Review | A Year and A Day ~ Isabelle Broom

A Year and A Day

Isabelle Broom

Penguin, Michael Joseph

November 2016

Rating 5/5

Kindle | Paperback

               

Welcome to a city where wishes are everywhere

For Megan, a winter escape to Prague with her friend Ollie is a chance to find some inspiration for her upcoming photography exhibition. But she's determined to keep their friendship from becoming anything more. Because if Megan lets Ollie find out about her past, she risks losing everything - and she won't let that happen again . . .

For Hope, the trip is a surprise treat from Charlie, her new partner. But she's struggling to enjoy the beauty of the city when she knows how angry her daughter is back home. And that it's all her fault . . .

For Sophie, the city has always been a magical place. This time she can't stop counting down the moments until her boyfriend Robin joins her. But in historic Prague you can never escape the past . . .

Three different women.

Three intertwining love stories.

One unforgettable, timeless city.

                 

A Year and A Day is a beautifully descriptive story of three girls who come together by chance in Prague who very quickly form a strong bond and friendship.

Megan is a photographer and has come on a trip with her school teacher best friend, Ollie, to take some images of Prague as he learns about the city for his pupils.

Very early on it's clear that both have feelings for each other but only Ollie is open to the idea of a relationship. Megan has been hurt in the past of which we learn the details as the story unfolds and is desperate to keep a hold of her feelings.

Hope, the oldest of the trio, has been treated to a romantic weekend away by her new man Charlie, but is missing her grown up daughter, Annette, who is still upset and barely talking to her mum over the fact that Hope has left her marriage and is making a new life for herself. The couple are incredibly loved up however Charlie's secret phone calls are making Hope question his motives and her true feelings towards him.

The final lady featured is the delicate Sophie who is travelling alone as she awaits her fiance Robin to join her in a few days time.

Sophie is very quiet but tales some wonderful stories of her travels and from when her and Robin first met.

I want to give you all the details as A Year and A Day really is a gem of a book to read, but the way the three sets of travellers are brought together and their experiences of things you wouldn't want to witness yourself, means that if I did, I would completely spoil the plot for you!

What I will say though, is A Year and A Day is a powerful story about love and loss in various ways, about friendships, hopes and dreams.

As with the author's first book, My Map of You, this one is deliciously descriptive - I felt like I was right there on the Charles Bridge with the characters, ear-wigging on their conversations!

This along with powerful story-lines and Isabelle's way with words to make you feel and think what the characters feel and think, makes her work a complete page turner and a must read author!

            

Feature | Goodbye April ~ Hello May

Goodness, these weeks are flying by! I can't believe I'm on my second Goodbye ~

Hello post already.

To recap, this is wrap up post of the month just gone and a look at what I have coming up in the next month.

April has been a busy month personally, but book and blog wise I posted six reviews along with various My Book Corner features and a whole bunch of cover reveals and guest posts for blog tours.

Here are the books I've reviewed, please click on the images to read.

March saw Lozza's Book Corner take part in six blog tours covering a mixture of reviews, guest posts and Q&A's. I would also again like to thank Tracey Sinclair, Helena Sheffield, Laurie Ellingham, Victoria Walters and Isabelle Broom for taking part in the My Book Corner feature.

This feature has really taken off in the last month, as I put a pinned tweet up and I'm now scheduled up until the beginning of August with a host of bloggers and authors taking part!

It's been a good month for receiving books too. 

Thanks to some amazing publishers my TBR is never ending and the new titles added are:

eBooks

The Summer We Danced -Fiona Harper

An Autumn Affair & A Summer of Secrets - Both by Alice Ross

The Summer Flings Travel Club - Aimee Duffy

Something Old, Something New - Darcie Boleyn

Summer at the Cornish Cafe - Phillipa Ashley

The Secret of Orchard Cottage - Alex Brown

Cupcakes and Confetti - Jane Linfoot

Paperbacks

The Assistants - Camille Perri

Martini Henry - Sara Crow

Mad Girl -Bryony Gordon

And finally, March saw the blog have a little makeover. 

