Cover Image: A Year of Chasing Love

A Year of Chasing Love

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Member Reviews

I was very disappointed with A Year Of Chasing Love in all honesty, it wasn't at all like I was expecting and was almost the complete opposite. The novel starts with Olivia, a very successful divorce lawyer, receiving her very own divorce papers from her soon to be ex-husband. The blurb then promises a round a year long holiday for Olivia which helps her figure out what she wants in life.

I quite liked Olivia at the beginning of this novel, she was a career woman who was an expert in her field. Unfortunately due to Olivia's commitment to her profession she cancelled dates and plans with her husband quite often, and I do agree that this will most definitely burn anyone out eventually. However, her boss sitting her down to discuss that she looks tired and in need of a break, sounded ridiculous to me and old fashioned, but a ten month secondment is basically forced upon her.

Olivia embarks on a round the world trip organised by her friend. I did enjoy this part of the novel as Olivia created a lessons in love list, mostly detailing the aspects of successful marriages that are less likely to end in divorce. It was sweet that she slowly discovered her love for her husband again during her self-discovery journey.

The ending ruined the book for me, in most novels there's progressive character development, in my opinion Olivia's character plummeted. In the beginning of the novel she was driven, she was successful and she was adamant she did not want children although her husband did as she adored her career. In the last few pages we learn she's given up her job and is pregnant, what happened to the brilliantly strong woman we met originally? Why did Olivia have to give up her job to be a mother while her husband just gave up his secondments? The ending of the novel left me incredibly frustrated and soured the whole experience, it was a shame.

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Diving into this book was like taking a trip around the world without leaving my sofa. The stunning geographical locations were dazzling and created a tropical and cultural backdrop to set this beautiful story upon.

The premises to this narrative shot straight from the heart. As the title suggests A Year of Chasing Love features romance as the top topic of the day. What makes a marriage successful? Is it culture? Country? Background? Principals? Or pure and simple love? This book dives into this theme with full speed ahead to create a captivating read that had me hooked from the opening sentence.

From the catchy characters to the stunning settings this book had it all and I can't recommend it enough. It's a perfect parcel of love wrapped up in a tropical package that will warm up any dreary January day for sure.

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The premise of this book was great! A divorce attorney who gets served with divorce papers. She is forced to take a long hard look at herself when her boss makes her take a 10 month sabbatical from her job. The story moved a little slowly at first, but then really picked up and I couldn't put it down. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and will read more romances by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Thank you to Jessica at Harper Collins for letting me join in on the blog tour!

As I’m writing this review, I’m only 40% into this book, so my review will not give away any spoilers as I may have not reached them yet!

It took me a while to get into this book as I was getting annoyed with Olivia’s friends. I also found it took me a long time to get to the main bit where Olivia would actually start travelling to find out how in different countries, the marriage rate is so high and how they stay together. She will be visiting Malta, Paris and Hawaii as well as other places.

When Olivia arrives in Malta, thats when I finally got interested in the book. The way Niko is near enough the male equivalent of Olivia minus the divorce makes me wonder if there will be a possible romance on the cards, or will Olivia be onto the next destination by then?

I’ve now got an 1 hour and 25 minutes left to read so that will keep me company on the flight!

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I typically don't read romance novels, but I was interested in the plot. I myself am divorced and wanted to see this represented in a book. However, I found the writing to be too repetitive.

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This is a Netgalley ARC review. All opinions are solely my own.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded really amazing. The problem is I really didn't like the main character, Olivia. She is just not believable. Her marriage and it's issues are not believable. Her career issues are really not believable in the current landscape.

The only thing I like about this book were Olivia's friends. They seemed to be the only ones who really got what the issues were and tried to push her in a believable way.

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A Year of Chasing Love is a story about love, relationships and travel!

