Desperate to impress Lexi and her neighbours she begins to lose sight of herself and her marriage to Charlie. Imagining life with Lexi's husband Hamish might be more exciting. But Lexi accidentally sees her fantasies in a text and shares it with the neighbourhood. Upset she leaves with Amber to go on a road trip to France where she finds her true self again. Amber has to be honest to Lovejoy and tell him that he his the father of her son. A really good read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

This is a modern, well written book full of humor.The writer mixes the lure of being part of the popular crowd and the angst of human relationships.
This is a tale about stepping out of your comfort zone, taking a risk, moving away from your echo chamber, having an adventure, and embracing life! An easy read, a good read

This was actually quite a quirky read about two neighbours who inadvertently end up on a road trip in France due to random circumstance. Julia is dissatisfied with her life, especially compared to the insta perfect life of some of her neighbours, Amber (who has zero time for the insta neighbours) is battling to keep her beloved job whilst trying to manage a family issue that she thought she’d resolved. Both are very different people but it makes them a good balance overall and there’s some good thought provoking moments. The other characters are fun and the overall chemistry between them all is very believable. This is a great summer read but with some food for thought in some respects.

It's probably no surprise by now that I love a good rom-com novel, and Jenny Oliver's new one fits the bill perfectly. The Summer We Ran Away follows Julia's adventures in France after she's humiliated in front of all her neighbours at the street's summer party. (And who wouldn't be embarrassed if a private WhatsApp message was sent to the wrong person, then forwarded to everyone present?!).

Anyway, this is the book that (finally!) ended my lockdown reading slump. A funny, romantic summer novel about a spontaneous travel adventure complete with navigating the ins-and-outs of relationships, family dynamics, and new friendships was just what I needed to get me back into the swing of reading again.

The book starts on the evening of Lexi’s summer party. Lexi is an ‘influencer’ and Julia’s neighbour – and Julia is desperate to be part of Lexi’s ‘in crowd’. I initially felt a bit sorry for Julia – who was trying so hard to seek Lexi’s approval – when Lexi was clearly a complete cow.

(As an aside, I also wanted to buy Lexi a t-shirt from Paper Press Ireland that I recently got my teenage daughter which says ‘Being famous on Instagram is the same as being rich in Monopoly. Calm Your Tits’. Check out their slogan tees – they are EPIC. Anyway – back to the book!)

The build up to the scene where Julia’s WhatsApp message is read by the wrong person is cringeworthy – you can just see where it’s going to go – real squeaky bum time!

And I actually much preferred the book after Julia had escaped from the party.

Her relationship with Amber (who I pictured as an Angelina Jolie-esque, don’t give a shit type person) develops really well, and the descriptions of France were brilliant and really evoked the feeling of being at an antiques market.

I also liked the fact that despite her disastrous time at the party – Julia is still desperate to know what has happened there by stalking social media – it really is an evil drug sometimes.

Using social media to stalk features later in the book too – and knowing who to stalk (sometimes not the actual person you’re bothered about – but someone close to them #skills) is great.

As well as Julia’s relationships with family and friends (I love the phonecalls with her parents – perfectly written), Amber’s relationships with her son and people from her past and present are also fundamental to the book. Julia and Amber are incredibly different people. but it all segues together really nicely.

I enjoyed the ending and how lots of storylines were all tied together. It also makes you think about priorities – especially at this weird time in the world.

As with all of Jenny Oliver’s books it was funny, warm, heartfelt and a lovely read. I actually think this is my favourite so far (I suspect I say that every time?!)

I would definitely recommend you pre order it now so you get a nice surprise in June!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

A great read showing the challenges of friendship and that what you see is not always what you get. A brilliant book which is really light and easy to read.

This is a modern day story of trying to 'keep up with the Jones' or in this case Lexi Warrington and her Instagram perfect life.. Julia is desperately trying to fit in with Lexi & her group of friends until a WhatsApp message falls into the wrong hands and turns her life upside down.
I found the first couple of chapters total cringeworthy and made me squirm on Julia's behalf however as soon as she decided to escape it all with Amber, another neighbour who definitely didn't fit into the group by choice, I found the tone of the book changed.
As we travelled on the two ladies' adventure through France it was an enjoyable feel good read of positivity, honesty and being true to oneself that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend.
Thank you to #NelGalley for allowing me to read and for giving me the chance to provide an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. A really lovely story about taking chances, being brave and appreciating what you have rather than what you think you might be missing out on. I loved the friendship that develops between the two main characters in particular.

Amazing how one set of what's app messages that were meant to be private, when shared to a group what's app, can change the course of a person's life forever.

Which is exactly what happens when Julia's messages about having erotic dreams about a married neighbour, who's life she is lusting after, are shared at the big summer party on their road. Julia's husband struggles to understand, and Julia decides to run, and ends up on an adventure with next door neighbour and friend Amber.

I loved the story from the moment they were on the run, off to France for a few days on an antiques buying trip, which then turned into other sorts of a trip too, and one that ultimately alters the course of many people's lives.

Amber is sort of reckless, whereas Julia worries about most things, so putting them together in a campervan, is rather amusing, and seeing how they rub off on each other is great.

This was such an enjoyable story, I couldn't get enough of the turns it takes, the various subplots and just how it all came together. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this story. It really took me on a virtual journey which given we are in lockdown is the only sort of journey I'll be able to take for a while.

It's another fabulous book from Jenny Oliver, who is an author I'm always eager to read.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A funny, warm-hearted and thoroughly entertaining book. Yes, the characters are cliches, and the plot is a bit silly, but it is a real joy to lose yourself in this fun joke about contemporary life. The perfect book for self-isolation!

Just the read you need at the moment.
Julia is obsessed with her neighbour, Lexi, and husband. following them on Instagram and copying everything they do - albeit a lot cheaper.
When she , and her down to earth, husband, Charlie are invited to their summer party she is over the moon.
Unfortunately she has been Whats Apping her best friend with intimate descriptions of Lexi's husband and to her horror they fall into the wrong hands and are shared with everyone at the party.
Julia is mortified and Charlie non to pleased. So Julia runs away and has an adventure which will change her and Charlie's life together. But will it be for the better and what secrets will unfold.?

I enjoyed reading this relaxing fun read with a touch of much needed escapism and humour in these lock down times. Totally identifiable characters who I'm sure we've all come across at some point in various guises. A little bit of sunny France thrown into the mix so we can all dream on. Jenny Oliver has totally captured that the sights and sounds of a French flea market, together with the magic of the Isle of Noirmoutier. It is a story about relationships and friendships and how some people can easily trip up by relying on the on-line world, but underlying is the warm feeling of true friendship and rediscovery. An ideal read for holidays or when one just requires a bit of time out.

In Cedar Road, all the residents are getting ready for Lexi Warrington’s annual summer party. A night to be spent sipping Prosecco under twinkling fairy lights and gathering around the hot tub marvelling at Lexi’s incredible and glamorous life with husband Hamish.

For Julia, it’s a chance to pry husband Charlie away from his potting shed and their horrendous house renovations. A chance to pretend her life is just as exciting and perfect as Lexi’s.

That is until WhatsApp messages of Julia’s get leaked onto the Cedar Road group, messages that reveal the steamy dreams she’s been having about Hamish.

Running out of the party, Julia ends up on a trip of a lifetime…one that will change her life.

I can’t quite believe I’ve never come across Jenny Oliver before, I requested this title on NetGalley on a bit of a whim. It sounded like it was going to be a light-hearted rom-com, and it was that but also so much more. It was a sun-soaked story of self-discovery.

I found the first couple of chapters quite slow, and I thought perhaps I had made a mistake selecting this book, but once Julia sets off on a somewhat haphazard journey with Amber I was hooked.

Oliver’s writing style is effortless to read, full of delightful descriptions that painted the French countryside in my mind to perfection. Every sound and smell, especially at the antiques market, came alive and off the pages.

The characters are all perfectly imperfect, but for me the stand-out character was Martin, his dry humour and quick wit had my laughing out loud. I often find characters relatable, but I very rarely see myself in them. However, I found echoes of my own personality in both Amber and Julia, making both protagonists much more real for me.

If you’re looking for an easy going summer read, with a little more than the usual hearts and flowers, this is definitely the book for you. I will most certainly be reading more from Jenny Oliver in the future.

I like Jenny Oliver books and this one didn’t disappoint. It is a good fun story about friendships, love and reconnection with some travel adventure thrown in too!
Julia longs to be like her neighbour, Lexi who appears perfect in every way. She fantasises about Lexi’s perfect husband. When she is invited to a garden party for the neighbours it all goes horribly wrong!
Julia ends up running away and going to France with Amber, a local antiques dealer who is sourcing items for a local country club/hotel.
What follows is a funny story through France involving different family members and old friends.
It is well written and is fun to read!

Lovely easy going. Fun to read. The book was very well written. So sweet I didn’t want it to end. Perfect read for the summer months. Loved everything about this one.

Most of us have known a Lexi at school and if we're lucky that's the last time we met a Lexi, but sometimes they turn up in our adult life and once again we're trying to be one of the cool kids and not quite getting it right. The fact is you can't get it right with a Lexi or her tiny cohort of BFFs because they are mean girls and mean girls need someone to pick on and use in order to feel better about themselves.

Julia thinks Lexi is her friend, but she isn't and at one memorable summer party everything comes out and Julia is humiliated, her husband is hurt and she unexpectedly finds herself in a van with another neighbour, Amber, on her way to France to an antiques' fair because it seems like a good idea to run away for a couple of days and get away from the embarrassment of it all.

Julia is sort of uptight, definitely not confident and has forgotten how to have fun. Amber is a woman with not a f**k to give. Apparently. They couldn't be less alike, but they are both living with secrets and not being honest with anyone least of all themselves. On a long weekend in France, they both teach each other about honesty and how to live your best life even if what's best for you doesn't seem to be the best to others. In short, the Lexis of this world are not all they pretend to be and who wants to be a carbon copy of a mean girl anyway!

This was a really light, sweet and delightful read and I think it's going to bring a little bit of joy to many people as a summer read. It definitely made me want to go back to a French antiques fair or the Marché aux Puces de Clingnancourt (the best flea market in Paris). It's also just the thing I needed while we're all stuck in Lockdown!

what a fantastic read!
As soon as we meet Lexi Warrington (the stuck-up leader of the "popular girls" despite not actually being at school and being old enough to behave better) and see the way she treats her so called friends it is really easy to despise her.
Just as easy is to like Julia, even though she wishes she was one of Lexi's gang and desperately tries to fit in.
A set of predictably cringeworthy circumstances lead to Julia disappearing off to France with Amber- neighbour and friend and definitely not one of the Lexi-rati.
From the minute she steps into Amber's van the adventure is most definitely on, as is a gentle journey of self awareness, introspection and discovery but with none of the cliche that so often accompanies such a journey.
Instead there is cleverly woven love, humour, strength, friendship and just a bit of chisel-jawed eye candy.
Plenty of beautifully written characters with strong, defined personalities, a bit of French countryside and plenty of appalling driving all the while on a rip-roaring adventure!

Loved it! A light, funny, warm hearted read that had real characters who were well written and developed throughout the plot. The relationships were well explored and I think the undertone I’d lesson around social media is a valid one. A great summer read - made me want to visit France!!

Quite a fun book, and an easy read.
A page turner, with an uncomplicated plot for when you just need a relaxing read.

I really enjoyed this book. It has everything, humour, drama, relationships, both past and present, families, characters you can definitely warm to, and characters who you’d Never want to be friends with.
A great deal of the book is set in small towns and villages in France, which are beautifully and evocatively described .
It’s a perfect holiday read (or a self isolation read)