I struggled with this one because there are parts that I really enjoyed and parts that just didn't work for me. The prose was evocative, and the structure of the narrative unique. It's a slow, character-driven novel. Unfortunately, I felt very disconnected from it. This could very well be a me problem and not the book itself. It's very heavy on themes of faith and religion. I really wanted to love this one because of how beautiful the writing is, but I just wasn't connecting with it on a deeper level. I would definitely read from this author again, though, and encourage anyone who thinks what I've just described might be something you'd love.

I really liked the concept of this one and the writing is good as far as I got, but I ran out of time on this one, and will have to find it in the wild later.

Thank you Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. While the story seemed of interest for me, faith isn’t something that I was able to relate to. It became pretty prominent throughout the rest of the book, and it was something I wasn’t able to shake. While others may admire it and find more appreciation for it, it was not one for me.

4stats from me. I was unsure about this one as it is a bit of a different genre from what I usually read but I really enjoyed it. I really loved the writing and characterisation. I thought the structure and layout was refreshing and it worked well being told in 6 days over decades. This premise had me intregued. The writing was beautiful with themes of grief and mystery and wonder. The relationships were done well and I felt like the characters were real. I will hopefully read more by this author. I recommend. It’s a short read and won’t take long if you have a train journey.

I enjoyed this novel, the plot is interesting however can feel predictable at times, I felt myself wanting more. I loved the structure most about this book, reminded me of one day

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. It begins on Easter in 1938, where 19-year-old Ivy roams her family's English country estate and prepares to meet her brother's girlfriend. She lives in an unconventional household for the times: her mother and father are separated and living apart with their respective partners, but they still come together as a family, and they're all renowned artists. From that day, we follow Ivy through five other days over different decades.

I think this was meant to be a slice of life book, focused on Ivy's growth over the years and her coming into herself, but I just wasn't very interested in Ivy or her story. I appreciated the way this book interrogated the limitations of being a woman in the 1930s, even an upper-class woman, but I just didn't connect with Ivy enough to really care. There are some gorgeous depictions of the English countryside, though. This is likely other people's cup of tea, it's just not mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

Days of Light cultivates shimmers of longing that reach far throughout the timelines of the novel, before pulling them back to reveal what lies behind: death, and affection, and grief. This is a book that spoke of death in a way that made me think hard, not in a way of personable characters and their endings (although there were definitely those), but of time itself, of its various cycles that make up human histories. How time stops, and ends, and dies. How that is the shape of our lives, and all our loves. Never not beautiful and introspective, this novel has stayed with me ever since I first picked it up.

I read this a few weeks ago, so my memory of the specifics is a tad hazy, but I really loved the format. This novel is told through six days that transform the narrators life in some way. We start on Easter Sunday, 1938, when Ivy is nineteen and awaiting the arrival of her brother's new girlfriend. A whole world of possibilities awaits, but the day takes a tragic turn. What follows are five other days that alter Ivy's world in some way.
I love a story told in vignettes, so this was right up my alley. I loved watching Ivy grow up through these short, but pivotal, glimpses into her life. Hunter's writing is full of feeling, making it easy to become engrossed in Ivy's story and feel close to her and her family. There's a lovely, slow romance that adds a really nice sense of closure to the story. Just an all-around charming, and very British, story of one woman coming into herself. I really liked it!!

**Days of Light** by Megan Hunter is a beautifully written, quiet, and powerful novel that lingers with you long after you finish. Hunter’s lyrical prose shines as she explores grief, love, and rebuilding a life after deep loss. It feels intimate and atmospheric, almost like stepping into someone else’s gentle, aching world. This is one of those books you’ll want to savor slowly — it’s tender, thought-provoking, and absolutely gorgeous.

Very Woolf-esque in writing style with lyrical imagery and the main character’s stream of consciousness. The beautiful writing pulled me in at the beginning and I had such high hopes, but by the end of the novel I was not very impressed with the plot and the way the story unfolded. Lovely writing, but did not resonate with the themes as much as I would have liked.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for providing me with the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

OH MY GOSH. A huge thank you to Grove Press and NetGalley for my ARC.

Guys- this book is so Virginia Woolf Coded. The book takes place within 6 single days of Ivy's life with years apart between each day.

It shows her growth as a character as she ages and her relationship with her brother's ex fiance Frances. I really loved the simplicity of the story as well. There was so much to unpack in this one and honestly this review does not do it justice.

Content: death, open door, sapphic

What a lovely book.

Days of light follows Ivy through her life by narrating specific impactful days throughout the years. Days, on which the trajectory of her life changed in some way or another.

The writing in this was deliciously atmospheric, lots of purple prose that pulled me right in. I myself felt like a family member inside the cottage or a fly on the wall in Ivy’s bedrooms. I found the characters very endearing overall as well.

I do have to admit that some of the decisions Ivy makes were not 100% understandable to me specifically her becoming a nun as well as the book’s theme generally shifting to becoming very religion centered but surprisingly that didn’t bother me so much.
This reminded me a lot of The Safekeep a lot of the time, another novel that I enjoyed a lot.

This book is not something I’d usually go for but it worked very well for me. Great writing and nice narrative concept.

4.25 Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.

Very much enjoyed The End We Start From and its movie adaptation but didn't find as much thrill in this one. Still a very good book I simply am not a huge fan of such divide in chapters. Overall great.

This is a deep novel, one that depicts beautifully the many stages of the life of a unique woman. This novel is one that does not sound like a piece of writing form the 21st century but rather like a period piece written in a small cottage in the Cotswolds. It is also a novel which is set in different years and during different historical events. All of it follows Ivy and the people in her life, her loves, needs and desires.

