I think most of us, at one time or another, have thought of running away from our lives. Life on Loan by Ashley Farley follows two women as they spontaneously decide to escape from their lives so that they can rediscover who they are and what is most important to them. It is a delightful story of friendship and sisterhood, romance and the reclaiming of one's own identity. While I couldn't necessarily relate to the women's experiences, I could relate to their journeys of finding themselves. The author crafted characters that were genuine and likable and she moves between the different narratives seamlessly.

Two women who knew each other in another part of their life find each other just in time. One has found herself in a life of being unappreciated and disrespected. One is running from a marriage she thought was perfect. Sitting in the airport they decide to switch homes for 30 days. During this time they find themselves meeting new people and exploring new avenues. Finding yourself doesn't happen overnight. Watching yourself change takes some time to get use to. Trusting yourself enough to grow and make life decisions when you have hit a time in your life you don't want to start over. Nice to know that women of a certain age can go and conquer their fears and come out on top. I enjoyed the characters and storyline. Great Read.

This was a sweet and endearing story of love and loss. I enjoyed the storyline as a whole but found myself getting bored throughout. It very well could have been my mood. Likable characters. A bit of the storyline is a little far fetched. Would I recommend this? Not highly but if you’re looking for a slower read centered around family and friendship dynamics, you may enjoy this.

Who wouldn't like to switch lives with someone, even if only for a month? I seem to remember a reality TV show about switching families with another person. I wondered if this book would do the subject justice and it did. In this case the two main characters swapped homes. I loved the storyline, the character development and the lessons learned by each of the characters. I loved the growth of the characters throughout the story. The author had vivid descriptions of the homes, the towns, the locale. It was very enjoyable to read.

Who hasn't, at some point in their life, wanted to take a break? To spend one month rediscovering the woman you are and/or want to be? I know I sure have! Life on Loan is the story of how Lena and Olivia, college friends, have a chance meeting in an airport and decide to swap houses and spend "A month of discovery. We'll reset our lives and rediscover our passion for whatever it is that inspires us."

This is the first book I've read by author, Ashley Farley, but it will not be the last. This is Southern womens fiction at its finest. Loved the settings and the growth of the characters. Life on Loan is realistic and hopeful.

Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and Kate Rock Book Tours for the advanced copy; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Writing: 5 out of 5 stars
Character development: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

General Fiction
Women’s fiction

Review:

The first words that come to mind after this reading this book are inspirational and uplifting. I absolutely loved the story and am sad that it’s finished.

The writing is warm and compassioned, the plot is unique. You find yourself immersed in the book and the lives of the characters from the moment you start reading. You feel their sadness, joy, struggles and courage. The characters take you on a journey with them to find themselves and create the lives they always wanted.

Overall this is a fabulous moving story, with warm realistic characters, that is hard to put down and will stay with you for a while after you finish. One of my favorite books so far this year.

Review copy provided through NetGalley at no cost to me

An inspirational and heartwarming story about two college friends who reconnect during a time in their lives when they are both at a crossroads and looking to make drastic changes in their lives. It leads them both to quite different adventures. I enjoyed this book alot.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever wanted to just disappear or run away from your crazy and hectic life? Ever wanted to run away and spend your time curled up in a hammock reading romance novels?

THIS is the novel for YOU to read if so!

Ashley Farley and Kate Rock were so very gracious to allow me a copy of this amazing read and allow me to be on the book tour for this one! Squueeaalll, soo exciting!!

Please join me here and on IG and FB on November 7 where I’ll be talking more about this incredibly powerful and easy read!

Lena and Olivia, old college friends, have both had it with their lives; kids, husbands, ex husbands, just life in general has gotten way to much and they don’t even recognize themselves anymore. They know they want more, something different, they just don’t know how to get there or where to go. Until they reconnect at the airport lounge and decide to “switch lives” for a month.

I thoroughly loved this and think it’s a must read, perfect for a weekend getaway. You’ll devour it and want more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ashley Farley is one of the authors I have discovered thanks to reading Kindle books, so I jumped at the chance to read and review Life on Loan via NetGalley. This book definitely falls in the category of women's fiction as it is a contemporary story which confronts a number of issues that today's woman confronts. It is refreshing to read about characters who are a bit more mature and have the courage to reinvent themselves.

Life on Loan, the newest Ashley Farley book, follows the story of two college friends who meet by chance at the airport. Through their conversation, each woman discovers that the other is also facing a life crisis of sorts. They decide to switch lives, so to speak, by swapping houses for a month. Lena goes to Charlotte while Olivia goes to Northern Neck. Each woman is now in an atmosphere totally unlike what she left behind. Through a series of events, each one discovers a hidden self and untapped inner strength. I did feel that the ending wrapped things up rather quickly, though. A lot can happen in four weeks and this book shows how the women's lives evolve and change during that time. The author introduces and handles some issues with delicacy, including elder abuse, mother-daughter relationships, and dealing with the death of a spouse.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a fun and heartwarming story. Lena and Olivia are both at a crossroads in their lives. Deciding to help each other out, they swap places for a month. I love Lena. She is so relatable and you see so much growth in her character. I also love that the author added the charm of Charleston, SC to the book. Very enjoyable.

