I’m delighted today to be joining the blog tour for The Book-Lovers’ Retreat, the latest book from Heidi Swain, and sharing my review – published on 13th April by Simon & Schuster, it’s now available in paperback, as an e-book on all major platforms, and as an audiobook. My thanks to Sara-Jade Virtue at @TeamBATC for the invitation, and to Harriett Collins for the support – and thank you too for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley – but I did buy my own e-copy too, so I could leave a verified review on Amazon!), and the finished paperback that is now looking beautiful on my bookshelves.
You might remember that until the end of last year I’d never read one of Heidi’s books before (I know, I know…) – and when I read and reviewed A Christmas Celebration I wondered why on earth it had taken me so long. You’ll find my review here – and you’ll all know, I’m sure, that it’s the book that was the well-deserved winner of the Popular Romantic Fiction prize at March’s RNA awards. Yes, I was certainly more than happy to declare myself a new Swainette! But, after zooming with the Books and the City team for their 2023 showcase, Heidi’s latest was a book I was particularly looking forward to – an intriguingly different theme, a standalone, and perhaps a bit of a departure from her usual series. Let’s take a closer look…
One long summer. One perfect setting. Can fiction inspire real life…?
Sometimes a book grabs you by the heart and grows to mean everything to you. That’s what Hope Falls is to friends Emily, Rachel and Tori. So, when they get the chance to spend a whole summer at the cottage in Lakeside where the film adaptation was located, they know it is going to be the holiday of a lifetime.
Spending six weeks away will give them a chance to re-evaluate their life choices. For Emily to decide which way her career will go – the safe route, or the more risky creative option? And for Rachel to decide whether to move in with her partner Jeremy. Then Tori has to drop out at the last moment, and her space is offered to another Hope Falls afficionado, Alex.
But when Alex turns out not to be who they expected, the holiday takes an unforeseen turn. And as the summer develops, so does their friendship. Could this be where they uncover their future selves, find love in all its forms and where their lives will change course forever…?
Having so enjoyed the author’s last book, I went into this one with a few expectations – and although it’s really no way to start a review, I must admit I thought at first that I might be disappointed. It’s the story of three friends – Emily, Rachel and Tori – who are about to live their dream with a six week holiday in the Lakes at the cottage where their favourite book, Hope Falls, was made into the film they’re equally obsessed with. The voice of the story is Emily – and again, I have to say that I found her difficult at first, often short-tempered and abrasive, snappy with her friends. And I was almost glad that Tori was unable to make the trip – I think I liked her even less at the outset – with her place taken by last minute replacement Alex, who they’ve never met before.
But worry not! As the group threw themselves (sometimes quite literally) into the whole experience, their real characters slowly emerged, along with their lives’ complications and the journeys towards their resolution and whatever the future might hold – and I felt for every one of them, laughed and cried with them, enjoyed every wonderful film-based moment they experienced along the way, and really took every one of them to my heart.
The setting is just wonderful – the cottage itself (I might not have the emotional connection to the film that they do, but I’d rather like to stay in that main bedroom too!), the nearby lake, the village of Lakeside a manageable walk away with its friendly pub (and equally friendly landlord, who becomes part of the story) and village shop to cater for all their needs (including many they didn’t know they had). And that wonderful wild waterfall they found after a tip-off, that more than made up for the disappointment of the one used for the film, now rather spoiled by being turned into a tourist attraction.
And each of the friends is at rather a crossroads in their lives. Emily herself has a new job to start on her return, but her true passion is her patchwork creations, clothing and pictures made with materials precious in various ways – she’d love to make it a full-time business, but worries that it wouldn’t pay the bills when Rachel moves out of their flat to live with her controlling boyfriend. In fact, she worries that Rachel might feel she shouldn’t make the move at all – but maybe that might not be such a bad thing. And Alex proves to have quite a back story too – a particularly touching and emotional one, as they struggle to get to a point when they’re ready to move on. And then Tori joins them again – a catalyst for a few big decisions, causing some chaos, but also on a particularly transformative journey of her own.
This was such a beautifully told story, with tears and laughter along the way – filled with love and very real friendship, and with some superb character development as each individual discovers what will truly make them happy. And, after that slightly shaky start, I enjoyed their company every step of the way – I felt I was part of their story, understood entirely the way the book and film became such a big part of their lives (as any book-lover would), and was entirely invested in their hoped for happy endings. A lovely and particularly heart-warming read – and one I’d recommend to all.
About the author
Heidi Swain is a Sunday Times Top Ten best-selling author who writes feel good fiction with heart for Simon and Schuster. She releases two books a year (early summer and winter) and the stories all have a strong sense of community, family and friendship. She is currently writing books set in three different locations – the Fenland town of Wynbridge, Nightingale Square in Norwich and Wynmouth on the Norfolk coast.
Heidi lives in beautiful south Norfolk. She is passionate about gardening, the countryside, collecting vintage paraphernalia and reading. Her tbr pile is always out of control!
Heidi loves to chat with her readers and you can get in touch via her website or Twitter.
