I’m a little late on reading this advanced copy, but I enjoyed it. I spent three months in London & I missed it so. I enjoyed the stories & also liked the adventures of a foreign correspondent. I liked hearing about the other countries as well.

I don't generally read memoirs, but this one really stood out for me because I'm obsessed with all things London.

Sean Mallen is truly a master storyteller. This book had so many intriguing elements: touching family stories, exotic travel tales, informative anecdotes of being a TV journalist, and laugh-out-loud moments of culture shock. It was diverse, well-written, genuine, transparent, and fun.

thanks to netgalley

Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

Sean Mallen was a correspondent in Canada but he always wanted to work out of London. He finally gets his change to do just that but he has to talk his wife and daughter into the deal and they are not easily convinced. He tells us of their life in London on his personal aspect as well as the jobs he did through out the world. I especially found fascinating a story in Ireland involving the Catholic Church.
I really enjoyed this book because I have also have always wanted to live in England for awhile. And Sean gave us a wonderful view into that world. I did feel sorry for him though because his wife gave him a hard time.

Sean Mallen was a Canadian foreign correspondent when he was sent to London for work in 2012. Mallen's lifelong dream was to live in London, so he jumped at the opportunity, despite the fact that his wife and daughter weren't thrilled about the prospect.

The year + covered in the book was anything but smooth sailing. Mallen and his family struggled to become acclimated. The living situation was challenging, and Mallen's daughter Julia also struggled with starting a new school in a foreign country. There were many instances of discord and frustration, and Mallen didn't shy away from writing about it.

I much preferred the sections of the book where Mallen described the daily living with his family. I found myself relating to it, despite the fact that I've never lived in a new place, let alone a foreign country. I couldn't always understand his wife's reactions--she seemed to be angry the majority of the time. Mallen constantly described her shooting daggers at him or admonishing him. He didn't seem to describe any loving moments between the two of them, just browbeating. I actually was convinced when I finished the book that they had inevitably divorced. Social media indicates otherwise. So while it made for good reading, it was also sad and I wouldn't have been too pleased if I were his wife. He claimed she was happy at the end of the book, but I didn't see that transformation.


The parts of the book where Mallen was working and traveling just didn't interest me as much. They fell a bit flat and I found myself waiting for the moment when I could hear more about his time in London and with his family. Having just visited London myself for the first time last year, the London setting also was more familiar and interesting to me (I loved the part where the Mounties stood in for the Household Cavalry, having had a chance to visit the HC on my trip, which included visiting the horses as well.)

Overall, this was a fascinating travelogue and I'm glad I read it. I think reading it as a physical book instead of an ebook would have been better for me in this case because I read faster with print books and I could have had better momentum. I really enjoyed Mallen's voice and sense of humor--some of his remarks had me laughing aloud.

It is my dream to live over seas so I was excited to get this book from NetGalley.  It is about Sean, a broadcast journalist from Canada, that moves his family to London to take on a new job.  I have been to London a couple of times so I was surprised to hear about his troubles dealing with land lords and public officials.  Londoners have always been so accommodating in my experience.  It was interesting to read how Sean had to find a flat, a school for his 7 year old daughter, and navigate himself around the city.  Many of his job assignments took him to other parts of Europe as well.  There are some humorous situations and scary situations due to his job as a journalist.  I felt like the story ended very abruptly and would have liked to keep reading more.

This book is a memoir of Mallen's year as a foreign correspondent based in London. While I am sure there were plenty of high points during the year, the feeling I had from finishing the book that it was mostly grumbling. The expenses are very high, their flats are horrid (so bad he gives them vulgar nicknames), many of the Brits he encounters are rude, and his wife hates the place. I guess that was what bothered me the most. I'm sure his wife must have many good qualities. I believe him when he says she was reconciled to London by the end of their year, but . . . She comes across as angry and demanding, as if nothing pleased her.

I was expecting something better.

I am still waiting for the whining to stop.

