As the book opened, I immediately felt incredibly sorry for Katy, as I discovered that she was undergoing a trial separation from her husband. Her daughter had accepted a job in Australia leaving Katy as an empty nester. Getting ready to meet her husband, I had a strong feeling that she was being delusional. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with hoping for the best, but I instinctively knew that she was about to be seriously let down. Sadly, my instincts were right, and Katy is left heartbroken and on the verge of a deep depression.
Of course, Katy has an enviable group of loyal friends, and they soon rally around and whisk her off to France on an art retreat. There’s a great comedy element as Katy realises that she has only packed a small bag for a two-week holiday, but would she have been brave enough to wear a daring bikini if she hadn’t been left with no other option?
At its core, this is a book that closely examines the heart’s ability to recover from the most debilitating of situations. The strength that can be found in close friendships, and the empowerment of discovering one’s true self.
The four friends throw themselves into the art retreat with varying levels of success. Katy rediscovers her inner muse and begins to produce impressive pieces, but the real masterpiece is watching her emerge from her shell once she’s reminded that she’s still an attractive woman with a lot to offer. That reminder comes in the shape of handsome Frenchman, Valentin.
Gillian Harvey has created a love letter to France. Her descriptions of the local village and the abandoned cottage had me almost able to smell the pastries in the local boulangerie. Of course, the path to happiness is more complicated than visiting an art retreat, meeting a handsome Frenchman, and then never looking back. This story ensures that Katy makes the right decision so she can look forward with no regrets.
I enjoyed this gorgeous escape and can highly recommend it.

Perfect book for a quick easy read. Idyllic picturesque location and 4 best friends who are inseparable from each other! Loved this book.

This is my first book by Gillian Harvey and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the beautiful descriptions of the French countryside and the food. I also enjoyed the authors use of both English and French writing.

This is a journey of self discovery for Katy who is on a trial separation from her husband Will. Katy’s friends whisk her away for a retreat after her husband Will requests a divorce. I loved that Katy was older and learned that she was capable of achieving a new start in life. Her friends helped her in rediscovering herself and a chance at a different life.

A lovely easy read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend this book and look forward to more books by the author.

A special thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC I received in exchange for my honest opinion.

4/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is about 4 best friends who are inseparable. They do everything together. Katy and her husband were having problems Katy knew nothing about. When her husband will suggested that they separate it took her by surprise. About 6 months later will calls Katy and asks her to meet him at a pizza restaurant and tells her that he thinks they should get a divorce. Katy finds out that will has been seeing another woman and has been living with her. Katy is devastated.

Katy’s best friends decide it’s the perfect time to go on a trip as a retreat to help katy get over her ex husband. i think everyone should read this book. Katy definitely deserved better than the man she married. He didn’t care about what she wanted, he only cared about himself. Even though I hated wills character I loved the book.

Katy is on a trial separation from her husband Will which came out of the blue. This has now turned into a request for a divorce and she is floored. Cue her friends to whisk her off to France for a summer break away from her life in England.

This is a glorious journey of self discovery for Katy. Leaving a long relationship is horrendously difficult and those feelings struck a chord for me, it felt real. I loved how Katy comes to accept herself and to know that she has worth and beauty outside of being in a relationship.

‘Feeling rudderless… I feel that way too. Sometimes I think we all do.’

This was just the read for me at my time of life, a lot of themes are covered, menopause, divorce, the fact that when you reach your forties you suddenly stop being seen. Yet, as women I think we come into our own at this age, I feel way stronger than I used to and more confident too. It’s lovely to read a book where the protagonists reflect me, not some fit young thing!

It is a light read and is easy and flowing and I long to return to France for some summer Sun myself!

What a beautiful book to read, it had every thing you wanted. Beautiful idyllic location. The authors use of descriptive writing really set the tone. It was a Beautiful plot. Very well written and flowed well. I was hooked from the beginning. Jealous the book wasn’t about me not Katy

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

I love reading Gillian Harvey's books, they’re fun and take you to France.

For six months Katy and her husband have been living separately. In that time she has made changes in her appearance, attending bootcamp with her friends, hoping that her husband will decide to come back to her.