The characters are many, which is interesting and especially in the beginning a wee bit puzzling. However, all of the characters are rather unique, while at the same time not being novel at all as they simply remind me of Brontë and Austen. That’s a win in my book. The scenery and atmosphere is daintily described and with much detail endowed. I also feel like reading a piece by Oscar Wilde when observing the characters, their peculiar relationships to both each other as well as themselves.

Unfortunately the plot started off rather boring. Not much happened, it was based more on descriptions of people and situations and I had a hard time getting immersed. Luckily I endured the first sections as the second one and the ending of the first drew me in. The mediation on loss amongst many other topics is so deep and poetic. And then there is also the condescension of Bear towards Ivy, his looking at her as a simple being and telling her as much, his predatory behavior. The passion Ivy starts to feel towards an unexpected person is tangible, very well written - desire, closeness in times of distress and war…and beyond. I was so rooting for them.

The last 20% of the book extinguished my interest somewhat. I don’t know why I don’t like the transition from a woman in love, disappointed by love and her life to religion. Maybe it is because I have no real relationship with religion that I feel like this life choice does Ivy an injustice. I just disconnected, I guess.
But again, I’m glad I persevered because it took a turn I hoped for but wasn’t sure would happen.

I came into this book with little to no expectations, and was pleasantly surprised with what I was reading. We follow the life of a single woman across six specific days throughout her life, and we see how some things have changed, while others are a constant. It's a smart way to analyze an entire life through some of the most momentous periods of her story, although the pacing was a bit off in some sections of the book, making it more difficult to get through in certain sections. Overall, though, I enjoyed this one a lot!

Days of Light was my first Megan Hunter book but it certainly won't be my last. A beautifully told, tender story of a young English woman in the late 1930s, excited to see where life takes her. So begins the next 6 decades of Ivy's life, and Days of Light dips into one for each decade, letting us take Ivy from innocence through the complicated days, leaving us in 1999 at the turn of the millennium.

It was a beautiful read, captivating, and held my attention to the end.
The writing was also beautiful and sensual. The idea that we are following Ivy for one day at a time throughout her life is great; it's like looking through a window. 
Ivy is a nicely written character. She is troubled and full of pain, especially after the day that truly changed her life. She is looking for something even though she doesn’t know what it is and we are uncovering that with her.
I love how relationships are done here, every one is unique, and showing us the intricate ties that bind this family. 
This is also a book about faith and looking for God, asking questions about him, and telling us that sometimes, believing is a way to hide ourselves from hurting.

4.5/5 Stars. When I read the review for this by What Cathy Read Next, I was sure that this was going to be my kind of book. So, I immediately looked for it, and lo and behold, there it was on NetGalley, and available for me to request. Well, imagine my surprise when Grove Atlantic/Grove Press accepted my request almost immediately! Since I suddenly had a window in my reading list (due to a lack of approvals on both NetGalley and Edelweiss), I realized I could read it in more than good time to review it before publication. I love doing that! So, here we go, with one day before publication, and you’re getting my review.

Well, I have to state right at the outset that this is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve read in a very long time. Hunter’s prose is lusciously poetic, and ultimately evocative, as we delve into these separate days in Ivy’s life. From a fateful day in 1938, with England on the brink of a second World War, through another Easter Sunday in 1999, Hunter builds up Ivy’s life through Ivy’s eyes. These vignettes could almost be stories on their own, but as they come, chronologically, we get a comprehensive portrait of Ivy, where we’re able to understand what is in her heart, what moves her, as well as who Ivy thinks she is, what Ivy is to those around her, and how she feels about all these things.

I really enjoyed this format, although it is nothing innovative. But in Hunter’s hands, it becomes more like a window into Ivy, but in small, easily digestible pieces. This is exactly what literary fiction is about. Building a character and taking them through their lives. I know that many people dislike literary fiction because they say that “nothing happens” but in this case, quite a bit happens to Ivy throughout her life, although because of the gaps between the days included in this story, we aren’t witness to all these events. On the other hand, how we find out about those things that happened is recounted with the lens of hindsight, so that Ivy is able to judge her own actions and reactions to those events, while at the same time, being in her present. This might sound strange, but I assure you, it works very well.

Now, with all this, you might be wondering why I didn’t give this a full 5/5 stars. I mean, I truly enjoyed this book, and I’m sure that it will be a huge hit with many readers. Cathy described this as “Intimate, intense, emotional” and yes, it is all that. However, at one point this took a turn that made me uncomfortable. That has to do with my labeling this as being Religious (Christian) fiction. Don’t get me wrong, this is probably the least preachy of any religious fiction I’ve read, but I have a personal problem with the genre, no matter which religion is involved, including my own. So, while I had started to feel an affinity for Ivy, that bit distanced me from the story, and frustrated me somewhat. Obviously, if these types of things don’t bother you, you’ll probably adore this book. That said, I still really loved Hunter’s writing, and (most of) the story, and emphasized with Ivy to a certain extent – especially at the end, which means that I’m very much recommending it, and giving it four and a half stars out of five.

I loved this book. It was introspective and page turning. I could not put it down! Perfect for summer reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! It read like a classic, with a lyrical prose and complete characters. I enjoyed that there were no quotations to resemble speech, but instead speech was in italics. It made the novel feel dreamy, or like a memory.
Often times this novel felt like a warm breeze on a summer evening, and I enjoyed the way the author spoke of guilt, grief and faith.