about that. I am not going to spoil a lot about that, but I can say that it was satisfying how the hurt of the past gets closure and how Isla finds herself drawn towards a not only a good looking but also just a nice guy!

However, for me the romantic bits, the love interest, wasn’t what made me love reading this book. It is the journey Isla is going through.

Because we see how at loss initially Isla is after losing her job. But coming back home also gives her the opportunity to figure out what she truly loves doing. Yes, having a career in the publishing branch is something she loves, but could it be that at home she finds something that she even loves more? Isla has a lot of figuring out what she truly want to do.

And I found it so heartwarming how she bonds with people, with customers, or the loyal visitors (whether furry or not). She shows her real colours her, how caring she truly is. And even when she initially feels a bit awkward with children, we see how in fact she is great with them!

There is so much love and warmth in this book, even if the main characters isn’t going through an easy moment in her life. We see how being surrounded by people that love you, being in a place that is not just home, but a place that brings you peace, you can find the answers you were looking for. And why not, perhaps even more? 😊

With books from authors that I know, I always have high expectations. And Jill Steeples is not an author that I know, but also that I love. So the expectations were already higher than normal. But she delivered and gave me even more than I wanted! What a wonderful, warm, hearty story this was!