While I am writing this review, a wintery mix is falling outside. But then my eyes are drawn to the lovely and warm cover of this wonderful story and I feel all warm inside again.

There is only one thing better than reading about Spain and that is being in Spain, but because that's not possible I will gladly settle with second best. Was it second best though? No, because the author was able to create the entourage in such way you really felt the sun on your skin and I was almost putting my bikini on to take part in the pool party or dive into the bleu water of the Mediteranean.

I also loved the fact she wrote about villages and place I have visited as well and it brought back pleasant memories.

You could call it a story about escapism and in a way it's true, but Holly does not bury herself in misery. She takes, encouraged by a few good friends, her future in her own hands and embraces it wholeheartedly.

This book has everything I like : sun, sea, love, friendship and I liked the way Holly became Holly again and not the Holly some people liked her to be.

I would love to have a sequel to this one, because I have a feeling Holly's life only just started now. 5 stars.

Thank you, Karen King, Bookouture and Netgally.

The Year of Starting Over is a delightful read! I enjoyed reading this book and found the characters to be well developed and not over-rehearsed.

This reminds me of Eat, Pray, Love will definitely enjoy this. I also got Me Before You vibes (though not as upsetting) from this book too. Lou and Holly would be compatible friends...lol.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted, enjoyable read, this is the one!!

I really enjoyed this book with its likeable heroine, hunky hero and wonderful sunny Spanish setting. The idea of making a list of ambitions and setting yourself a year to achieve them is an intriguing one. I bet it makes lots of readers think what they'd like to put on their own lists, if only time and money allowed!

Warm, cheery and romantic!

The Year of Starting Over is a charming, uplifting read that takes us into the life of Holly as she leaves her dead-end relationship and boring job behind and heads to the Spanish countryside for a holiday to rediscover herself and find true happiness armed with a dream list and an open mind.

The prose is light and descriptive. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are quirky, engaging, and authentic. And the plot is a delightfully entertaining tale about life, love, hopes, dreams, family, friendship, community, self-discovery, and contentment.

Overall, The Year of Starting Over is an amusing, refreshing, enjoyable treat by King that, ultimately, reminds us that life is truly an adventure!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Holly was in a bit of a rut - she had a boyfriend that she had to act a certain way around, had to dress a certain way around and who took her for granted. The opportunity came up to go to Spain and help out her friend Fiona, and she decided to take a chance. She got a list together of all the things she wanted to achieve, and men being the distracting creatures that they are, were not on the list.

This book was all about being the best person you can be, Holly went on a lot of adventures, she got out of her comfort zone, she gained in confidence and I was cheering her on, all the way. I loved her friends, the setting in Spain where she stayed and the fact that she was her own person, and enjoying her life. Such a fabulous story!!! Yes, there was a romantic aspect to this book, but there was also a cute dog :) The best part was that Holly was front and centre, and trying to figure out what she wanted out of her life etc. She was such a lovely character too.

Give this book a chance, I am sure you will enjoy it.

5 well-earned stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

The Year of Starting Over is a delightfully refreshing wholesome read. I enjoyed every single second of reading this book and found the characters to be well developed and not over-rehearsed.

First of all, where is my friend that owns a finca in Spain that I can move into?? If anyone wants to sign up, please let me know!

Holly is a relatable MC who is on a journey to discover herself after losing herself in a terrible relationship. She is stubborn, creative, carefree and just an all around good person.

Matias is the irresistible, standoffish (initially), beautiful Spanish man who just keeps popping up everywhere she turns. I was expecting this to be a challenging dynamic where Matias challenges Holly to be the best person she could be, but it was a nice change of pace for it to be a supportive dynamic.

I think anyone that enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love will definitely enjoy this. I also got Me Before You vibes (though not as upsetting) from this book too. Lou and Holly would be great friends, I think.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted, enjoyable read – I would give this a go!

*thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely sunshiny read. I would admit that this novel gets A LOT better when you start getting into it about a quarter of the way in. It does take a little time to get fully engaged with the characters and the story but once you're into it, boy are you sucked in! I did really like the main character of Holly, she's cute and really relatable. I also really liked reading more about Matias and getting to know his personality.

Overall, a lovely summer read that I would recommend you give a read to banish the January blues!

What a fun read! I ended up really enjoying this book! It started out a little slow for me, and it took me a little bit of motivation to get into it, but when I got to the halfway point I couldn't put it down! I felt like the beginning of the book was weighed down with details of the renovation project Holly, the main character, and her friends were involved with. I was wanting more personal interactions and details about the characters' personalities. Once the halfway point hit and we got to know Matias more, the storyline picked up and I really enjoyed where the story flowed. Living in a landlocked state in the middle of USA, I was fascinated to read about the beaches, mountains, and caves of the Spainish countryside! This is such a fun, light read and would make a great summer beach book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for gifting me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The book will be available February 7, 2019 and is available for pre-order now on Amazon!

Holly is determined to get married and have one just like her Nanna and Pops had. Full of love and devotion. However, when her live-in boyfriend would rather take off to Amsterdam with his friends for a night than be with Holly, Holly makes a decision to take off to Spain for some time to discover who she truly is and what she truly wants out of life.

This is a charming chick-lit book that was a nice change from the intense drama and psychological thrillers I have been reading as of late, because it was written in a light-hearted tone. Holly reminded me a bit of myself when I was younger because at one point, I was very unsure of who I was. At one point, I had made the decision to travel around Europe for two months and it completely changed my life.

Holly's time off in Spain introduces her to new friends and a hunky, yet rude next door neighbour, Matias. Holly's encounters with Matias do sometimes seem predictable, but the author was able to redeem for it by revealing and delving into Matias' strained relationship with his family later in the novel. This also explains the man's moodiness!

