Really enjoyed! This was a solid 4 star for me. I thought the music/singer storyline felt a bit out of place. The author needed to eliminate it completely and concentrate on the "coming of age" story, or crank it up and go all in with it. I did love the love story! Al and Tex. So sweet.

Caroline Kimball comes off as a shallow person, jetsetting around the world, treating relationships as flings, not caring about much. I’m reality though, she struggles with who she is. She is bereft due to the suicide of her Father, she has dreams that are not validated by her Mother or her boyfriend, and she feels caged.

It isn’t until she meets Tex, a man who couldn’t be further removed from the jet set lifestyle, that she realizes that things can change. She learns to stand up for herself and break down the bars.

Not being wealthy, I can’t relate to the jet set at all. For me it isn’t reality and therefore, it was hard to like some of the characters at times. But most of the characters redeemed themselves when they were freed of the burdens they had long been carrying.

It’s nice to read a romance that has some depth to it rather than being all fluff. I also loved the 1960”s setting and references to the music and glitterati of the era. It’s a great debut for the author. 4.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you loved DAISY JONES AND THE SIX, Liz Locke's debut is for YOU! It gave me vibes of that show PAN-AM, and I mean that in the best possible way. The world Locke creates is vivid and the characters are infinitely lovable. I couldn't put it down!

All the stars for Follow the Sun! 🤩
This will be the beach read of 2023! 😎
Follow the Sun is set in the 1960s International Jet Set Era. I was immediately swept away into a world of exotic locations and luxurious parties. Follow the Sun is rich with fashion, film and music from some of the iconic legends we know today including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, The Byrds and The Rolling Stone Magazine. This will make my top 10 books of 2023 for sure! 🥰

“Beautiful things aren’t meant to be caged.”

Caroline comes from a long line of wealth. She is an aspiring singer / song writer but her overbearing mother does not approve and is stifling her dream of becoming a musical artist. Caroline feels caged by the elite societal norms that are thrust upon her in her lavish life. Her mother has plans for her to marry Henry, a long time family friend and social elite. Enter Jack, a photographer who is working one of their lavish events. Their connection is instant. He sees her, all of her. Caroline must choose between family and love, dreams and expectations. Follow the Sun “is about following your dreams to discover the person you were always meant to become.”

Preorder this book now and thank me later. 😉 Follow the Sun releases on June 6th, 2023.

Thank you to @penguinrandomca for sending me an ARC and #netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🙏🏻🥰

Well done Liz Locke @cinemasips 👏🏻😁

#penguinreads #penguinreaders #penguinrandomhouse #followthesun #lizlocke #summerreading #beachread #bookadoration #bookstagram #canadianbookstagram #canadianbookstagrammer #canadianbookstagrammers #1960s #internationaljetsetterlifestyle

"Send me a postcard. From Paris or wherever you jet off to. I'd like to know there's a girl like you out there in the world, makin' it all the more beautiful when she sings."

Sigh.
What. A. Book.
If you have ever fantasized about jumping into a Slim Aaron's photograph of the 1960s jet set, or dreamed of traveling to exotic locales where all you have to worry about is suntan lotion and poolside cocktails, this is the escapist historical romance for you.

Liz Locke captures this world in extraordinary, sparkling detail and richness. I love that she features real life locations in her wonderful book. It grounds the story in reality even though the world is one of fantasy to most people. She must have done extensive research because as I was reading I started googling locations and she nailed them! Because of this book there is a new place on my travel bucket list: the Hotel Las Brisas in Acapulco, Mexico.

In this story, Caroline, a member of the jet set due to her late artist father and fashion designer mother, hobnobs with her rich friends and acquaintances, traveling from resort to resort, sometimes seeing her long distance boyfriend, but secretly she writes and plays songs on her ukelele and longs for more. By chance, she meets photographer Jack Fairchild who she nicknames "Tex." She is drawn to him in ways that surprise her. Their romance is electric, endearing, and tender. But can Caroline leave behind the jet set life to be with Tex, while also pursuing her own music career dreams?

With a cast of side characters as well drawn as our two leads, scrumptious period details of places like Acapulco, Gstaad, Formentera, Palm Beach, and Laurel Canyon, and real life names from pop culture history sprinkled throughout, this book is a fun, romantic, inspiring 1960s romp.

I highly, highly recommend you pick it up when it releases in June as the perfect summer beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley and author Liz Locke for the advanced reader's copy.

Glamour and a description that told me this book could be compared to Daisy Jones... sign me up! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars from me. I fell in love with Locke's descriptions of all the places I long to visit around the world as well as the glamour and jet-setting lifestyle the main character lives.

Caroline Kimball is a jetsetter in the late 60's. She lives off her trust fund and lives the life of luxury as she travels the world via friends and acquaintances of her famous fashion designer mother and deceased artist father. When she meets Life Magazine photographer Jack, she begins to question her life, her beliefs and even question if her destiny is to be married off to another prominent family.

Does Caroline have the courage to buck the system? Travel the world with her and experience a historically based yet thrilling novel If you like strong heroines, stories of wealth and glamour or just love a good romance, Follow the Sun is for you! #Penguin #RandomHouseCanada #FollowtheSun #LizLocke