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<p><em>I absolutely adore this author and knew that I wasn’t going to be disappointed by this absolutely gorgeous novel. </em></p>
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<p>This is a book filled with discovery which has been enjoyable from the very first page. I have loved how we have seen the development of the great interactions between the characters who fill this page. </p>
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<p>This is a novel filled with family secrets. As readers, we witness the arguments between the siblings. This has definitely gripped me from the very beginning. </p>
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<p>This is beautifully written and completely engaging. I have been unwilling to put this gem down and devoured this in just one sitting. </p>
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<p>I adore the gorgeous cover of this one. It is a perfect summery read that is heartwarming and uplifting. I am already eagerly anticipating more from the fantastic Fanny Blake. </p>
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<p><strong><em>A definite five star read which must be on the TBR. </em></strong></p>
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Isla's mother May dies and only leaves her an old painting in her will, leaving the family home in Scotland to her sister Aggie and two younger daughters. Hurt and upset, Isla is driven to find out more about her mother and why she seemed so distant from her.

The road trip that Isla embarks on to discover the truth is shared with her reluctant teenage granddaughter, Charlie; however, the two grow close as time passes and Charlie proves surprisingly perceptive, especially regarding the man Isla is currently in a relationship with.

Isla's sisters, Morag and Lorna, have their own issues - Lorna, in particular - and it is clear that things need to be resolved. The truth finally emerges and Isla is able to reconcile her past with her present.

I enjoyed this book, especially the relationship with Charlie - prickly at first - that enabled Isla to face the truth about herself. There is also a lesson about trust, which Isla learns the hard way.

I also liked the interplay between Isla and her ex-husband, Ian. The back story, showing May's life in 1950s Paris, is also revealing and sheds light on the difficult relationship with Isla. May and Isla both prove similar in one respect - both trust men they shouldn't and are emotionally scarred when the truth emerges. All is not always what it appears on the surface.

Lorna, the youngest sister, seems to have an idyllic life, but this is only superficial and explains - whilst not excuses - her behaviour to her aunt and sisters. I liked the way this was dealt with at the end of the book, showing Lorna in a more positive light as she finds the help and understanding she needs. Past differences are reconciled and everyone is able to move forward.

All in all, a good family story, and I am happy to read more from Fanny Blake.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Simon and Schuster UK, in return for an honest appraisal.

This story is told in two timelines.
Present day where we follow Isla on her quest to find out why her mother May left her only a painting in her will while leaving the rest of her estate to her siblings Morag and Lorna and her aunt Aggie.
Isla has her moody teenage granddaughter Charlie with her as her mother Helen has to go to America for work. Her father is already away with work too so Isla feels she has no choice but to take Charlie with her.
The relationship between the siblings was at times strained for various reasons and I enjoyed reading about their lives.
Paris in the 1950's we follow May's story. Working as a nanny she meets Wendy and the girls enjoy the delights of Paris and love.
I loved how the relationship between Isla and Charlie developed. There were lots of compromises on both sides.
Helen I disliked for the very fact that she put work above her daughter.
A very enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster uk for the ARC

Enjoyed this book, my first time reading a Fanny Blake book. Happy to recommend. Enjoyed the mix of generations, how each taught the others along the way. Also loved the inclusion of a dog.

The Long Way Home is a wonderful story about families, secrets and honesty. It centres around 65 year-old grandmother Isla, who, some months after her mother's death, takes a journey home with her 14 year-old granddaughter Charlie. There are flashbacks to her mother's time in Paris in the 1950s, all integral to the story. I was engrossed from the first chapter and really loved this book. The characters are life-like and believable, and there's just enough intrigue to keep the reader guessing. A great summer read!
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

Really enjoyed reading this book. A great take on older/younger relationships with Isla travelling with Charlie, her teenage grand-daughter. The flashbacks are done so well and 50s Paris is somewhere you really want to visit!
You quickly get involved with the characters and want to see what happens. It was obvious quite early on that Someone Was Not What They Seem but it was great fun working out what was going on andn rooting for the main characters to find out. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