If you want a break from all the emotional drama, or you're off for a beach day, this is a perfect book to tuck into.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this novel before it's published on February 7, 2019!

We meet Holly who has been pleasing others all her life and she wasn't living her potential. When her carefless boyfriend takes off with his friends without even telling her and then has the gall to call her for help she wakes up from realizing he totally took her for granted and that was the straw that broke the camels back, and I was clapping for her good for her get rid of dead weight. She moves to a new country and start bettering her life and then we read all about it, I liked that she did that but I got distracted I tend to like more excitement but I did appreciate that she cared enough about herself to be able to change her situation..

Lovely gentle read. All the ingredients of a feel good novel. Holly is a great main character and the setting is perfect. A summer romance that inevitably has its ups and downs....it's about bring brave and starting over. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend....a perfect holiday read!

Holly has been a pleaser all her life. When her boyfriend Scott, decides to swan off for a weekend to Amsterdam without letting her know, she knows she has had enough.

She has a steady job in a care home, but she knows that she needs to follow her heart.

The book is all about how Holly takes control nof her life and lives it for herself. A wonderful feel good book.

I am a big chick lit fan and after reading the synopsis of this book, I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, it was just not my cup of tea. While Holly is a great main character, the rest of the characters didn't feel well-developed and the story moved thru things too quickly. It was too fluffy and a little too predictable as well. I held on until the end, but my mind was unchanged. The idea behind this story is great, but the implementation left me wanting more. I could see fans of Eat, Pray, Love enjoying this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Loved the story, loved the characters, loved the places. It was one of the story’s where I wished I was getting to visit all the places with the main character as well.

The Year of Starting Over by Karen King is a joy to read from beginning to end. With likeable characters, a beautiful Spanish backdrop, and an uplifting and inspiring message, this novel is a delightful bit of escapism and the perfect antidote to a cold winter day.

Holly has been in a long term relationship with boyfriend Scott and is hoping that a marriage proposal is in the cards. Scott, however, has other plans, and does not prioritize Holly above his friends and carefree lifestyle. Deciding that she has finally had enough, Holly resolves to grab life with both hands and creates a dream list of things she would like to accomplish, and sets a one year timeline to achieve each of twelve items. Holly has been left an inheritance from her grandfather which enables her to take a timeout to complete her list.

Holly gets in touch with old friends Fiona and Pablo, who invite her to stay with them in Spain, in exchange for helping to transform their finca into an artists' retreat. Holly adores her new life in Spain, and makes a start on ticking off some of the items on her list. For the first time in her life, she is pleasing only herself rather than everyone else.

Complications arise, however, when Holly meets Matias, a handsome neighbour. Like Holly, Matias has resigned himself to the single life until an accident brings the two of them together in a way that neither ever expected.

I recommend this novel as a light and entertaining read that might just inspire you to create your very own dream list.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this delightful ARC.

This is a delightful story about a young woman that has the courage to ditch the loser boyfriend and the dead end job and make some drastic changes. Holly had high hopes for her current relationship and when he showed her his true colors, she packed up and left. I always enjoy reading stories that force women out of their comfort zones to explore some other options. Holly moves to Spain with a checklist of things she needs to accomplish. She meets the boy next store who is working through his own baggage but neither sacrifice their personal goals to fall back into a relationship. The message is clear.. when you learn to love and respect yourself, it opens the door to a healthy and enriching friendship. You’ll find yourself cheering on Holly and wishing the best for her. Great book to curl up and enjoy on a weekend afternoon. Experience her journey right along with her! #netgalley. #katenking

'The Year of Starting Over' is a refreshing take on making the most of all of the wonderful things life has to offer. One of the most important themes of the story is that you should always be true to yourself. You can't expect someone to fall in love with you if they hardly know the real you and you can't possibly live a happy life if you can't be yourself around the people you love.


I would classify this as a women's fiction novel with a sweet modern touch of romance and I highly recommend it to all. If you're looking for a fun story that will inspire you to embrace change and love life, then this is the story for you. When I finished this book I was a bit sad that it was over and I'm sincerely hoping that there's a second book in the works because I'd love to see what adventures lie ahead for Holly!

Loved reading Holly's story! She's the type of character you want to be friends with or take under your wing. The story begins with Holly's dilemma with her lackluster boyfriend and moves on from there. It reminded me a bit of an Eat, Pray, love type of story. Highly recommend.

LOVED this book! It starts out a little slow, but you have to have the character backstory, and once it gets going, it never stops again. The author must have enjoyed spending time in the setting to write it so descriptively and (we can imagine) realistically....it's like taking a mini-vacation through the pages. The two main characters have so much brokenness to overcome, and you're really rooting for them to do it, but it's never quite a done deal. There are so many incidents in here to chuckle at, too. The book leaves you feeling both high and low, at different times, and when you get sucked into the story like that, it's a good book!

I really can’t begin to tell you how much I adored this book. It is ideal escapism at it’s best.

Holly is very brave, daring to go to another country to live for a while to mend her broken heart and to start full filling a list she has created of things she wants to do. I’m sure it is something we have all fantasised about at times but have either never dared or had the finances to do it.

There is so much to fall in love with in this story. The fabulous Spanish setting, the gorgeous Matias as well as a cute little dog called Luna. It really has so much going for it. I also loved Holly’s dream of being self employed and pushing her design business. I was fit to burst with happiness as Holly starts ticking off her list.

The Year of Starting Over is an absolutely fabulous read that I couldn’t put down. It’s very much about friendship, family and most importantly, putting yourself first. Definitely going to be one of my top reads of 2019!