Cover Image: The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea

The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea

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Member Reviews

What a remarkable and beautiful story connecting two people over a carousel. Throughout the book I pictured the carousel by my house in a mall and it made me eager to visit and think about it's history.

I can't wait to read more by this author.

The cover is gorgeous and I'm a fan of the setting.

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I just LOVED this romance novel, The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea.

In this story, Ness has given up on love until a brief encounter on the train. Loved the characters and the storyline. Definitely a feel-good novel.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was light hearted, sweet and funny. I loved the concept and really enjoyed the journey as we follow Ness with the phone. As she battles to keep her article a secret, the relationship develops into something deeper. This was a great summer read and i was a big fan.

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Two lonely people bond over a lost cellphone and a vintage carousel. To see the two characters fall in love was a great read.

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It’s taken me a while to get around to reading this gem of a story but the wait was totally worth it.

Ness spots Nathan, or Train man as he is known in the beginning on a London train, they have been locking eyes for a while so when Nath drops his phone on the train Ness decides to grab it in the hope of returning it to him. Cue, crazy idea of Ness writing an article for a magazine about Train man and his lost phone with the hope of getting to know him better to return it. She tracks him down in a quaint seaside town where he is restoring a vintage carousel (talk about meet cute!) They clearly both share a special connection even before she physically tracks him down. Obviously not all is as it seems but I won’t go into that part so much.

This was my first read by Jaimie though I have all of her books on my kindle. I can’t wait to read the others as I’ve fallen in love with her writing, I just didn’t want this to end and was pulling for both of the main characters to get their acts together.

It would actually be a beautiful movie too. Jaimie draws you in with her emotive characters and stunning backdrops. ‘The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea’ is about love, friendship and taking chances. I give this story a glowing 5*/5* 😊

Thank you to HQ for an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley.

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Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

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The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea is a romcom-style fluffy romance that hits all the expected beats. It's also super bantery and goofy. There's a bit of clunkiness to some of the writing that kept it at three stars, but it was definitely an enjoyable read.

Ness lives in London and works as a fact checker at a magazine, just waiting for a chance to make her break as an article writer. But she's happy enough because at least she works with her bestie...and gets to make eyes at a hot guy most mornings on the tube. Then, one morning, she sees him drop his phone, picks it up, and, though she tries, can't catch him. When her boss hears her telling this story to her bestie, she offers Ness an article about this missed connection, and ultimately a series about her hunt for the Train Man.

He calls his phone, and he guesses it's her right away, and they end up talking for over an hour. Train Man, who turns out to be called Nathan, and Ness have so much in common, like a loathing for spending time with people and a love of Netflix and junk food. He invites her to come up to Pearlholme, a small town on the coast, to return his phone, since he's on location for a couple months restoring a carousel. Obviously, that's a weird thing to do, but everyone's aware. She wouldn't have except her boss encouraged her to work remotely and develop the story.

Ness and Nathan click right away, and their every interaction is filled with awkward banter. I really did like them together, and they seem like they'd be a good couple IRL since they share a desire for a comfortable couch and microwave dinner. However, certain things got tediously repetitive, like the insistence by both that they don't want relationships, even as they're massively couple-y together constantly, albeit not kissing. It just rang false when they're otherwise so honest. And I really didn't understand Ness' antipathy to relationships overall, though her lack of desire to be set up by her friends and family did make sense.

Another thing we're beat over the head with is the whole magazine article thing. Ness wants to stay, so she has to write it, but she feels bad about it because she knows how private Nathan is from the first phone call. She keeps considering telling him but doesn't. This is a common romcom thing, but I didn't get why she didn't just tell him at the start. The first article was harmless, and it was her excuse to visit, which he wanted, so I think he'd understand and could work with her on what he was comfortable with from that point. Keeping a secret that's going to cause a blowup is a classic romcom thing, but I prefer when romances don't lean on that.

Overall, a fair amount of the book stayed too surface level to be particularly memorable, but it was a pleasant read and the setting around the restoration of the carousel was cool. [(But lol at them for not thinking to research the names/owner of the carousel before the dramatic, take-me-back article).

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I read my first Jaimie Admans book, It's a Wonderful Night, last year and immediately fell in love with the balance of love and heartbreak, a bittersweet look at a nostalgic holiday and her warm, welcoming characters. As a fan of Annie Darling and Jenny Colgan, Admans fits well in with my reading tastes and always makes me want to seep into and live in the worlds she creates. Yet, even her whimsy and sense of wonder, the colour of Ness's world and the way that Nate approaches life, there is an undercurrent of longing. I find that the balance of Admans' deep humanity with her absolutely adorable meet-cute kismet is what combines for a perfect recipe.

So if you have mourned a lost chance or just want to figure out how you fit, or are drawn to books with high concepts like Sliding Doors or Our Stop, this is so wonderful!!! Admans has made a fan of me for life.


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Jaimie Admans has done it again! This is the third book I have read by this author and it was just as good as the other ones.

Ness is working in a dead-end job in London. She is fed up with everything: her job, her lack of a love life, her crummy flat - but the one thing that gives her butterflies is seeing a man on a train on a regular basis. He accidentally drops his phone one day and when she grabs it to give it back to him, he is nowhere to be seen.

Poor Ness has no clue how to return the phone to him, so she takes it to work where her horrible boss decides that there is a story that Ness can weave from this situation. It all gets out of hand, as you can imagine.

