Always By Your Side by Julie Haworth

 

Always by your Side by Julie Haworth.

Published in paperback 31st August 2023 by Simon and Schuster.

From the cover of the book:

WINNER OF THE ROMANTIC NOVELISTS' ASSOCIATION KATIE FFORDE DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2023.

When school teacher Rose loses her dream job at a London primary school, her self-confidence takes a knock. Worse still, her stockbroker fiancé, Ollie, sees it as the perfect opportunity for her to join his firm, which only adds to the feelings Rose has that their relationship might be coming to an end.

An unexpected phone call, and an elderly aunt who’s taken a fall, means Rose must drop everything – including Ollie - and return to Blossom Heath, the Sussex village she grew up in.

With no job to rush home to, Rose decides to stay in Blossom Heath for the Summer, trading London for the idyllic countryside. Here Rose finds herself reconnecting to the village life of her childhood in more ways than one, including falling head-over-heels for local farmer, Jake.

So when her London life comes calling, Rose is faced with an impossible choice… to return to the high-pressure life of her past, or embrace the joy of a new life in the country.

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Rose loves being a primary school teacher in London, so when she loses her dream job, her confidence takes a hard knock. It does not help that her stockbroker fiancé Ollie is less than supportive, seeing it as an opportunity to get her on the fast track to the highlife by joining him in his city firm.

Rose is not keen on Ollie's hints about a career change, but when she receives a call telling her that her beloved Aunt Jean has had a fall, she forgets her own troubles and heads to her childhood village of Blossom Heath, in rural Sussex, to see what she can do to help. Since Rose is at a loose end, she decides to stay in Blossom Heath for a few weeks until Aunt Jean is back on her feet, despite Ollie's obvious disapproval. Being back in the village reminds Rose of all the things about country life she has missed. She begins reflecting on how she and Ollie have grown apart - and there is no denying that local farmer, handsome Jake, has turned her head. But London life does not seem done with Rose yet. She has some decisions to make. Should she listen to her head, or her heart?

Always by your Side is a glorious debut romance from Julie Haworth, about love, friendship, following your heart... and dogs! When Rose unexpectedly finds herself with some time on her hands, the charms of Blossom Heath, and all that it offers, make her realise that she and Ollie want very different things from the future. And who can blame her when the attractions of this lovely little country village are so many - the warm welcome of old and new friends, the possibility of a new life, and all fabulous memories she has of her childhood... not to mention the chemistry between her and Jake.

I adore a rom-com with a fabulous community spirit, and the supportive bunch of residents in Blossom Heath fit the bill to perfection, coming through in times of need to get Rose through the inevitable bumps in the road that come between her and her destiny. The developing friendship, with delicious will-they-won't-they vibes, between Rose and Jake is gorgeous, and Haworth throws in just the right number of mishaps and misunderstandings required to make the heart-flipping ending one to make your eyes brim over with happy tears. And if you are a fan of adorable canine companions, you need this book in your life - I guarantee you will fall in love with Scout and her doggy pals.

Haworth cleverly touches on a lot of themes in this story, particularly around facing up to the truth when a relationship is not going as you hoped and being brave enough to take a different path, and she injects a sub-plot around the callous thefts of furry friends that has real emotional punch. She sums up so much about devoting yourself to a job which is a vocation too, with all the nicely written school-based scenes, and I really enjoyed how she pokes bitter-sweet fun at the pretentious city crowd that Ollie is desperate to be a part of.  

This was such a joy to consume, with all the threads coming together in a splendid heart-shaped package, and it is easy to see why it was the winner of the RNA Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year 2023. I cannot wait to read more from Julie Haworth!

Always by your Side is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Books and the City for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Julie Haworth writes uplifting stories about friendship and community, bursting with romance and charm, from her home in the bustling city of Chelmsford, Essex. Her debut novel, Always By Your Side, was published by Simon & Schuster in digital format in August 2022, and is now coming in paperback. Julie is still pinching herself that she’s realised her lifelong dream of becoming a published author!

When she’s not busy writing or running her copywriting business, Julie can mainly be found shopping, drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee and hanging out with her two rescue cats. Julie is also a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors.