Shari Low

If I ever actually read on the beach or poolside this would be a great choice. A contemporary romcom mainly set on a plane trip to tropical Saint Lucia in which four strangers get to know each other. Bernadette is a 54 year old divorcée, reclaiming her life after a long marriage to a controlling, emotionally abusive man. Tadgh (pronounced Tige) is an Irish rockstar headed to St Lucia to marry his childhood sweetheart. Just before boarding he finds a text message which has him second-guessing his whole life. Is Cheryl having an affair with his brother and fellow band member? Dev is a sports writer who wants to write a romance and is dashing off to St Lucia to provide himself some material. He is going to find a woman he recently met in a bar and slept with, who just may be the love of his life, meanwhile messaging long-term best friend Lizzie of his progress. Hayley Ford is a drama and dance teacher married to an eminent fertility specialist who used to be the love of her life but seems to be morphing into a controlling narcissist.

This is a feel good found-family story with the four of them becoming involved in each other’s stories. I would love to hear an audiobook version with all the accents, and someone should definitely make this into a movie. A happy humorous book, that all ends neatly (possibly slightly overly so). The adorable Bernadette was my favourite. A warm, fuzzy 4.5 stars for me.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)

I adored the first Shari Low novel I read, One Christmas Eve, even though I am not typically a ‘Christmas’ novel reader. It was top-quality women’s fiction, with a great ensemble cast and multiple historical storylines intertwining in surprising and poignant ways. Plus, it featured superbly developed strong female characters spanning the age spectrum.

In One Long Weekend the story threads again ultimately dovetail into one another, and Shari Low delivers some fabulously feisty and engaging mature female characters.

Despite much of the drama borne from loss, grief and trauma the characters have historically experienced, the familial love, friendship and banter between the ensemble cast during this One Long Weekend story window is largely buoyed by hope and good humour. This and the characters’ hunt for missing things, in one respect constrained by a return flight, keeps the pacing swift and the overall feeling relatively light considering the themes explored. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2024/05/one-long-weekend-shari-low.html… (mehr)

Women’s fiction often gets a bad wrap – too commercial, too saccharine, too trite. But I assure you, in One Christmas Eve Shari Low delivers the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, feisty and funny, passion and poignance. While this story is romantic in many senses, its gravitas stems from its exploration of bereavement and sacrifices made for family and friends.

One Christmas Eve‘s multi-generational ensemble cast depict a range of delightfully different personalities and relationships. Readers will be hard-pressed to not find one or more that strikes a chord with them. It was the enduring close relationship between this grandmother and grand-daughter that really moved me. And, while this novel is principally about strong women, men of substance also play key roles. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2023/12/christmas-reads-from-authors-shari-...… (mehr)

In this beautiful, heartfelt story, Eve has a special bond with her grandmother, Cathy, but doesn’t understand her own mother, Helena, at all. The day is Christmas Eve, they are celebrating her mother’s birthday and Eve just found out from a DNA test that her father isn’t really her father at all.

Told in 2-hour segments on Christmas Eve and flashbacks to previous Christmas Eves, this charming story had my interest on the rise right up to the end.

Another delightful book from Shari Low and a fabulous read for the holidays. 4.5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.… (mehr)