Cross Stitch (Choc Lit)

I am not a huge fan of fantasy books, with the exception of Narnia, Harry Potter and Terry Pratchett. I much prefer my books to be based firmly in reality. But a couple of years ago I came across A Stitch in Time and really enjoyed it. So I was very pleased to see that Amanda James has written this sequel where we get to meet Sarah Yates and John Needler again. Sarah is a stitch, a time traveller who goes into the past to sew holes and save a life. For every life she saves, two more are saved. Stitches are supposed to save three people, which works out as nine lives altogether hence the phrase a stitch in time saves nine. John is a Needle - he finds stitches and send them on their missions. In the first book, Sarah and John fall in love, completely against the rules, and at the beginning of Cross Stitch we join them on their wedding day.

The wedding day isn't as happy as you might hope though as Sarah is unexpectedly whisked back in time. Usually, a stitch knows about a mission in advance. In this book, a complication means that Sarah is taken back in time several times. She meets Veronica Ratchet a school teacher, who is a wonderful character and just as spiky and crotchety as her name suggests! She is also a stitch, although a reluctant one when we first meet her in Southampton in 1939. It is unusual for two stitches to be together and this causes problems - a cross stitch! I enjoyed getting to know more about Sarah and John's families this time, especially John's kind and wise dad Harry.

I really enjoyed Cross Stitch - it was entertaining, light hearted and funny. Sarah and John feel like real people, despite their time-travelling abilities and their love for each other shines through. There is a rocky patch in the middle of the story where I was a bit worried for them but I needn't have worried. As with all ChocLit novels, this book left me with a happy smile on my face and a hope that Amanda James is planning a third in her time traveller series.

An absolutely wonderful read! The time travel elements keep it intriguing, but the book is overall a cozy, feel-good type of book - making for a perfect combination.

t’s been a couple of years since I read ‘A Stitch in Time’, so I made the decision to re-read the first book before moving onto ‘Cross Stitch’. In doing so, I’ve had the most wonderful couple of days reimersing myself in John and Sarah’s world, laughing along with their banter, and nervously witnessing Sarah’s trips to the past. I’d definitely recommend making a reading marathon out of the two books one after the other, as you just become a part of the Stitch and Needler world, and I was more than happy to get lost in it.

‘Cross Stitch’ had the same essence to ‘A Stitch in Time’, a brilliant underlying level of humour, and a sweet tenderness that tugged at my heartstrings. I loved seeing John and Sarah in their happily ever after, and how Sarah’s decision to continuing stitching at the end of Book 1, influenced her relationship with John throughout Book 2.

I particularly loved Veronica. A brilliant portrayal of a WWII teacher, Veronica was gutsy, stubborn and more than a little strict. The stark contrast between her and Sarah’s relationship with students was great to see, and really showed how different education has changed in the last seventy years! Veronica’s character development was also spectacular, seeing first hand the experience that another Stitch had when they started their life-style was really wonderful, and I loved seeing how they saved people in a way that was natural to them; Sarah with a quick initiative, and Veronica with a no-nonsense manner.

Amanda James really packed the emotion into ‘Cross Stitch’, and there are some brilliant scenes where we see how Sarah isn’t as unaffected with her trips to the past as she may always show. Her desperation to have a child, and her pain at leaving having to leave Artie in the previous book, all make an appearance here too, which allows for some great development into her character and in her relationship with John.

Gorgeously romantic, ‘Cross Stitch’ was everything I hoped for in a sequel to ‘A Stitch in Time’.

5 Stars!

*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*