A novel that explores the importance of the mother/daughter bond, this story begins with the shocking betrayal of a mother when Isla's mother May, dies, leaving nothing of her considerable estate to her eldest daughter but an old painting. At 65, Isla should be used to her mother's rejection as they always had a difficult relationship, but this is the final straw, and she determines to discover just what lies behinds May's cruel rejection.
In her quest for answers, which takes her the length of Britain visiting old friends and family, she's accompanied by her granddaughter Charlie, a rebellious teenager who has her own issues with her own mother.
By the time they get to Isla's childhood home in Scotland, a picture of May's past has begun to emerge - will it be enough to heal Isla's hurt, and help her mend bridges with her sisters?
This was such a good story - the plot is well-paced and there is plenty of action to keep you turning the pages both in Isla's present situation and in the chapters that delve into May's past when she was working as a young nanny in Paris.
It's very character driven and all the main players are allowed to develop as their story is revealed
Isla is such a strong, sympathetic character, and you can't help but empathise with her right from the beginning. As unlucky in love as she is in her present family predicament, she never becomes cynical or bitter, but holds on to the hope of better things ahead while dealing with her present challenges, that include her wayward granddaughter!
Charlie is a typical teenager who obviously adores her gran but can't always control her hormonal behaviour.
May, whom I wanted to hate, has her own challenging back story that helps us understand, if not excuse, her behaviour to her eldest daughter.
This is a strong, heartwarming story of the importance of family bonds between mothers, daughter, granddaughters, sisters and even aunts. It engaged my emotions and held my attention right from the first page.

An enjoyable read about family and secrets.

Isla is a 65 year old grandmother who, along with her two sisters, has just been left something in her Mother's will.  But it turns out the two sisters and her aunt get the property and Isla just gets a painting. So Isla sets off to figure out why she has been left out of the main will and just got a painting, with links to Paris.

There are lots of family issues going on in this book, the sisters are arguing because of the property, one wanting to sell and one not wanting to sell.  The aunt is lovely, but keeping quiet initially about why Isla has just got a painting.  We also have Isla's granddaughter who ends up going on a road trip with her (reluctantly), because her parents are busy with work.

The book flipped back and forth to when Isla's mum was in Paris when she was younger, and the reasons for the painting slowly come out as the story goes on and secrets are revealed.

I did find Isla far too trusting with her 'boyfriend' and she did seem to be the only one making an effort with anyone in the family, trying to sort out the rift, but I enjoyed the interactions with most of the characters.

In an attempt to widen my genres I selected this book to read and review, fortunately I was accepted. Thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the writers style. A good read and an Author I will not hesitate to recommend.. I have posted positive , honest reviews on my Facebook reading group and Goodreads . Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

Set across two timelines and spanning four generations this is a timeless read. When her mother passed Isla’s sisters inherit her house, while Isla is left a painting. Unsure where she fits into the family and why her mother disliked her Isla starts a journey which changes her life story. Accompanied by her granddaughter, they share love and laughter, and uncover a well hidden family secret. It’s a pleasant read but I found it a bit slow in parts.

When Isla's mother dies, she leaves her nothing but a painting, with the family estate being left to her sisters and her Aunt Aggie.
This ignites a need to know more within Isla and so with the initially unplanned, company of her grandaughter Charlie, Isla goes on a mission to uncover her Mothers reasons for leaving her out.
Paris in the 1950s sees a young May, working as a Nanny and having a wonderful time with her friend Wendy. She meets an American boy which leads to romance for the young woman. The unexpected happens and it changes the course of Mays life.
Buried secrets finally come to light in this book which blends seamlessly between the past and present.
A very enjoyable read from Fanny Blake.

Isla has always been the odd one out in her family, and had a difficult relationship with her mother. When her mother dies of a heart attack and Isla is cut out of her will, and she decides its time to try and discover why. The story moves between Paris in 1950s and present day Scotland, as our 65 year old heroine, accompanied by her recalcitrant teenage granddaughter, try to uncover long hidden secrets.

I enjoyed the format of the story telling in The Long Way Home.

Paris in 1954 shows us a very different May at the start of her independence from her own family, whilst in 2019, Isla and her siblings have lived within confines and boundaries with Isla never able to get close to May. The search for May’s will and the old painting highlights the fraught interactions between the siblings – this always fascinates me! being an only child from my parent’s second marriages, sibling relationships are very interesting.

I have to be honest, my respect for Isla grew less and less the more we find out about one of the characters. Why couldn’t she see what I could? The relationship with her mother distorts all her relationships… she did sneak into my heart though and I was surprised at the affection I had for her by the time the story ended.

I enjoyed the developing relationship between Isla and Charlie. As they travel to their destination and Aggie’s party, Isla learns so much from spending time with her. The face we present to the world hardly ever reflects what’s going on inside does it! I loved the role reversal – to me, Isla is vulnerable through the whole story – it was great that Charlie and Ian had her back.

I did work out the secrets before the reveal but this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story.

The Long Way Home is a reminder to let those close to us know that we love them and not to assume that they just know. That being open and honest might not be the disaster you think it’s going to be …

Recommended read.

This tale is a voyage of discovery for 65 year old Isla and marks a change in her relationships with daughter Helen and granddaughter Charlie. The double timeline story is full of era-appropriate references and highlights differences in attitudes between the 1950s and present day. A well written book which draws the reader in.

Yet another superb read from Fanny Blake..I really didn't want the tale to end and wanted to see what happened next for Isla. Loved the way the book was written from Isla's perspective and how it also told the story from her mother Mays time in Paris..where the story starts. Isla goes on a journey after her mother's death to find out why she has only been left a painting....along the way she has a romance with Tony...who is not quite all he seems, she ends up looking after her hapless and slightly wayward Granddaughter and deals with her two siblings who have problems of their own and also get mother's aged but zany sister....and finds out who she really is!
A really great read. I enjoyed every word. Looking forward to Danny Blake's next offering already. Highly recommend

I couldn't put this down, truly. Clever plot, well-rounded characters and lovely places. Let down by a silly geographical error that could have been checked in seconds and a slightly predictable twist towards the end, but all in all a very good read.

A family secret, a mysterious legacy, and a journey that will change everything… When Isla, a 65-year-old grandmother, is left nothing but an old painting in her mother’s will, while her sisters and aunt inherit the estate, she is devastated.

This is such a lovely, heartwarming story, it is based over two periods of time, the present and the past. It is what I would describe as an easy, Sunday read, or one for the beach/pool. As well as the special moments, we also get the side where life is hard and difficult and how the characters deal with life problems. This is my first book from the author and I would happily read again. The book is eyecatching and appealing and one I would pick up if on a bookshop. I would rate 3.5 if possible.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is written from the perspective of 60 something Isla, who travels to her family home in Scotland for the reading of her mother May’s will.
There, she is in for a shock, as she learns that all she is left is a painting while her sisters inherit the childhood home.

This is a novel of great depth and scope as we explore the past with Isla, her granddaughter and sisters. We also meet May as she spends time in 1950’s Paris.

I recommend this book.

When May dies she leaves her house and money to her two of her daughters and her sister who lived with her . Her oldest daughter isla only gets a painting that hung in her father's study. The sisters fall out about what to do about the house.
Isla decides to discover the truth as to why her mother treated her like that so decides to return to her old home and ask her aunt and sister why.
On her road trip she has to take her teenage daughter Charlie who is not happy to be spending so much time without her friends.
We read about May in 1954 when she arrives in Paris as a nanny. A very different May when she was young compared to the May her children knew.
I enjoyed this story . There was so much going on with the sisters and of course Isla's boyfriend who I didn't trust from the start.

When Isla's mother dies she is shocked to find out that all she was left in the will was a picture whilst the house was split between her sisters and her aunt, devastated and wondering what she did to cause this she returns home but is unable to settle whilst thoughts of why keep running through her head, so she sets off on a trip to find out about her mothers past and to find out why she did what she did, but when her daughter needs to go away she finds her granddaughter an unwilling accomplice on her trip.
Even though parts of this book were easy to foresee I still really enjoyed it. I especially loved the relationship between Isla, her granddaughter and her ex husband it showed that even though we may have an impression of people they may just be the ones that are there for us when we need them.
The long way home was a beautiful read and one I didn't want to come to an end!