So when he asks her to meet him at the place where they had their first date, Katy is thinking that they’ll come home together, but, the opposite happens, he asks for a divorce.

Struggling to come to terms with this bombshell, her friends, turn and take her on a trip to Bordeaux, France. They’ve booked themselves into a B&B called Maison D'Art, which means, they will be painting for the fortnight they are there at different locations.

So, will this surprise trip and the fact that Katy used to love to paint, help her to move on?

I recommend this book.

For the last 20 years, Katy's life has been steady and predictable. Happily married to Will and working as a teacher whilst raising her daughter Adrienne, she's content . She believes everyone else is too until she's dealt the unexpected: Will wants to seperate.

6 months later, sure that he is calling to reconcile, Katy's world is shaken when Will says he's met someone else. Her dear friends, seeing that she is drowning, organise a surprise group vacation to an art retreat in the French countryside.

Forced to look at her life objectively for the first time, will Katy have the strength to choose a new life for herself? One that truly makes her happy? Or will she fall back into old habits that didn't serve her?

This was a beautiful story of self discovery on the part of Katy, and author Gillian Harvey did a brilliant job of conveying the wide variety of emotions that she experiences. The setting was described vividly and I felt that each and every character she included had purpose and a reason to be there.

I really enjoyed this book and connected with Katy's soul searching as she entered a new stage in her life. Thank you to Netgalley, Author Gillian Harvey and Boldwood books for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quick and easy read, a lovely book and story and is a sweet and feel good type of read.
It is the story of Katy and the changes in her life, how she finds life again while travelling with friends.

I love the feel of this book and the fact I could relate to it and think it is a book that will make you feel good and make you want to get out and enjoy life to the full.

Friendship, living life, entertaining and fun. I read this book in one day and enjoyed it immensely.

Gillian Harvey is right up there on my ‘must read’ list. Her books are an escape, whether it’s from reality, the country, or drama, you can guarantee you will be transported someplace else into the pages of a completely wonderful book.

Gillian has mastered the art of writing with just enough romance, humour, realism and authenticity to make her books a real treat. As if that isn’t enough, there’s the settings too! I was transported to France immediately with Katy and her friends, and I felt that warm holiday feeling. Good food, good company, good weather… and perhaps the odd romance or two… combined with some hidden secrets, make this the perfect read.

Gillian uses her own knowledge of moving to France to make this a very real book too!

This is a delightful book from start to finish. When Katy’s husband leaves her, and her daughter moves to Australia, instead of feeling free she feels at a loss. Her loyal friends (how I wish I had friends like these!) take her to France and Katy discovers what alternatives life has to offer. The descriptions of life in France are spot on. I loved everything about this book.

Set in the gorgeous French countryside. Katy has been whisked away for some timeout. Her husband of many years has left her but she's still hoping for a reconciliation. But he's lvinig with someone else and her friends stage an intervention to help her move on.

Such a perfect escape read I just loved everything about this book. I did giggle at a particular art class and would have loved to have seen their faces! Its a fun, lighthearted and entertaining read and I enjoyed it very much.

What a lovely, lovely read this book is!
I absolutely love how Gillian Harvey captures the French way of life, and the French characters. I even hear them talking to me in a French accent as I read them.
There’s something so comforting and warming to me when I read Gillian’s books and the ones set in France are definitely becoming my favourite ones to read.
This has everything I love in a book. A relatable storyline, likeable characters, beautiful setting and the ability to draw you in and keep you wanting to read more.
You’ve done it again Gillian Harvey…. Another fabulous book that I’ve throughly enjoyed

This was my second read by Gillian Harvey, so I just knew 'One French Summer' wasn't going to disappoint.

Katy is at an important stage in her life. Her daughter has flown the nest, and her husband wanted a trial separation. But then her best friends Vicky, Ivy, and Sam practically drag Katy to France for a much needed holiday. What does Katy discover about herself?

I absolutely adored being transported to France, considering how cold it is right now. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of Katy's much needed character development. Her husband really irritated me, the way he treat Katy throughout the book.

Gillian Harvey's narrative was beautiful and utterly captivating. Her description of the settings were stunning, especially the scenes in France. It made me want to hop on a plane asap!

The sense of friendship between the four women just tumbles off the page. Katy's best friends are supportive of her no matter what decisions she makes with her life. I felt this book brightened up a few very cold days which made me very happy.

'One French Summer' is about the determination you need to make changes in your life. It's full of friendship with a sprinkle of love ❤️

I very much highly recommend you grab a copy of this sunny book to brighten up a winters day.

Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Such a beautifully written book. Loved the exploration of female friendship and marriage and finding oneself through travel, a theme I SO enjoy reading. A must read.

One French Summer is my first book by Gillian Harvey and I loved it. A captivating and inspiring story of learning to love and cherish ones self. It had great words of advice and wisdom throughout built on a strong friendship. You can envisage being in the places visited by the detailed descriptions of them. In places is had me in stitches of laughter. Such a great read, highly recommended.
I would like to thank Boldwood Books, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In “One French Summer”, Gillian Harvey takes us to Bordeaux, France where four best friends spend two weeks at a relaxing artist retreat where the sun is warm, the scenery is breathtaking and the food is divine. For Katy, this trip allowed her to revisit her love for painting which had been on the back burner for many years while she raised her daughter and played the dutiful wife to her annoying husband. Her friends whisked her away in an attempt to show her that life goes on despite the ache she had in her heart at the impending end of her marriage. Katy had become someone she really didn’t like and she was grateful for the love and support she received from her friends. The retreat would give her a chance to start over if she really wanted to, or at least offer her a peaceful and reflective respite away from everyday life. Katy quickly acclimated to her new environment and immersed herself in the daily outings where they would set up their easel’s and begin to create. Painting soothed her soul and gave her the chance to clear her mind and revel in the fascination of looking at a blank canvas and realizing that after all this time, anything is possible. The beauty of Bordeaux spoke to me as I joined Katy and her friends as they toured the beautiful countryside, enjoyed the delicious food and relaxed by the pool where they could pretend that this could be their life. We all need friends like Katy had and in the end, they helped her see that she deserved a second chance at the life she really wanted, and with someone who would love her unconditionally!

A book that stays in your mind long after the last page is turned. I loved the setting, the description of that area of France and the art lessons. The special friends that take Katy to France after her husband wants a divorce help to heal her and make her reassess what she wants from life. I couldn’t put the book down, it’s a great story well told.

I really enjoyed this! It was a nice, cute, fun read. Blame "Emily in Paris" but I'm currently really into stories set in France, and this fulfilled that need just enough. I also like a minimalistic love story built into the backbone of a story about friendship and self discovery.
If you are looking for something really deep about divorce, or middle-aged women finding themselves, or heavily detailed dreamscapes about France...this is not your jam. This is just a fun, light read, perfect for plopping in your TBR list between some heavier things!

As the title suggests, this is a gorgeous story set in France. School teacher Katy badly needs an invention - refusing to see her marriage to the slimball that is her husband is over, her friends kidnap and whisk her off to the French countryside. Arriving in the country she fell in love with as a child, together with her friends as they spend two weeks painting as the guests of Cecelia (you can't help but love her), she suddenly sees a whole new world of possiblity.

France, and being a guest at the Maison d'Art, she meet Valentin, who changes everything. With early morning strolls to the patissertie, she finds herself slowly falling in love with Cecelia's brother. You just want her to move on, see that what her friends have done for her is a blessing in digust. Seeing her coming out of her shell, becoming this new person who suddenly wants to change her world. And why shouldn't she? But just when she thinks she knows what she wants, including accepting that her daughter is right to be staying in Australia, she gets her mojo.

With the help of old and new friends including Bob who, technically, gates crashes their little retreat, she begins to slowly start to see a new life. You can't help but want her to take that chance, until Will comes running back. I don't want to give too much away about him, but seriously, I wanted to see what really was, a lovecheat.

I'm so glad I was accepted to be on my first blog tour with this lovely book about Katy. This is my first book by Gillian Harvey. I love how she managed to paint a picture of the various locations that were used, as well as seamlessly incorporting English and French writing. I really enjoyed this book and think, maybe, it could have a sequel as I want to know what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood and Rachel's Random Resources for allowing me a ARC in exchange for an honest review.