I'm one of these that are never happy until it's just right and can now say that I love the new header, ratings image and signature to sign my post's off with. I now just need to decide whether to keep the floral background or revert to one that's not so busy - please let me know your thoughts as you are the ones that read the blog after all!

Moving on to the month ahead then..

As a general rule, I love May. I love seeing the blossom on the blossom on the trees and the feeling that the weather is starting to get warmer, but it's also a bitter sweet month for me too.

It's my birthday month and my late Nan's birthday is the day after mine. We always used to have lunch together and then enjoy tea and cake - she was the only other person I knew that put the milk in first and had her tea milky so it was out treat to have together without the rest of the family passing comment!

I'm not sure what I am doing for my actual birthday yet (other than working...boo!) but I am hoping to go away the weekend after to spend some time with my nieces and nephew.

I've kept the diary fairly empty for this month. I'm on a few blog tours and have a couple of cover reveals planned but I'm concentrating on attacking the TBR throughout May.

As well as the books mentioned in the above TBR list, the following three are right at the top!

The One We Fell In Love With - Paige Toon

Always With Love - Giovanna Fletcher

Lovers and Liars - Nigel May

Wishing you all a fabulous month of reading!

My Book Corner | Isabelle Broom

It's that time of week again where we have a peek into the life of a fellow book lover, and sharing their Book Corner with us today is Isabelle Broom, author of My Map Of You.

1) Tell us about your Book Corner/Writing Space?

My writing space is in the bedroom of my London flat, tucked away in a corner that gets the best light. I have a chair and a desk – nothing too fancy.

2) Do you have a favourite shelf/collection of books? Or favourite part of your Book Corner?

I like to surround my writing space with things that inspire me, which includes trinkets and photos. I always write while drinking tea out of my Once Upon A Time Disney mug, which was a gift from my fabulous editor, Kimberley Atkins. 

I also keep a framed copy of the cover of my first published work, The Wedding Speech, right in front of me. It reminds me how far I’ve come, where I came from, and why I should feel proud of what I’ve achieved so far. Every time I get stuck and look up from the screen, there’s something there, reminding me why I must carry on.

3) Do you have any reading/writing habits?

When I’m really into a book, I will find excuses to dip into it whenever and wherever I can. I tend to carry my current read around with me wherever I go anyway. You never know when you might be stuck waiting for a bus! 

As for writing, I don’t really have enough spare time to have any habits. I have to write whenever I can, because if I didn’t I’d never get anywhere. I do like to take long walks to go over plots and characters in my mind. I often get home from walking the dog and have to run and find a pen and some paper before it all goes out of my head.

4) How do you keep apart, track and control your TBR to read books?

Well, I’m a Book Reviews Editor, so my TBR is staggered by release dates. I’m usually reading at least four to five weeks ahead – sometimes more. But if something comes in that I’m particularly excited about, I will be naughty and push it straight to the top.

5) Can you provide links to your social media handles please?

My Map Of You is available from Amazon here 

My ebook short story, The Wedding Speech, is available here

 and from iBooks via Tunes.

You can find me on Twitter @Isabelle_Broom and on Facebook – please do come and have a natter!

Review | My Map Of You ~ Isabelle Broom

Published 21st April 2016

Pre-Order: Kindle

                        Paperback

Holly Wright has had a difficult few years. After her mother's death, she's become expert at keeping people at a distance - including her boyfriend, Rupert.

But when Holly receives an unexpected letter explaining that an aunt she never met has left her a house on the Greek island of Zakynthos, the walls she has built begin to crumble. Arriving on the island, Holly meets the handsome Aidan and slowly begins to uncover the truth about the secret which tore her family apart. 

But is the island where Holly really belongs? Or will her real life catch up with her first?

My Map Of You is Isabelle Broom's début novel under Michael Joseph and as soon as I heard about it I knew I just had to read it. When I got the email to say I'd been approved for an advance copy I was so excited I even dropped my phone....

The book I was reading took a back seat and I delved straight into the world of Holly Wright, the main character of this story.

Holly has had a bit of a tough life, after losing her mum in the most awful of ways it's safe to say she has built walls up around her made from steel... the "Insomnia Troll" is her best friend, she's in a mundane job and had a boyfriend, Rupert, who came across as a bit of a snob and I took an instant dislike to him.

