Cressida McLaughlin takes a classic mystery novel 'locked room' trope and applies it to her wonderful, sweeping, slow-burn second-chance love story. Journalist and PA Georgie Monroe is sent to cover the opening of a new high-tech mansion, one she and her best friends and former boyfriend used to trespass in as teenager. To her shock, the architect is her ex, Ethan Sparks. Worst still they end up locked inside by house's digital controller, Sparks (who seems eerily reminiscent of HAL).

It’s been 13 years are strangers (oh gosh the flashbacks leading up to their break-up had me tense, at times I wondered if we really needed them), so how could it work? Yet Georgie and Ethan were just so good together in both past and present that I believed they would get it right this second time around. I love that he named the house Sterenlenn (I wish I lived there) as a homing beacon to try and win back Georgie (oh gosh those letters!).

Cressida McLaughlin really knows how to make her character work for their reunion, but in a way that makes their happy ending satisfying and realistic. Narrator Hollie Hales has a wonderfully clear and warm voice that brings to life the swoony, heartfelt, and uplifting writing, yet she also delivers it with the slight sharp edge of her characters.

A quietly sweeping slow-burn second-chance love story that is full of heart.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the ALC.

As a big fan of Cressida McLaughlin’s books, I was so excited when I saw her new title A CORNISH LOVE STORY had become available on NetGalley.

The voice actor, Hollie Hales, was a perfect choice. Her smooth, clear delivery is a great match for McLaughlin’s work. I found the production to be very pleasant to listen to… and about the only thing I liked about this audiobook.

The premise of extreme forced proximity is something different, while offering the charm of her usual Cornish setting. But unfortunately, the execution of this idea was deeply unsatisfying on multiple levels.

The dual timeline could have been fun, but it slowed the pacing to the point of frustration. Nearly three hours in and we’re still circling and circling and getting nowhere, except bogged down with lengthy backstory.
I read a ton of YA novels, I worked in KidLit, and I’m about the same age as the protagonists in CORNISH LOVE STORY. So please believe me when I tell you that the flashbacks to Georgie’s adolescence were garbage. I can’t put it any other way. The dialogues were ridiculously inauthentic, no matter the age of the characters, but particularly this one. No girl sees a new boy at school and tells her best friend “He looks like he has a dry sense of humor.” C’mon.
The allegedly tense scenes—both past and present—fell flat for me. Perhaps because I didn’t care for Georgie. There was nothing to care about; she’s so bland. The renovated mansion has more personality than she does.

All that to say: This book really bummed me out. I wanted to like it so badly. I kept hoping the story would finally get a grip and be interesting or at least atmospheric, but alas.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!