The Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness is such a beautiful book. It truly is, and it reminded me of what it is to be human. In a world that is dominated by social media, online followers and selfies, this story focussed on the real meaning of living life to the fullest. It's a stripping back life to the absolute basics, that of forming friendships and actually talking to people, and I loved it.

Ceri has been caring for her mother with dementia and so when she passes away she is feeling lonely and lost. She sets off to a small town in West Wales, that her mother loved, to scatter her ashes but is disappointed when she arrives to discover how run down it is..... but still she is only staying a couple of days!

When she inadvertently ends up with a job in the local pub she decides to stay a bit longer and soon finds herself drawn intro the local life... and the little acts of kindness that keep happening.... who can be behind them!

A lovely heart warming feel good book I loved the descriptions of the little town and wanted to live there myself!

Absolutely loved the idea of a year with surprising acts of kindness, and loved the setting of this book too, a small forgotten village in West Wales.

The assorted villagers in Dwynwen soon crept into my hear, and I especially enjoyed Mel's story. And although I appreciated what Ceri was trying to do for most of the book it took me a while to warm up to her, and even by the end I still wasn't sure.

There are some good storylines in the book which did keep me reading, but having read other books by the author before, this one fell short for me. The descriptions of the village in Wales were incredible and I loved the many many colours that Mel sees the world in. Ultimately I think it was me not the book that wasn't quite right, I can't put my finger on it, as there is nothing whatsoever wrong with the book, it just didn't quite work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

The Year Of Surprising Acts Of Kindness is a romantic comedy.

Ceri Price is grieving for her mother who recently died. When her sister takes steps to empty the family home and make it ready to sell, Ceri finds it hard to let go. She heads to Wales where her mother asked to have her ashes spread.

The sleepy seaside village of Dwynwen has little appeal; it's no longer a tourist hotspot, so Ceri won’t be staying long. The lack of internet cuts her off from her old life, but soon the location and the villagers appeal more than returning to work. Can a village named after an ancient goddess of love still work magic against the odds of a modern world?

When I read the title of this book, I envisioned a story dominated by a year-long challenge of kind acts. This tale is quite different to my expectations; its main storyline revolves around Ceri and her journey through loss and grief and her hopes of finding love. The acts of kindness become part of the storyline, some obvious, others less so. Some seep from characters who care, while others evolve as the story moves forward.

This was a light read and fits the genre well, not quite what I was expecting but I was still keen to see how Ceri’s story evolved. Recommended for those who enjoy a contemporary style romance and Welsh seaside setting.

I absolutely adored this book, and although I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (thank you!), I will be buying my own copy.

I am from Wales, although I'm living in England at the moment, and this book made me think very fondly of the landscapes of my youth. I only have positive things to say about this book. Beautiful descriptions, and I loved all the characters. Romances nicely developed. The ending is just right. I enjoyed reading about St. Dwynwen, and the theme about surprising acts of kindness was just right in a world where only negative news seems to be reported. This book is a breath of fresh air.

Review will be up on my blog 17/01 thecosiestcorner.blogspot.com

This was the first novel I have read by Laura Kemp and I just want to start this review off by saying that it certainly won't be the last. Of course, the cover drew me in. This seaside town looks beautiful and I love the little boats bobbing in the sea, the colourful houses and the heart shaped bunting in the foreground. The title and the blurb is what interested me the most though. I was so keen to know where all these 'mysterious acts of kindness' were coming from! So I couldn't wait to get stuck in and find out...

It's a beautifully written romantic and heartwarming novel which I thoroughly enjoyed. As soon as I started reading it, I felt uplifted and happy. It's lovely to read. I really loved reading about the secretive nature of the community, and was trying to figure out who could've been behind these acts of kindness. The book starts with Ceri returning to the seaside village to scatter her beloved mum's ashes. The town is where her mum used to love going, so it made sense to Ceri to take her there for her final resting place.

However, as soon as Ceri pulls up, she's shocked at just how different and run down the town looked. Could this really be the same place? She asks herself. It turns out, that of course it is and Ceri ends up staying for longer than she originally planned. She gets a job as a barmaid in the local pub after being wrongly mistaken for someone who was actually going for the post and gives them a false name so that she isn't recognised by anyone. As she starts work, she soon makes some good friends and it was so nice reading about the lovely townfolk. They all seemed so friendly and eager to make Ceri feel at home.

Of course, when Ceri starts the job, the town is come under threat by developers wanting to change the town and this is when the acts of kindness starts cropping up in unexpected places. At first she wonders whether she should go back to her old life or whether she should stay in the seaside town and start a new and happier life here. She also wants to get to the bottom of who is doing these lovely things.

Overall, this is a lovely, lighthearted story about community and kindness. It's a story about love and friendship and I would recommend you give this novel a read. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

Lovely cover on this book. Made me just want ot grab the book, go find somewhere comfy and just read. Im glad to say i was not disappointed by the book at all. It was a klovely book to read. It flowed perfectly, and was well written. Good plot and a lovely main character that fitted in well

This is the first book I have read by this author and will not be the last at all as so well written and simply loved it from the first page. It was funny yet heartwarming and romantic also about find out what is best for her and what she thought was right wasn't. Also really lifts your spirits when you read it and wants you wanting more of the book.
Ceri has been caring for her mother with dementia and also working very successfully writing bogs about make up and things but when her mother passes she can't cope and seems to be moving further away from her sister so she decides to go to a small village in wet wakes to scatter her mums ashes as its where her mother loved going. She is only meant to stay a few nights but ends up much longer. When she pulls up in the village she thinks she has the wrong village as looks so run down and horrible but she can soon change that I'm sure. Someone gets the wrong end of the stick and thinks she's going for the job so she pretends she will work in the pub and gives a slightly different name as she doesn't want to be recognised and she thinks she's doing well. She finds friendship while working and she does wonder if love will follow. Mysterious acts of kindness keep starting to spring up and she begins to think new life can one into the village and can she be happy. Should she stay and find out more or go back to her old life. This is a really excellent read and highly recommend it.

This was a really good book, I very much enjoyed the setting and the story. It is definitely a feel good plotline and the village environment was lovely. The characters were well developed and some of them were especially endearing.

I recommend this book to anybody who wants a nice feel good read and maybe even to take the idea of the book into their own lives and start doing little acts of kindness yourself.

I must admit this book initially caught my eye as developers are trying to build on a field at the edge of our lovely village at the moment and we are fighting it, so the fact that this story was also about fighting developers, this time building on woodland, really struck a chord with me - even though in the end the development story wasn't the main part of the story at all, and actually very little to do with it!

Ceri had recently lost her Mum after caring for her through dementia. Her half-sister is acting very uncaring in selling the house really quick and Ceri feels really on her own so decides to take time off work to scatter her Mother's ashes, as she had requested, in a little village in Wales where she had originally come from. Ceri had become very wealthy making her own cosmetics and blogs, which she had started at home whilst looking after her Mum.

Once there she can't understand why on earth her Mum would want to have her ashes scattered there as it is really run-down with eccentric people and she plans to leave as soon as she can. But through an initial confusion about who she was she ends up working behind the bar and as the time went on the little village really grew on her and she began to really feel at home and cared for and didn't want to leave.

Little acts of kindness then started springing up all over the village helping the place to come back to life and bringing in more tourists. It was very intriguing who was doing it all as you would assume it was Ceri as she had the money, but it wasn't revealed until towards the end of the book. There were some quite eccentric, interesting characters in this story, Rhodri and Mel two of the main ones, and I couldn't decide if I liked them or not initially as they were so different, but they really grew on me, and the reasons for the way they acted were slowly revealed throughout the story, especially with Mel.

There were some twists towards the end that I really didn't see coming too. A very entertaining, page-turning book, that was just that little bit different character-wise, and with a lovely ending. Very enjoyable.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book and everyone in their life needs kindness and in this day and age it is something that we forget.

Before I start I’ll just say… by the time I had read a third of this book I was reading some words in a sing song welsh accent and loving it.
Set in a small seaside village in Wales, Ceri Price a social media entrepreneur plans on a flying visit to Dwynwen to scatter her mothers ashes. A misunderstanding lands Ceri a job in the pub and she stays a bit longer than she intended.
In the village of Dwynwen Ceri finds kindness, friendship and the chance of love. But mostly a more meaningful purpose than she’s felt in a while.
When a local beloved and protected woodland comes under threat from developers Ceri fears the village and her new found way of life will disappear forever.
Then mysterious acts of kindness start springing up around the village, starting with pretty bunting adorning the buildings. There’s a new focus, the villagers join forces to fight the developers and revamp the tired village in it’s beautiful seaside setting as ’the village of love’.
Laura Kemp has a brilliant way of portraying the personalities of her characters so you get to know them and why they deal with situations as they do. They are emotional and have quirks like all of us, and this draws you into their lives and caring about what happens next.
This is a book that brings a warmth to your heart and the people feel ‘real’ and are very likeable.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it as a cosy sit by the fire with a cuppa read, and I defy you to try reading it without the sound of the lovely welsh voices in your head.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, it's not my usual genre, but I'm glad I tried it. A sweet story of moving on and letting go, and doing good for others while you're at it. I was surprised at the Welsh flavour to some of the narration, but unlike most dialects it didn't put me off at all, it seemed to fit very nicely! A great, gentle read.
Thanks for the chance to read it.