The story kicks off with our main protagonist and top divorce lawyer Olivia being served with her own divorce papers at her workplace! Although Olivia was aware that there were problems in her marriage (mostly down to being so focused on her career that she never finds the time to actually spend time with her husband Nathan), she nevertheless devastated by this news!

Overworked and stressed out, she’s ‘persuaded’ to take a 10-month sabbatical, and through her friend Rachel, Olivia finds herself on a ‘research’ trip visiting countries where divorce rates are lower and marriages have a higher success rate. Her journey begins with Malta and ends in Paris (also known as the City of love)! At first this seems like a great way to escape her marriage blues but through doing research while writing a guide on lessons in love and what makes a marriage last, Olivia’s true journey is the self-reflection that allows her to discover herself, examine her relationships with others and what really matters to her! That said, while Olivia was a strong-minded and a high achieving career woman, her self-doubts and self-criticisms were aplenty.

Olivia is faced with a choice of trying to save her marriage or moving on and while I won’t spoil the ending, I will say that A Year of Chasing Love is a funny and interesting story about love and relationships. That and the gorgeous locations make it a great escape read debut novel from Rosie Chambers!

Thank you NetGalley and HQ Digital for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars from me

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A Year of Chasing Love ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5.⠀

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this feel good & loveable book. Thanks to @hqstories and @netgalley.⠀

I enjoyed escaping with this book, filled with romance, humour and brilliant characters. One you can forget your troubles with. ⠀

Top divorce lawyer Olivia is suddenly served her own divorce papers, she agrees to run away and travel the world in order to escape her troubles. Her aim is to create a guide to love and what makes love last. However, along her journey she is constantly reminded of Nathan, her soon to be ex husband. Is it too late? ⠀

If you need a little laughter and a pick me up then this book is a great choice. ⠀

This book will be the perfect beach read for the summer with a cocktail in hand. It made me want to jet away. 🌞⠀

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I am at odds with this a little bit as I am guilty of assuming by the cover that this was a romcom/chick lit but I would probably put this more under contemporary fiction.

It is an easy and enjoyable read, with exotic locations and is pure escapism with good characters and a great premise.

However, something niggled me right from the start and didn’t let go. That indignation was a successful career woman constantly blaming herself for her marriage collapse. Now don’t get me wrong I know it happens , twice divorced myself. But it’s 2020 for goodness sake. Women can have a career, hell they can have whatever they want. I don’t want to see women blaming themselves for men who are too weak to handle a career woman.

I’m sure the majority will love this book and it may just be my feisty independent won’t suffer any man attitude that scuppered my enjoyment slightly.

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I loved this light hearted read, the destinations that Liv visited were stunning, with great descriptions that enabled me during the gloom of winter to feel like I was actually enjoying the sunny destinations and basking in the sunshine.

The actual idea behind the story was brilliant and I loved the approach to the lessons in love and the theme as they threaded their way through the story and on the journey of Liv. I loved the character of Liv and her work crazy life and how she gradually managed to establish a new balance and find the answers to move on with her life.

This book was funny and heartwarming, a truly brilliant love story that I really enjoyed. A debut novel that left me smiling and with tears in my eyes, I can't wait to read more by Rosie Chambers.

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I enjoyed this but I thought could have been so much better, some things seemed off too for me, I understand divorce or the end of a relationship is very hard, but for someone who such a strong woman and career minded, it didn’t sit right that she would bemoan her failure as a woman ! The story was good and the side characters I loved, I just couldn’t click with Olivia. Enjoyable read even with these criticisms, but it didn’t wow me.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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Olivia Hamilton has spent years making a name for herself as one of the top divorce lawyers- there was a spread in a magazine and everything! One thing she never expected was to be served with her own. Now, having lost her husband of seven years and on forced leave from work, she's at loose ends as to what to do.
Spending too much time drinking and naval gazing has allowed her to realize all she lost, but good does that do now? When her friend Racheal comes up with a plan to finish special research of her own- everyone knows what makes a marriage fail... now, what makes it last? Going around the world for a year, Olivia is meeting with couples to learn just that- and maybe see what it takes to be part of a partnership. When the year is up, and the notes delivered, what will the next year hold?
The premise here was interesting to me, and I did like a lot of the side characters. Holly and Mateo were definite favorites, but I also loved Nico and the strong willed Allana. Olivia, on the other hand, seemed like a weak character. All she did when left to her own devices was obsess about her career and lament her failure as a wife. Now, I do understand that this would be a hard time for her, and maybe that was a natural reaction... still, it didn't exactly make her an easy character to side with.
On the other hand, the story had a good flow to it and the writing style was easy to get lost in. I enjoyed the descriptions of the areas visited, and it was interesting seeing the other couples. In that respect, this is a great romance. As far as Nathan and Olivia? Who knows? Did she learn enough to make a second chance work? Will they even get one? Quite frankly, their relationship was perhaps the one that was least believable to me. I just couldn't get behind them, and so this one gets three stars from me.
On the adult content scale, there's a lot of drinking, language and some sexual content, though very mild. I would give it a four.
I was lucky enough to recieve an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Harlequin Digital in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

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I have to say that the bright and vibrant colours of the cover were the first thing that drew me to 'A Year Of Chasing Love'. I know that sounds very superficial but I don't mean it to. The synopsis sealed the deal as it were. I couldn't wait to get started so without further ado I grabbed a cup of tea and my Kindle and sat in my comfy corner of the couch to start reading. Oh boy, I absolutely loved reading 'A Year Of Chasing Love' but more about that in a bit.
I found it impossible to dislike the character of Olivia Hamilton, even if she did scare the doo doo out of me a bit. I would imagine that if you practice law, you need to be one tough cookie, with a razor sharp brain and be ruthless when required. Olivia is those things and more. Olivia is a top divorce lawyer and I think that she has to be very assertive so she can get the best settlement for her clients. That said, I found her to be extremely likeable. She is so dedicated to her work that she takes her eye off the ball a bit and she neglects both her own life and her marriage. She is soon brought down to earth with a bump when her husband issues her with divorce proceedings. In order to escape her marriage problems Olivia agrees to go on a year long trip to find the ultimate guide to love. Her time away gives her time to reflect on her own life and to discover just what is really important to her. What happens? Well that would be telling. To find out what happens, you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves as I am not going to tell you.
'A Year Of Chasing Love' came along at the right time for me. I was feeling a bit down, tired and pained and I needed a light hearted read that would be pure escapism. 'A Year Of Chasing Love' was all those and more. Once I picked the book up, I was transported away to Olivia's world and I found this book to be extremely addictive reading. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters and to fill in ten minutes or so but I would still be sat there over half an hour and several chapters later. It didn't take me long at all to get through this book and I had mixed feelings about finishing this book. Don't get me wrong I was pleased to finish because I knew how the story concluded but I was enjoying the storylines, the characters and the author's writing style so much that I just wanted the story to continue on and on. 'A Year Of Chasing Love' is pure escapism at its best and would be perfect reading for your summer holidays.
I had a hard time believing that this was Rosie's debut novel as the writing seems to be that of a more experienced author. The author has one of those writing styles that is easy to take to and easy to get used to. I found that Rosie had my attention from the moment I picked the book up and she kept that attention until the moment I closed the back cover as it were. Rosie uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself. I found myself wanting to get far too involved in the story and talking to the characters as if they could hear me. I know that this is fictional and therefore not real but I find that if I enjoy a book to the extent that I enjoyed 'A Year Of Chasing Love', I tend to 'live' the story as if it were real.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'A Year Of Chasing Love' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Rosie's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

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I have never been more frustrated and yet completely understanding of a character in a book before. This is such a beautifully written and honest story that most married couples can relate to sometime in their marriage. I enjoyed the delicate nature of a book that started out with a failing relationship and dismantled it chapter by chapter with what went wrong. I love that this book took us not on a journey of falling in love, but on a journey of falling apart and how to piece it all back together.