Out of the blue she receives a letter stating an aunt she's never met has left her a home on the Greek Island of Zakynthos.

Flying out to take care of things, Holly's life changes in the most unexpected of ways. She finds an map drawn by her mum and aunt when they were little and decides to visit all of the places marked to try and piece together this unanswered questions. .. why did she not know about her aunt? Why was her aunt sorry? And why does she suddenly have de ja vu of being here before mixed with the feelings of suddenly belonging somewhere?

With the help of her rugged but sexy neighbour, Aiden ( I loved Aiden!!) Holly ticks off place by place on the map all the while getting closer to Aiden and further from Rupert. 

Around Aiden, Holly can be her self and for the first time ever opens up about the truth surrounding her mother's death.

But all isn't as it seems when she's betrayed by him and leaves the island to make a life with Rupert.

By this point I had my fist in my mouth, I loved Holly's character from the moment I started the book and really felt for her so when she chose Rupert over Aiden I couldn't believe what I was reading - she'd come so far as a character and I felt like she arrived from London a lost girl but Greece progressed her into a strong, confident woman.

Of course with any good romance story it didn't end there... I won't give it all a way but I was secretly pleased with the way Isabelle wrote the ending and kept me on my toes of the final out come.

The love triangle is only one element of this book though. Fundamentally, Holly wants to know why her mum never mentioned she had a sister and discover the truth about her childhood. 

There is also an elements where there book looks at secrets and betrayal and how we act on promises to others without seriously thinking of consequences, and who may get hurt in the process. It was a real humbling read to really make you think.

It's clear that Isabelle Broom has a love of the Greek Islands and My Map Of You was deliciously descriptive - I've never been to Greece but reading the details of the food, the landscape, the turtles and culture I felt I was there, living the story with Holly and Aiden. Did I mention I loved Aiden? Everyone needs some Aiden in their lives... ;-)

For a début novel, My Map Of You ticked all the boxes for me, there were parts I grinned at, parts I cringed at, parts where the words gave me such a feeling of urgency that I felt my reading pace speed up yet at other times I breezed along as if strolling one of the mentioned beaches and of course parts I simply had that 'ahh' moment to..  the epilogue was just perfect and rounded the story off just as  beautifully as the prologue introduced us.

Isabelle Broom has a bright future ahead and if her writing continues like this I would certainly pop her into the Giovanna Fletcher / Jill Mansell / Paige Toon / Books that make you happy category!!

My Map Of You gets a massively deserved 5 flowers rating!

I would like to thank the publishers, Michael Joseph & NetGalley for supplying a review copy.

This is my honest opinion.

Q+A | Isabelle Broom

I'm delighted to have the gorgeous Isabelle Broom join me today for a little Q&A ahead of her publication day on Thursday - please do check back on the blog then for my review of My Map Of You, but I can tell you now... its utterly brilliant!

It's a bit of a big week for Isabelle, as she is also returning to the blog on Sunday to take part in the My Book Corner feature.... So Thank you Isabelle for taking the time out to answer both sets of questions!

My Map Of You

 Isabelle, for those that don't know you, can you tell us a bit about yourself please?

Thank YOU for inviting me! What a pleasure to be featured. Right, where to start… Well, I’m an author now, which is tremendously exciting. My debut novel is out in April, and I have another in the pipeline. I’m also the Book Reviews Editor at heat magazine, where I’ve been working for the past ten years.

Where did your love of books/writing come from?

I’ve always loved stories – whether it be reading them or writing my own. Writing is something I’ve been doing since I was about five years old, and getting a publishing deal has been a genuine dream come true. I must mention my mum here, too, as it was her who really encouraged me to keep on trying. Plus, she read to me endlessly when I was a child. I still think writing is the only thing better than reading. When you’re sitting there, your head fit to burst and words flooding out onto the page, it’s just the greatest feeling in the world.

My Map Of You is your début novel with publishers Michael Joseph, and I have to say firstly how much I enjoyed the book - I devoured it in one sitting. For those that haven't read it yet - can you sum it up?