Sean was offered a job in London. A job he applied for. His wife didn't want him to accept it, or maybe she did, but either way, she wanted to hold it against him. Sean went to London. He felt super sorry for himself because he was all alone exploring a new country for a few month while his wife took care of their daughter back home. Eventually they are all together, but that doesn't change the whining. I am not sure who complained more-the author, his wife, or their 6 year old. I kept waiting for them to "fall" for London.

My husband and I are from 2 different countries, so we have dealt with moving and changing careers and giving things up for each other before. I couldn't find a redeeming quality about his wife-who seemed to threaten divorce any time she didn't get her way. It didn't make me a fan of his either-I just couldn't get into the "characters" in this book.

Anyone who complains, even sarcastically, that their free vacation is 4 star while their friends is 5 star...I just can't. The money complaints were out of control. They have money. They chose to live in an expensive part of town. They seem to be able to purchased hundreds of dollars of new clothes with no notice. They go on expensive vacations, eat out, take taxis.

As a traveler, I enjoyed the parts dealing with traveling. I feel like my review is complaining about their complaining.

I got this book to review free from Net Galley. Otherwise, I might not of finished it.

When I first requested this book on Netgalley and got it I didn't realise it was a non-fiction. I like travel novels and always request one or two so that's what I expected. It wasn't though. Its the memoir of a Canadian journalist who moved to London on assignment. I love memoirs so that didn't necessarily deter me from reading it but I just wish I knew beforehand. Also, the cover just didn't match the story and Im not sure why that bugs me so much (probably why I didn't think it was non-fiction also). Anyway, it does not read like a non-fiction. Its hilarious and well-written (the guy is a journalist after all) and could have well been the fictional story of a man, his nagging wife and daughter trying to find their way in London a new city .. except it was their real life. I recommend although I really wish/hope he'd change the cover before publishing. #coversnob

The author was a horrible whinger which made it difficult to get into the book. I understand the move was difficult for him but it was so negative he came off really unsympathetically. I felt like he was trying to come off as funny or sardonic but instead he just seemed like a loser who made a bad choice.

This book had a lot of things I liked, and some that really make the subtitle on the cover a true warning: a cautionary tale. The author moves to London to become a foreign correspondent, but his wife and daughter are weary about leaving their lives in Canada to do so. But as the book portrays the struggle of his daughter and wife acclimatizing to their new home, it is painted very negatively the entire time. This made it hard at times to want to continue reading. What I liked most was the author’s tales of his adventures around London and the other places he’s assigned to travel to for stories. These parts were funny and descriptive, and it made it easy to paint a mental picture of the different experiences an expat can have in a foreign city. I was expecting the book to be more of a London travel guide, but I appreciated the truths behind living abroad and finding a place to live and a school for Julia. I thought that some of the travel opportunities he had were maybe described a little too in depth; at times I felt like I was reading a travel journal when it could have been made more concise given that it was a longer book to begin with. Overall, I finished the book wanting to know more about the rest of the family’s experiences. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

I requested this book from NetGalley because as an avid Anglophile, ANY London related stories are where you will find me. I LOVE them. That being said, I did not enjoy this book.

I will state here and now that (per my Kindle) I only made it through 35% of the book. My GOD was it depressing. Now, as much as I would LOVE to move to London for a year, I know that it would not be at all easy, practical, etc however this book was struggle after struggle, complain, whine, moan EVERY OTHER PAGE. It wasn't that me being a fan of the city was like "how dare you say bad things!" No. When I visit London. I enjoy my time but then I crave home and my normal. In this book, the first third is just constant issues and his wife and daughter knocking this guy down constantly. I just couldn't stand it. Maybe, if I get to finishing it, it all turns around or there is a happy ending? Or SOME happiness at all?

I know that this review is only on a small portion of the story but if the beginning is so bad how can you make it through anymore? I am always afraid to be brutally honest but honestly the 35% I forced myself to read was just awful.

This book was interesting, but it also had a negative tone that was offputting. The author clearly loved working in London, but his wife and daughter clearly hated the experience. All the whining from the family, in my opinion, completely soured what could have been a pretty good book.

