Holidays are like Christmas you have high hopes that it’s going to be perfect and the family will all have a wonderful time but things never quite work out that way especially with teenagers in tow. Em and her children are going on holiday with her new boyfriend and his daughter. Maggie is hoping to reconnect with her daughter Amelia and Olivia is running away from everything. Staying at the same holiday cottages is a blessing for all of them as they meet and discuss their lives and dreams. Can they be brave and confront their lives and maybe have a perfect holiday?

I’m so in love with Lucy Diamond books. I have a shelf at home dedicated to her beautiful pastel and colourful paperbacks. I’ll be making a space on my shelf for this book, without a doubt.
It’s a standard Lucy Diamond book but that’s no bad thing. She writes light and easy to read fiction that can bring me out of a slump and brighten up my day!

What an absolutely amazing book. I admit I went into this book quite blind, I’ve read Lucy Diamond before and I knew I was going to get a great all round read full of honesty and real life. Needless to say I was not disappointed!
I identified with all the women in this book at one time or another. Being a mother of 4 teenagers I could certainly identify the sometimes heart breaking changes you have to face as a mother when your children reach a certain age and Mam and Dad just aren’t cool and friends are so much better. Having to deal with changes in behaviour and find a new middle ground to be able to connect with. Pair that with identifying with when they were young and feeling so overwhelmed with trying to do everything ‘the right way’ and being so tired you can’t think straight.
Seeing these women come together and being able to support each other, even before they knew the others issues was touching. I found myself welling up at times, especially with Olivias back story and Lorna and Roy’s heartache.
This was a beautiful and moving read, it took me longer than normal to read as I had to keep stopping to let it sink in and process the sheer enormity of the emotions at times. It certainly gave me a book hangover and it won’t be a book I forget for a long time to come.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice easy to read book and you can really help visualise the scene. I spent many nights just wanted to read ‘one chapter more’ about 8 times over!

I really enjoy Lucy Diamond books. She has a real sense of the female characters and brings the reader along for the ride. Fab read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

I love Lucy Diamond books and this one was no exception, it was a wonderful read. As usual as with all of Lucy Diamond’s books they are funny and very easy to get into and then before you know it you are on the last page.
Reading her books always take no more then a day or two and are always a pleasure. They are so warm, sunny and very engaging just like this one was. Loved it!!!
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is a nice family holiday read. I loved the characters & the way it all ended after a big secret was revealed. This left me with a smile on my face & would recommend to anyone. Another amazing book by Lucy diamond.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading. There is always an enjoyable smile of anticipation, when you start reading a Lucy Diamond book and An Almost Perfect Holiday was an engrossing and comfortable read. It was full of teenagers and mothers all on holiday for a fortnight in Devon. All of the disasters and anguish and tantrums that happen in real families were in the storyline. The book was fun to read and had a happy ending.
Highly recommended,

This book has a lovely feel good factor. Lucy Diamond can write characters and relationships with such understanding and depth I found it easy to relate to every character in this beautiful book.

The three main characters in this book had their own struggles and their chance meeting in Cornwall on holiday opened up a friendship and unity which gave them each strength in themselves and what they could achieve.

We all imagine the perfect family holiday which sometimes turns into something completely different.

Em is excited to be going away with her new love George, but will her own teenagers and George’s daughter add to the fun or is it a recipe for disaster?

Olivia has been finding motherhood challenging. She has escaped to rethink her future and try to come to terms with her past. Will confronting her secrets help or open a whole new can of worms?

Maggie is trying to reconnect with her teenage daughter. Surely a holiday away will bond them but with the appearance of her ex husband she must try to put their differences aside for her daughters sake.

Friendship, family relationships, blended families, childhood secrets, post natal depression, grief and happiness are among the many real life issues covered in this book. This is the perfect book to relax with, safe in the knowledge most families who may seem perfect on the surface are all struggling with their own issues.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this charming book .