Thank you so much! It really means the world to me to hear that people are enjoying the book, because I put so much of my own heart into it. My Map Of You is about a girl called Holly, who has had a tough life and is a bit lost. When she receives a letter telling her she’s inherited a house on the Greek island of Zakynthos from an aunt she never knew existed, it sets her off on an adventure that will change her life forever.

Greece is clearly a big inspiration for this book. Did you set out to write a novel based abroad or did it just kind of happen?

Well, I fell in love with Zakynthos about 16 years ago, when I visited the island for the first time. I went back year after year, eventually working there for an unforgettable six months, and it became like a second home to me. I always wanted to write a novel, but I wanted it to be a personal story. The way I felt about Zakynthos inspired the idea of My Map Of You, and I think – and hope! – that it’s all the more authentic as a result.

Can you tell us a little about your writing process? I imagine due to how descriptive the book is there was a holiday for research involved?

Luckily for me, I was able to conjure up Zakynthos in my mind pretty much whenever I wanted to, having spent so much time there. But I did make a trip back when I was about halfway through the first draft, and it was so invaluable. While I could remember what the place looked like, I’d forgotten the scent of the air and the feel of the sun on my shoulders. Those small details are what made the book really come to life, and I spent a large amount of time simply sitting and absorbing the atmosphere, before scribbling down pages of notes. It’s a practice I’ve now adopted going forwards – as the book I’m writing at the moment is also set overseas.

Did you have a favourite chapter/part that you particularly enjoyed writing?

I enjoyed the part of the book that is set in Zakynthos the most, simply because when I was writing it, I felt as if I was escaping back to the sunny island every day. My favourite chapter, however, is the one where Aidan takes Holly out to sea to watch the sun set and shows her the stars. I’ve seen those stars for myself on that very same patch of water, and it’s an experience I will never forget. Holly’s life shifts at that moment, and she feels how important it is. For me, that chapter is a total game-changer.

I love characters and getting to know them. How were yours born? Did you know instantly their name and personality or did that come as you wrote?

Holly was a character that grew over some time, as I was putting the novel together in my head for over a year before I really got down to the nitty gritty of writing it. Aidan came later, as did Rupert, and their personalities expanded as I wrote the book. Each of my characters had an outline that I worked from, but they came into their own as I worked, which seems to always be the case with my books.

If you had to be locked in a room with one of your characters for 24 hours, who would you pick and why?

Oh, it would be Aidan – in a heartbeat! 

He’s… well, you know, handsome and stuff. And he loves Zakynthos and dogs, so we’d have plenty to chat about.

Obviously with your job at Heat Magazine, you read a lot of books.... who are your favourite authors and did you draw inspiration from any?

What a question! 

I have so many authors that I love. 

Just off the top of my head, I’d say Lucy Robinson, Giovanna Fletcher, Paige Toon, Ali Harris, Milly Johnson, Jane Fallon, Lindsey Kelk, Mhairi McFarlane and Lisa Dickenson are all queens of romantic fiction. 

I also love Jennifer Barclay, Katie Marsh, Cesca Major, Eleanor Moran, Stephen King, Maggie O’Farrell, Peter James, David Whitehouse, Nicholas Sparks and Patrick Gale. I could go on and on. I think I take inspiration from all of them, both as people and writers.

 Quick Fire:

                   Paper/hardback or kindle? Paperback

                   Book or film? Book!

                   Pen/Paper or computer? Computer

                   Facebook or Twitter? Twitter

                   Night in or evening out? Summer – out. Winter – in!

                   Summer or Winter? Summer

                   Sweet or Savoury? Savoury all the way

                   Birthdays or Christmas? My birthday is 22^nd December, so they’re pretty much the same thing!

Isabelle, thank you again for joining me in the Book Corner and taking time to answer the questions. 

Before you go, please tell us where we can get your book/s and keep up to date? 

Thank YOU more! It’s been so much fun. 

My Map Of You is available from Amazon here 

My ebook short story, The Wedding Speech, is available here

 and from iBooks via Tunes.

You can find me on Twitter @Isabelle_Broom and on Facebook – please do come and have a natter!