I enjoyed the premises of the book and the places described, it made me want to visit Dominica (outside of hurricane season!).
Unfortunately I hadn't realised but this is written very much YA, and on the young side of YA as well, the story telling felt very childish and because of that the main character came across as a kid herself, my main thought during the book was "what a brat", the romance made no sense, the book would have been better if all the relationships were friendship ones, I'm a big fan of romance but with this writing and premise just made no sense and it felt forced.
A low 3 stats from me, this book would have been 4 starts if more maturely written and romance scraped out.

Really enjoyed this book, it was bit slow to start with, but I was really hooked by the end. I would highly recommend and of Katie Fforde's books.

I am a long time reader of Katie Fforde and I have been looking forward to reading this new book of hers. I loved the settings that she chose. Her descriptions of the remote Scottish Island where her father lives make me long to visit the highlands again whilst the contrast with Dominica in the Caribbean is beautifully described.
Cass is asked by her father to visit Dominica to return a map that he has, Cass is unsettled and unsure what she wants to do with her life so she agrees to go. Her subsequent trip and her interactions with Ranulph, a friend of her father, are fun to read. Cass comes across as very young and Ranulph comes across as a lot older but the dynamic between them seems to work quite well.
Altogether this was an enjoyable read, perhaps not the best of hers that I have read but certainly worth reading.

This story is about Cass, she is the baby of the family and has jumped from small job to job, while her brothers and sisters are academic and a famous photographer, where should Cass fit herself??

When Cass visits her dad he offers her a chance to do something different, a take a photo on the beautiful island of Dominica,, there has been a hurricane and there might be large problems on the island.

Cass wants to go but she doesn’t want to be a photographer she has a love of drawing which her family don’t about.

This story feels like a coming of age story for Cassie with a romance added, but this doesn’t feel some much like Katie Fforde style of writing,, it didn’t seem so witty and the style felt more juevenile. So a easy going read but, not a strong a story as other books from the same author.

I have always enjoyed Fforde's writing, and Island in the Sun was no different.
A young woman with a passion and talent that she is unable to publicise to her family ends up in a situation where her talent is what can save a situation.
Cass visits her father on the remote Scottish Isle where he lives. While there, he requests that she complete a special photography mission for her on the island of Dominica.
She ends up travelling there with Ranaulph, a friend of her father's. Though he is a bit older than her, she feels a connection.
While over there, they encounter disaster, which overshadows her reason for going there, and in the end, she uses her hidden talent to save the day.
She meets some interesting characters along the way, some of whom impact her life for good.
I'm not going to recount the story here, for it doesn't end there. Plenty happens to keep a reader captivated. Will she find love? Will she be able to admit to her passion?
The descriptions of the beautiful island made me want to visit straight away, despite the hurricanes that can hit!
Another captivating Katie Fforde story, and made all the more interesting knowing her connection to Dominica.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC.

I have been reading Katie Fforde for many years and have always enjoyed her books. This one was in quite a different setting, which once you have read her intro, you understand. She obviously has a family connection to Domenica and her research really shows. I think her island descriptions were so much more intensive than the character descriptions. Although it was a very intriguing story I found that Cass was far too 'teenagery' to be real. I wanted her to have a bit more backbone.
Altogether this was an enjoyable book, but I think some of her others are better. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review the book.

I've always enjoyed Katie Fforde's writing and I was intrigued to read an Island in the Sun given the book's slightly more exotic location than usual. The book follows Cass, who is asked to visit Dominica by her father, on a special photography mission. As part of her travels she encounters Ranulph, an archaeology journalist, and together they must weather a hurricane and help the people of Dominica in the aftermath. As with all Katie Fforde novels, the main characters are warm hearted and likeable, and you are rooting for their happy ending. Overall a very enjoyable read!

