If you look at my read books, you will see I am a pretty die-hard Jenny Colgan fan ("Jane Beaton" is a pseudonym). The copy I just finished was re-released under her real name, and was apparently resurrected because of her current popularity.

In many ways, it was a fun read. And worth it, if you also like this author.

But some of her usual charm was a little thin here, hence only 3 stars. Ex: as others have pointed out, the unending referrals to Sloane's weight became extremely tiresome. Yes, I get it -- that's why some of the girls were shunning and bullying her.

But gee whiz - do we have to be reminded in every single reference?

And lots of this junk was coming from the narrator/author, not the characters. Like (over 3/4 of the way into the book), "she would have been pretty if not for the weight" and the like. I found it infuriating after the umpteenth time.

Get a clue. It's long past time that such remarks were relegated to the dust bin where they belong. Sloane was shy. Self conscious. And, okay, overweight. One or two mentions would have sufficed. But after that, if you're going to tell us that she's pretty, let's just say PRETTY, okay?

Such a shame, Ms. Colgan. I hope that this was your long-ago writing and that you have evolved a lot since those early days.

Because I do intend to read the next in the series, but I am afraid more of the same may quite turn me off of your work. ( )

I have always liked boarding school stories and movies. I liked the author's approach of a having points of view of a teacher, a headmistress, and two very different students. Unfortunately, she switched points of view too much, which left me a bit confused at times. I'm still going to continue the series, though. ( )

I guess I'm not a fan of boarding school books, or at least this one offers nothing to make me so. A headmistress, a new teacher from a poor public school in Glasgow, and two starting students, a rich girl who doesn't want to be there and the scholarship girl who does are the viewpoint characters, but none of them made more real than ridiculous by the described emotions, and gosh wow things work out. ( )

This was a great start to a series Jennny Colgan is writing about a new teacher at a small private girls school near the sea. I love Jennys approach to describing nature and the problems her characters occur in her books. I will forever have one of hers on my TBR shelf for when I need to fall back on a perfect read. I look forward to the next installment in late August! ( )

Maggie Adair starts off well, searching for new inspiration and so leaving her longtime boyfriend and apartment in Glasgow for a oddly appealing
job by the ocean in Cornwall, England.

While the new situations she meets with her unpredictable students are challenging, she does not fully comprehend or handle them,
showing a lot less of a strong character than originally anticipated.

Readers may hope she weighs in to help Simone lose a lot of weight for a healthier body and lasting lifestyle,
with enough confidence to stand up for herself when she is accused of stealing.
The stealing trope went on way too long and was simply annoying, as were the snarky girls.

The Headmistress has the best backstory and rises as the most intriguing character for future reading. ( )