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This story follows a successful divorce lawyer who is confronted with divorce papers of her own. Following this, she is presented with the opportunity to take time off and travel with a friend. It just so happens that the trip is to assist this friend with their research into how and why marriages survive.

I found this premise very interesting. While this read didn't blow me away, I enjoyed my time with the characters.

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I had a slow start with this book. I opened it and closed it a few times before I hunkered down and just read it. Since the ARC was an uncorrected copy, I had some issues with the formatting and some words running together. Once I got over myself, I really got into the story.

Oh the irony of having 500 divorces under her belt and being served with her own divorce papers. Olivia spends the ensuing months discovering herself and having many "Come to Jesus" moments on her own. The discoveries she made about herself, her relationships with her husband Nathan and her parents, as well as her relationships with her friends... the realization that she missed so much with her quest to be the best. These revelations brought her full circle and gave us a love story that was not sappy or trite. The love story was not just about her realizations of her marriage but also of herself and her self worth and self love. Reading this book led to some introspection that wasn't all pretty, but helpful just the same.

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A Year Of Chasing Love by Rosie Chambers. Published by @hqstories 💕
Olivia Hamilton is a divorce lawyer and a very good one at that. She believes that her personal life is fine until she herself is presented with divorce papers from her soon to be ex husband.
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She is advised although she feels it’s forced upon her to take a years sabbatical to re-evaluate her life or in other words sort herself out. During this time it gives her the opportunity to think about her own marriage and where it went wrong. She decides to write about love, life and relationships. 💕
But the question remains will she decide to try and win Nathan back or just accept that her marriage is over??
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If you fancy a book with love,truth,relationships at its heart. Then this is the book for you.
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Pop the kettle on, get the biscuits out and curl up with this great book.

Thank you to both NetGalley and HQ for gifting m3 a copy

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This was such a delightful read. Refreshing, charming and full of warm, loveable characters, I really enjoyed this debut novel from Rosie Chambers.

Olivia is a top divorce lawyer who has been working flat out for years to build her career and reputation. Unfortunately this has all been done at the expense of every other aspect of her life. Just a few days in to the New Year and Olivia is delivered a life-changing blow in the form of divorce papers. The man who she considered her soul mate has finally had enough.

Hopes of burying herself in her work to drown her sorrows are quashed when her boss enforces a sabatical to enable her to gain some perspective as well as a long overdue break. The thought of a year with no work and no husband is enough to send her into despair but close friend Rachel offers a research job that involves travelling the world in search of the secret of lasting love. And so, Olivia embarks on an adventure that begins in Malta, with stops in Hawaii, Copenhagen and Singapore, before ending in the city of love itself, Paris. Will she finally discover how to find and hold on to love? Or has she spent too much time working and left it too late?

I enjoyed this so much. It was the perfect antedote to those post Christmas blues. I absolutely loved following Olivia on her journey and Rosie has done a brilliant job of making me feel I was alongside all the way in each and every one of the fabulous locations. This is a lovely upbeat story that will warm your heart and soul. A brilliant debut from Rosie, I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

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An enjoyable read.

When divorce lawyer Olivia is divorced by her husband she doesn't know what to do. On sabatical from work, she agrees to help out her friend with a research project into happy marriages, completely the opposite of what she normally does. The more research she carries out the more she realies she is still in love with her husband, but thinks he has already moved on so will she get a second chance with him?

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A fair story about a woman who is a divorce attorney, who was issued a divorce warrant from her husband. Upset and unsure of what to do, she is given a 10 month leave from her job at half pay. When a friend offers her a chance to go to several countries and do research on Love for her academic study, she finally gives in and goes. Seeing the people and events in the places she goes it makes her long for her husband, and realize she still loves him. A good story, but did tend to drag a bit at times. Still though, kept my interest to the end, and would highly recommend this book.

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