Seriously, this is a gorgeous story and I loved Nathan and Ness so much!! Both of them were such lovely people. The village of Pearlholme is also chock-full of characters that gave me a chuckle when I read about them, although my biggest laugh was reserved for Ness' mother - good grief, lol.

Absolutely beautiful to read books like this. I got completely emotionally involved. Can't wait to read this author's Christmas book - already on my Kindle :)

5 stars from me. My apologies for taking so long to get around to reading this book though.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital.

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Jaimie Admans books are never what I expect them to be...but I still love them all!

**OMG! I cannot believe that these reviews haven't been done! I am so sorry they are so late!!!**

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A Cinderella story for the 21st century and who cant resist a vintage carousel? Gorgeous writing, lovely story.

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Admans' THE LITTLE VINTAGE CAROUSEL BY THE SEA is reminiscent of the movie, How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days. This is a delightful and heart-warming story but my library does not collect digital-born titles from independent presses.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet, captivating and exactly what I expected and wanted to read when I picked up. I loved it and will read more from the author!

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There was a touch of movie magic about this book for me as Ness tracked down the stranger on the train, Train Man. I loved the references to Carousel and there is a little frisson of Sliding Doors lurking in there too. This is a real feelgood read with some lovely secondary characters to bring a smile to your face. One of those books which you are sorry to end.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the book.

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Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A very good read and one I can highly recommend to others.
I could not put this down.
Thoroughly enjoyable with an amazing cast of characters that you cannot help but engage with.

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This is such a great read for summer! It’s so special and sweet! I literally loved every second of it and highly recommend you check it out!!

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As far as I’m concerned, this wonderful author cannot write a poor book. The Little Wedding Island? Amazing!! It’s A Wonderful Night? Incredible!! The Chateau of Happily-Ever-Afters? Brilliant!! The Little Vintage Carousel?? Beats all of them, four times over!!

Ness and Nathan are definitely my favourite characters of the month. Hell, make that that my year so far. Their sense of humour had me laughing out loud and smiling throughout the whole book. Their chemistry is instant from the first few pages, and just intensifies through the book, page by page. Admans has a writing style that makes you feel like you’re with friends and grips you instantly. I found myself lost within in the pages, and hours had passed by.

Ness is such a great character. She makes excuses for everything, but after meeting Nathan she’s saying yes to everything she would never say yes to. I love her jokes, how nerdy she can be, how she bounces off Daphne, and how to connects with other characters. I love how she becomes happier on every page. It shines through the whole book. I really connected with her. I felt her pain, her love, her embarrassment of her mum.

Nathan’s awkward rambling made me love him even more. I can easily connect with nervous rambling. His jokes, insecurities, and his misplaced ‘chat up lines’ make him an even more lovable character. His history isn’t clear to begin with, but once we’ve learnt more about him, I liked him more and more.

The story of the carousel fits perfectly into the book. I loved that we got this little mystery to work out, and that we got a solved one eventually. The various stories all intrigued me, and the final one was definitely the best. However heartbreaking it actually was.

Put them together and we get a perfect combination. Add in the wonderful setting of Pearlholme, the fabulous residents, the addition of Ness’s parents (her mum is hilarious!!), you get what I call a Perfect Book.

If you hadn’t of guessed, I love this book. The writing style, the characters and their chemistry, the jokes, the romance, the setting, the carousel. Everything. Jaimie Admans had written another spectacular love story. It has also made me want to find the film that is mentioned a lot throughout as well, I hope it lives up to what Ness has made it to be…

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I was hooked on this book from the cover. As a carousel liver and collector of miniature merry go rounds, I loved the cover and the blurb. Oh how I loved this book! I laughed and cried and loved every page of this sweet, funny romance. I loved the light mystery woven into the story and I highly recommend this book

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The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea by Jaimie Admans is a captivating, funny, sobre and wonderful piece to read. There is no way I can explain how much I enjoyed and how grateful I am to the author, Jaimie Admans, for writing it..

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Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for a review based on my honest opinion.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this book! I laughed, I cried, I laughed again. This is a wonderful romantic comedy with a little mystery along with a possible ghost thrown in. I ended up having to tell my hubby the story because I kept laughing out loud while reading, he thought it sounded like a great idea for a rom-com movie.

I really enjoyed it, our main character, Vanessa has been making eye contact (with a stranger, gasp!) while on the train to a job she hates as a fact checker for a women’s magazine, One day he drops his phone while getting off the train and she scrambles to get it and tries to find him in the crowd to no avail. While telling her BFF about it at work, they get into the phone and are trying to discover what they can about the mystery man. The mystery man (aka train man) calls his phone that night and he just knows that it is her that has it, they have a fantastic conversation, which sets the pace for their relationship and he offhandedly asks her to join him where he is restoring a vintage carousel by the sea, she laughs it off although all she can think of after that is going. She is telling her bff the continuation of the story the next day. her boss overhears and decides she needs to go to Pearlholme and make this a story for the magazine. She jumps at the chance but maybe not for the reason she thinks. From the first moment they see one another, there is a hilarious bout of mishaps and almost kisses, (and lots of ice cream). Of course no story is complete without drama and the reveal of why she is there is untimely and sends everything in the wrong direction, but of course, it’s a love story, so the ending is sweet and funny and just as it should have been.

I have already bookmarked more of the authors books to read. This was a wonderful summer weekend road trip read and it left me smiling long after I finished it.

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