I love Lucy Diamond’s books and this too is another wonderful story.
It will make a great summer holiday read: picture yourself around a pool reading it, in Cornwall or elsewhere and perhaps not with this particular bunch of characters.
Well written as always, a thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’m normally a big fan of Lucy Diamond, but unfortunately this one just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Firstly, I found it took me a while to work out who was who and how they all fit together - for example, the first section from Izzy’s POV was a bit confusing, as it took me ages to remember that she was Em’s daughter! I personally agree with another review that suggested that using character names at the start of each section could have helped.

Now obviously the story follows multiple families, and so there’s a lot of characters to deal with. A major issue for me was that I just really didn’t find them to be that likeable. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m younger than the women in the book, or because I don’t have kids, but I found a lot of their actions to be very selfish and silly. The plot lines were also quite cliche, things that I’ve read about in every other book like this one, and they weren’t even handled in a way that made them stand out in comparison to the competition.

If I’m completely honest, I ended up skimming most of it. It would be ok as a holiday book for something light by the pool, but it’s not really got any depth and it’s not one that stays with you. I’d still say I’m a fan of Lucy Diamond, and I’d still give her next book a go, but this one for me just wasn’t her best.

Really enjoyed this book. The main characters were so different from each other but provided support when it was needed.
Fairly typical summer holiday situations which made for a good read. New relationships, estranged partners guilty secrets, bored teenagers, it had the lot.

I read very early reviews of this book and really wanted to enjoy it. But I just really struggled to get in to the story at all.
I was given a copy by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The copy that I received seemed to miss the letter F or FI, FF’s. Trying to work out what some phrases/sentences were was irritating and may have impacted on me enjoying the book.
Sadly I won’t be recommending this to anyone.

I have read Lucy Diamond and enjoyed, this book shares the same feel of warmth and engagement with the characters as her others do, The setting was great and I was drawn into the story of these families. Great beach read and highly recommend.

Found this group of women to be true basket cases each in her own way - did think it dragged with a lot of backstory before they all get to meet (almost to the point where, when one chapter ended and we came back to another character, I had almost forgotten who that character was and what was up in her life - do think this could've been mixed and merged better, but that's just me)
Good read, perfect for the beach. Hopeful is how I'd describe it in one word

I am most certainly a fan of Lucy Diamond's books and was looking forward to reading something by her and thankfully I wasn't disappointed. Having said that, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the last one of hers I read. It's a little bit slow to start but warms up wonderfully and it ended up being a very enjoyable read.

There are three main characters in this story all of who have their own problems but for me Emma was the main lead and her story was enjoyable and her family very funny at times. Emma is divorced and decides to take her holiday in Cornwall with her new boyfriend and his daughter. It was bound to be a disaster from the outset but she is a very likeable character and one that I was rooting for from the beginning. 

The cottage that Emma has rented stands next to two others which is where both Maggie and Olivia make their entrance. Maggie is a single mother with teenage daughter and Olivia is running away from her own family problems but returning to the place of her youth. There are a few various threads running through this story but at its heart is three women all trying to do what is right and sharing their journey's with them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the characters within it, although I ended up feeling a little disappointed with the way that Olivia's story progressed, which maybe counts towards the 4 and not 5 star review. That small niggle aside this is a great book and one that I think many people will enjoy.

Found some of the characters endearing and complex, and others were just annoying and I couldn't be bothered with their stories.

Great book.
Following 4 couples/families from booking holiday cottages in Cornwall to arriving there and the antics the families and teenagers get up to, very true to life as holidays are never perfect!
I throughly enjoyed reading about the places in Cornwall visited by families, so descriptive I imagined myself there.
Tackling divorced families, post natal depression, hidden devestating secrets, grief and happiness it took me on an emotional journey that I definitely recommend.

It took me a few chapters to really get into this book but I’m so glad I persevered. The action is mostly based around 3 holidays homes in Cornwall and shows the lives of the owners mingled with the families on holiday. The relationships between the adults and their children and the expectation we all have of a perfect holiday were all very believable. I’m sure most mums could relate to the various problems that arose during their stay in Cornwall. A great holiday read with a satisfying twist at the end.

This was a great read- I love Lucy Diamond and as usual she's written a brilliant book. Great characters, absorbing plot and a bit of extra moral dilemma thrown in. Thanks!