Someone Else's Dream

A heart-warming story of love, adversity and friendship

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Pub Date 30 Nov 2021 | Archive Date 20 Mar 2022

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Description

High-flying London lawyer Amber Hendrix has put everything into her relationship, including investing in a café in a small town on the Kent coast. But when things change between her and her girlfriend, Amber is forced to rethink her whole plan.

Pub landlady and entrepreneur Jackie Johnson (JJ) wants to convert an empty travel agency into an amusement arcade but Harbour Street shop owners are divided. Local gallery owner moody Ben Taylor not only struggles to keep a rein on his temper but also holds past grievances, and flower shop owner Eva is coming to terms with her new status.

Faced with hostility and financial problems, Amber must turn the café into a successful business that she can sell. In the meantime, she has to draw on her inner resources and creativity to resolve conflicts and help bring unity. During her struggle she makes some unexpected friendships and alliances – ones that will change her life forever.

A heart-warming, uplifting, feel-good novel about courage, integrity and friendship.

High-flying London lawyer Amber Hendrix has put everything into her relationship, including investing in a café in a small town on the Kent coast. But when things change between her and her...


Advance Praise

Testimonials - From ARCs:

“Janet Pywell has taken us from her usual crime genre to one of a gentler nature and pulled it off very successfully. This book awakens all of the senses and leaves you feeling like life will be good again. Kudos to Janet for giving us something we need so much of right now. I hope she brings more of this to her future writing.” Debra H.

“A happy ever after following a series of tragic events as good prevails over a greed for power in this quick tempo, community spirited tale. As ever Janet Pywell manages to weave intricate stories around a full cast of flawed and complex characters, picking up the pace throughout the book, sweeping the reader along to a breathless and triumphal climax.” Tracey F.

“I have really enjoyed this latest novel from Janet Pywell.Jan has perfected the genre transition from her excellent thrillers to this heart-warming novel of colourful characters in a Kentish harbour town.

Another compulsive page-turner which will hopefully lead to more about Amber and the 'goings on' behind the frontages of Harbour Street.” Colin B.

“Janet Pywell does it again with a magnificent up lifting story. Her characters are so relatable, down to earth as if I am reading about my best friend. I love that she creates strong female characters and Amber is no exception. Amber is an Attorney in London and lives with her actress girlfriend Cassie. Amber will do anything for Cassie including a move to a small seaside town to help her open a café. Ms. Pywell world building is very current as she takes on today’s issues, and life's problems and stresses but in this story she also gives us a wonderful heartfelt conclusion. ""Someone Else's Dream"" is a book we all need this Holiday with it's small town holiday celebration and a cast of characters you can't help but fall in love with this is sure to be a best seller. I enjoyed it so much I am going to re-read it as soon as possible.“ Shivani M.

Testimonials - From ARCs:

“Janet Pywell has taken us from her usual crime genre to one of a gentler nature and pulled it off very successfully. This book awakens all of the senses and leaves you...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781999853785
PRICE $0.99 (USD)

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Average rating from 18 members


Featured Reviews

Amazing!!! The plot is excellent. When you think you’ve figured it out, there’s a surprise. Absolutely believable.

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Thankyou for giving me the chance to read this in advance. A lovely book about friendship and about how life change unexpectedly. The way the cHaracters are written allows me to relate to them and kept me reading aswell. Give it a read. Won’t be disappointed

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A heart warming story about a lawer turned part time cafe owner who learns the important lesson from her community that it's okay and expected to ask for help and not try to solve things always on her own. Amber has always been a go-getter and fighter, she doesnt back down against bullying but just maybe she now needs help after her partner has let her down in their joint venture. Knowing practically nothing about the cafe business, she slowly realizes that maybe asking for help is not so bad after all and when the community looks upto her to fight for their streets rights, its time for her to give back to the community which has become very dear to her now.

This was a lovely story, best for this cold winter months when you need those stories which will fill you up with warmth and love. Recommended read.
Thank you netgalley for sharing this wonderful book in exchange for my unbiased opinion

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“You have to be a friend to have a friend.”

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings: Covid-19, mentions suicide and death, mentions racism and homophobia

This book follows Amber, a lawyer that’s moved away from London in order to fulfill her girlfriend’s dream…only to then have her girlfriend leave her. Essentially stranded in a harbor town, she starts meeting the locals, setting up a business she did not want, and perhaps, just maybe, finding love again.

This is a true tale of friendship and new beginnings. I loved this book beyond what words can describe. Would I call this a love story? No. But I enjoyed every word of it.

I grew up in a big, busy city and then moved to a small town for uni, and I must say I fell in love with the quaintness of it all. The author has perfectly described the feeling of community and claustrophobia that can be born from small-town living. Amber’s inner voice is my inner voice, our way of thinking is very similar and I felt connected to her pretty much right away. Rarely do I ever read a bisexual/queer character that resonates so much with my own identity.

I can’t end my review without pointing out how weird it was to start reading a book and realizing it’s set in the present-day, where Covid-19 is a thing. Every time lockdowns or face masks were mentioned, it caught me off-guard, but I honestly liked it; this is the reality we’re living in and it was bound to show up in literature eventually, right?

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light read that’s not predictable in the slightest. “Someone Else’s Dream” will transport you to a small town, with all its people and all their mosaic opinions and beliefs. It will serve you love in so many ways, maybe just not so much in a romantic way.

ARC provided through NetGalley.

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Hotshot lawyer Amber has thrown everything into her relationship with actor Cassie, including buying her a cafe in a cute street in a Kentish seaside town. But Cassie loses interest and, once the lockdown appears to be over (one thing that is well done is the moments of lockdown detail that don't impinge too much on the story but do ground it) she is keen to get back to her London theatre life, leaving Amber with the manager Cassie hastily appointed, some slowly growing friendships that only seem to lead to gossip and a split community to deal with. Will JJ the bitchy pub landlady get to take over the whole town? Will miserable Ben from the gallery lighten up?

My full review https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2021/12/06/book-reviews-someone-elses-dream-and-under-the-rainbow/

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I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Lovely read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

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So, Amber ends up operating a café after her selfish girlfriend Cassie abandoned her supposedly dream cafe even before it opened. Amber had put money into it, so she couldn't just abandon it. She needed to sell it quickly, but she needed to keep it alive till then.

While I was anticipating a series of humorous cafe run-ins, this narrative was much more. It was all about people, and Amber had to handle a variety of relationships before she could sell the cafe.

While the bad guys appeared to be shallow and full to the brim with venom, there were some kind characters as well, which I enjoyed. Amber's unapologetic attitude toward her sexuality is the icing on the cake.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. You're going to despise Cassie. That is inevitable.

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How much will you give up to help a loved one fulfill a dream? Amber has her perfect life. But her lover wants a totally different want in a different location. Amber puts her financial support behind the dream. But Cassie flitters away the chance and leaves Amber in the wrong location while losing her dream life. Yes, the book has wallowing and self pity. But it also has resilience and overcoming despair. Amber makes Cassie's dream into reality while making friends and starting to make a difference. I kept expecting her to open a law practice but the coffee shop sounds amazing and the circle of friends were nice to read about. A reminder that you can change the course you are on and make it work. An uplifting ending.

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Amber Hendrix is a high-powered attorney living in London in an upscale condo that she loves. Her girlfriend convinces her to invest in a cafe on the Kent coast with an apartment over the cafe that they will live in. Amber has a long commute to work so her workday is long. But when she comes home, she never sees any evidence that her girlfriend has made any progress on the Cafe with the exception of spending Amber's money to buy things for the Cafe. Before the Cafe is ever opened, Amber comes home one day to find that her girlfriend has left town and say she has changed her mind about running a Cafe. Amber hires employees to help her get the Cafe up and running while still working her full-time job in London. Rather than getting the promotion she deserved, she loses her job as the Boss thinks that she has been too distracted with the Cafe and not focused her job. She becomes very involved with the Cafe and with the people that own the other businesses on the street. She wants the Cafe to become successful so that she can sell it for a good price. As she gets more involved, she starts to really enjoy this life that was actually someone else's dream. It is a great book that I highly recommend.

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The book started off slow with a lesbian couple moving from London to a small seaside to start a cafe. Amber is commuting to London to pay the cafe mortgage and help Cassie achieve her small town cafe dream. Unfortunately, their relationship and the plans for opening the cafe crash and burn. Cassie moves back to London and Amber is stuck trying to make 'Someone Else's Dream' work because she's pretty much broke.

I really enjoyed reading how Amber turned things around, recovered from her break up, and started enjoying small town life. The only thing I didn't like is how the other characters pressured her to stand up to the local bully for them. The conflict felt a little forced and I would've like more backstory into the relationship and her life before but it was overall an entertaining read.

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This was such a good read. It was well written with a captivating storyline and well developed characters. It was twisty, explosive and unpredictable that left me not knowing what to think or believe I loved it.

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I started this book off very annoyed with Cassie. Amber had given up so much for her and her dream and when it looked like hard work - Cassie fled faster than you could say "run". And I was mad on behalf of Amber who was trying to juggle everything in her life and still stay standing.
I loved the character Amber - her view on love and life; her kindness; her commitment. It was lovely seeing her transition from "I don't want to be here" to "I can't leave here" and how she finds herself, not only emotionally but where she fits in the world.
I have to admit being sad when I read the last page.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

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It has been a while since I read a book until the early hours of the morning. When I started reading Someone else's dream, I was so engrossed and spell bound by the story, I knew I could not rest until I had read the last page. I am still thinking of the story as I write this review.

The story is about Amber, an aspiring lawyer about to be made partner. In order to support her girlfriend, Cassie, Amber agrees to finance her venture of owning a cafe, far away from London. However, things soon turn sour and Amber is left to pick up the pieces. She is torn between achieving her dream of being a partner in a prestigious firm or focusing on the cafe.

London is where Amber has lived all her life and the cafe is in a completely different area, yet the people are so charming and wonderful to her. With them by her side, she has the chance to finally have a community of her own. What will she choose? Career prosperity or passion?

This is a story centered on starting over in life and second chances. It is a story of self discovery and self love that will touch the hearts of many readers.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley, the author and publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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This was a fast, engaging read that had a predictable ending, and that's not a bad thing, because you'll come to really like the characters, especially Amber, and you'll find yourself rooting for her and many of the others in the book. Amber is handed a couple lemons and finds a way to turn her disappointments around. There's enough small-town and dastardly behavior to keep the story going, with an ending I think everyone should be happy with.

I enjoyed reading the book. I rate it 3.5 stars.

There are three books in the Westbay series so far. They all appear to be standalone, but there is probably some crossover with familiar characters popping in. I look forward to reading the other books in the series, as well as the author's other works.

Thank you, NetGalley, for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine, and freely given.

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