This is a story of grief and loss. The writing is very beautiful. I could relate to the characters but I didn’t connect with the story. It was very slow paced and took me ages to get into it.

I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

This was an endearing story covering grief and family relationships.

The characters were well written and likeable and I was invested in their stories. I was engaged throughout with the unfolding of grief and how it was handled by Isla and Morgan, and how they started to see eye to eye.

A lovely book!

What fascinated me to read this book is how the author uses Cornwall as a background, thus it feels so close to my heart. And when I read the synopsis I knew that this book has most of the elements that I would enjoy like time travel, magic rock, legends, and most of all it's about sisterhood.

As the oldest of 4 siblings, I can surely relate to Isla. I can feel all the pressure, the weight of responsibility that I believe I need to hold it all and keep myself together so I can be a responsible older sister that everyone can rely on. I feel like I was the one who had to carry all the burden. Be tough and act like one. And that is exactly what Isla felt as well.

I do feel tired while reading because the story doesn't progress or had the “same mind and view” as other time travel stories I had watched or read. Like Isla, I was wary about the reason why she was taken continuously to the past but can't do anything significant. Like, where's the butterfly effect?? But then, comes the breaking point, perhaps too slow to satisfy me, nevertheless, it appears, oh yes, it appeared to make us see from a different perspective. And believe me, it's one of the lessons that I would hold very dear.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read this wonderful book.

If you could change one thing from your past would you? This is the question Isla faces when she discovers a magical time traveling rock.

Isla has been stuck in a rut since the death of there mother and the disappearance of her sister. Caring for her emotionally distant dad has been her soul purpose in life. So when her sister returns home Isla has to face up to the the fact that she is stagnating and her life is certainly not what she imagined it to be. Is she brave enough to make a change?

A beautifully written novel.

Isla’s family has been fractured ever since the day her mum died 9 years ago. Since then things have kept going wrong, she’s stuck in a job she hates and her sister ran away, so Isla knows exactly which days she would change if she was given the chance. When she is given an impossible opportunity to go back and relive those days she realises she might be able to save her family. What she doesn’t realise is that not everyone wants things to be changed.

I went into this one expecting it to be a time travel adventure sort of a book, that’s what grabbed me and made me request from NetGalley. It’s actually more of a family drama, looking at how grief and loss can affect people. Whilst it wasn’t quite what I anticipated it was an enjoyable read.

I thought the plotline was interesting, getting the chance to go back and relive different days and see them with fresh eyes is a great idea. I loved how the concept was tied in to an old folklore tale from the town that we get to read at the start of the book too. The only thing that didn’t work so well for me was the idea that the stone would decide whether Isla was visible or not, or could interact with people in the past or not. I thought that seemed like an easy out for fixing potential plot holes.

The characters were intriguing. I would have liked to see more of Jasper, he was probably the most enigmatic to me. Isla was a bit of a contradiction in my mind. I understand that she had taken a lot on her shoulders trying to keep things together, and was doing her best, but honestly there was aspects of her that I didn’t really like. She very much seemed like she thought she knew best about everything, and was unrepentant even when she was in the wrong. She was caring and generous though and genuinely trying to do what she thought was best for her family.

What I took from this one was how differently grief can affect people. We start with an incredibly sad story of a family who have been living under a cloud of grief for over 9 years, but by the end are in a position of hope and strength. It’s a heart-warming read, and definitely worth a look if you like family dramas.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Surprising Days of Isla Pembroke is a contemporary novel that explores love, loss and acceptance within a family.

Summary:
Isla Pembroke lives in Cornwall and works in the local aquarium... like she has for the past ten years. After her mother's passing, Isla's life has stagnated as she attempts to not only keep herself together, but also the lives of her family. Unfortunately, her attempts at avoiding grief are not understood by everyone, which results in her sister running away for four years. This results in seemingly irreparable rifts in their sisterly bond

According to Cornish legend, the monolith of Karrekoth is a testament of the love between the lightning and the wind, and one day, a storm rages and lightning splits the stone open. This allow Isla to revisit the past and seeing how she can potentially change the future.

Characters:
I wasn't fully convinced by the characters in this book. They were all rather two-dimensional and the character growth was ill-paced, happing very quickly in the end. They didn't seem to have much to them except their familial relationships, which obviously are so lacking as a plot point that it makes them seem really not real. This makes it difficult to get invested in them, or their development, and they do little to drive the plot forward. Isla and Morgan as sisters are sweet, but individually have little about each of them to be invested or have a favourite sister.

Plot:
Again, I wasn't wholly convinced by this books plot. It seemed rather repetitive, with all of the answers lying in the stone, which conveniently facilitated that everything be carried out as it should. Literally throughout the book, the characters keep remarking on how convent the stone makes everything for them. This in turn makes it not believable and rather dull. There's minimal content to keep the reader engaged, and it took some effort to keep me reading.

That being said, it's a nice enough read, with nothing being too arduous or difficult, so if you're looking for a nice break from intense books, this could be it. 3 stars from me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Did I cry through a majority of this book? Yes. But did I love it? Heck yes.

The Surprising Days of Isla Pembroke is an emotional story of sisterhood, family and learning to cope and live with grief. The book itself is all about if you could change parts of your past…would you? Or more importantly SHOULD you?

Isla is a wonderful character, the author gives her such depth and you really feel for her throughout the book. Overall, it’s a wonderfully written story that is both heart breaking and heart warming and I loved every minute of reading it despite the tears!

Thanks so much to NetGallery and the publishers for the ARC.

This is a story of family and sisterhood, a story of loss and grief, and a story about learning to put yourself first.

28 year-old Isla is stuck in her little town in Cornwall, still working at their little aquarium instead of fulfilling her marine biologist dreams. It's been 9 years since Isla put her life on hold, since she had to step up and take care of everything, or at least try to. Why? Well, her mother died, her dad has never got over it and her younger sister Morgan ran away at 17 and hasn't come back for 4 years.

But then Morgan comes back and Isla finds a way to the past (yes, it's magical realism). Will she be able to change what happened that day? Can she make things better? Will Morgan ever tell her why she left one night and took 4 years to come back?

The writing was beautiful and I found both Isla and Morgan to be very relatable at times but, unfortunately, I didn't fully connect with the story. It had a slow start and it took a while for things to actually get going.

Thank you NetGalley and Orion for an e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.

A beautifully written book. I was hooked in the first chapter, and keen to follow Isla's journey. I must admit, I'm not one for magical realism, which did make it hard for me to persist once that element became apparent. But if you do enjoy that kind of thing, this will be a 5 star read, no doubt.

A comforting and warm book, with the two sisters Isla and Morgan being incredibly likeable. A story of grief, loss, love and forgiveness, with a touch of magic thrown in for good measure. Recommend with a warm cup of cocoa and a packet of hob nobs for the perfect autumn night in.

Isla lives in Cornwall with her dad, Jasper. She always wanted to work with marine creatures particularly octopus and had started university when a family tragedy changed her life.
When Isla's sister, Morgan comes back into her she begins to face up how different her life is from the path she intended and to see whether she can get back on track.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book but be warned; you will need tissues before the end.

I didn't really connect with this book, try as I might. I feel sad because I see that other readers enjoyed it .Hopefully it was just me and other readers will continue to enjoy it.

Absolutely loved this book. Its one of those books that stays with you long after you have read it and makes you question your life and your decisions. Beautifully written, brilliant characters with a rollercoaster of emotions. Highly recommended.

There are times where I would love to go back in time and change the outcome of my life and Isla gets that chance! It’s a lovely read and a page Turner, wondering what Isla will choose to do next! Have a duvet day this autumn and grab a copy of this book. You wont be disappointed!

The premise of this book was really interesting and I often enjoy books set in real life, that have unexpected fantasy elements to them. I was surprised by it as I’d never read the author before, but I really did enjoy this. I read it in a day while relaxing over August bank holiday weekend and really became sucked in by the character’s need to redo her past - one of the only laws I know about time travel fiction is NOT to change anything so I was interested to see where this went. What would these changes mean for Isla’s present day?
I felt that Isla was coming at this from a glass half empty perspective, but that wasn’t surprising. She feels everything has gone wrong in her life - she lives in Cornwall where she could only find work at an aquarium, dependent on tourists and not the career she could have planned out for herself. Several years before Isla’s mum died which was obviously devastating for the family. Her dad didn’t cope well, leaving Isla and her sister Morgan to fend for themselves when he had a nervous breakdown. Her younger sister ran away at the age of 17, leaving Isla alone to deal with what’s left of their family. When Morgan returns, the magic stone Isla finds gives her the chance to change all this and she tries to navigate her new ability to time travel whilst still caring for Dad. I didn’t blame Isla for wanting to change all of that heartbreak and stress. The author depicts grief and loss in such a heartbreaking way. However, it is part of life and can anyone have a life free of pain? Also is it really these big moments that we need to change when sometimes the decisions we make can come from the smallest moments too? I thought this showed sisterly love so beautifully, and I kept thinking of my own stepdaughters as I was reading. It brought home to me how tough things are when you’re so young. I enjoyed the narrative voice, loved the emotion and really felt for Isla, she’s a very sympathetic character and is trying to do what’s best for her family. I would definitely read the author again.

Thanks NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and Tamsin Keily for an ARC to review.
A surprisingly heartwarming emotional enchanting tale of life choices, sisterhood, family, fate, regrets.
If you have the ability to change the past, would you? And which moments would you pick? Do the major moments have the most impact on your life's course or a totally slight moment?
I absolutely loved it.

I absolutely loved this book! Really engaged with the story, I was sceptical about the time travel aspect but it absolutely made the story. Lovely characters, wanted a happy ending for them all. Will definitely read more books from this author xx thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication xx

Do you ever pick up a book with very little expectations? Thinking it may be a decent, heart warming enough story to keep you entertained for a few hours?

That was me with this book. The book seemed like a sliding doors type of novel, about the changing of certain events in your past and the consequences of these changes in the future (if we can even change the past).

Whilst I am not usually a fan of fantasy-type novels, the premise of these types of books always appeals to me and when given the opportunity for an advanced review copy, I couldn't resist (and I am so glad I didn't).

This was a brilliant, heart-warming, heart-breaking, heart-stopping novel about loss, grief, unfulfilled potential and the 'what if?' we ask ourselves each day.

I can certainly relate to Isla looking back on a life with so much potential and asking 'where did it all go wrong' rather than 'where did it all go right'?

Would recommend this novel to everyone and a massive thanks to Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC