The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

It took me a little time to get into this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it. The whole premise behind the story, of Harold walking to save Queenie from terminal cancer, took me a while to get my head around. But by the end of the book, it just seemed like a normal thing to do! There were a lot of interesting stories and characters along the way. I felt very sorry for Harold's wife, Maureen, but enjoyed reading about her growing friendship with Rex. Harold's arrival in Berwick was somewhat of an anti-climax, but probably representative of Queenie's situation. This book is definitely a lot better than Joyce's second novel, 'Perfect'. I give this book 8/10.

Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements

This was just a lovely, easy read that was predictable but nice. The ice cream shop sounded perfect, as did Italy. It was a bit difficult to picture a sunny Brighton due to the time of year, but when I was reading about Italy I was totally transported and it made me desperate to go on holiday! The whole book also made me want to eat ice cream! The main characters, Anna and Imogen, were quite simple and didn't have much depth, so I didn't feel particularly connected to them, however. And the love interests were quite boring, and a little obvious. But it was an enjoyable book and I give it 8/10.

The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy

I'm still not sure whether I liked this book much or not. I didn't actively dislike it - but I felt it was a bit of a struggle to get through in parts and certainly not Maeve Binchy's best work. I felt like the first half of the book was a bit of a drag, and that too much of it followed Kit as a child and I would have preferred her to be a bit older for more of the book. The story line was really interesting, and I did feel sympathetic towards Helen/Lena although I did get annoyed by her ignoring Louis's faults. I loved the character of Sister Madeleine, but was really disappointed with the way her story ended. I must say, though, that about three quarters of the way through the book did start to get gripping and I finished the last part quite quickly. But overall, I give this book 6/10.

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

I loved this book a lot! I was totally gripped throughout and thought the story line was fascinating. I really enjoyed finding out the story of Esther Wickham as Jude uncovered it all through her research. Jude was a great main character (except for her name, as I kept thinking she was a man!). Her job sounded fascinating, as was the house and folly she was working at. Norfolk sounded idyllic, as did Euan! He's my idea of a perfect hero in this kind of novel. The twists and turns revealed during the book kept my interest, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I give this book 10/10!