An absolutely lovely read. Libby Page is fast becoming my favourite author having read The Lido and The 24hr Cafe. This book, The Island Home, takes you away to a Scottish island where a small community is trying to survive. Lorna has come home thanks to the intervention of her young daughter. The story will make you laugh and make you sad at times for the young Lorna. Cleverly told through alternate chapters from Lorna and her sister in law Alice. Looking forward to Libby Page's next book.

5 stars says it all.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and even though I could see where the story was going I devoured every word. Love the fact that the author have herself and husband a little cameo too!

Review of The Island Home, The book making life brighter in 2021 by Libby Page

This is the story of Lorna, along with her daughter Ella who is her world. After 20 years of living in London, they are packing up and returning to the small Hebridean island of Kip where Lorna grew up and left behind her at the age of 18.
This was an enjoyable heart warming read with interesting characters, with them growing throughout the story as you learn more about them and why Lorna left at 18.

I loved this book and all the characters so much that I was totally lost when it ended. What wonderful escapism this story provides at a time when we all need a bit of that. Just joyful and I have recommended to everyone! Thank you Libby.

Twenty years ago Lorna left home. She left behind her young brother and her best friend but she couldn't live with her bullying and controlling father and a mother, who would never stand up for her. She walked away and never went back till now. With her daughter she is heading to the island of Kip, off the Scottish coast as her parents have passed away.
She is nervous about her reception especially with her brother and his wife.
Will she be accepted and what does the future hold for her ?

I loved this, it was a perfect book to read in the sunshine. I’ve always loved the idea of island life - the sense of community, beautiful landscape and simple living. This plays into that, but Lorna has tried to escape the island all of her life. After a troubled childhood, she got out and moved as far away as she could. When her teenage daughter connects with her cousin on the island, she’s drawn back their to face her fears and the brother she abandoned. With plenty of well drawn characters, I was hooked immediately. The darkness that Lorna ran from is teased throughout the book but ultimately it’s a feel good read about family, friendship and home.

3.5 rounded up. A feelgood story about the ties and terrors of the past and the power of friendship and hope. I had some gripes with some parts, a bit too predictable or too vague, but the setting and atmosphere were fantastic.

A great story but so sad in parts.. I loved the island and the people but not the life I could live.Lorna was one strong character. You felt for her and Jack. Parents can make or break you. Gosh you don’t realise how much harm you can do if you get it wrong. Gosh Sarah was hurt . I am never sure when books move between two characters but it worked. Alice was strong.. I was saddened by the head teacher .Ellie was brilliant at getting her mum home . A story that made you think. A perfect ending

Lorna returns to her childhood home on a remote Scottish Island with her daughter Ella to reconnect with her family.
A slow and predictable read that failed to hold my attention in parts although I did enjoyed the description of Island life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review

After reading Libby Page’s other two books I had high hopes for this one.
Lorna, a single mum living in London with her daughter Ella has not been home to the island of her childhood for over 20 years. Her life in London is not great, they live in a small flat, she has only one close friend and has a boss who is inappropriate with her.
After the death of both her parents Lorna and her daughter are on their way to the island of Kip, her childhood home and her brother who still lives there with his family. Lorna has not spoken to him in a long time and is scared about going back to meet those in the community she left behind so suddenly.
Told from both Lorna and her sister in law - Alice’s perspective we learn through the story the reasons for her sudden departure and her cutting herself off from everyone she knew some twenty years before. Her re-connection with the island and its inhabitants is not what she expected and she learns more about herself and her family as well as the people living on the island.
The feeling of community and friendship is very strong throughout the book. I loved the sense of strength in the relationships of those living on the island and the friendships the women had with each other.
Family secrets and forgiveness between Lorna and her brother were dealt with in a sensitive way and I rooted for the two of them to heal their wounds, it’s never too late to try and resolve differences.
Add to all the tensions a bit of a love interest and I’m hooked.
A book about the importance of home and the strength of the ties that bring us back to family and friends. It’s full of hope and heart-warming characters who pull you into their lives.
A 4 star read for me. Throughly enjoyed it, great characters, a Scottish island and family and friends - what more could life give.

A resounding 5 stars which I just wanted to carry on reading to know what happens next!. A very enjoyable light read but with plenty of more serious underlying issues. The story is told through the eyes of Lorna and Alice and alternates between the two quite successfully. Lot's of feel good warm heartedness without being cloying plus underlining the need for friendship and community especially in these more difficult times. A wonderful escape too to a remote Scottish island but making the reader think generally about life, family, work-life balance. Being super critical the ending was little predictable and it was a little slow in parts but all in all an excellent read. which I fully immersed myself in finding it a good tonic,.

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, but I really really loved it! I loved the setting, the plot, the characters. The fractured relationship between the Lorna and her brother was heartbreaking to read and it did bring a tear to my eye on several occasions. 100% recommend.

At the start, I wasn't convinced by this book, but it improved.

An easy read, somewhat predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Perfect holiday book to enjoy during afternoons in the sun

Such a lovely read, really heart warming with such real and relatable characters, her sense of community is wonderful and inspiring.
I've enjoyed all three novels by this author and she's fast becoming a favourite.
The scenery is beautifully described and is the perfect backdrop for this story, it made me want to visit the islands.

I just adored this book! It had me from the second page where it mentioned that our main characters were waiting on a train to Fort William - I have a lot of connections with FW so it instantly grabbed my attention. This book is so well written, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The relationships are written so well, you can feel the situations as if it was your life and not characters in a book. I think we all secretly would love to go off-grid and live somewhere like Kip - now it sounds so appealing! Definite 5 star read for me.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This story is told from two different viewpoints - Lorna and Alice

For Lorna, her world is just her daughter and her, the both of them is all that matters to her. Now, after nearly, twenty years, she and her daughter Ella are going to the Isle of Kip, where Lorna grew up.

Alice, on the other hand, for her, her world is tiny, but full. Loving the community on the Isle of Kip. Will Lorna's arrival, help the family come together, and forgive for past secrets and will the past help them unite.....

Well, as she’s not been back for almost twenty years, miles between them, and the endless secrets, is coming back home a good idea and enough to start over??

Being a huge fan of The Lido, and enjoyed 24 hour café, I was excited to read this one,
Sadly, I didn't love this as much as her previous two. Definitely got the sense of the Island life, and the mixed feelings of returning home.
Pace felt a little slow, and didn't get as emotionally attached to the characters as I normally do.
Definitely provokes pangs of nostalgia and thoughts of home,

Wow !! This is the third of Libby Page's books which I have read, and is the best yet. The characters and settings are wonderfully written and the relationships believable. Lorna and her daughter Ella are out of their comfort zones when thy visit the remote Scottish island of Kip - Lorna because of the way she left decades earlier and Ella because she has always lived in London. As the two forge new friendships and Lorna tries to mend old bridges their hopes for the future evolve.

This is a glorious tale of families and friendships, love and loss. Highly recommended. Keep some tissues handy for the last few chapters.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

A beautiful, heartwarming read! It will have you laughing and crying. Characters are like able, a few all have you thinking of your own family and friends and how everyone helps you along the way. It’s a well paced story that’s hard to put down once you’ve started!

After being completely blown away by Libby’s debut, The Lido, and enjoying The 24hr Cafe I have been so eagerly awaiting this read.

Set on the fictional Isle of Kip the story is told through the eyes of both Lorna and Alice. It tackles many subjects, being a poignant read in parts and had me shedding afew tears.

There is some predictability to the story however I didn’t mind this as it is told exceptionally well. You feel like you are really there with the characters. A brilliant heartwarming 5🌟 read!