Also, the author is a foreign correspondent based in London, but his travels take him to a number of other cities. His description of his travels took the book in many directions readers interested in London might not expect or find interesting. This book needed another draft.

Enjoyed reading about acclimation to living in London as a family. It was funny and insightful. I loved reading about the family's adapting to England and it's quirks.

The story of Sean, Isabell, and Julia is definitely a great read. I found myself wanting to more about his relationship with his wife and daughter than his work. Isabella is a real work. She is nasty and moody throughout the novel and I found myself thinking a few time Sean, drop her ass. Spoiler alert he doesnt. In the end everything turns out good and everyone is happy for the most part. I enjoyed this book and would read more if Mallen would continue about his time in London and the family struggles.

I liked this book, it reminded me of all my great times in london and was also, very very fun. Thank you to netgalley and he publisher, I am so glad I read this! Now I’ve got to go back ;P

A very good book that I enjoyed reading. I loved the descriptions of London, the characters and style of writing.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Dundurn and Netgalley for this ARC

I think the cover does this book a disservice. I expected a cute, chick-lit type book. Instead, it was more of a travel memoir.

Sean Mallen is a Canadian journalist who uproots his family (wife and kids) to realize his lifelong dream of living in London. His wife and kids weren't delighted with leaving their comfortable home but he ultimately persuades them to do it. Then, he gets to London and dashes off on journalistic assignments all over the globe, leaving his poor family behind to fight with their evil landlord.

Mallen is a talented writer, with comedic flair. I enjoyed reading his book but did feel sorry for his family throughout. Ultimately, he comes across as selfish.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Sean Mallen, journalist at Global News in Toronto, was offered a job as a foreign correspondent based in London England he thought he had hit the jackpot. It was his dream job in his dream city and it was all his. But sometimes even our dreams can't go as smoothly as we hope. Sean had the job but he also had the incredibly difficult task of settling his wife and daughter, who were already highly resistant to the move, in a brand new (very expensive) country all while travelling the world to get the top news stories as they were happening. Falling For London is the diary of his first incredible year.

Stories of picking up and moving to new places always catch my eye and London, though I have not been there, is a city that I have a soft spot for, so I figured this book would be perfect for me. And I really enjoyed following Sean along on his journey. Having the added bonus of having seen Sean reporting on the news from London made it all the more enjoyable to now know what was going on his life at the time. And it was quite the whirlwind. From finding a school and friends for his daughter to the many, many landlord troubles he had, Sean shows that taking your dream job in your dream city is all at once magical and maddening.

There are really only two criticisms I have about the book. One is that his wife does not come across as a likeable person for much of the book. I understand her very valid feelings about the whole thing but the way that he presents them doesn't really do much for her. I told myself that a lot of her behaviour and words were probably said with humour or irony at the time and that he is writing it looking back and laughing at it all but that did not translate well on the page for those of us who don't know her. The other thing is that the book really felt like half of it was moving to London and half of it was his international travel, the stories he was reporting on, and the efforts he made to get the stories. Which is a great thing, it made for a very interesting read however the premise of the book is about moving to London and falling in love with the city. I think that if readers understand that it reaches much further beyond this, more people would be likely to read the book.

Overall this is a very enjoyable read. For anyone who loves travel and anyone who has ever dreamed of picking up and moving somewhere else on this gorgeous planet of ours, this book will hit all the right spots. And hopefully also be a good guide of what to do and what not to do when moving across an ocean.

I was drawn to this book by the premise of a journalist sharing his experience in London. I mean that right there had me interested!
I thought this was going to be more a lighthearted read and it really wasn't but I was totally happy with that! I love memoirs and coming from a journalist had an interesting twist. The attention to detail about his assignments and the conditions around him were incredible and I could visualize everything he was writing about. It really brought the reader to London.
I would have loved to have more moments with his wife- conversations or their experiences together because this was such an emotional and overwhelming experience for them, especially his wife.
I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it especially for those interested in travel and London. I will be looking for more from the author Sean Mallen in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.