The story
Felicity and Jim meet as students that have just started at Oxford. Felicity is shy but is following in her father’s footsteps studying there. Jim is Scottish and doesn’t come from a well-off family like Felicity does. They are drawn to each other immediately and stay together throughout their studies, and get married. But Felicity’s mother constantly puts doubts into her thoughts that Jim is not ambitious enough and isn’t building a prominent career that Felicity is. At the start of the story, Felicity asks for a divorce and leaves Jim. The story flashes back to the anatomy of their marriage and how things move forward.

My thoughts
While I can appreciate that someone else’s relationship will always be more exciting for them, a lot about this story felt tiring to experience and the pace was slow with much repetition. The two parties never really getting over each other but still couldn’t communicate this to this person that they supposedly loved so much. The highlight came when there was some drama and suspense later in the story.

Overall I enjoyed this book. But I struggled with how naive Flick was and how forgiving Jim was. I get the whole point is love conquers all. But they were married a long time for her to still blindly ditch Jim because her mom doesn't like him. Still I did enjoy the story as a whole.

I just love Lisa Hobmans writing style.
It did take me some time to warm to Felicity though.

Thank you #netgally for allowing me to read this book.

The story follows Jim (James) and Flick (Felicity) on there coupled and separate journey. Occasionally flipping back and forth in time, can love forgive all ?

They met at Oxford and fell in love, much to the disappointment and disapproval of Flicks judgemental mother Penelope, her dad Edgar is much more accepting and encouraging.

Penelopes meddling eventually succeeds and Jim heads home to Scotland with black lab Jasper.

As he tries to rebuild his life in a place that's a far away land from his life with Flick, she reappears. What does she want and can he forgive her selfish ways?

I love that Pearl Jams song Black gets some mentions. Well deserved. Made me listen to it a few times. *I know some day you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be the sun, in somebody else's sky...I mean why, why can't it be, oh can't be miiinnneeee*

There are some laugh out loud moments, some OMG moments, some I KNEW IT moments and some awwww moments.

After meeting and falling in love at university Flick and Jim are married and living in London. Flick's mother was never happy with the marriage and does her best to put doubts in Flick's mind. A nice story that switches between present day and previous memories. Not entirely sure you needed the whole "how they met" back story and more of Jim's life in Scotland would have been good. Saying that still an enjoyable read with a few curve balls thrown in.

I received an advance copy of, Starting Over at Sunset Cottage, by Lisa Hobman. I really liked Jim, but I could not stand Felicity/Flick. She was annoying and selfish, Jim deserved so much more then her.