A story to touch the soul.

An emotional story about 2 friends who have both lost there way in life. Life on Loan is a moving tale that will be sure to bring tears to your eyes. Ashley Farley brings out all the feelings. I was immediately engaged, immediately in love with the characters, and completely enthralled!

I devoured these pages!! An absolutely hit! An absolute MUST READ!!

My favorite Ashely Farley book to date!

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this copy of Life on loan by Ashley Farley. Everyone has wanted to runaway from their life once, to change things, to start anew. This is what happens when two university friends, Lena, a wife with a demanding husband and a daughter who suddenly returns home, and Olivia, a blogger, who hates the direction her blog has gone, meet up at an airport, reconnect after thirty years, decide to switch houses for a month in order to rediscover their lives. I loved this book, and couldn’t put it down! It was easy to read, characters were believable, and were my age (not in their mid 20’s for once), and dealt with several social issues at the same time (senior abuse, early retirement etc). I look forward to reading other books by Ashley

What a wonderful read. Two old friends each at a major crossroads of their respective lives bump into each other at an airport bar while running away from lives and homes. They decide to swap homes for a month and so begins a series of events that alters the very fabric of their lives. Relationships are changed forever, new friendships formed, some scary things happen, lots of emotional turmoil, a mother daughter relationship finding its way to a more loving understanding place, and so much more, adults discovering themselves and each other. This was an absolutely wonderful read worthy of your time. So nice to read about adult persons with real life issues. A must read for everyone.

Life on Loan was a great story, and I loved seeing Olivia and Lena progress and grow. However, I really struggled with the writing style. I feel like it was not realistic, and made the story harder to struggle. On the positive side, I loved the setting!

Life on Loan by Ashley Farley is a fascinating story of what happens when two old college classmates meet in an airport as each is going through a crisis. Olivia writes a blog called “Living High in the Low Country.” A spinoff of that is the “Katescapades,” about two very competitive women named Kate. The characters are driving Olivia crazy and she needs to escape to decide what’s next. Lena can no longer deal with the constant criticism and treatment from her husband and daughter, a recent college graduate. She needs to escape to take stock of her life. These are the reasona that lead the women are in the airport.

During their conversation, the women decide to swap homes, Olivia has a condo in Charleston that she purchased after her divorce. Lena has a cottage, that she inherited in North Neck, Virginia. The women decide to make the swap for one month to give them time to find themselves. The women are excited at the prospect. They take a before selfie to document the start of their adventure.

The premise of the story drew me in. It intrigued me. Following the two women was thought-provoking. Watching the courage of the women to take steps to reclaim their lives was inspiring. All the characters are well-developed. You can identify their personalities and distinctive qualities, good or bad.

I highly recommend this book.
Thank you #Netgalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for approving my request for an ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are soley my own.

Life on Loan is a well written book. I enjoyed the plot, and the believable characters. I highly recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

What a great story letting us see how Lena and Oliva take hold of their lives and become who they want to be. Is it a smooth ride? I’ll let you decide. Love these characters and story line. This story deals with some serious real-life problems in a tasteful way. You may know someone who is familiar with these same situations. The story line flowed and I just wanted to keep reading. I hope you’ll check it out. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own. This book has now been purchased for me through a Goodreads contest.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to trade lives with someone else for awhile? In Life On Loan Author Ashley Farley takes you on a journey of self discovery for Olivia and Lena. Two old friends who randomly meet in an airport and swap houses for a month as a means to refocus their lives.

When picking up Life On Loan I was quickly transported to a wonderful and emotional story. I was able to clearly picture the streets, the buildings and the characters thanks to her vivid details. I fell in love with the characters and related to them as if they were real people. I also found I did not want to put the book down because I wascompletely immersed in the story.
I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Ashley Farley and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to provide my honest opinion of this story!

I've never read a book by Ashley Farley, but the cover and the book blurb made me suspect this kind of story would be for me. And I must say I was right.

It's about two women who meet many years after the years in college as friends. It is now the mid years for them when many reassess their priorities and life and often make changes. After all, we have one life and its important to be happy and have that deep down gut feel what we do and who we are is just right.

Lena has had it with her husband and daughter, she has let them walk all over her, suddenly she has had enough and leaves, deciding to take a month to be by herself and sort herself out.

Olivia's marriage ended a few years back, after a revelation from her husband. She has been running a successful blog, but she is tired of the unnecessary drama of certain aspects of it, and besides she wants to write and test her talents, could she write a novel?

Meeting at an airport they make the decision to exchange places for a month and see where life leads. Olivia finds herself in a lovely cottage by the river right next door to Alastair, a life long friend of Lena's. He has been through the trauma of loosing his wife and is in a bit of a black hole.  Lena on the other hand finds herself in Charleston and soon awakens in her the delight she has for photography. However this also leads her down some unexpected paths.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their explorations and taking a second look at their lives. They will find new focus,  a little romance, family bonding and deepening friendships.

I will certainly look out in the future for more books from Ashley Farley.