Hope And Second Chances

Holiday In The Hamptons by Sarah Morgan was another delightful fun contemporary romance which I just wallowed in. Meeting up with familiar characters from previous novels meant I felt comfortable from the start.

Four legged friends had starring roles in the novel. As a pet lover I love it that animals feature and work their way into the reader’s heart.

The novel shows the affect an upbringing can have on later life – for good or for bad. A traumatic childhood has far reaching consequences and a failed marriage can have a massive fall-out on all members of the family. “When a marriage goes wrong, it doesn’t just affect one person. It reverberates… It destroys some structures and weakens others.”

Failure to deal with the past will affect the future. “You were supposed to be able to leave your past behind. What were you supposed to do when it followed you?” The past is past. We cannot change it but we can minimise its future affects.

The theme of guilt is explored in the novel. “She wore guilt… that.. made for uncomfortable clothing.” Misplaced guilt can wear one down. Guilt needs to be thrown off and the future, which is a clean slate, faced.

The novel shows we need to be careful of the voices we listen to. “You’re nothing but trouble. Useless, no good, worthless, stupid.” Words spoken in anger can stick and hang around us for years. We need to listen and take note of life affirming words and dismiss the negative words, which is easier said than done.

There is a wonderful air of love over the whole novel. The love of a family is a beautiful thing. We all need love to blossom. Families come in different shapes and sizes. In some children will grow healthily. In others the life will be sucked out of them. The novel explores the result of both types.

The characters were al beautifully drawn – a mixture of both strong and vulnerable. I loved them all.

Holiday In The Hamptons had its witty moments. My absolute favourite scene was with Gran and her Poker Club – their banter made me chuckle out loud.

Sarah Morgan is a marvellous writer. I adore her books – always a fun read but with a strong underlying message.

Holiday In The Hamptons is a fabulous feel-good read – but don’t take my word for it, read it yourself. You will be glad you did, you will be in for a real treat.

I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON