What a rollercoaster of a romance audiobook. 
It sounded like a sublime setting, which left me longing for summer warmth whilst looking out the window staring at the snow.
I felt sorry for Carla so many times, I didn't like David for obvious reasons and was pleased he wasn't around much.

The sagas just kept coming and coming, just when you get over one, another one happened! 
Absolutely lovely story x 
Highly recommended.

This one of those new life novels, and I thought it was great fun. I like the story of starting over and living your best life. Those are the best ways to live. Carla is turning 50 and some big changes are afoot. Her mom passes away, and she finds her husband cheating once again. With a letter from her mother, she travels to South France to see her aunt and reclaim her life. 

Carla has to reunite with her aunt and learns why they have not spoken for a long time. This is about her life chnaging and she decides she is going to come back to this place and have a new life. The story is about finding the best in life, getting along with family, and trying to make sure you take care of yourself. 

The audiobook narrator was great, and she used different voices that kept me listening. I liked her execution of the story and would pick up more books she narrates, I found her voice engaging.

Whilst I enjoyed the audiobook the playback system on NetGalley dashboard really needs looking at. There is a problem with the software and the latest update from Apple so I have to stop and start the book between chapters and it becomes really annoying and can have an negative impact on the reader enjoying the book!!

Clara Sullivan has recently buried her mother and found out her husband is having yet another affair, fast approaching the big 50 she decides to do something for herself and on finding a letter in her late Mothers possessions she decides to go to the South of France to visit her Aunt Josette. Josette is a complicated woman, and hasn't really had a relationship with her sister or Clara she tries to keep herself private. The book is filled with family drama and family secrets. I must admit it was a slow burner for me, both Clara's husband and daughter annoyed me to no end with their attitudes towards his affairs. I really wanted to love this book more especially with the lovely cover and the South of France settling but it just wasn't for me. I think I may have enjoyed it more in paper form also as the problem I had with the audiobook mentioned about is very frustrating and stops the book from flowing. 

The authors descriptions of the area, the villa are beautiful and it did make me long to feel the sun on my skin. I would definitely read other books by the author but again in epub form.

Thank you to NetGalley, the published and author for gifting me a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

As she approaches her fiftieth birthday, Carla Sullivan’s life undergoes a lot of change. Her mother passes away, and she learns her husband is having yet another affair.  After finding an envelope containing a letter from her mother, as well as the need to get away, Carla escapes to the South of France to the home of her Tante Josette to hand deliver the letter.  

Carla barely remembers her Tante Josette and has not seen her in many years.  As the two women get to know one another, many secrets from the past are revealed including why Carla has not seen Josette for many years.  Carla becomes enamoured with Antibes and soon has made plans to return to begin a new life.
The book not only explores the relationship between Carla and Josette, but it is also a story of personal growth, forgiveness and moving on.  To say Carla is thrown more than enough change for a lifetime is an understatement.  She is a survivor and adapts better than most to what challenges lay ahead.

I enjoyed this book and the character development of Carla and Josette.  I felt the story moved a little slow at times, but it maintained my engagement throughout.  I loved the setting for this book-perfect for reading as we head into winter.  There is one relationship from Josette’s past which felt a little distasteful to me. Having said that, I felt compassion for both of these women and appreciated the growing bond between them as the book progressed.  I am a big fan of strong women and these two have it in spades.

I listened to the audiobook version of the book which was narrated by Julia Franklin who gives a good performance.  I enjoyed her performance of Carla, but did find it a little challenging at times to understand the French accent of Josette.  I appreciated the fact that the narrator had an age appropriate voice for these characters and was expressive throughout the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books UK Audio for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for the honest review provided here.

At first, it took me a while to get into the resigned unhappy life of Carla. I felt frustrated with her husband and sometimes even with her daughter. But when she met her French aunt Josette and she finally started treating her life as not something set in stone, I cheered her on. I enjoyed meeting her new friends and deepening her relationship with Josette. And it was even more satisfying to see how she had become strong enough to come to terms with her new environment and revealed secrets. 

All in all, this was an engaging family story, told from two points of view of women from different generations. To me, the choice of an audiobook narrator is half of success and this one was spot on. And just a final remark, only observational, not negative, the author did not use any physical descriptions of the characters. I did not particularly mind, I had my own images anyway, I just found it curious.

* I voluntarily reviewed this audiobook via NetGalley and I thank Boldwood Books UK for the opportunity

Narrator 4 stars

Book 3 stars

This book was an enjoyable listen. The narrator did a great job keeping my interest and The characters were likeable.

So much for a happy birthday. Carol Sullivan is turning 50, and her gift is discovering her husband is having an affair. Finding a letter from her mother’s estranged sister, she decides to track the woman down in the South of France. Carol isn’t sure what to expect from her aunt Josette, but the two women quickly form a close bond, one that may be threatened as Carol learns the reason her mother and aunt parted ways