The holidays are here, and down in Cornwall Lorna’s cottages are fully booked. The sun loungers are lined up beside the swimming pool, the sky is blue and a new set of arrivals are on their way . . .Em’s planned the perfect break with her teenagers plus her new boyfriend, George . . . but now his difficult six-year-old is coming too. Will their romance survive the realities of parenthood?Maggie’s hoping a seaside holiday will bring her and her daughter closer together, but when her ex makes a surprise reappearance, it changes everything. Can she trust the man who broke her heart?Olivia has escaped the domestic grind, only for the past to catch up with her. Maybe the time has come to confess all – if she can find the courage . . .Meanwhile, the teenagers are running wild and love is in the air. With friendship, heartache and secrets in the mix, will this holiday turn out to be a scorcher – or simply too hot to handle?
An Almost Perfect Holiday by Lucy Diamond was published by Pan Macmillan on 6 February 2020.
My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
What could be better than a fortnight in a beautifully converted holiday cottage in Cornwall? Two whole weeks of relaxing around the pool, getting away from the stresses of everyday life.
Emma, Maggie and Olivia all imagine that this break will do them the world of good, and Lorna, the owner of the holiday cottages is delighted that that summer is here and visitors are returning.
Emma is excited because five years after her divorce, she is in love again. She's invited her new boyfriend George to join her and her teenagers on their holiday. At the last minute, George's seven year old daughter has to join them as her mother, George's ex-wife is called away for work.
Maggie and her daughter Amelia have always been close. More like friends than mother and daughter, especially as Maggie has raised Amelia her on her own since she was a baby, after her husband left them.
For Olivia, this really is an escape. The mother of three-year-old twin boys, she's finding it increasingly difficult to cope. Her mental health is suffering and she begins to imagine that she's going to be a bad mother, just like her own.
Lorna puts everything into ensuring that her guests have the best holiday possible. It's a home from home, without the housework or worry. Lorna has to keep busy, because if she didn't, the grief that has accompanied her for the past eighteen years would overwhelm her.
Can a holiday ever be perfect? Whilst all three women, and Lorna, do their very best to relax and enjoy themselves, nothing is ever perfect.
There are a few skeletons in dusty cupboards that will make appearances throughout this holiday. Maggie's ex-husband, and Olivia's darkest and most guilty secrets have a huge impact on their stay, and as the three women get closer, they find that each of them have their own issues to deal with.
The theme of friendship runs throughout this story; the four women see something of themselves in each other and by the end of the fortnight, they are revealing their innermost thoughts.
The author deals with some serious and current issues; mental health and the impact of social media on young people is particularly well done and the intense feelings of guilt and the heartfelt sadness of losing a loved one is another theme that is woven throughout the novel.
Lucy Diamond is a skilled author whose characters are far from perfect. However, they are so realistic; women with a past and baggage. Often tired by what life throws at them, but always determined to get through.
This is a compelling and emotionally intelligent book, set in glorious surroundings. A truly touching story from a wonderfully talented author
Lucy Diamond grew up in Nottingham and went to university in Leeds where she studied English Literature. After graduating, she worked in publishing and at the BBC, and in her spare time she began writing children's books under a number of different pen names.Two small children later, an evening class in creative writing motivated her to try a longer piece of fiction and explore some of her own feelings about motherhood. This eventually became a novel, Any Way You Want Me, and she was thrilled when Pan Macmillan made her an offer of publication.
Now the author of fourteen novels and a Sunday Times bestselling author, Lucy writes with warmth and honesty about the joy and surprises, as well as the complications, that love, family and friendships can bring.
Lucy now lives in Bath with her husband and three children and writes full-time.
Her website is www.lucydiamond.co.uk
She is on Twitter @LDiamondAuthor,
and has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LucyDiamondAuthor
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