The Year of Taking Chances – Lucy Diamond.

 

Back of the book : 

Its New Years’s Eve, and Gemma and Spencer Bailey are throwing a house party. There’s music, dancing, champagne and all their best friends under one roof. Its going to be a night to remember.

Also at the party is Caitlin, who has returned to the village to pack up her much – missed mum’s house and to figure out what to do with her life ; and Saffron, a PR executive who’s keeping a secret which no amount of spin can change. The three women bond over Gemma’s dodgy cocktails and fortune cookies, and vow to make this year their best one yet.

But as the following months unfold, Gemma Saffron and Caitlin find themselves tested to their limits by shocking new developments. Family, love, work, home – all thrown into disarray. Under pressure, they are each forced to rethink their lives and start over. But dare they take a chance on something new ?

 

What I Think : 

The story centres on three ordinary women, Gemma, Saffron and Caitlin, they all meet at the party that Gemma throws for the New Year.

Caitlin has come back to the village of Larkmead because her mother has died and she needs to get her house ready to be sold, she was also, many years ago Gemma’s husbands Girlfriend from school.

Saffron, has a job in the city, but she decides she needs a break away from it all, she has a little ‘secret’ that she really needs to think about, so she rents a cottage in Larkmead, that just so happens to be next-door to Gemma and Spencer’s house.

Gemma and Spencer have just bought the ‘gorgeous old farmhouse’ on the ‘expensive’ side of Larkmead village, so things are a little tight. When Spencer has a accident that prevents him from working things get even worse, will they be able to carry on as before ?

I really loved this book, it is only the second book of Lucy’s that I’ve read, but I can safely say that it wont be the last.

All the main characters are really easy to relate to, I honestly wished that I was friends with these women so I could help them out with all their problems. Its really nice to find a book that actually tells of normal, everyday life with trials and woes that could happen to anybody. I think my favourite character had to be Gemma because it seemed whatever life threw at her she just picked herself up and started again. Oh and lets not forget Bunty, the ‘client from hell’ she was hilarious, she may have started off awful but turned out to be a better person in the end. Caitlin’s mum’s house sounded absolutely gorgeous too, especially after she’d decorated for Gemma’s Business venture. I could quite imagine myself there curled up with a book.

This really is a lovely, heart warming book about friendships, family and everyday life. I had a lot of trouble putting it down and going to work, it was also the first thing I picked up again when I came back, as I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen.

I give this wonderful book 10/10.

Published on 1st January 2015 by Pan Macmillan.

A very big thank you to Becky Plunkett at Pan Macmillan for the review copy of the book.