The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.
Amazon UK
Title: Eight Bright LightsAuthor: Sara GibbsFormat reviewed: EbookSource: NetgalleyPublisher: Headline ReviewPublication Date: 14th September 2023Rating: 5 Stars
 |
| Amazon UK |
Title: Eight Bright Lights
Pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa and settle in with this cosy festive read, perfect for fans of Beth Moran and Sarah Morgan!
-----
The clock is ticking, and getting their happily ever after might just take a miracle...
EIGHT DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING
Hannah is stuck - in South Devon and her dead-end job. But when her estranged father dies, she suddenly finds herself in Tel Aviv. With only her insufferable - yet irritatingly sexy - host for company, can she pick up the pieces of her father's life and make it home in time for her cousin's wedding?
FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING
More preoccupied with securing her dream job writing for an iconic fashion magazine, Rachel is already a distracted bride. But when an article unlocks a long-held family secret, will her simple Christmas wedding become much more complicated?
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING
Spontaneously quitting her job was not wedding planner Ella's idea - neither was burning bridges with her terrifying boss. Left with only one client - and no money - how will she pull this wedding together, when everything else is falling apart?
Such an impressive debut novel, that features a diverse assortment of characters, in a holiday romance that believe it or not isn't Christmas.
As you may have guessed from the title, this book is set at Hannukah, and it features three main characters, who for the majority of the story aren't ever in the same place at the same time. But it does all link together really well, and makes total sense. There are even some fascinating sub plots at play too.
Hannah's story takes her to Tel Aviv to set Shiva for her estranged father, only for there to be more to his life than she ever knew. For Hannah all of this is a journey of self discovery, and learning to be more of an adult.
What I liked about Hannah's chapters was seeing Tel Aviv, which is a location I don't think I've ever come across before in fiction. Hannah also has some views about the general political situation out there - and this was a book written before the latest war erupted (I know this for a fact given how many months the book had been unread on my kindle for, having downloaded it from Netgalley). In fact the mentions of anything to do with the conflict were the only parts of the book (and thankfully small) that I was less keen on.
Mainly cos it was a bit too much like real life intruding on my fictional reading time!
Rachel, was someone I could identify with to a certain extent, not just cos we share a name, but also because we are both overweight (and not on a diet to do anything about it). There is a lot of body positivity in her chapters, as she gets ready to marry Chris on Christmas day. I also reckon if I was to ever get married it would be like Rachel, and a marriage to a non Jew.
Seeing Rachels's family dynamics felt so familiar, and I loved the sub plot with her Grandma.
Yet it was probably Ella's storyline that I was most drawn to at times. She is also the person I want to give away the least details about - but will say the battle with her about to be ex boss was brilliant. And learning about Ella's thought processes was eye opening.
I'm pleased to say that although it includes Israel, Hannukah, Shabbas and a bit of religious thoughts, it is not a book steeped in religion, or faith, it is just a backdrop to the story of these three ladies, over the 8 days of Hannukah.
And I loved how many of the North West Jewish London locations are familiar to me, or at least in passing and fairly local.
There was a lot I could identify with, and generally found it an all around fabulous book to read. I'm already curious to see what this author will write next.
Thank you to Headline and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
No comments:
Post a Comment