Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Welcome to the Sunshine Island - where the beaches are golden, the lifestyle is perfect and anything is possible.
Piper Le Brocq is happily single after the disastrous ending of her engagement eighteen months before. The only man in her life is Jax, her best friend and cousin, who spends his life teaching locals how to forage and taking tourists on boat trips around the island. Her days are filled with helping out at her mother's guest house and selling her glass mosaics at The Cabbage Patch emporium in Trinity.
Piper loves living on the Sunshine Island, where the neighbours look out for each other and visitors are welcome. So, when handsome guest Alex Cooper arrives at the guest house to check up on his grandfather, she welcomes him to the sunny island. And when he needs help after his grandfather is injured, she's quick to get involved.
Yet, the more she gets to know Alex the more mysterious he seems, and Alex isn't the only one keeping secrets from her.
Many thanks to Boldwood Books via NetGalley for my copy of Finding Love on Sunshine Island to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Georgina Troy is a new author for me and I think I picked the perfect book to be introduced to her writing. Finding Love on Sunshine Island, the first in a planned series, is the perfect slice of escapism for the summer months. It has a beautiful bright cover which epitomises those lazy summer days you spend on the beach when the weather allows. Set on the island of Jersey, where the author lives, this was a lovely, quick and light read that took me away from the gloom and doom that seems ever ongoing in the world. You could tell the author lives on the island as the descriptions were so rich and vivid and she knew all the ins and outs of living on an island.
I could picture the various settings so clearly and therefore really felt like I was there alongside the main character Piper Le Brocq as she navigates a summer season helping her mother Helen run the Blue Haven guesthouse whilst also running her own stall at the Cabbage Patch Emporium. The book is typical of the genre and there is nothing earth shatteringly new added to the tried and tested formula but still this was an enjoyable read and it definitely made me want to return for future visits to the island.
Piper is a well written character who has her ups and downs in life but she is happy living on the island considering the relationship trauma she has endured in the past. She has no intentions of ever leaving the island for pastures new given past experiences and is quite content working at the beautiful guesthouse which overlooks Gorey Harbour. Nothing gives her more pleasure than finding sea glass on the beach which she can then use to upcycle items to sell at her stall. Piper is lovely but she keeps things close to her chest and hides how she really feels. Of course, she interacts with guests and her small group of friends but she always puts on a brave face as she doesn’t want people to discover her vulnerabilities.
She does this because she has been hit hard in the past when it comes to romance and therefore she is no longer actively seeking for it to come into her life and find a permanent place. She finds shutting herself away at the guesthouse and not being totally outgoing 24/7 is her best survival tactic and therefore she does not need a man to make her life complete. Life is now very different to what she hoped it would be when she left the island for university all those years ago but in some ways she is content with her mother by her side not to mention Margery, her grandmother, who ran the guesthouse for years especially when the island was was the top honeymoon destination in the 50’s and 60’s.
Things start to change for Piper when a new guest Alex Cooper arrives to spend time with his grandfather Colin who is participating in an artists retreat at the emporium. There is just something about the way the character of Alex was written that instantly as a reader you felt a little something for him. He was kind and caring but deep down he was hiding something and as he comes and goes from the island visiting Colin Piper soon starts to realise Alex is special and could be good friend to her. Maybe even something more. She never thought given the betrayal she went through in the past that she could open her heart to someone ever again but Alex is getting under her skin. As she takes him around the island and helps out when a tricky situation or two arises emotions are stirred in her that she had presumed were long dead. Is Piper prepared to listen to what these new feelings are trying to say to her or is she too damaged from the cruel hand life had previously dealt her? At the same time, I did sense that Alex wasn’t revealing all. That if the pair were ever to admit the tentative feelings brewing for one another they would have to be honest and open with each other and I’m wasn’t sure would they ever reach that point.
Piper had an abundance of good qualities in that she was independent but yet she had a close, supportive relationship with both her mum and her grandmother. She ran her own business and was all around good egg who helped anyone she could. But her confidence was knocked from past events and I wished that she could be more sure of herself and know her own heart and mind. She needed to change her life, but how? What was that something that would bring her out of herself and bring more joy into her days? Life was busy and interesting for her but it needed to be even more so. Alex really gets her thinking and stirring up emotions long kept hidden. But is he the one that will support her in everything she does? Has he a hidden agenda and what there is something she feels about his personality or background that he is not saying. It begins to really niggle away at her and when things come to a head with plenty of misunderstandings and miscommunication as a reader you wonder will the pair who you can clearly see are perfect for each other just do the right thing and get together.
There were lots of secondary characters mentioned throughout the story and at times I was frustrated that there were just brief introductions to them and then they were gone. I can only presume they will feature more heavily in future books because one character I felt we only scratched the surface of was Jax, Piper’s cousin. He is a free spirt and runs guided tours of the coastline and beaches and takes people out on day trips on his boat. I desperately want a book where he is the main character. The titbits were tantalising, and I want to know a lot more about him.
Margey, was a great character too and I loved how her storyline from the past connected with what was going on in Piper’s life. It was a serious issue dealt with well given the overall tone of the book. I also loved the fact that she was an year round sea swimmer with her bunch of women and that she encouraged Piper to join in too. Margery knew that Piper was happy in some ways but in others she really need to push herself and come put of her shell and not let one horrible experience dominate the rest of her life.
Finding Love on Sunshine does what a good summer read should do and that’s take you away and provides a relaxing escape whether you are away or not. The setting, the characters and the plot are all enjoyable. I hope we won’t be waiting too long for book number two. I think a Christmas visit to the island sounds ideal.
Thank you so much for sharing Emma's amazing review of Finding Love on Sunshine island.
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