Once again, Isabelle Broom has transported me to wonderful places, this time Lisbon and Barcelona, in her heroine's search for love. Again the characters are perfectly balanced against the detailed settings and I particularly liked Josephine and her zest for life.
Pepper's journey learning to accept the past doesn't have to define her future was an emotional read.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into crime/thriller books and even psychological thrillers too so I am extremely pleased and grateful to them for opening up my mind to something totally different.

I really enjoyed this story. The descriptions of the places Pepper visited really brought the cities to life. Not quite as good as being there but in these isolating times it made for a wonderful temporary escape from reality. Peppers emotional progress through the book was a joy to read and though it may be classified as a romance I felt it was more a log of Peppers emotional recovery from her sisters death and the guilt she and her family felt. I felt the epilogue or final part was slightly confusing as it wasn’t clear to me what had happened to Pepper’s life. It was clear that she had made a success of herself as an artist but I was confused if she had a romantic hea.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy

This book wasn't for me.

I struggle a lot to dive in the story or at least connect to the main character Pepper.

I loved how the author describes a city. She goes in details, the weather, the smell, the colours; it's so easy to picture the town even if you never went there. These parts were my favourite as it is so vivid.

The thing that wasn't for me was the romance which unfortunately was the majority of the book. It's the kind of romance that I have difficulties to read about; it's too quick so somewhat predictable, for example, I knew since the beginning of their love story that there would be a problem at some point. For me, it was taking a lot of space, and as you have a lot of other struggles, I felt them not enough present to balance it.

I was just happy at the end that she grows to trust herself and her art.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Pepper has never been abroad, her friend Josephine asks her to go with her to recapture a relationship she had when she was younger. A book of twists and turns with an unexpected ending.

It is truly hard to put into words just how wonderful this book is.
Pepper's life story is heart wrenching and the more you learn about her journey the more you love her!. The friendship she has with Josephine is beautiful and shows that friendship has no age bracket and that it is never too late to start living again.

Pepper and Finns love story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure... but again I found myself loving Finn more and more as the story progressed.

Such a poignant story about Love, loss and finding yourself again. It is certainly a story that will stay with me.

As with al Isabelle Broom's books there is a travel guide included in the story. Loved this as the main protagonist lives in Aldeburgh, in Suffolk which is 4 miles from where I grew up and know very well. She also takes us to Lisbon, where I haven't been but now really want to go. Also to Hamburg and Barcelona. The story is as always a love story but with a twist this time. I have to say its a very moving book about family, friendship and love. . Highly recommended

A really lovely book. I loved Peppers character, story and dress sense! Her story intertwined with Josephine’s story was really good and the story didn’t go where I expected it to.
A great read

Once again Isabelle Broom takes us on a wondrous journey, this time to three new beautiful destinations, which she describes so vividly that I can see them clearly in my mind. I had to look one landmark up after reading about it and it was totally divine.

This story of Pepper has literally exercised my heart so much and left it broken. It explores all of our emotions but focuses strongly on grief and love in all its many forms.

Isabelle’s writing has such a maturity about it. She skilfully weaves these threads of emotion throughout the story so subtly but then they grow and grow and then the unexpected happens and Bam your heart is broken. The way Pepper’s mosaics connected the story was truly genius and I loved this character so much.

I loved Pepper’s relationship with her older friend Josephine and the fun they had together and how much Pepper learned from her.

This book will take you on a journey like no other, it’s heartbreaking, wondrous and Isabelle Broom at her absolute best.

Pepper has never left the country and it’s about time she did.

I always have incredibly high expectations of Isabelle Broom’s writing and once again she didn’t disappoint. From the very first page I was completely enchanted by the romantic, descriptive and emotional writing so that Hello, again made me smile, weep and gladdened my heart. I thought it was wonderful.

As I expected, I was completely transported to the settings of the book through the painterly attention to detail, the weather, the colours, sights and textures that Isabelle Broom always manages to meld into evocative pictures in the reader’s mind. Aldburgh, Lisbon and Barcelona are very familiar to me and in Hello, again they are so vividly presented that I found myself transported out of lockdown and back to glorious streets, making me feel as if I had had a city break and had even visited Hamburg where I’ve never actually been. I found this element of Hello, again completely distracting so that all the cares of the real world vanished.

I thought the story in Hello, again was so romantic without being remotely saccharine. There’s a realism too that is incredibly satisfying because I believed completely in the outcomes. There’s palpable, vibrant life here that makes the reader feel as if they are part of the action. It might sound mad to say so, but I felt as if I somehow ‘belonged’ with Hello, again; as if I had found my place in the world.

I loved Pepper. I loved her dress sense (or lack of it) her self-deprecating personality, her creativity and her relationships, but above all I loved the way she developed as an individual through the narrative, teaching herself and the reader that although our past may help shape who we are today, it doesn’t have to constrain who we might become in the future. This was such a heartwarming theme that it makes me feel emotional just thinking about it after I’ve finished the read. Although this is a romance and Jorge and Finn help drive the action with Otto providing brilliant light relief, it is Isabelle Broom’s exploration of womanhood that touched me so completely. She understands the complexities of relationships that women have and the way in which they judge themselves and others. I was so ensnared by the women here that I wanted to hold each one at some point in the story to provide emotional support. I forgot that these were not real people because I cared about them so much.

The themes of Hello, again are thoughtful, sensitively handled and beautifully written so that the story tugged at my heart, rekindled memories and illustrated to me to the positive potential of my life. Apart from longing to try creating a mosaic of my own, I felt as if Isabelle Broom had looked deep inside my mind, had seen what I needed to read about love, friendship, relationships, self-belief, guilt, forgiveness and identity and had somehow written Hello, again just for me. It felt somehow intimate and personal.

I loved Hello, again. Reading it brought me joy and happiness. It’s just the kind of book the world needs right now and Isabelle Broom is the perfect author to write it. Just glorious.

Pepper goes on holiday with Josephine to Lisbon where she meets Finn and falls in love. She grows in confidence and develops her art, whilst repairing her relationship with her mum. Her sister Bethan died when she was thirteen and the mother/daughter relationship has been destroyed. Now Pepper confronts her mum and becomes the person she's always meant to be. I normally love Isabelle Broom books but this one I only liked. I didn't really like Finn and didn't really believe in the love story. I would have preferred more Samuel on the page. Otherwise a light-hearted read and a lovely friendship with Josephine who I also loved. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Hello, Again is the story of Pepper Taylor and her big dream. So, as I am a fan of Isabelle Broom books, I had high hopes for this story. The description made me just want to pick up the book and read.

However, I do have mixed feelings about this story. I feel a bit confused by it, as if I have missed the start or end of the story. I am a complete sucker for a happy ever after and, normally, Isabelle Broom doesn’t fail to disappoint. However, I don’t understand the ending. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s not the traditional happy ever after or because Isabelle ran out of writing time but I feel short changed.

In contrast, this book did have a lot of good points. Like always, Isabelle has captured the beauty of the places the characters visit so well and, as always, has made me want to go. She has also described the characters so beautifully that I feel like I truly know the characters.

It also features so much including love, grief, hope, difficult families and overall, a journey but this also makes me feel like Isabelle is trying to include too much. The story does flow in it’s own way but I also found it quite jumpy and parts didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the story. I understand why pieces were the way they were, to link one characters story to the others, but for me it just didn’t work. It felt like we had been building something up, putting in the work, to be rewarded with nothing. It was such a let down.

I do like how Isabelle Broom always reveals her backstories, they are woven into the whole book so that you feel that you have no choice but to keep reading. For most of her books, I find that it works, but for me, it just did not work for Hello, Again. I don’t really understand who Pepper is who her family are and why her family unit is the way it is.

Overall, I love Isabelle Broom and I still felt like I couldn’t put this book down. She had beautifully descriptions like always but I just felt the book was missing something. For me, it just didn’t work and I’m not really sure what I’ve just read.

Isabelle Broom's name is very apt for the novel she writes as she sweeps you along to a fascinating destination one after the other. This novel I think is my favourite of hers so far, but they're all so good that it's hard to pick.

I loved the three characters, Finn, Pepper and Josephine.The two girls head to Lisbon for very different reasons and their journey as they find out about each other and themselves is just lovely. Josephine is on a serach for something and I was willing her to find it.

Then Pepper meets the rather handsome Finn. Well I assume he's pretty nice as Isabelle really draws him well to the point you can almost shake his hand. He lives in Hamburg so there's a visit there. There's still a search. A finding of themselves.
Then it's off to Barcelona for the ultimate ending to this lovely story. Each place tells its own story about the characters who visit and the relationships that develop.

There's some really lovely moments in this book. The story comes full circle and I left the book feeling as if I had missing my friends already. Great characters in a heartwarming story and at times very sad story.

