SYNOPSIS
Fifteen years ago, Felicity Kerr threw caution to the wind and kissed her colleague Ryan Sullivan under the ancient wishing tree along the coast.
When Ryan failed to respond to her kiss, Felicity was mortified that she'd read his signals so horrendously wrong and left Lemmon Cove for good.
But now Felicity's job brings her back to her hometown, and face to face with Ryan, who is leading a bad of octogenarians rallying to save their beloved 300-year-old sycamore from being bulldozed by property developers.
The spark with Ryan is still there, but Felicity is guarding a secret and as much as she wants to join the protest by his side, she can't help but hold back.
Will Felicity be able to mend her broken heart and find happiness with Ryan beside the sea?
REVIEW
I've read quite a few women's fiction books throughout my time as a reader and they always have that one cliche about them in some way or another. It might be something to do with family, love, community or following your dreams. But even though these tropes are usually winners in readers eyes and especially mine, it doesn't always mean that the plot always wins the heart of all readers. And this, in particular, is where The Wishing Tree Beside the Shore comes in. The truth, as I read this story on my way to work and back, it was one of my highlights on a very tough day. It was a beacon of light that I knew I could return to when I knew things weren't always going to plan.
Yes, it can be cheesy and yes, you can tell some elements have been recycled, but you know what who cares? The writing had flair, it was easy to read and you know what? It was good. The fact that it was set in the one place that I want more than anything to go to makes it seem more like an escape from reality, which is exactly what a book should do.
I think that this is one of those books which you could easily bring out every sunny bank holiday as you relax outside in the sun. The relationships between the characters seem real and breathing and they are interesting, yet also not perfect. Particularly how Felicity thinks about the situations that she gets herself into. Even though this might not seem like what some people might go through, for me, it felt like she was almost me and how I would think. It was a little bit scary at times. And Ryan and his sheep were obviously the cherries on the top of the cake.
There is some laugh out loud moments, especially from the care home residents and it did bring a quick smile to my face. This book ultimately is trying to make you happy in a not so great time and take it from me, I will be buying the physical copy of the book incredibly soon so that I can look back at it and remember how happy it made me in a time when things weren't so certain.
RATING: ***** (FIVE STARS)
BUY LINKS
Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/3917/9780008466916
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