Family versus new-found love💕

A story of two mature, divorced Brits finding each other through a pet emergency on the sunny Mediterranean island of Corsica.

For me, this was a fun and realistic romance, but not funny. A holiday romance that lasts past the heady days of vacation and freedom to focus on the lovely new person who's popped into your life. That survives the intrusion of daily work and family, particularly parents' instincts to be there for their children no matter what. I thought the author's focus on the tug of war between commitments to your established family and the urge to put yourself and your new partner first was sensitively and realistically portrayed in the newfound relationship between James and Lauren.

The story's told from varying points of view and I found that particularly useful in establishing character motivations. I also thought the closed door romance was, indeed, the right way to go. The story remained focused on a small group of characters so I found it easy to keep track of them.

It's a good story, medium paced, and very family focused. I enjoyed it.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

A fun romance develops between Lauren and James while they are on holiday in Corsica. Their romance is complicated by distance and issues with their children when they return home.
Lauren’s son Charlie is 17 and James’s daughter Esther is 20. Full of twists and turns and complications when James at London tries to find time to visit Lauren who lives in Hertfordshire.
This was a romance about families and family relationships.

I personally dnf'd this book at 20%. I am not a fan of the instant love trope which made it difficult to like this book as they were already happy and in love so early on that its sort of like well what else is there? I also just couldn't relate to the main characters as they are more my parents age than mine so really struggled to be invested. I also hated the MMC daughter who was annoying and arrogant and acted like a toddler than a 20 year old woman

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of the typical fluff and humour that I've come to expect from Fiona Gibson. Would definitely recommend.

I have reviewed The Man I Met On Holiday by Fiona Gibson for book recommendation and sales website LoveReading.co.uk.

I’ve chosen the novel to feature as one of my Liz Robinson Books of the Month. See link to full review.

This was such a lovely read! I loved Lauren and James relationship. It was a true representation of how meeting someone and having a relationship with them in your 50s and making it work. Relationships are hard work but they are even harder when you have baggage. I loved the book, a great read!

Another stunning read from the master! Absolutely loved the twists and turns of this read :-) Fiona Gibson is a must read auto-buy author for me, and this book only adds to that slight obsession

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved reading this book,

Lauren’s character was really lovely, she loved her job and also wanting the best for her son Charlie.

James, 50 and works as a Vet. But, he has a daughter who’s 20, Esther, and the problems he has with her, cause tension with his relationship that’s growing with Lauren.

The story started on the island of Corsica, and I loved its descriptions.

I recommend this book.

3.5 stars.
It was a quick and easy read. I think I'd love more interactions and banter between the characters, as the chapters mostly felt like a long stream of consciousness - and I wanted dialogues and interaction. I also think that the book was over - filled with angst and anxiety and some of the characters were over the top stereotyped. The end has saved the book a bit for me, though I had a feeling that, compared to the whole story, it was much too rushed.

However, I think that Fiona Gibson has done a great job in captring different kinds of relationships and exploring different kinds of families. I also liked that the two main characters were mature, as their problems felt closer to me than those of, for example, Esther - absolutely unlikeable character that made me feel desperately desperate more than once and I wanted to shake James to wake up so that he eventually lets his daughter take care of her own life, learn to live with consequences of her own decisions.

The story touches on some important issues and struggles, which makes it feel realistic and genuine. It is not "an absolutely hilarious and unputdownable romantic comedy" - it's more of a domestic drama with some lighter moments.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂
Lauren is in Corsica holidaying with her parents and 17 year old son Charlie when she meets James. He’s a vet from London whose 20 year old daughter Esther was meant to travel with him but cancelled at the last minute. When her parent’s dog Minnie collapses while out on a walk, James rushes to help her. Lauren and James spend time together while he’s on holiday, and carry on seeing each other when they get back home. But can it work when real life happens?

𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼
I loved how the holiday romance between two single fifty-somethings developed so easily and how Lauren’s happy, open nature cheers James up in this story. But the whole time, it felt like I was waiting for real life to come flooding in. It drove me nuts how James’ relationship with his bossy ex-wife and partner and his selfish daughter took precedence over his and Lauren’s happiness 😬 I enjoyed the writing and understanding Lauren and Charlie better, particularly when their relationship improves and matures.

Read an eARC copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher
My rating 3.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

have always loved Fionas books and whilst this one was a little slow in places, I still really enjoyed.
Lauren, single mum to Charlie, and James, single dad to Esther.
Lauren enjoys regular holidays in Corsica with Charlie, staying with her parents who reside there. James has chosen the island as a time to share a holiday with Esther. However whilst he waits at the airport, a message from her leaves James going abroad alone.

A chance encounter for James and Lauren, who are both out enjoying a walk, leads to a holiday romance. Both keen to develop this once they arrive home, acknowledge that the distance between them may prove challenging but worth a go.

Esther is not quite so keen on this relationship and throws a number of spanners in the works preventing her father seeing Lauren on a number of occasions.

Whilst an unlikely friendship develops for Esyher and Charlie, are the challenges too much to allow Lauren and James to continue their relationship.

A feel good rom com, well worth a read.

I have to admit, this seemed like it was going to be a bit boring from the start, as the romance was wrapping up in the first section. However, I appreciated that this book was actually about what happens next? You return from vacation-how does this fit back into your life? And I found the latter 3/4 interesting and engaging. Thanks for the read!

A rom-com/summer fling on beautifully described Corsica. Luckily, I enjoy Ms Gibson's style of humorous writing - witty and wise, but the actual story about two adults finding each other totally by accident during a holiday abroad was a bit boring for me.

Lauren and James are the 'romantic' duo but I like their children and maybe more could have been made of them?

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for the chance to read and review.

Lauren has taken her teenage son Charlie to visit her parents in Corsica. When Charlie doesn't want to spend time with her, she finds herself at a loose end. Bumping into vet James at an opportune time sees her fill her time with trips out and dinners with him - how will their relationship develop back in the UK, when normal day to day life and James' daughter Esther are involved?

On the whole I enjoyed the book, but I did feel as if the multiple person points of view chapters weren't really needed - Esther's chapters could easily have formed a book of their own, and would have been interesting to see explored in more detail. They were there mainly to create conflict, but I found her quite engrossing and wanted more. I found myself getting quite irritated by Lauren and James' inability to actually talk to each other, when the majority of the issues that arose could have been resolved in minutes rather than weeks!

I wish I liked this book but I just could not get into it. I found the main characters were not engaging and I didn't root for them. I had some interest in their relationships with their children, but once the children started to have POVs I was having trouble keeping up. It seems like a nice plot but there was nothing that made me excited to read.

Cute premise, could have been much better, in my opinion.

I thought that the idea of two adults finding each other totally by accident during a holiday abroad would be sweet and fun. It was, but only kind of, until it wasn't. I felt that both Lauren and James were very forgiving in the way their children treated them (yes, one was an adult but it doesn't excuse her behavior. Charlie was an older teen, so he came with all the teen 'tude.

I have read other books by this author, that were just fine. This one just wasn't for me. I'm sure others will enjoy it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

A truly charming book. Lauren and James met on holiday and they fall in love. Easy. However once home and faced with their normal lives and the problems with their respective families can their relationship survive? Fun yet thought provoking...

I love the fact the love interests were older! Finally, characters who aren't in their 20s and figuring out life!!! Unfortunately it fell apart a little after the "holiday" part. The characters were nice but sometimes forgettable. It's a light-hearted read that shows great potential for the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I'm a big fan of Fiona Gibson and have read all of her previous books, therefore I was very excited to have access to her new novel.

This was a fun book, full of laughs and heartfelt feeling and the perfect pick-me-up.

Sadly, it wasn't my favourite from this author and wasn't quite as good as her previous novel however it was still a highly enjoyable read. I think that some of the characters weren't as likable as they could be and the pace of the book was slower than I'm used to reading.

Definitely recommended.

A lovely holiday read showing life is not open when you get to 50+ and there is still something out there for all of us but often there is a lot of baggage which wants to get in the way. Loved the exploring of the teenage mind and how their struggles are the same but just at a different age - we all want our place in the world and sometimes it's hard to find it.
Also made me want to go to Corsica!