First of all, thank you to Holly Martin for providing me with a digital copy of The Summer Of Chasing Dreams, her latest chick-lit/romance novel, in exchange for an honest review! I love a good romance novel, especially one that takes place across the world, so I just had to get this on the blog.
Author: Holly Martin
Genre: Chick lit/romance
Published: 29th March 2019
Synopsis
Eva is quite content with her life in London. In her job as a cover designer, she works at home, and often in her cosy pyjamas. She’s happy to stay in her safe little world and not explore much outside of it.
She is the opposite of her mum, a free spirit who craved finding adventure and thrills in all corners of the world. But on the day her mum’s will is finalised, Eva finds a list of all the dreams her mum wanted to achieve in her life. Things she never did because she fell pregnant with Eva.
Eva decides these dreams will not go unfulfilled — she is going to be brave and complete them for her mum. As Eva has no experience travelling the world, she hires a guide to go with her on this holiday.
Gorgeous but rude Thor Anderson is not the person she would choose to accompany her on this journey, but somehow she gets stuck with him. As they discover the world together Eva starts to think he might not be as bad as she first thought. She is swept away by Thor’s kindness and mischievous sense of humour. But will it be a simple holiday romance or could this wonderful adventure lead to so much more?
(Taken from Goodreads)
My Review
Sometimes you just need a book in your life that isn’t too complicated, but gives you a wonderful reading experience. This is where Holly Martin should come in – you may have read some of her novels before if you like this genre, and The Summer Of Chasing Dreams is her newest release that you won’t be able to put down. It’s such a cosy book and I found it so easy to read – I even had to stop myself sneaking a glance of the next chapter at work! The thing with Martin’s writing is that it just flows – it’s easy to digest and her casual, chatty way with words makes you feel like you’re spending time with an old friend.
I enjoyed the general style of the book, and was impressed how such a grandiose trip had been covered within one novel. As well as seeing everything from Eva’s (and sometimes Thor’s) point of view, we also get to read the intimate postcards from Eva to her Mum, which help to develop a relationship that is sadly absent now. I wanted to know more about Juliette, her past, and also Eva’s home life and background, though Martin crams in what she can whilst focusing on the tangle of emotions in the present day.
The plot itself is also so good – I’m sure lots of us would appreciate an around the world trip and reading about one made me feel inspired. There’s also so much to love about the characters Eva and Thor, and I really genuinely cared about them and their interesting relationship. It was easy for me to identify with both characters, and I loved experiencing both their silly and heartwarming highlights, such as singing at the top of their voices from the atop the Eiffel Tower, to the deeper, more complex side of their relationship as it goes forward. Martin is good at evoking emotion from the reader, and you’ll find yourself switching between awe, sadness, elatedness, and despair (plus a generous helping of lust).
Final Thoughts
I was genuinely sad when the book ended, as it brought such an uplifting and positive feeling to the otherwise grey and dreary British weather I’ve been experiencing of late. If you’re looking for a comfy read to pair with a cuppa and a warm blanket then The Summer Of Chasing Dreams is definitely the book for you.
Purchase Links
If you’d like to purchase a copy of The Summer Of Chasing Dreams then you can do so using the following links:
The Summer of Chasing Dreams by Holly Martin – Amazon UK
The Summer of Chasing Dreams by Holly Martin – Amazon US
Author Bio
Holly lives in a little white cottage by the sea. She studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by a even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of her colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for fifteen years’ service was the moment when she knew she had to escape. She quit her job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, she emerged wide eyed and terrified that she now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. She taught for four years and then escaped the classroom to teach history workshops, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next. But the long journeys around the UK and many hours sat on the M25 gave her a lot of time to plan out her stories and she now writes full time, doing what she loves.
Holly has been writing for 8 years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. She is the bestselling author of 18 books.
(Taken from Amazon)
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Don’t forget to like, pin, and leave a comment if you enjoyed my review! You can also check my other recent book reviews here:
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
Choosing Me: Love Letters From A Poet – Bill Weber
The Accidental Further Adventures Of The Hundred-Year-Old Man
This is such a well written review. It gives me a complete overview of the book and what to expect from it. And I love such books so I’m definitely going to check it out and hope to read more book reviews from you 😊
Thank you so much!