What a beautiful story! This is one of a series, I haven’t read the first but it didn’t prevent me from enjoying this book. I loved the dual narrative, it was so lovely to hear about Violet’s life and how this led to Emily living in Dovecote. The character buildup was great and I loved the way it was written I couldn’t put this one down, I absolutely loved it.

In 'My Great-Aunt's Diary (Dovecote Cottages Book 2),' Laura Sweeney produces a heart-wrenching and compelling page-turner. Heartbroken Emily is left the lovely clifftop cottage of her great-aunt Violet. On her quest to start anew, she meets again with former love Will, whose arrival awakens an avalanche of memories and old sorrows.

The dual-timeline plot is skillfully woven as Emily reads through her great-aunt Violet's hidden wartime diary. With the revelation of Violet's secret romance, Emily is compelled to reflect on her own life and relationship with Will. The author skillfully interweaves the past and present, producing a narrative that is both engaging and poignant. The vivid prose describing the south-coast of England makes the setting itself a character in the story.

This book is a wonderful read for anyone who enjoys women's fiction, especially those who like Susanne O'Leary and Debbie Macomber. It's a heartwarming tale of family secrets, second chances, and the magic of love to mend a broken heart.

Just as the cover promised, My Great-Aunt’s Diary truly was an emotional, unputdownable read. Like Emily, who discovers her great-aunt Violet’s WWII diary, I was immediately intrigued by the mysterious secret that could change everything she thought she knew about her family. On top of that, I found myself wholeheartedly rooting for a second chance at love between her and Will. The story is told through dual POVs, which I’m usually not a fan of, but I found the way the two timelines intertwined surprisingly engaging.

If you're into hidden pasts, heartfelt stories, and a touch of romance then this one’s definitely for you!

Right after enduring a breakup, Emily arrives at her great-aunt’s cottage in Dovecote, which to her surprise, she has inherited. When she finds Violet’s diary, however, everything starts to make sense.

The descriptions of the horror, loss, and heartache of the London Bltz during WWII are well done. The weaving together of the two timelines works well and makes sense. The descriptions of Clifftop Cottage completely bring it alive for the reader, and I could imagine myself there. The present-day romance between Emily and Will, however, is a bit predictable.

The secret being kept by Violet in the 1940s is one with which Emily can identify, and their stories meld together pretty well. Sometimes dual-timeline books do not work, especially if one of the timelines is in the present day, but in this case the present-day inclusion makes sense, as Emily and Violet share much in common.

The novel has LGBTQ+ main characters, but the publisher’s book description does not mention that. It is made clear, however, early in the book. Fans of WWII and LGBTQ+ fiction may enjoy this novel.

Although this is the second book in the Dovecote Cottages series, it can be read as a standalone.

My rating is 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 on sites with no half-star option.

Thank you to Bookouture for a spot on the book tour and the free copy.

My Great-Aunt's Diary by Laura Sweeney.
Dovecote cottage book 2.
I loved the cover and blurb of this book. I did enjoy book 1. This was a good read. It was told between 1940s and 2016. I liked Violet from the 40s and Emily from the present. This book was cleverly written. I read this in a few days. It was different from the first book. I think i enjoyed this one more than the first one. I am looking forward to the next one in the series. My mother's photograph.

This story is written within a dual time zone which is well defined between the chapters.
Emily has inherited her Great Aunts Cottage within the massive grounds of a very elaborate Manor House, Great Aunt Violet is living within the time of WW2 at the height of the bombings in all the big cities, her two brothers are sent off to the country whilst she is left to care for her mother who is not in a good place after the death of her husband. The two ladies end up in a place called Dovecoat which is a lovely seaside town - one night the air raids sound and everyone makes a dash to the nearest shelter which happens to be in the local pub basement, Violets mum refuses to go there so Violet goes alone to safety with the rest of the town - shockingly a bomb falls on the beautiful Dovecoat and leaves rack and ruins behind, Violet resurfaces from the shelter to find the bomb landed on her road and her mum is pulled from the wreckage and taken to a makeshift hospital, when she sadly succumbs to her injuries Violet is left alone to find a new normal with nothing but the clothes she is wearing.
Emily is left wondering what happened to her after the War and begins to piece together her life from a mystery diary she found whilst decorating the cottage.

As this is book 2 of a series I may have given a higher rating if I had read book 1 but the story was well written and explained.

📆 dual, linear timelines
👀 dual POV. 3rd person
🐢 -🐇 medium-paced

How lovely it was to be back in Dovecote, it's very quickly become one of my favourite fictional places and I really wish I could go and live there!

My Great-Aunt's Diary is a beautiful, dual timeline story set in the modern day and the 1940s. Both timelines centre around identity and acceptance and I was struck by how much had changed in the last 80 years. Violet and Zeyla were never really allowed to be who they wanted to be and that's just heartbreaking to think. I'm not really sure how I felt about Zeyla though, she was rather selfish I thought, but things were very different then and there were less opportunities for women. Back in the modern timeline and Emily had far more opportunity to be her true self.

I've fallen head over heels in love with Dovecote and can't wait to see whats next for our little village.

Emily is overjoyed to return to Clifftop Cottage, seeking a fresh start and a new beginning. Inheriting her great-aunt Violet’s cottage holds the promise of this new chapter in her life. It was her childhood sanctuary, where she spent countless summers.

