After joining in with both the cover reveal and the publication day push, I was really looking forward to reading The Things We Need To Say by Rachel Burton – so I’m delighted today to be sharing my review for the tour organised by Neverland Blog Tours. My reading copy – with thanks – was obtained via netgalley and publishers HQ Digital.
Sometimes the things we never say are the most important.
Fran loves Will with all her heart. They had a whirlwind romance, a perfect marriage and a wonderful life. Until everything changed. Now Fran needs to find her way again and teaching a yoga retreat in Spain offers her just that. Leaving behind a broken marriage she has some very important decisions to make.
Will needs his wife, he needs her to open up to him if they’re to ever return to the way things once were. But he may have damaged any possibility he had of mending their relationship and now Fran is in Spain and Will is alone.
As both Fran and Will begin to let go of a life that could have been, fate may just find a way of bringing them back together.
From the best-selling author of The Many Colours of Us comes an emotional story perfect for fans of Katie Marsh, Amanda Prowse and Sheila O’Flanagan.
“A true novel of the heart, Rachel’s The Things We Need to Say is at once beautifully written and achingly honest. This is a story that carries you away, taking you on an incredibly poignant journey, and which stays with you long after you finish. Read it!” Jenny Ashcroft, author of Beneath a Burning Sky
‘Devastatingly beautiful, inspiring and extremely thought provoking; Rachel Burton has written from the heart as she unintentionally becomes the voice of everything we need to say.’ The Writing Garnet
Review
High expectations can sometimes prove difficult, and I’ll admit I did struggle a little at the beginning of this book – I often do when the writing’s in the present tense, but I also failed to connect with the characters and found it all a tad unrelenting in its sadness. But by quarter of the way, the book had totally hooked me. I loved the Catalan setting of the yoga retreat, the stories of the other characters that entered the story (particularly Elizabeth), and as I found out more about Fran and Will – their love story, their marriage, and the reasons for their problems – they slowly won my heart.
I liked very much the way the back story unfolded – and its a heartbreaking one, beautifully and sensitively handled – and really yearned for a happy ending for this sad and damaged couple. Far from the misery I feared, the story was immensely uplifting, rewarding to read, emotions beautifully captured and shared, my heart aching for significant parts of the story but really inspiring by its end.
Giveaway
With thanks to Rachel and tour organiser Neverland Blog Tours, I’m delighted to offer the chance to win a bound proof copy of The Things We Need to Say and a pack of Yogi teas. The competition is open internationally: please note that the giveaway is managed by the tour organiser, and I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize. Here’s the rafflecopter for entry:
About the author
Rachel Burton has been making up stories since she first learned to talk. After many false starts she finally made one up that was worth writing down. After graduating with a degree in Classics and another in English, she didn’t really know what to do when she grew up. She has worked as a waitress, a paralegal and a yoga teacher. She has spent most of her life between Cambridge and London but now lives in Leeds with her boyfriend and three cats. The main loves of her life are The Beatles and very tall romantic heroes.
Her debut, The Many Colours of Us, was an Amazon Kindle bestseller. Her second novel, The Things We Need to to Say, is released on 11 May 2018. She is currently working on her third novel in which the heroine follows the love of her life to live in a city in northern England. It has no autobiographical elements at all…..maybe.
Find her on Twitter & Instagram as @bookish_yogi or on Facebook as Rachel Burton Author. She is always happy to talk books, writing, music, cats and how the weather in Yorkshire is rubbish. She is mostly dreaming of her next holiday….
Lovely review Anne. I’ve been waiting for the right mood to read this. Your review helps me place it 😉😊