Author: Julia Roberts
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Review copy from author
Publisher: Ripped
Publication Date: 18th May 2015
Rating: 3 Stars
Her latest assignment has brought her to the paradise island of Mauritius where she meets a British couple, Robert and Rosemary, who share a tragic secret of their own.
The moment they introduce Holly to handsome writer, Philippe, she begins to fall in love, something she hasn't allowed herself to do for twenty years.
But Philippe has not been completely honest and when Holly stumbles across the truth, she feels totally betrayed.
The first half of this book is set in Mauritius. You can tell that Julia Roberts really enjoyed her holiday there, as the descriptions of the island are spot on, right down to the selection of goods on offer by the beach hawkers.
Holly has a job which is allowing her to travel to places beyond her dreams, but with the the proviso that she needs to keep what she is doing secret. Holly though has a cover story in place, but it involves lieing, and she hates lies.
Soon into the trip she meets Robert and Rosemary, who become friends. Rosemary is hiding a secret of her own though, and they introduce Holly to Philippe, handsome Frenchman, and writer, who is in Mauritius to try and get some inspiration for his new novel, and to get over his writer's block.
However Philippe may not be all that he seems either. Just what is he hiding?
The story was interesting enough, and the writing flowed well, but I just wasn't gripped by the book. There are scenes that should be filled with emotion, and unfortunately I just didn't feel anything. The only true feeling I felt while reading this story, was when it ended, and I realised that I would need to read the second book in the series (and probably the third), to have a proper sense of closure.
I firmly believe that books should make you feel an emotion. It doesn't matter what emotion, but something more than just page turning and absorbing the words. Unfortunately I didn't get any emotion for anyone in Life's A Beach.
The book, moves between the various perspectives of Rosemary, Holly and Philippe and it does help to get to know more facets of their characters. However my favourite character had to be Harry, Holly's son, who is insightful beyond his years. I hope Harry features more prominently in the rest of the trilogy.
I was finding that almost all the secrets in the book, were slightly predictable, and thus there were to me at least, no big reveals at all, no shocking moments at all.
The second half of the book once the Holly has returned to the UK picks up the pace, and is far more interesting, and is why I would definitely consider reading the next book in the trilogy. There is a lot of potential in both this series and this author, it just didn't quite resonate fully with me.
About Julia Roberts
Following the launch of her first book, Julia needed a well-deserved break and booked a holiday to Mauritius. Her children, now adults, had bought her a notebook with words on the cover that read Hold on people… I’m having an Idea. On the first morning of her holiday, Julia had just that – the idea for her first novel.
Over the course of the ten days she was in Mauritius, she scribbled copious notes, thoughts and ideas. When she arrived home, she started writing.
Life’s a Beach is part one of the Liberty Sands trilogy. Julia has already started writing book two, If He Really Loved Me… , which she hopes to finish in the Autumn.
Thank you to Julia Roberts and Jenny In Neverland for my review copy of this book. This was my honest opinion.
Blog Tour Organiser Links
Holly has a job which is allowing her to travel to places beyond her dreams, but with the the proviso that she needs to keep what she is doing secret. Holly though has a cover story in place, but it involves lieing, and she hates lies.
Soon into the trip she meets Robert and Rosemary, who become friends. Rosemary is hiding a secret of her own though, and they introduce Holly to Philippe, handsome Frenchman, and writer, who is in Mauritius to try and get some inspiration for his new novel, and to get over his writer's block.
However Philippe may not be all that he seems either. Just what is he hiding?
The story was interesting enough, and the writing flowed well, but I just wasn't gripped by the book. There are scenes that should be filled with emotion, and unfortunately I just didn't feel anything. The only true feeling I felt while reading this story, was when it ended, and I realised that I would need to read the second book in the series (and probably the third), to have a proper sense of closure.
I firmly believe that books should make you feel an emotion. It doesn't matter what emotion, but something more than just page turning and absorbing the words. Unfortunately I didn't get any emotion for anyone in Life's A Beach.
The book, moves between the various perspectives of Rosemary, Holly and Philippe and it does help to get to know more facets of their characters. However my favourite character had to be Harry, Holly's son, who is insightful beyond his years. I hope Harry features more prominently in the rest of the trilogy.
I was finding that almost all the secrets in the book, were slightly predictable, and thus there were to me at least, no big reveals at all, no shocking moments at all.
The second half of the book once the Holly has returned to the UK picks up the pace, and is far more interesting, and is why I would definitely consider reading the next book in the trilogy. There is a lot of potential in both this series and this author, it just didn't quite resonate fully with me.
About Julia Roberts
Over the course of the ten days she was in Mauritius, she scribbled copious notes, thoughts and ideas. When she arrived home, she started writing.
Life’s a Beach is part one of the Liberty Sands trilogy. Julia has already started writing book two, If He Really Loved Me… , which she hopes to finish in the Autumn.
Links:
Julia QVC Blog: http://blogs.qvcuk.com/presenter/juliaroberts/
Link to Julia's Previous Book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hundred-Lengths-Pool-Julia-Roberts-ebook/dp/B00CQ1FYGQ/
Thank you to Julia Roberts and Jenny In Neverland for my review copy of this book. This was my honest opinion.
Blog Tour Organiser Links
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jennymarston_xo
Blog: www.jennyinneverland.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jennyinneverland
Thank you for taking time to review the book Rachel and taking part in the tour! xx
ReplyDelete