Sorry for the late review, I love Jennifer Bohnet and her fun, quirky books, this is an easy to follow, light and enjoyable read. Fully recommended.

I am really enjoying this series of novels by this author - they are always a light and fun read. Perfect holiday material in my opinion.

You can always count on Jennifer Bohnet for a warm, engaging and enjoyable family drama and with Making Waves at River View Cottage, she has penned another involving and compelling page-turner.

Having been a widow for the past twenty years, Cassie Lewis had dedicated her life to raising her two children and to working in the family boatyard. But with her kids growing up and her fiftieth birthday fast approaching, Cassie has started to feel restless. There must be more to life than working every hour God sends and worrying about her kids and Cassie plans to stop putting herself last and do something for herself for a change. However, fate seems keen on putting a spoke in her plans as she soon discovers…

Her two children have both inherited their late father’s love of sailing and Tom is planning on taking part in a gruelling race that will take him all over the world. However, when an accident forces him to pull out of the competition, Cassie gets another shock: Polly wants to race instead of her brother! Out of her mind with worry, romance is the very last thing on her mind, but Cassie soon finds herself torn between two men vying for her attention.

With some big decisions to make, will Cassie make the right choice? Or will her worry over Polly end up clouding her judgement?

Jennifer Bohnet’s Making Waves at River View Cottage is an entertaining and addictive drama that readers cannot help but be gripped by. Jennifer Bohnet is an excellent chronicler of women’s lives and she writes about strong, empathetic and realistic heroines readers will relate to.

An engrossing women’s fiction novel, Jennifer Bohnet’s Making Waves at River View Cottage is a fun escape perfect for chasing the winter blues away.

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

After being a widow for the past 20 years and pouring all her attention to raised her 2 children. It is hard for Cassie to watch her children to be involved in sailing what more when she lost her husband in a sailing accident. But she have to since it is her children’s interest. Tom is about to take an around the world boat race but a freak accident has prevented him from taking part. Polly who is keen sailor but less experience than her brother decide to take over instead. The story continue with Polly’s adventure and Cassie’s life as she set to make some major decision of her own.

I Love the storyline that is full action drama and narration of what a solo yachting race require. It is understandable of Cassie’s fear for her children safety. This book is also about a strong women who set to claim back her life and discover love on her own terms. Overall it is a sweet read for me.

* review post scheduled to be posted on my blog on 21/11/22*

Cassie lost her husband twenty years ago in an accident during a boat race around the world. Now her daughter Polly is competing in the same race and Cassie is terrified. Luckily she has her family and friends to help her get through the stress and worries of the race.

I really enjoyed reading this book! There were several tense and tender moments as the characters struggled with their emotions and trials in life. I liked the love stories between Cassie and James and Polly and Dexter. It really illustrated the different stages of love. I also liked how close the family was and how they worked together during difficult times. It added to the coziness of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I am a massive fan of books by Jennifer Bohnet and this story is a previous release that was originally known as Call of the Sea and I jumped at the chance to read one that I hadn't previously read.

We meet the lovely Cassie and her family from the offset as her son Tom is preparing to finish his competitive sailing career with a round the world boat race. I found that I got to know the family and their back story early on and you could see the love of sailing in the family.

I absolutely loved this emotional story as we experienced the highs and lows with Cassie during the boat race and the old feelings that surface whilst she contemplates a new romance. The perfect story to pick up on a rainy day and curl up and lose yourself in.

This is a book that once I picked up, it totally consumed me. I ended up reading it in one evening as I was so absorbed by what was in front of me and I had to see how everything was going to end… An absolute must-read!

I never expected to read a story where yacht sailing would have such an important role and that I would enjoy it so much. I get seasick just looking at boats and waves!

The story is about Cassie, who has been a widow for 20 years. Her children are adults and following in their father's footsteps, sailing and yacht racing. Cassie has a wonderful relationship with both her children and her father. Everything we learn about Cassie makes her come across as a really lovely person and makes it so easy to feel for her and to experience the fear with her when there is drama or the doubts when men start showing their interest in her.

The story flowed smoothly and I was swept away by this heart-warming story!

Good read. Great characters, enjoyed the setting, lots of side stories weaved into it and it flowed really well. A good read for a rubbish day. Will make you feel better!

