I read this as a free copy give to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed being whisked away to the Maldives, somewhere I would very much love to visit. It was a warm hug of a summer holiday and I very much enjoyed that feeling. The story was fairly standard chic lit, the characters stereotypical and the at times the writing was a bit jittery. If I’m honest I’m not sure that the author has actually visited the Maldives but I could tell that she had traveled to the American locations as these were written better and very much real. All in all a light escapist read and a firm three stars

Lovely sunshiny book I had the pleasure of reading whilst sitting on the beach. Jenny and Mari run a bookshop in a coastal town. There bookshop has been plodding on overlooking the sea for a few years and all is well apart from their friendship has gone stale and cracks are starting to show. Mari has met Drew an author and is enjoying a fresh relationship. Jen has been in love secretly with Evan who coincidentally is Mari’s older brother. When Jen sees a job advertisement starting up a bookshop in the Maldives she hesitantly applies. The events that happen to the girls after can either make or break their friendship.
Thankyou netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Dickens excels at creating fun female characters that are reaching a crossroads in life and crave change. This book is perfect for anyone who's ever felt stuck in a rut and either wants to be more carefree or fears taking a leap.
Amazing locations and lots of adventure, this is a feelgood, escapist novel of dreams.

What a totally lovely read, loved the charecters, the story, the beautiful places, I was transported to the Maldives and felt like I could feel the sun on my face, a gorgeous story about friendship, just loved it

Personally, I would love to run a bookshop and even more so on a beautiful island in the Maldives so I was looking forward to reading this book and daydreaming!

The story follows Jenny and Marianne who run a bookshop together in a quaint Cornish village and charts their conflicting friendship as they have two very different approaches. They go their separate ways - Marianne to USA on a road trip with her new boyfriend, and Jenny to run a holiday bookshop. The setting in the Maldives was beautiful and I identified with Jenny more and really felt for her at times throughout the book. I didn't really get Marianne as a character and so I didn't fall completely in love with the book. However, it'd definitely be a nice relaxing read on the beach!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

Quaint and peak escapism at once, this novel was a dreamy read. I love any story that plops me from mundanity to the most incredible and this one’s got a few journeys to explore alongside Marianne and Jenny.

While I enjoyed my time reading it and I’m glad I did, it’s not one I’ll reach for again. A satisfying read.

An escape book which was more about friendship than romance. A light enough read but I did find that I struggled with the two main characters with whom I just didn't connect with. Good descriptions of the locations, the Maldives and America but not sure they really added anything to the book. So mixed feelings overall.

What a lovely story about two lifelong friends who buy a Cornish bookshop near the beach together.
Jenny is a home loving girl and she actually runs the bookshop. Her friend Marianne loves to travel and leaves the bookshop in Jenny’s hands all the time. However there is an uninspected chance for Jenny to copy Marianne’s example as she gets the opportunity to go to the Maldives. This is a joyful read as we see Marianne in Las Vegas and jenny in the Maldives. Both places are beautifully described and the story is a joyful read.
There is romance for both of them and happy ending and this is a good story to read on the beach or any ware else.

OKAY APART FROM THE FACT THIS BOOK IS MY DREAM SCENARIO, if I got offered to run a bookshop ANYWHERE I would jump on that chance, a lot of what I did when reading this was just think about what I WOULD DO and disagree with their decisions lmao. It was a fun concept and I enjoyed the reality & challenges of friendship being shown, I did really enjoy the escapism the journey the characters went on was great to read, I enjoyed the setting being Maldives which makes it the perfect summer read, I don't think this is a must read book by any means, but it is a great enjoyable read if you want something easy to relax.

Thank you to Netgallery & publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you are offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to run a bookshop in the Maldives, many of us would jump at the chance. And Jenny did! Jenny and Marianne, best friends, both run a bookshop together on the Cornish sea front. With the Cornish weather, the position of the bookshop on the Seafront had its problems – it was great in the Summer, but not so great in the Winter. Owning a bookshop with a friend, has its benefits but for Jenny and Marianne there was also disadvantages and there was not a fair distribution in the workload which made their friendship challenging.

Marianne has a boyfriend Drew and she loves her holidays and has a life outside the bookshop. Jenny is single, lives in a flat above the bookshop with Marianne's brother, and works so hard and lives and breathes the bookshop. Jenny is very very organised and is a perfectionist. But things needed to change and they both announced at the same time that they were off on a trip - two very different trips! Marianne and Drew were off on a road trip to the USA and Jenny was off to setup and run a bookshop in a luxurious resort in the Maldives for three months! Neither of them had discussed their plans with each other but they were both wanted to go. So, who was going to run the bookshop? In steps Marianne's 'hot' brother Evan! He is going to run the bookshop while they are both away. There are definitely sparks between Jenny and Evan and a kiss before she departs for the Maldives leaves them both wondering ....

