Cover Image: Sunny Days and Sea Breezes

Sunny Days and Sea Breezes

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Member Reviews

What can I say...I devoured this in two sittings. I loved everything about this book. The writing is simple yet warm and captivating. The characters are addictive and you can picture each one. The setting is idyllic and you get swept away in the story-literally. The chapters weren't too long which sometimes drags out a storyline but this was perfect. A great summer read which fans of rom-coms and modern fiction will love.

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Carole Matthews Genius!!
Jodie is sailing away for a break from her life in London, leaving behind her husband, her work with her brother, her best friend and the gym. Life has been hard for Jodie and she needs a break. Where better than the Isle of Wight, staying on her brother's newly refurbished houseboat!
It's a struggle for her to find a way of life on the Island away from her familiar routines of London life...so she takes little steps...
This is Carole Mathews at her very best, what a brilliant read. Being familiar with the isle of Wight helped too!! Hooked from the first page to the last, am still thinking about Jodie on the island!!
Huge thank you to Netgalley for the early reading opportunity, absolutely loved this book!!

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Another fabulous book by Carole.

When Jodie faces emotional heartache and the lose of her baby she heads to her brothers houseboat which is named Sunny Days.

Here she wishes to be alone and finds that she can’t, not only the houseboat cleaner/cook, but others in the town want to spend time with her along with Ned the neighbour next door.

Jodie finds herself enjoying being there and get on with Marilyn(cleaner. She tells her the reason she’s there. She finds herself falling for Ned.

Unexpectedly her husband turns up and Ned is shocked to learn she’s married. He’s angry that she didn’t tell him the truth.

Jodie goes back to her home in London to try and work things out.

Although she enjoys being back and her job, she’s still in two minds. Then she finds out the horrible truth of her husband and it’s not what she was expecting.

She then heads back to Sunny Days and starts a new chapter.

Totally enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend it.

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Thanks Netgalley, Publisher and the author. Love everything this author writes and this was no exception, great characters, great location and great storyline Fabulous.

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I've read a few Carole Matthews books in the past so I knew what to expect and I was not disappointed - a bit of pure escapism for a bank holiday weekend. Carole writes a great romantic hero and Ned was certainly one of those!

She also painted an evocative picture of the Isle of Wight and I really want to visit!

This book doesn't offer many surprises, but that's no bad thing - read this if you like a nice, light piece of escapism!

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It is always a wonderful feeling to be able to sit down with a new Carole Matthews book, and it took less then the first chapter to be intrigued and keen to see just why Jodie is on a ferry across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.

Strangely with the books I read I don't tend to see the Isle of Wight as a location, so this made a pleasant change, and reminded me of a childhood holiday to the island.

Again it's not often I get to read a book where houseboats are featured, so this too made this story feel quite refreshingly different, and the people Jodie meets despite her quest for peace and quiet are fabulous.

We have Marilyn who is larger than life, speaks common phrases wrongly, full of colour and one of life's nurturers who has been asked to come in and check on Jodie and clean each day, by Jodie's brother Bill, whose boat it is.

Then there is next door neighbour Ned, who is a sculptor of wood with a chainsaw - so clearly what someone wanting peace needs. Yet Ned is one of my favourite characters and you will see why rather quickly!

Then there is the living statue George who always managed to raise a smile and Ida the owner of the local cafe. Between them they somehow get under Jodie's skin and become friends and get her to change in various ways.

I loved the day trip to Alum Bay and the Needles, it reminded me of long forgotten memories of my trip there all those years ago, even down to the coloured sand being put into moulds and trying to get the lines neat!

There is just such a warm vibe to this book, it really hit all the right notes with me, in these troubled times. It took me away from real life and I loved my time spent between the pages.

It is Carole Matthews at her best, with a fabulous story, some nice directions it turns into, and just a great feel to the whole story.

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

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I loved it. One of those books you could not put down and when you were not reading it you were thinking about it. A lovely feel good book. I am reviewing it while we are in lock down. I loved the story line. You feel for Jodie with all the things she has had to deal with. So glad it had a happy ending.. It was nice to experience Jodie's first festival. Another fabulous book by Carole Matthews

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An enjoyable women’s fiction title which helped pass the time during Coronavirus lockdown. There were aspects of this I book I loved - like Marilyn - and aspects that were just so so (like the predictable plot). If I am being 100% honest, this one didn’t hit the spot as much as Carole Matthews’ previous novel ‘Happiness for beginners’ which I just adored. A solid offering for this genre from an author I really like, but not an outstanding one. Sorry Carole! I will keep buying your books though as I am a fan :)

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Loved this book. Great characters, easy read, uplifting, funny, romantic and charming. A really nice story that is the perfect escapist read.

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Brilliant book I could not put it down. I loved the whole content the sad the funny. I loved the character Marilyn and her quirky sayings. I loved the way Jodie changed through out the story and found her real self.

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Jodie Jackson has left her husband and her high-flying interior design job in trendy Shoreditch and retreated to her brother's newly renovated houseboat on the Isle of Wight. What she craves is peace and quiet, a time to reflect and heal her metaphorical wounds, instead she gets a loud, colourful cleaner called Marilyn, a nextdoor neighbour who likes to carve with a chainsaw and a guy who pretends to be a statue.

It seems that what Jodie wants isn't what she really needs, soon the stresses and strains of her life in London are replaced by yoga on the beach and the Isle of Wight festival, but just as her life seems to be turning around her old life comes a-calling.

I enjoyed this novel, not least because I think this is the first novel I can recall reading which is set on the Isle of Wight. However, I thought it was also very predictable. But definitely a lovely summer romance read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Oh my, this book is possibly the best of Caroles., but then I say that every time a new ones comes out! It takes me right back to my childhood holidays to the Isle of Wight, the ferry trip, the Needles, the cliff cable car and the coloured sand little glass bottles. A lovely summer read, perfect for this lovely weather during the lockdown. You will not be disappointed!

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Utterly fabulous! A perfect summery feel good book. The characters came to life and I wished I was living on a houseboat myself! I finished this book with a smile on my face and would definitely recommend it

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A getaway novel splendidly set in an array of emotional commotions, highlighted beautifully to the most heartfelt beginning to a love story. The end is the beginning for the love and comfort jodie wholeheartedly deserves. Finding resonating occasions, I wish I had dealt with it like Jodie did! Loved every moment and likely to reread for the sole purpose of humour and unconditional love. Bill is kind soul (a perfect big brother model) and Ned is a profoundly handsome hunk with a rare heart of gold. Marilyn is deemed worthy of the honourable hearty Samaritan of Cockleshell Bay. Chris and Della - wouldn’t touch em with a barge pole. Stunning and highly recommended! Wholesome applauds to Carole Matthews!

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Gorgeous book. Set on the Isle of Wight, this conjured up the sights and sounds of a small island, and the characters were all believeable and likeable (on the whole!)

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Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Having read a good few of this author's other books I was delighted to read an early copy nice setting on the isle of wight with good characters slightly predictable as to what she had the matter and what was going to happen none the less a good read .

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This has to be one of my new favourite books so far this year. I absolutely loved everything about it, the whole story was wonderful, beautifully written and so captivating keeping me going all day never bored throughout. I loved all the characters (expect Chris) they were sweet and just great people. The setting on the Isle of Wight was a great choice I think it really set the tone well and compliments the plot very well. Overall I would recommend this book for a quick, fluffy heartwarming read. Definitely 5/5 stars for me.

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Just what the doctor ordered the latest Carole Matthews book ... from the first page the reader is taken into the world of Jodie who needing some time to herself arrives at her brothers luxury houseboat in the Isle Of Wight. As usual perfect characters to lose yourself in ... neighbour Ned is a great distraction from the reason Jodie needed to get away.
Loved this book as I always love all this authors books - it gives the much needed escapism in troubled times just perfect

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Carole Matthews books just get better with each new arrival. I’ve just spent the whole day reading Sunny Days and Sea Breezes, unable to put it down. A lovely setting, described so that I have a very clear picture of it in my mind’s eye. The main characters and their friends and family were at times quirky and always delightful delightful, and there were a couple I loved to dislike. The storyline marched along very quickly with the location and characters woven through this love story. Don’t miss reading this one!

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I love Carole Matthews' books as she also has vibrant storylines and characters you can identify with, so I was thrilled to be given an advance copy of this book by the publishers and Netgalley. Once again I was not disappointed. I absolutely loved this book. The story revolves around Jodie, an interior designer from London, who runs away from her life following a tragedy. Her escape sends her to her brother's houseboat on the Isle of Wight where she starts to put her life back together with the help of a varied cast of lovable characters. Jodie was wonderful and, although her story was utterly tragic, she gradually embraces life with gusto, even when it pushes her out of her comfort zone. Ned was to die for and even had me considering yoga and festivals. However, my absolute favourite character was the vibrant Marilyn - I think all of us need a Marilyn in our lives,. The description that Carole uses is so perfect that every scene springs to life and you can almost visualise every single moment as if it was a film. For me this was the perfect read especially in current times and I would love for another story set in Cockleshell bay.

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