I loved this story. Set in Devon, it’s all about sailing and races which is fine by me. He family were all lovely and the story just flowed along easily. It was a cozy book and it made me long for the coast and fresh sea air. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Making Waves at River View Cottage is a lovely book about Cassie a single mother of two grown up children and their life around the boatyard and their love of yachts. Cassie’s life has revolved around everyone but herself for over 20 years and with encouragement from her family she realises she needs more. This is a book of family dynamics, love and romance, and most of all, sailing.

Cassie is a likeable character, and I enjoyed following her changing story. Realising her family are moving on with their own lives Cassie who is about to reach 50 starts to wonder if she should be finding herself and moving forward. But of course the rest of the family have their own problems and triumphs along with disappointments and blessings.

This was the perfect cosy escapism read with a fabulous storyline and I loved how the sailing and the locations all fitted seamlessly into the back drop of the story and how it focused on overcoming adversity, love and loss and of achieving your dreams and how anything is possible with friendship, family and the right people beside you.

I enjoyed the pace of the story and getting to know all about life on board a yacht and the pitfalls they can experience

Making Waves at River View Cottage is a sweet family story based around sailing and the sea and a lovely story about love and family.

Jennifer Bohnet has fast become one of my favourite authors, in part because her main characters are always older women, often looking for a fresh start in some way later in life. Making Waves at River View Cottage, which was previously published in 2003 as Call of the Sea, and has been given an update and has been republished on 21st September 2022.

I loved the sailing world that this story was set in, and found that the scenes depicting the solo yacht race around the world were both vivid and exhilarating. I particularly enjoyed the journal entries made by Polly during the race while she was in challenging waters with no other yachts in sight.

Cassie as a character was wonderful, caring but had effectively put her life on hold. She had been a young widow who had her children to focus on following the death of her husband shortly after the birth of her youngest, Polly. Now that her son Tom is married and expecting his first child, and Polly is heading around the world, it gives Cassie the time to think about what she wants from her life. Factor in two attentive and eligible men and it leads her to a very confusing time to work through.

I felt completely immersed in the sailing storyline, as well as the coastal life in such an idyllic part of the country. It made me yearn for the open seas!

This wonderful engagingly-written novel, set in Devon, is about family, life challenges, moving on, and second chances at love.

This was a great feel good book that I was obsessed with instantly. I love the family dynamics throughout this book it feels so genuine and relatable. The characters are so well written and feel so real. I read this so quickly and I am desperate for a sequel for more Poppy & Dexter adventures..
I wiil definitely read more Jennifer Bohnet
Thanks for the tour spot Boldwood Books

I very much enjoyed this read. The action alternated between life at home and on the round the world race. Storylines were centred around different generations in the same family which was a good contrast. Cassie has spent years hiding from life in many ways and through the story, you see her beginning to venture out of her comfort zone. Grief and loss have enveloped her although you sense that her family have wanted her to have more self belief. Tom and Polly are close siblings but the circumstances of the race create a few issues, especially for Tom. It is Polly who gets the opportunity to really prove herself but in doing so she discovers what she really wants for her future.

This is a heartwarming story, with highs and lows which really grabs the interest. The setting on the coast makes it a great summer read and I particularly liked the extracts from Polly's journal which gave you an insight into how she was actually coping with the challenging race.

In short a skilful blending of storylines within a feelgood read

Making Waves at River View Cottage by Jennifer Bohnet

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Cassie Lewis, a widow for over 20 years has begun to realise there must be more to life.

In-between working at the family boatyard in picture perfect Dartmouth and raising two children, she wonders where the years have gone.
Both her children, Tom and Polly, have inherited their father’s love of sailing and currently Tom is preparing for a gruelling round the world race. When an accident forces Tom to pull out, Polly, to Cassie’s horror, insists she is capable of taking his place.

As Polly prepares for the race, Cassie unexpectedly finds herself with two keen and eligible men vying for her love.

My Opinion

This book is a rerelease.

This is enjoyable read and I finished this within hours. This would make for a great holiday read, but for me it worked really well as a nice relaxing book after a stressful day at work. This is an emotional, family-orientated novel with a detailed plot. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and would love to be able to catch up with them again.

