Spanning several decades, and the four seasons, this is a real will they won't they kind of romance. We first meet a young Rachel, engaged to Johnny, starting out as an author and finding his feet. Johnny had a very young marriage to Nancy and at age 19 a daughter, Teddy. Rachel is the stable influence in Teddy's life. Meeting handsome, genuinely nice guy artist Gabe in the local village, Rachel consciously decides her life is in creating a family with Johnny and doesn't respond to her heart. Ten years pass and another chance encounter with Gabe occurs and this time he declares his feelings. Again, by now knowing deep down that Johnny is all about himself, Rachel chooses to stay. We discover when life has moved on another decade what has happened in the intervening years, and each time Rachel almost decides to follow her heart there is some major drama that forces her to stay. You wonder if they will ever get together. It's worth keeping with the story and seeing just how we live our lives can influence others. Things aren't always what they seem. An enjoyable relationship read.

This was such a beautiful, heart-wrenching story and the ending fitted beautifully. Was I screaming at Rachel to leave earlier and start at new life with Gabe - yes, definitely! But it was also lovely to see how she grew as a person and became stronger throughout the novel. An interesting timelapse novel with characters that you really feel for. Very much enjoyed.

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

I did enjoy this book but it really is a slow burner. I was probably expecting something more clandestine and illicit than Rachael. That said, the story is good and the characters well developed.

This is a love story, but it’s complicated. Very complicated.

A young woman, Rachel, suffers a trauma as a child that causes her to value stability and safety above all as an adult.

Luckily, Jonny is there to provide this for her. She marries him for his steady strength and they create a life together that makes her feel secure and loved.

Rachel and Jonny enjoy socializing with neighbors in their Oxfordshire village. Jonny, a writer who is always just about to make it big, is considered to be a local celebrity and is the life of every party. Rachel supports his artistic life by working part time at both a cafe and an art gallery.

But life happens, and things inevitably begin to change. Outside influences affect their relationship. A chance meeting, an overheard truth, an accident, another lie. An unhealthy friendship, a few drinks too many, a choice, a death. A rebellious teenager, a lost parcel, a longtime secret, an impulsive decision. Rachel finds her precious stability shifting beneath her feet.

The love story in this book is irresistible. I was moved by the strong connection the pair felt and by the way they knew each other and supported each other’s dreams. Their chemistry was swoony.

As the title suggests, the four seasons is a theme of this book. Rachel appreciates each season for its unique qualities. She arranges art in the gallery by seasons. And the story captures the seasons of Rachel’s life.

This is well written but moves perhaps a bit too slowly. It’s still an enjoyable read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️, available now.

My thanks to the author, Fiona Collins, to the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, and to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

Unfortunately, overall I found this a frustrating read. It's very long, 400 pages, and the story just didn't hold enough tension to justify that length for me. Our protagonist is caught between two men, one who will offer "stability" and then other "true love". But I just didn't see the appeal of either men! There are plenty of well written background characters, though the village seems rather sterile and the plot twists are well signposted.

Perhaps a better book for a summer holiday than a cold week in spring!

I fell deeply in love with this book and know it's one I will read again and again. The writing was sublime, the characters were astounding and I never wanted it to end even as I devoured it late into the night.

Rachel is happy. Engaged to Jonny and stepmum to Teddy, she is living a safe and quiet life. Yes, she may be in the shadow of Jonny, but it's a place where she feels comfortable. Safety and security are what she's craved all her life.

But when she meets Gabe at a party, she knows he is dangerous and will make her question everything. They meet in spring 1986 and their connection is everything but safe.

They won't meet again until summer of 1997, but their feelings haven't changed. They will meet again in Autumn 2008 and Winter 2019.

Throughout each meeting I was longing for Rachel to put herself first and make a life with Gabe. But Rachel chose duty over her great love and this made the story all the more poignant. It reminded me somewhat of The Bridges of Madison County, the same desperate longing but inability to leave a family behind.

As each live their lives, they find themselves drawn back together each time they meet. The suspense in each scene is exquisite torture, and Rachel is such a believable character, I felt for her so much.

There is sadness in this book, but there is also hope and love. And I loved how their story ended. Perfection.

Rachel has life sorted. She's about to marry Jonny and becomng step-mum to his daughter. Then she meets Gabe whoever from America to visit his Aunt. They immediately have a connection but Rachel stays and marries Jonny.
Over the years they meet every now and again and each time, it's as if they haven't parted. Are they destined to be together or be apart?
A bit of a slow start but then I started to care about Rachel and wanted to know how the story ends

I love that the passage of time in this love story is over decades and that the characters change and mature across those years exactly as real life would dictate, with greying hair, sagging skin, wrinkles and baggage.
Rachel is settled with Jonny and his daughter but Gabe is ever in the back of her mind and reappears at stages through her life to challenge her perception of family and of happiness.
A fantastic set of characters and a beautifully woven tale!

Oh my goodness this book was just wonderful. It made me cry my eyes out which is very rare for me! So beautifully written, the most exquisite love story; I am not usually a romance reader but this book has stolen my heart. Just so gorgeous.

a love story but who is the love of your life? is it that simple?
the story of rachel and the choices she makes to find true love.
a story of what if’s and what could be.

This was a very enjoyable romantic read covering Rachel’s life from when she meets Jonny, her first meeting with Gabe, her quiet American and how their lives interact over the next few decades. It was an easy read although I did wonder about the credibility of some parts of the story….. some parts were just too straightforward and sometimes I wanted to give Rachel a shake.. but I loved the coming and going of the characters and did wonder how it was all going to end.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!

What an enchanting book, easy to read and easy to be able to relate to the characters. It makes you wonder how many people really do lead selfless but unloved lives?

Gabe was portrayed as one very nice person, who struggled to find true love. Continents divided these two people, but their love finally came together even though it was late in life.

A good summer reading book, enjoy with a nice glass of wine.

Rachel is looking for the perfectly safe life. She thinks she has her future sorted in the little town she lives in with the handsome man she is engaged to. Then she meets Gabe. They fall in love, but it's not in her plan, so she stays. They meet four times in their lives, when they realise their love is real and great, but she has committed to her life, so never gives it a chance. This is where the book is a bit frustrating and you get quite frustrated with Rachel. If that was the author's intent, she has done it well! Gabe is wonderful, everyone else is wonderfully flawed, and her great aunt deserves a book of her own.

An enjoyable read. The book was well written and some of the descriptive phrases were delightful to read. The characters were believable and skilfully described.
A will they won't they book where fate keeps us all on our toes

The book follows Rachel, from an idealistic young woman in her mid-twenties to an older, wiser version of herself approaching 60. As we dip into her life at 11 year intervals she keeps finding herself in the company of Gabe, an American artist (with eyes she can't seem to stop staring into).

This is a slow-paced stroll of a book where not an awful lot happens - which, sometimes, is exactly what want from a book. At the same time, as you follow Rachel through a very lacklustre relationship with her husband Jonny, and watch her brief but wonderful encounters with Gabe... You do find yourself wanting to shake her in frustration at her refusal to Make Better Choices.

All in all, I found myself really liking Rachel. She's very much a flawed character, who I related to quite a bit. The direction of the story is quite predictable but I often like that in a quiet romance - it's about the journey not the destination, as they say.

"Spring, Summer, Autumn, Us" is the story of Rachel in England and her missed opportunities with Gabe, an American artist. This is a very character-driven novel which did feel a tad bit derivative to me, but was a nice palate-cleanser from some of my rather dark reading, so I quite enjoyed it. My sincere thanks to the publisher & Net Galley for the complimentary "read now" DRC - opinion my own.

This was so heart-breaking and so beautifully written with a unique premise that reminded me of Love, Rosie. I loved how this was set over the span of many years, although I do think it could have been shorter as I felt it dragged little bit. However the premise was really sweet and I don't condone cheating but the idea of yearning and being the right person, wrong time is an amazing trope which I really loved seeing.

I couldn’t get into this. I didn’t find the characters appealing whatsoever, it was all very twee. I must admit, when I requested from NetGalley I hadn’t realised it was a romance.
Sadly, gave up. Hate having to do that but not all books suit all readers.

Thank you for the arc copy of spring, summer, autumn us. I found this book endearing if a little slow to start. I liked watching the story unfold between Rachel and her fiance and then the new American shebis drawn too. A nice easy read