I loved all the detailed descriptions of the Maldives and the USA trip. You could actually imagine yourself in the car with Marianne and Drew and in Bounty Cove with Jenny, drinking from a coconut! The book made me laugh and smile - Marianne and Drew certainly got up to some fun! It felt very chaotic at times! But I liked Drew and he definitely helped Marianne with the loss of her Mother. I was very pleased with the ending for Jenny!

I felt the Maldives bookshop element to the book was not centred on enough at the start, it was more about Jenny settling in to the resort, getting to know everyone and the area. But I thought the book ended brilliantly - it is the perfect Summer read and will take you to places that you may never ever go but will have felt like you have! A big 5 stars!

Thank you very much for my advanced copy. This review is based on a NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

This is a totally unassuming book. You might look at this and think it's another cutesy, kitsch romance book but it's so much more than that. I absolutely adored this book.

The story starts with our two protagonists, Jennie and Marianne. We see the two best friends launching their new bookshop in their hometown but then we fast forward three years... We see their friendship has taken a bit of a dip what with running a successful business together and the fact that these two are completely different people. Marianne lives live in the moment and is pretty spontaneous whereas Jennie is much more responsible and guarded however, Jennie has ambitions that will surprise not only her best friend but also, herself.

I absolutely loved this book and I felt like I was away on holiday reading it - the descriptions of far flung destinations and food was pure perfection and it the cheapest "holiday" that I ever took!

This book is pure escapism and although there wasn't anything huge in the plot it was nicely paced and held my attention. The characters were sweet and nothing was too far fetched.

This is the perfect summer read, if you're looking for a book to get lost in and to feel like you're on holiday, this is ideal. Luck Dickens has a new fan!

This is my first read from Lucy Dickens and I really enjoyed the holiday bookshop from start to finish. It's a perfect and easy holiday read. The story is well paced and gives you just enough tease on plotline from character to character. The story moves between the two main characters one on an adventurous expedition and the other chasing her dreams. Dickens description of the Maldives makes me want to down tools and book a flight there immediately.

Two friends who are totally different characters run a book shop between them but somehow one of them seems to be doing all the work while the other is more interested in having a good time. Marianne is only interested in her new author boyfriend Drew. Jen has no boyfriend but a 'crush' on Marianne's brother who happens to share a flat with her. Marianne and Drew decide to take off on a road trip across America whilst Jen decides to go to the Maldives and set up a bookshop there.
They ignore each other so neither has a clue about what is happening in their lives.
A interesting learning curve for both ensues with the inevitable ending which sees smiles and reconciliation. A good travel guide if you are thinking of going to either the Maldives or America.

I enjoyed this book, although I must admit I was expecting more of a romance from the blurb, the actual story was equally fun and delightful. I'm a sucker for a good female friendship story and that's really what this was. I'd have loved the first half to be a little faster paced, because I'd have enjoyed even more time with Jenny and Marianne together and a bit more of them talking through their issues and their discoveries, but overall it was a sweet easy read and I am 100% researching ways to get Jenny's job in the Maldives immediately!

If you need a holiday and can’t have one then you need to read this book! I loved the storyline and loved reading how our main characters developed. I think the best bit for me was how brilliantly all of the scenes were written, no matter where our characters were the way it was written just brought you into the surroundings and I honestly felt as if I was there. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if I’d of been laid on a sunlounger reading it! I’d love it if there was a sequel as I’d love to hear more from our characters (and enjoy another break!)

Jenny and Marianne are best friends who own a bookshop on the beach in Cornwall.
Both are afforded opportunities to go on separate adventures, and a breakdown in the friendship sends them their separate ways.
Marianne heads off to America with her boyfriend, Drew, for a once in a lifetime roadtrip.
Jenny heads off to the Maldives to set up a bookshop in a luxury resort on a picture perfect island.
The stories of their trips are told in tandem. Vibrant descriptions of the locations make you want to put them on your "must visit" lists!
This is a story of the enduring nature of friendship and I loved it! The characters were great and there were several storylines, which held my interest.

This was a good book but the synopsis really didn't fit the actual story. This was definitely less of a romance book and more a book focusing on friendships, which is fine but definitely not how it was marketed.

This was a lovely, escapist summer holiday-type read and one that I really enjoyed.
The setting in particular was great and I loved that it transported me.
It isn't just a romance, as you might expect, it also explores the topic of toxic friendship, which I liked seeing.
The pacing was a little bit slow but this would make a great beach read.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Penguin and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I really struggled to get in to this, didn't much care for any of the characters so I'm afraid it's a DNF for me. Sorry.

A beautiful tale of friends in a fantastic setting, what's not to enjoy. Thank you for the opportunity to read this lovely book