I loved this story.

The setting is beautiful and with the next books by this author each setting was stunning.

The characters are wonderful and really draw you into there lives and romance

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I had put off reading this book for a long time. I’m not sure why but I’m annoyed with myself that I left it so long. A charming story that sees three groups of strangers meet up in a hotel in Prague in the run up to Christmas. It’s not a Christmas story though and you can enjoy it at any time of the year. There was lots of endearing moments and some truly heartfelt and heartbreaking ones thrown in for good measure. I’ve never visited Prague but it’s certainly on my list now.

I do like it when an author has researched properly, or knows, the area the author writes about. That was a huge plus for this book. I am almost surprised at myself for saying it, but it was nearly too much - and the repetitions were unnecessary. Clearly, if you are planning a trip to Prague, reading this book would be a huge bonus.
However, that did seem to take more pages than the story itself, which was unfortunate.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Isabelle Broom is a master at creating sweepingly romantic love stories in gorgeous settings and this is no exception. There are three separate love stories in this book, all unfolding within the cobbled, romantic streets of Prague. They all weave together beautifully, which is largely down to Isabelle's skill as a storyteller. I so enjoyed seeing them all come together and I was never quite sure how they would work out. Prague is also richly described and an interesting setting for a story that I haven't come across before.

A charming and delightful story, really enjoyed it . Loved the descriptions of Prague and it was an easy reading story

A Year and a Day takes place almost entirely in Prague and if you know the city, you are going to love this and understand it more. If you do't, you can still enjoy the scenery and the story, but maybe looking up a guide book might help bring it further to life. Indeed, Prague is the fourth major narrative character in this novel, because it is always there, watching.

Three women embark on a trip to Prague for different reasons. Megan travels with her best friend Ollie who is researching for a school project he is planning for his Primary School pupils. Megan tags along for her own reasons. She is forced to appreciate Ollie more and to fully understand how attracted to him she is, but can she allow herself to let go long enough to let him love her?

Hope has left a long-dead marriage after she began an affair with her driving instructor. The cost of her freedom appears to be her relationship with her only child, Annette. She has leapt from one cohabiting relationship to another, but if she doesn't know herself, how can she ever get to know someone else?

Sophie is off to Prague, the city where she met her soul-mate and fiance Robin. He, she tells us, will join her in a few days time and until then she must navigate her way around a city where Robin's ghost hovers on every corner. Yet, for someone who is so deeply in love and anticipating the arrival of her lover, she is not as happy as she ought to be. Something isn't right, and Sophie's relationship is not all it seems.

These three women meet in their shared hotel and form a lasting friendship that serves them all well when not everything goes according to plan.

I certainly enjoyed this novel, very much, but did find that some parts were a little contrived, particularly Megan's incessant introspection. She lays it on a bit thick once we know how she feels for Ollie, or otherwise. We don't need to hear it over and over.

Sophie is lovely, if a little melodramatic, but she is generally well drawn and her particular thread through this story is the most confounding. A reader more willing to pick at the plot will probably guess what's gone on - I didn't - but the outcome makes sense.

I can't really forgive Hope for being who she is, not her experiences, but that she's very definitely fifty years of age, and yet her speech is that of an eighty-year-old. It is not compulsory to call every young thing 'duck' and 'love' when you reach a certain age. I certainly don't recall my mother calling anyone 'duck' when she hit that age, and now in more advanced years, still never uses such antiquated language. That spoiled her for me - not a modern, strong woman, but something from Call The Midwife.

The ending in general was rather rushed and too sugary for some but viewing this as a piece of escapist fiction where life is not always cruel and there is always hope, it is acceptable. A little less abrupt and it would work a little better.

Overall I certainly don't view reading this as a waste of my time, indeed, it was sweet, and it is certainly the sort of romantic book that will appeal to a wide audience and a range of ages.

A Year And A Day has been on my Netgalley shelf for an embarrassingly long time and I must say I am gutted that I missed out on such a beautiful novel for so long. Broom's writing is absolutely astonishing, and she makes even the simplest things, such as throwing laundry in a basket, sound poetic. I was utterly captivated by the descriptions of Prague: the weather and the beautiful scenery and I felt like I was there the whole time I was reading.
In Megan, Hope and Sophie, Broom has created three central characters who are incredibly believable and relatable. It is clear that all three women come to Prague with their own secrets and reasons to escape their every day lives, and I enjoyed peeling each layer of their characters back and learning how they had come to be in Prague and the things that had made them behave in the way they do. I wanted them all to be happy, whatever that might look like.
The blurb describes A Year And A Day as three intertwining love stories, but I do not feel this does justice to the wealth of themes and emotions that Broom explores. There are issues surrounding relationships, illness, self-esteem and suicide to name just a few. I was touched by the difficulties the characters experienced, and found myself blinking back tears, particularly towards the end.

I loved this book. It brought Prague to life as well as giving an insight to 3 different women being there. Megan who's there with her friend Ollie but doesn't want it go any further. Hope who is there with Charlie after her breakup with her husband and Sophie who is waiting for her fiance Robin.

Set in Prague, this story involves three women, with three intertwining love stories of heartbreak and self-discovery which takes you on a beautiful, romantic tale that celebrates love, laughter and tragedy and will move even the stubbornest of hearts. Gorgeous and enchanting. Well done Isabelle another incredible novel.

Thank you to Penguin and Michael Joseph for my copies of this book. I loved Isabelle's book My Map of You and I've been meaning to read this one for a while. I'm dying to go to Prague. It sounds like such a magical place and I kept stopping throughout this book to look up pictures of the place and would lose hours of my day without realising it. I had both a paperback copy and kindle copy of this book. I read the paperback during the day but switched to kindle for bedtime.

The story follows 3 women, Sophie, Megan and Hope. 

Sophie is a young woman who seemed quite lost to me. She is in her favourite place in the world but I felt like something was wrong. At times I found her a little irritating but later on it became clear why she was acting the was she was.  Her boyfriend Robin is due to meet her in Prague in a few days. This was the place they met and have returned many times. I enjoyed hearing their stories of their various visits. You can tell how much the two really care about each other. 

Megan is sweet,  passionate and blind. Not actually blind just blind to the love around her. It is clear from the beginning that Ollie is hopelessly in love with her and if she just let herself realise it she feels exactly the same. Megan's past has made her slow to trust and fearful of a relationship. These two were my favourite couple. 

Hope has recently left her husband for Charlie. The breaking up of the relationship didn't go exactly as she would have liked. Now her daughter refuses to speak to her and Hope is left wondering who she is if she isn't a mother or a wife. Hope has aspirations but she's too scared to share them with new love Charlie. Charlie is fun and exciting and I thought he was just the sort of person Hope needed in her life.

A well as the 3 couples the other character in this book has to be mentioned and that is the city itself. After reading this book my desire to go to Prague has hit an all time high. I can't wait to go and see Charles Bridge, the Astronomy Clock, the Castle, the cathedral. Everything just sounded so beautiful and magical. 

I loved the last chapter of this book and thought it was a very fitting ending to the book. I cannot wait to read more of Isabelle's books.

This one was just delicious. Perfect to curl up in the sofa next to a cup of hot chocolate. Love, laugh and tears all together in Prague! The perfect gift for that romantic friend!

This was a review I wrote quite a while back but accidentally forgot to record it here on my NetGalley profile.

An easy read and full of twists and turns in the three different stories. The stories are based in Prague in the midst of winter and are easy to go from one to the other. An easy holiday read.

I really enjoyed this book. Although the ending was what you wanted, it was never a certainty. There were some good descriptions of Prague and was informative as well as a good story line.

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A Year and A Day is a beautifully descriptive story of three girls who come together by chance in Prague who very quickly form a strong bond and friendship.

Megan is a photographer and has come on a trip with her school teacher best friend, Ollie, to take some images of Prague as he learns about the city for his pupils.
Very early on it's clear that both have feelings for each other but only Ollie is open to the idea of a relationship. Megan has been hurt in the past of which we learn the details as the story unfolds and is desperate to keep a hold of her feelings.

Hope, the oldest of the trio, has been treated to a romantic weekend away by her new man Charlie, but is missing her grown up daughter, Annette, who is still upset and barely talking to her mum over the fact that Hope has left her marriage and is making a new life for herself. The couple are incredibly loved up however Charlie's secret phone calls are making Hope question his motives and her true feelings towards him.

The final lady featured is the delicate Sophie who is travelling alone as she awaits her fiance Robin to join her in a few days time.
Sophie is very quiet but tales some wonderful stories of her travels and from when her and Robin first met.

I want to give you all the details as A Year and A Day really is a gem of a book to read, but the way the three sets of travellers are brought together and their experiences of things you wouldn't want to witness yourself, means that if I did, I would completely spoil the plot for you!

What I will say though, is A Year and A Day is a powerful story about love and loss in various ways, about friendships, hopes and dreams.
As with the author's first book, My Map of You, this one is deliciously descriptive - I felt like I was right there on the Charles Bridge with the characters, ear-wigging on their conversations!

This along with powerful story-lines and Isabelle's way with words to make you feel and think what the characters feel and think, makes her work a complete page turner and a must read author!

Grab yourself a cup of hot mulled wine, wrap yourself in a nice cosy blanket and immerse yourself in Prague in the depths of winter for a nice romantic escape.

A year and a day by by Isabelle Broom
Three women. Three love stories. One city. For Megan, visiting Prague with her friend Ollie is just business. Nothing more. Because if she admits the truth she might lose everything. For Hope, this trip is a surprise treat from Charlie, her new partner. But she's struggling to enjoy the city when she knows how angry her daughter is. And that it's all her fault. For Sophie, Prague has always been magical. And now she's counting down the moments until her boyfriend Robin joins her in the city that holds so many of their memories . . .
This was a really good read. I loved the 3 different stories. I had mixed emotions. 5*. Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph.