One French Summer by Gillian Harvey

 

One French Summer by Gillian Harvey.

Published 14th February 2023 by Boldwood Books.

From the cover of the book:

It was just supposed to be a holiday, but could it become the second chance she didn't know she needed...?

Life isn’t quite going as planned for Katy. With her only daughter living in Australia and a husband who has asked for a break, she is suddenly at a loss.

Her best friends, Sam, Vicky and Ivy have always been there for her through thick and thin and they’re not about to leave her all alone now. Whisking her away to glorious France for a last minute retreat is the perfect escape, and just what Katy needs to get her life back under control.

As Katy unwinds in the beautiful French countryside, surrounded by her friends, the pain of her past slowly begins to melt away under the warm summer sun. Will this reset give Katy a new lease on life and help her win back her husband? Or could there be a new love on the horizon where she least expects it?

Escape to the French countryside this summer with top 10 bestseller Gillian Harvey, for the perfect uplifting second chances romance.

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When Katy's husband Will asked for a trial separation after over twenty years of marriage, she tried hard to see it as the positive he claimed it could be, but the past six months have been hard. Then their daughter Adrienne calls from Australia to say that she is extending her time there to take a job, rather than return to go to university, and Katy hits rock bottom.

To save her from despair, her four best friends whisk her away to France for a surprise two week painting holiday. After a few days in the sun with the support of her friends, surrounded by the wonderful French countryside, Katy feels long dormant parts of herself coming alive again. Indulging the passion for art that she has pushed aside for years, she wonders if it might be time for some changes - and she cannot deny that she is attracted to the very handsome Valentin, who just happens to be visiting his sister at the artists' retreat.

Caught between the desire to win back her husband, and the prospect of a new future, what will Katy decide?

Just as in Gillian Harvey's previous novel, A Year at the French Farmhouse, in One French Summer she beautifully captures the dilemma of a mid forties woman caught at a crossroads in her life, when her long-marriage takes an unexpected turn. Desperately clinging on to the idea that the separation from her husband is temporary, Katy is persuaded by her friends to come for a holiday in the sun that unexpectedly helps her to get a different perspective on where her life goes from here. At the start of the holiday, Katy is not very receptive to their suggestions that Will might not have always been the ideal husband, which leads to to awkward moments, but spending time away from her problems proves to be a revelation... and of course, the presence of a very handsome French man who is interested in her happiness helps a lot. 

As Harvey does so well, this story leads you up and down the garden path before you see what really lies ahead for Katy, and I was not sure for almost all of the book where she would land at the end. I found myself longing for Katy to find the courage to take the path towards the glimmer of a future in which she takes back control of her life, especially as her friends were so right about selfish Will (grrr!). Suffice to say, she makes the right decision for herself in the end.

I love Harvey's gentle romantic stories about older women. They are full of the trials and tribulations of long relationships, the pull of shared history that is not easily cast aside, and the times when change makes you reassess where life has brought you. She writes so beautifully about the French countryside, and the little details of French life too, which make you feel you are sitting alongside her characters as they enjoy everything the country has to offer. She also does a cracking job of examining female friendship here, and the heart-wrenching conflicted feelings that come when empty nest time eventually draws around.

I swallowed this lovely tale whole, running the emotional gamut all the way to the uplifting ending. This is perfect escapist, snuggle up on the sofa reading, and it does not disappoint. I cannot wait for Gillian Harvey's next heart-warming story. 

One French Summer is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Boldwood Books for sending me a Netgalley copy of this book, and to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Gillian Harvey is a freelance journalist and the author of two well-reviewed women’s fiction novels published by Orion. 

She has lived in Limousin France for the past twelve years, from where she derives the inspiration and settings for her books. 

Her first title for Boldwood A Year at the French Farmhouse was published in September 2022.