I loved this beautiful Irish story. Both Alice and George are ready to find their “person” in life. It is sooo well written, completely gripping so make sure you set aside many hours so that you can greedily devour it in one swoop. With an eye for precise detail balanced by a sweeping imagination, this beautifully constructed book is built on deep foundations. Read it at least twice….

In this charismatic story George and Alice are made for each other, but they have not knowingly met each other yet. There have been a few near misses, like the time George was at a friend’s birthday party and Alice delivered the birthday cake to his crowded table. Then there was the time they had been in the same room at the gym. Every time Alice delivers eggs to George’s house each Saturday morning, either his house mate Jack or his daughter opens the door because George has just left the house. They have even emailed each other on business matters several times and once he saved her from tripping over a fallen toy at the airport. But they do not know each other yet.
George is a single dad whose ex-wife Claire only allows him access to his daughter every other week, unless she needs a babysitter that is. He is a wonderful father and his daughter Suzi loves to visit him and her grandmother Evelyn. Claire is living with her daughter and boyfriend John in his family home. George is a year six teacher who is loved by all his pupils. He arranges little competitions for them and has a mocked up tree in his classroom with leaves that can be attached when news of any of his class members have been kind. He also arranges book swaps to encourage the children with reading. He’s a really great teacher and a fine role model for his pupils. He has not had a relationship with anyone in all the years he has been separated. He’s one of the good guys.
Alice has moved from Dublin back to her home town after her long-time boyfriend’s wife has phoned her to put her into the picture – Chris is a cheat and he is married to her. She is devastated and full of rage with her ex, so she makes the decision to leave on the spur of moment. She still loves Chris, but feels foolish, furious and flattened by the news. Her aunt Kate offers her an outhouse in her home that is private yet will be near enough to support her niece. She is a restaurateur and has offered Alice some shifts at her restaurant to keep her going until she finds a new job. When one of her friends comes to visit Kate, she also offers a part time job working from home as a reporter for the local newspaper. The job entails reporting acts of kindness, hope and caring and she is given a weekly column which will be attributed to her. Things are looking up at last and now all that needs to happen is for these two lonely people to get together.
This is a cracker of a warm story, poignant, full of joy, hope and love. The storytelling is tender, robust, authentic and exceptionally good, setting the scene and introducing eclectic and lovely well-crafted characters that you come to really care about. I drank it all in enthusiastically, turning the pages so that I could read and know everything about George and Alice. I loved the finale and thought this novel was very good indeed. I loved the suspense and the almost teasing ‘Will they, won’t they’ aspect of the story. I even warmed to the grumpy cat Oscar the rescue cat that Suzi socialised and who adored her.
I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Hachette Books Ireland for my copy of this novel, sent to me in return for an honest review. It is a lovely read, perfect for the times we are living through. It’s perfect escapism, upbeat and an uplifting read. It is about friendship, integrity, loyalty and love. I have no hesitation at all in awarding it my 4.5* recommendation.

Fantastic read, loved all the characters in this novel. Starts with two main characters George and Alice, their lives are intertwined in numerous ways but they have still yet to meet.
This is a great book and I finished it one sitting.
Highly recommended

A sweet story that is a perfect escape. A bit slow to start, the story gains momentum as the characters get fully developed. A story of hope and coming back to life in a manner of speaking. From a derelict garden, a neglected cat, and a couple of people who have been terribly treated in love, to a charming and happy ending. I was enchanted by most of the characters, especially George and Jack. A good story full of promise, kindness, and love. Easy to recommend to most ages as no graphic sex or language. My first of this author, I will look out for more. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an arc

this was a quick & light read and the synopsis had me excited to read it, but something was massively missing for me.

the writing was good but lacking in any emotion and feeling, and it felt like the characters were robots with zero depth to them. in fact, they were all extremely boring.

there was no chemistry and it really missed the fun aspect of a romance - the getting-to-know-you parts, the tension and everything that makes relationships exciting.

there were a lot of info dumps and time spent written on the most random things - eggs and an eye test, for example. it made it very difficult to read and i struggled to continue on when there was nothing engaging or remotely interesting happening.

i skimmed halfway through to see if it would pick up a bit (it didn’t), decided to read the last few chapters and then got annoyed at the ending - there’s nothing that happens for the reader to want to root for that relationship and it feels bland and anticlimactic. and that time jump? who said that was a good idea?

i’d definitely say this is more women’s fiction rather than romance, so if you go into this expecting a cutesy romantic story, you’re bound to be disappointed. that is to say, this wasn’t fundamentally bad, just not a good fit for me.

Loved it!!! It's hard not to love Roisin Meaney's books. She is one of my favorite authors. The stories are always heartwarming with wonderful characters and beautifully written. I fall in love each time and feel like I'm part of the story. This book was no different. I loved getting to know each of the characters and see myself becoming friend with all of them. Alice and George had so many interactions with each other but never really met until the end of the book. So happy when George finally stood up to Claire about his time with Suzi. He finally realized they were never going to happen and that always manipulated him into getting her way. Loved Jack. He was the perfect friend for George and great with Suzi. Jack did all the gardening and made dinner and he brought Oscar to live with them after his owner died. Poor Oscar everyone blamed all the kitty treats for making him fat. Alice didn't make the best choices in men. She should have blocked Chris's number from the start. She knew what type of man he was, but I don't think she wanted to believe it. Then there was William. He wasn't a bad guy, but they had no chemistry together. William was just so blah and didn't even support Alice's ideas. I definitely need to visit Tenerife. This book was so magical. I couldn't put the book down, but was so sad when it was over. I wanted to keep reading about George and Alice and all their friends and family.

Definitely recommend the book. It's full of love, family relationships, loss, forgiveness and so much more. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Hachette Books Ireland through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this book and was so disappointed when it ended! I've yet to find a Roisin Meaney book I don't like and this was no exception.

It's a wonderfully written book and you could see yourself li9with these characters and being friends with them
- if you were to look up feel good fiction in the dictionary this is absolutely the type of book I would expect to see there - the perfect 5 star read for me.

This was a terrific feel good story with two lovely main characters - Alice who sought solace at her aunts house after realising she would need to find a new place to live then got her heart broken straight after, and George who is adapting to his new living arrangements after his mum got remarried and for whom his daughter is his world. The two of them have many tentative connections to each other yet just haven’t properly met yet, they are both doing great at establishing new lives for themselves throughout the story and the other characters in it are marvellous, each having their own little stories too. There’s some sorrow in this but the overwhelming theme is everyday happiness and it really celebrates those small moments in life which we should all do more of. 9/10

Once again Roisin meaney has brought us another outstandingly beautiful book she never dissapoints I can highly recommend.

The story
Alice is a receptionist at Dublin dentist. She lives with a couple who have just announced they are pregnant. When she finds out devastating news about her relationship, she visits her aunt Kate who offers her a home and work if she moves back to her hometown. George is a single dad to Suki, a caring teacher and son. Alice and George’s paths keep intersecting in the small town but they don’t meet until the very end of this story.

My thoughts
I loved this beautiful Irish story. Both Alice and George are ready to find their “person” in life. In the meantime, they are finding their way through life, being kind and caring and spreading joy. I kept rooting for the two of them to meet and not fall for the “not-quite-right” other options that presented themselves throughout the story. Strong characters, gorgeous writing and plot. A winner for me.