I love a a Katie Fforde book and this did not disappoint. It’s all about Cass and her quest to help her Father in the beautiful island of Dominica.
The setting is breathtaking and I really felt like I was there with them. Cass was a great character and I felt myself willing her to have more self belief and confidence.
The romance in the story was lovely and Ranulph was just perfect.
Thanks to Netgalley, Katie Fforde and Random House UK Cornerstone for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I absolutely loved the descriptions of the Dominica and the Scottish islands, it made me feel like I was really there. However, I can’t say that I actually enjoyed this book. It felt a bit juvenile, both in terms of the writing style and the story. I ended up skim reading it just to find out what the ending was.

Cass is the daughter of a well-known photographer. She loves sketching but is expected to be a teacher.
Ranulph is a journalist who wants to write a book about Cass’s dad.
We follow the journey of Cass and Ranulph as her dad sends her on a mission to the island of Dominica.
 
I could not get into the book at all. I dropped this 25% in because everything felt like it was in slow motion. I don’t know if it’s the writing style, but I was bored to almost death. I couldn’t connect with the characters or develop any impression of them.
 
Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC.

I sadly felt zero connection to the characters and the story just felt a little lacklustre. Honestly I don't think this authors writing style I'd for me.

Cass finds it difficult to live up to her parents expectations and can't bring herself to tell them she doesn't want to be do teacher training but would much rather study art. Her father is a famous photographer and expects Cass to want to enjoy capturing pictures through the lens. He asks her to finish off a long outstanding project in the Caribbean Island of Dominica which she agrees to despite the island just suffering after a hurricane. Cass finds herself on a journey of self-discovery which leads to more than she bargained for. Another Katie Fforde classic.

I want to preface this by saying I really wanted to enjoy this book. I recognised the author’s name from the plethora of her books that my mum owns.

Positives: This was a quick read and I enjoyed the different island settings: both the Scottish island and the island of Dominica.

However, I failed to connect to any of the characters which is a big thing when I’m reading a book. As a result, I often found myself disconnecting with the text and ending up confused on what was happening with the plot of the story.

The characters didn’t feel fleshed out enough for me which resulted in the story feeling extremely surface-level.

Overall, I thought this book was just okay. A quick read, perfect for summer (what with the tropical setting) however one that didn’t leave any lasting impact.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

There ain’t one book by Katie Fforde I haven’t loved! This author is a cosy romance queen! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I love Katie Fforde.

There was a time when I would essentially only read Katie Fforde books, re-reading them every time. There are some that will remain my absolute favourites forever.

It's been a while since I read one of her books and it was like coming home. The pace of her stories is always excellent and there is always something else happening than just boy meets girl.

As always, this book did not disappoint and is probably up there with some of my absolute favourites of hers. It's made me want to go and re-read them all again!

3.75🌟

In all honesty it took me quite a long time to get into this book, and even once I did I wouldn't class myself as hooked. Yes the characters were likeable and I liked the setting because if made me feel transported but there were some parts that I felt moved slowly whilst others missed out parts I would've liked to see.
That being said, it's a cute romance which is easy to read if you manage to focus and get stuck in properly. It has a nice structure and you feel like you're following the main character on her journey.

I have read many of Katie Ffode's books over the years. This is not one if my favourites. It follows Cass a young woman at a loose end whose father sends her to Domenica to deliver a map. She arrives just after a huuricane hits and becomes wrapped up in helping the islanders recover. Whilst there she hunts for an ancient artefact.

Cass is a bit of a wimp, She has a crush on Ranulph, a friend of her father's and is trying to find the artefact. When she returns home she juggles work, family and a relationship. I don't think feel any of the characters have any real depth, or are well rounded, some of the story plots feel a bit contrived. There are other better tiles by this author.

Would be a good summer read.

I have read and enjoyed quite a few Katie Fforde books over the years and whilst I did enjoy this one, I also struggled with it a little bit. I found Cass a bit too wimpy, I really wanted her to stand her ground and find her voice. This is something that is quite prevalent in books now and a major personal issue for me..
Overall, I would recommend this book.

This book is unexpected - slow and the protagonist Cass a bit exasperating but boy did the story grow and expand - it is a beautiful book. I enjoyed it very much.

As always the author writes a heartwarming romance with likeable characters. I loved the setting which was a little more tropical than usual. A thoroughly enjoyable read with emotionally engaging characters.