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😢😭😍
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A really heartwarming book. I’d been struggling to read anything lately and this book with the tale of Alice, Steph and Maureen’s birthday trip to Sri Lanka where they meet fellow travellers Max and Jamal. The story unfolds and we learn more about the adventures and the childhood of Alice against the beautiful backdrop of Sri Lanka. What a great travel brochure!

5* I adored this book and savoured it whilst not wanting it to end. Another fine book from Isabelle Broom!

What a lovely story even if it did make me cry!

It’s going to make you do many things this book:
Crave to go to Sri Lanka almost immediately – the settings are evoked with style and there’s lots of atmospheric musings!
Spring clean your own life
Decide if your life is what you want and that its going where you want it to
How sometimes people come into your life at just the right time
How escaping a place can really help you see clearly

There’s a great character by the name of Max who has a disability he’s struggling with. Alice is struggling with her own problems – not physical but emotional and it’s this tug on the heart strings in the lives of both characters that really got me going!
Their stories intertwine of course and as they get to know each other, a story of hope, emotional turmoil and the chance to live again come to the fore.

And there is mention of a elephant dung notebook – I WANT ONE!
I think what Isabelle does really well is to weave the essence of a location into her books but really focus on the characters. Having a disabled man who talks about and shows how his injury affects his day to day is refreshing - he's braver than most with two legs and this shines through. We all have obstacles in life and it just goes to show it's how you tackle it that makes you conquer it or not.

Atmospheric, heart-warming and I really want to go to Sri Lanka now as it sounds wonderful!