Rating: 4/5

In the twenty or so years since she lost her husband in a sailing accident, Cassie has focused her life on her two children, Tom and Polly, and the day-to-day running of the Dartmouth boatyard owned by her father. She may have lost her own confidence as a sailor, but that’s certainly not the case for her children – Tom is about to undertake a round-the-world boat race, the preparations well in hand, when a freak accident prevents him from taking part, and daughter Polly (just 19, and perhaps a less experienced sailor) decides to take his place. The story then alternates between Polly’s gruelling voyage and her experiences along the way and Cassie’s life as she makes a few major decisions of her own, not least whether it’s time (as her 50th birthday approaches) to move on from the sadness of her loss and let love into her life again.

I know nothing about the world of competitive sailing – although I did watch every single episode of Howards’ Way back in the 80s! – but the author does a quite wonderful job of bringing the whole experience to life, along with the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the competition. I loved Polly – desperate to be taken seriously as a sailor, facing up to the immense challenges of the task she’s taken on, the day-to-day loneliness, the unexpected dramas, the exhilaration of success and the fear of failure. The story is really strong on the technical side, and I was very impressed by the author’s evident research and knowledge – with enough detail (never too much…) to bring the whole experience vividly to life.

But I was equally captivated by Cassie’s story – her constant and understandable concern for Polly, the challenges at home for son Tom and his young family, and her own decision to move on while making her choice between the two men keen to have a place in her life. She’s a particularly sympathetic character, her story particularly well-told and with a feel of authenticity – she does have a constant edge of sadness, but also an appetite to face up to her fears and take on the challenges of her future. The romantic content is gentle, and perfectly judged – this is always Cassie’s story, about what will bring her the happiness she needs and deserves.

I really loved this one – the focus on family and friendships, the strong characterisation, the drama at sea, the quieter moments at home, the way the story unfolded. It’s a book with real warmth, moving and uplifting – and very much recommended.

Cassie Lewis, a widow of twenty or so years, is at a cross roads in her life, she is about to turn 50 and with her two children, Tom and Polly grown up she wonders at the direction of her life. The family boat yard in Dartmouth and the Lewis family's love of sailing, and the sea, plays a huge part in the story especially when, after a terrible accident, Polly volunteers to take her brother's place in a gruelling round the world boat race. When the race gets underway the Lewis family watch anxiously as Polly undertakes her lone voyage and Cassie is surprised to be supported by not one but two eligible suitors who are each vying for Cassie's affection.

As always this clever author gets right into the heart of the story and brings her characters to life in such a lovely heart-warming way. I loved Cassie from the start and welcomed her presence throughout the story and yet I was equally fascinated by nineteen year-old Polly whose stoicism and bravery as she takes on a gruelling personal challenge, is admirable. I know absolutely nothing about the sea, or sailing, but that didn't matter at all as the author gives just the right amount of detail without overloading the story with too many sailing facts.

Making Waves at River View Cottage is a lovely, heartwarming story about love, loss, family, and going forward in life, taking on new challenges and making the most of every day.

Well that was a rather exhilarating read. I adored it.

The action, drama and descriptions of a solo yachting race taking in some rather dangerous parts of the ocean were so vivid I felt as though I was there.

Had my heart racing and had me dreaming of boats and sailing that night after I finishing reading while in bed.

And I enjoyed Cassie's storyline too, with her fears for her children's safety while 20 years of widowhood later, she is realising she needs to get out of her rut and start living a bit more.

I was completely engrossed in this book which I finished in only a few hours. It may have been one of Jennifer Bohnet's earliest books (updated and reissued) but just goes to show even then how good her ideas are. Was utterly fabulous.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Cassie, at nearly fifty, has never gotten over her husband's tragic death and has dedicated the twenty years since his loss at sea to their children and the family boatyard. Both Tom and Polly love sailing, which Cassie finds stressful but understandable.

I know nothing about sailing, but I am familiar with Dartmouth, the setting for this emotional family-orientated novel. The detailed and flowing plot makes this addictive reading with action, conflict, friendship and romance interwoven into this tale.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters. The family and friendship bonds are believable, and the ending positive and fulfilling.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.