Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Thirty-year-old Kitty Roberts spends her days searching for the perfect home for two… until her boyfriend, the only man she’s ever loved, dumps her. Devastated to lose not only her first love but her best friend too, she flees to the tiny seaside village where she spent carefree summers as a child, before her family fell apart.
At first, Kitty’s escape proves to be exactly what she needs – golden sunsets over warm, sandy beaches, lovably eccentric new neighbours and even a blush-inducing run-in with Cory Hudson, a handsome, professional surfer with a heart-stopping smile.
But just as Kitty feels herself beginning to heal and allows herself to open up to Cory, he reveals that his time in the seaside village is nearly up. What’s more, some surprising reactions to Kitty in town make her wonder if her connection to this place might go deeper than she thought.
It seems there’s a secret in her family’s past that is about to turn Kitty’s life on its head once more… Is she ready for the truth? And will it bring her and Cory closer together, or drive them apart?
The Little House by the Sea is another wonderful read from Tracy Rees and I really hope that this won’t be the only visit we pay to the village of Pennystrand because I thoroughly enjoyed every moment reading this delightful book. The cover is stunning and really inviting and for that alone it would make you want to pick this book up off the shelf if you came across it in a bookshop. Once you start reading you feel instantly at home in the little village where Kitty goes to find herself following some personal upheaval. I loved how this book didn’t have your typical boy meets girl plot instead there was real meat to the story with Kitty going on a journey and uncovering some mystery and family secrets along the way.That’s not to say that romance didn’t feature but it only did so to a very small extent and given the ending I feel there is plenty of room for a second book and I hope the author feels the same way.
When Kitty Roberts needs comforting she goes to estate agents and browses the properties for sale. It’s her way of getting away from rainy dirty London and in her head she can live the life she has always dreamt about. She has her ideal home down to a t all mapped out in her head and she would love a pretty and peaceful place to live. Somewhere in the countryside near her sister perhaps? You have to wonder why does Kitty do this? Is she not happy in her own life? Why has she been reluctant to follow an idea that she has clearly established so strongly in both her heart and mind? What has stopped her up until this point in just going for it and seeing where the road takes her? The further I read on I could see her ambitions regarding a house and a secure future all stem from her parents divorcing when she was younger. She doesn’t have the best memories from that time and you can sense how insecure she feels. Her work as a project co-ordinator for an interior designer only fuels her ambition to see her dreams become a reality. Then her life is turned upside down when she discovers her partner Mitch cheating. Well that’s the big push she has needed to up sticks and leave London behind. All her plans for the future with Mitch have been snatched away but maybe this needed to happen. It was brilliant to see her take control of her own life and take a brave step into the unknown. She starts to pull herself together due to the unexpected turn her life has taken and although not full of confidence and as strong as she could be Kitty begins a journey that will alter her life forever.
Following a palm reading where she has a vision of a small house and garden not a five minute walk from a village she rents a house near the coastal town of Pennystrand in Wales. A childhood holiday had been spent there with her family and she feels something drawing her back. I loved the descriptions of the town. It seemed like such a vibrant little place with lots of interesting characters. Although none of the characters became over dominant which meant they could have potentially taken away from Kitty’s story. Instead they were all utilised to perfection and they played their roles brilliantly. That’s what makes me really want a second book because a, I want to discover more about what happened to Kitty when the book ended and b, there definitely are plenty more people that featured that perhaps have their own story to share. Kitty wants to take stock and think about what she should do next and plans to stay in the area for six months and live off the money she had saved as a deposit for a house. I could feel her sense of trepidation that she was venturing into the unknown but how many of us have wished to change something in our lives and not have the guts to do so? By making this move she had taken the first step and was courageous in admitting I need things to change and if I work hard enough my dreams could become a reality.
Pennystrand is a tightknit community and if you are an outsider it’s initially hard to find your way in but I loved Kitty’s persistence and the book took on a whole different tone when she lands a job at Rowlands, the local estate agents. I felt Kitty as a character came alive when this happened because she was doing something she loved. OK she may have had no real experience of showing houses etc but she was a quick learner because she adored what she was doing. You could see her passion was ignited and I loved how this new job opened up different avenues for exploration within the story. It could have become all too much like a retelling of Escape to the Country with Kitty randomly showing houses and it would have gotten boring to read about. Instead Kitty meets lots of fascinating characters and lots of brilliant little subplots developed that had me really engrossed in everything. Not to mention that Kitty literally bumps into the famous handsome surfer Cory whom every reader will instantly be smitten with. He’s back in the town for a whirlwind visit and boy the spark between himself and Kitty was certainly electric but as I have previously mentioned this was just another little strand to the story that didn’t need a major focus. It was developed so well as I expected it to venture the traditional route that a lot of women’s fiction books do and instead I was pleasantly surprised but at the same time it left me wanting more.
The new job really is the makings of Kitty. She wasn’t as down on herself as in the beginning of the book and she was helping so many others without even realising it. I loved how the mystery element of the book slowly unfolded piece by piece. At one point something just clicked with me and I realised what had been going on and why certain characters appeared so warm and inviting at some points and then with a flick of a switch they became cold, hurtful and uninviting. When an opportunity presents itself to Kitty, it makes her stop and take stock of what she has achieved in the village but still that hesitancy and vulnerable side of her manifests itself and she needs to look back to the past and her family before she can move forward into a more positive future. A little investigative digging and soul searching ensues, and I just thoroughly enjoyed how everything played out and all the strands of the story came together so well.
The Little House by the Sea was a gorgeous read and I am so glad that Tracy Rees decided to write in this genre as well as writing in the historical fiction genre which is where I first discovered her. Her books are warm and inviting and give you that feel good feeling when you need it the most. The storyline here was engaging and you’ll root for Kitty from beginning to end as she really is endearing and finds a way into your heart. This marvellous story provides you with the perfect slice of escapism so much so that you’ll find yourself read it in one sitting.
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