With our current situation we can only look out our windows at the sky and dream of flying away to holiday in idyllic locations but I really felt like I needed a holiday fix and if I can’t leave my home I knew I could escape in another way through Isabelle Brooms impeccable ability to transport us through her vivid writing style to picturesque countries around the world.
Pepper has been existing not living after a devastating tragedy that happened to her family when she was younger has shaped her life but when her dear friend Josephine asks her to be her travel companion to revisit countries close to her heart she takes the leap and little does she know that this is going to put her life on a new path.
We escape along with Pepper to Lisbon, Hamburg and Barcelona each country so idyllic and inviting in their own little ways as we soak in the sites. Isabelle Broom has such a skill in writing about countries history, cuisines and hidden spots that intrigue me in each one of her books this one included. Lisbon has never been somewhere on my list of places to visit but it sure does appeal to me now and I long to walk the pretty little streets that Pepper and Josephine walked.
It was so lovely to see Pepper beginning to relax and enjoy her life as she tried new things along the way and this of course was helped by a certain meeting of the incredibly handsome Finn who she meets in Lisbon but there was always that black cloud of her past and the effect it has had on the relationship with her mum as well as the effect it has had on her own life which gives a more emotive feel to the storyline and as we get to know Pepper more throughout the storyline I longed for her to find confidence in herself and to start living the life she deserves.
I found myself racing through the pages keen to see where Pepper was going to travel to next and to watch a sweet romance blossoming, there were a number of parts in the book that were unexpected and this just made the storyline all the more captivating where it was unpredictable.
The characters were so well developed that I really cared for them all and found myself a little deflated having finished the book not wanting to leave Pepper, Finn and Josephine behind but this book was a great little tonic that I absolutely loved and have already found myself recommending this to friends and fellow bookworms.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was recently recommended Isabelle Broom novels by Lindsey Kelk but this is the only one I have read so far.

Hello Again is the story of Pepper (Phillipa) a struggling artist who destroys everything she creates as she doesn’t think it’s good enough. She has a broken heart. Her parents split and he sister passed away, so when her elderly friend Josephine offers her the chance to go travelling to Europe with her she agrees. Will travelling help Pepper to find her creative spirit and fix her broken heart?

The book takes us to Lisbon, Hamburg and Barcelona - all 3 Cities I have never visited but with Isabelle Broom’s descriptions I could see how beautiful these places were.
For me, Hello Again is not a novel about romance, it’s more about friend and family relationships and mending broken hearts. I thought this was a beautifully written book that was very moving with likeable characters and is one I am more than happy to recommend.

I am obviously very late to the party when it comes to Isabelle Broom. She is such a good writer and I was captivated by #HelloAgain.
Pepper is an artist, but she destroys most of her work, as she just doesn't think she is good enough. She is a likeable character who I really cared for. I wanted her to heal and I wanted her to grow. The book follows her over a summer and includes some beautiful descriptions of Lisbon, Barcelona and Hamburg (the last of which I have never visited but really want to now.) the author clearly knows her locations and her art, which adds to the depth of the book.
This isn't your usual romantic comedy, this is a novel that is grounded in characters scared by loss, fractured family relationships and unmet potential. The research and planning that must have gone into Hello, Again is evident but not forced. The story flows and reveals beautifully. The book held and moved me and I would have read it in one go if I had been able. I give a a great big FIVE stars.
Thank you to the author, the publishers and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fabulous book. I am now off to find the back catalogue and read all of Isabelle Broom's books.

Philippa Taylor (Pepper to her friends) has big dreams. When she closes her eyes, she can picture exactly who she ought to be. The problem is, it's about as far away from her real life in a small coastal town in Suffolk as she can imagine. So when her elderly friend Josephine persuades Pepper to accompany her on a trip to Europe, she jumps at the chance to change her routine. And when Pepper bumps (literally) into the handsome Finn in Lisbon, it seems as though she might have finally found what she's been looking for. But Pepper know all too well things are rarely as they seem. Her own quiet life hides a dark secret from the past. And even though she and Finn may have been destined to find each other, Pepper suspects life may have other plans as to how the story should end.

I think I missed something with this, it does not feel like a book. It felt like this started halfway through a story, Broom jumps right in, there is no explanation or real backstory provided and it did not feel like a whole plot the entire way through the book. There is a backstory of course and Broom does reveal it and I have to say it is very emotional and moving but I feel it needed to be at the beginning so the book made sense.

This book does go to some beautiful places and Broom captures the beauty and landscapes the characters see. I found myself transported to Lisbon, Barcelona and Hamburg but in a way it felt like a travel journey and there did not always seem to be a relevance.

The characters are enjoyable, Pepper is likeable, quirky and in the latter half of the book it feels like we see the real Pepper and learn about the emotional struggles she has faced. Josephine is also interesting and certainly brings a lot of humour to the read. I would like to comment on Finn but I did not think he was present enough to make a comment.

Another thing this book is is obvious! I hate to say it but the little plot that exists is so guessable and obvious resulting in another let down.

'Hello, Again' was not a read I enjoyed, it barely has a plot to it and just seemed to be a collection of travel journals for Pepper. The whole way though it felt like there was something missing and I never found it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy.

A fantstic read. I loved Josephine's character, so ful of life . The description of Barcelona was so colourful. The love element was intriguing and Pepper definitely ended up wiyh the right person. The relationship between Pepper and her mother was intense and sad . The ending of the book was perfect.

I loved this book. A gorgeous, moving, beautiful story with great characters. Thank you for the advance preview

I have absolutely loved this.
I haven’t been able to put this one down. It is absolutely gorgeous.