Book Review - One Small Act of Kindness by Lucy Dillon

Amazon UK

Title: One Small Act of Kindness

Author: Lucy Dillon

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Goodreads / Firstreads

Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks

Publication Date: 23rd April 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

What can you do to make the world a better place?

Libby and her husband Jason have moved back to his hometown to turn the family B&B into a boutique hotel. They have left London behind and all the memories - good and bad - that went with it.

The injured woman Libby finds lying in the remote country road has lost her memory. She doesn't know why she came to be there, and no one seems to be looking for her.

When Libby offers to take her in, this one small act of kindness sets in motion a chain of events that will change many people's lives . . .

Libby and their husband Jason, after a particularly trying time, move to Longhampton and take over the family hotel Jason's parents had been running. Since Donald's death, it had been a lot harder for Margaret (Libby's mother-in-law) to cope with the hotel, and for various reasons they are going to help her out. 

They start to renovate and update the hotel by themselves, and one morning Libby hears a commotion outside. A young woman has been hit by a car, and Libby stays with her until the ambulance comes. She later visits the woman in hospital, and we see she has amnesia, and no idea who she is at all, as no ID was found on her at the accident. 

A budding friendships soon develops between Libby and the mystery woman, and Libby in an act of kindness, lets her stay at the hotel until she has recovered her memory. 

During this book there is a lot of talk of acts of kindness, and the hospital has a lovely wall, where people can post thanks for random acts of kindness, performed by total strangers. It is the sort of wall and town, that really inspires a feel good feeling in you.

One of the stars of the book is Bob, the basset hound, who is a PAT (Pet Assisted Therapy) dog, and a real character. He although not central to the story, does provide a lot of light hearted moments, and is Margaret's constant companion. 

The two main threads of this book are the relationship between Libby and Jason, and just what the real reason was for them moving to the hotel, and how they deal with hard times. And then there is the story about the girl with amnesia, and its this story that I loved the most. 

I was willing the poor girl to get her memory back and to work out things, that were being hinted at by the author, faster than she did, as things just aren't always what they seem.

Spectacular book, which I devoured in hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and couldn't put down at all. Very enjoyable story and one I would completely recommend to anyone. 

Please Lucy keep putting dogs into your books, as the books I have read and really loved by you have all included dogs!

One Small Act of Kindness is out on Thursday