Curious about her Aunt Violet’s sudden decision to leave her the cottage, Emily finds herself in the charming seaside village of Dovecote. There, she unexpectedly reunites with her childhood love, Will.

Will assists Emily in renovating the cottage, and while rummaging through its dusty corners, she stumbles upon an old leather diary. Its entries date back to World War Two, revealing a wartime romance that Emily had never known about. As they delve deeper into the truth about her family, Emily and Will grow closer, and Dovecote begins to feel like her new home—the beginning she had always longed for.

“My Great-Aunt’s Diary,” a captivating dual-timeline novel by Laura Sweeney, enchanted me from the very first page. I was utterly captivated by Emily’s journey and the heartwarming story of her great-aunt Violet. This inspiring tale held my attention relentlessly, and I was particularly drawn to the blossoming relationship between Will and Emily.

This heart-wrenching yet uplifting story was an absolute delight. It broke my heart and then mended it, leaving me with a profound sense of connection. The unputdownable narrative and every moment of it made it an absolute must-read. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a captivating and emotionally resonant reading experience.

My Great Aunts Diary is the second book in the Dovecote Cottage series but it can easily be read as a stand alone . Told in two timelines 1940’s and 2016 I was completely absorbed by the story pertaining to both times . Sometimes with dual timelines one is better and more interesting than the other . But I can honestly say I was totally captivated reading about Violet and her life in the 1940’s and the Emily’s story in the present day . One of the main things I took from this book was the theme of love and how love can be in any form once a person is happy in their life . A beautiful and fulfilling read with great characters that I enjoyed from start to finish .

A wonderful follow-up from the first book and I read it so quickly. I hope there will be another one coming up. This is a dual timeline which I always enjoy. It sounds idyllic where the cottage is, who wouldn't want to live there. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher's for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Sent during the war and 2016 we follow Violet and Emily’s life. The book shows how much the attitude towards the LBTQ+ community has moved forward and how blessed we are to live in a place where love is love without question. Thankfully, no longer a crime in many countries. Emily inherits her great – aunt’s cottage and there she finds an old diary and friends from her teenage years. It’s not hard for her to leave where she is and move to a new lease of life.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
Wonderful series!!! This book is a great dual POV during WWII- 1943 and 2016.
Violet is living in 1943 and doesn’t fit society’s norms while her niece Emily is living in 2016. Emily starts off with heartbreak and has an emotional journey, with the help of her aunt’s secret diary.
The core of this story is being true to yourself and LOVE. It was heartbreaking that Violet missed out on love due to what society expected of her. Laura Sweeney has just become an automatic read for me. Glad I read this story and I can’t wait to read the next book! Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#MyGreatAuntsDiary #LauraSweeney #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks

An enlightening story that splices between WWII and modern day.
At the center is a small cottage inherited by Emily from her great aunt Violet.
Both women had many things in common, mostly finding love after disappointment.
It’s a story about hope, courage, acceptance, and finding one’s community.

Laura Sweeney has crafted another captivating and well-written book with My Great Aunt’s Diary, the second in the Dovecote Cottage series. The author’s debut book, My Grandmother’s Secret, was unputdownable, and this one is just as gripping. While it is a standalone novel, familiar names do appear throughout the story. It features a dual timeline that weaves a beautiful tale of loss, love, mystery, friendship, and forgiveness. 4 stars
I would like to thank the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for my free copy of this novel, in exchange for my honest review.
#MyGreatAuntsDiary #NetGalley

An emotional journey for Emily as she tries to find out about her great aunt. Emily has just inherited a cottage from her great aunt that she hasn't seen or talked to in 15 years. She feels guilty about that and can't figure out why she left it to her. Emily and Violet's lives were parallel in ways that Emily is just now discovering. She realizes that she never really knew her great aunt. As she goes on this journey, she finds herself too. Good story.

My Great-Aunt's Diary is book two in the Dovecote Cottages series by Laura Sweeney.
Thoroughly enjoyed the characters and descriptive setting.
I really liked the setting and description of south-coast of England.
The characters were well developed and I was engrossed by Emily and Will’s journey.
With the vivid setting and compelling characters this book drew me in from the start.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

This was an interesting read. The fact that it's two stories in two time periods that all connect is amazing. This book was so well written. I loved seeing that both the main characters went through similar issues although it's 90 yrs plus difference. I couldn't put this one down and finished it in one day. I highly recommend it.

I was excited about reading this book especially after reading the first one. It’s told with dual timelines and they flow together effortlessly. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous ones. I think that the characters just didn’t appeal to me

I expected to thoroughly enjoy this novel, even though I have not read the first b00k in the series but the author's writing style was not for me and I found it very difficult to finish.

Emily is shocked to discover that she's inherited her Great Aunt Violet's cottage, whom she hasn't seen for 15 years. This is a dual timeline story set in 1943 and 2016, respectively. Victoria's story is told in real time and a diary that Emily discovered at the cottage. Emily's story is told during the present day as she discovers Victoria's story.

I enjoyed Victoria's story of forbidden love during WWII and the choices she made. Emily's story of self-discovery was interesting, but it moved a little too slowly for me. It was a lovely story of forbidden love, self-discovery, second chances, taking chances, and embracing life fully. This was my first time reading this author and won't be might last.

Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author for this arc.