great read and easy to follow story line. look forward to reading more from this author.

Evie can lose herself in the books she looks after in the local library. Until recently she shared this enjoyment with her mother, Irene who has now retired.

On her birthday, someone leaves a book on the desk for Evie, from one of her favourite authors, Evie is excited but also more intrigued with an inscription that has been left inside for her.

What starts is a year of Evie really finding out who she is and where she comes from. Irene is not in fact her real mother, but someone who came into her life and made everything all right. Evie thinks it may be time to find out who her real mother is and makes the first step towards this.

As Evie starts to discover more about her past, it seems that the people she has in her life are just as important and all have their roles to play. Aiden the new librarian and his sweet little boy Theo, Wilson the delivery man who the librarians see daily and Noah Jones, author.

Of course Clara, Evie's colleague and housemate is learning as much about Evie as Evie is about herself, but it is time for Evie to open her heart up to everyone not just the love she may have missed out on because of a troubled start in life.

If you are a fan of books, then this is the one with you, what could be more delightful than to spend your time with librarians, fans of books, book club members and authors. Maybe the ending was all a bit too convenient but it did not matter to me, it was a heartwarming read and I would love to have spent more time in the library with the Evie and her friends.

A free copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Evie's Year of Taking Chances is the story of Evie, who decides to find her birth parents after her birthday while trying to start a new romance with author Noah.
A fairly light-hearted read. This would probably make a good holiday read, but for some reason it just didn't click with me. There are sooo many coincidences. Like, the whole story seems to be built on coincidences and all the plot twists seem to be signposted miles ahead so you kind of know what's going to happen before you've even read it. There seems to be a lot of stop-start in the story with dramatic events happening, and then just forgotten about, while Evie's romance with Noah never really rings true - it's a bit too instalove for my liking. Also, for a dedicated librarian, Evie never seems to actually do much work when she's at her job - she takes time away from actually working for gossiping, family drama, general hysteria and, on one occasion, to open her post. I did like the relationship between Evie and her best friend Clara though and thought that had a nice touch to it.
A brisk summer-y read, but not something I'd pick up again. 2.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Christie for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A charming little book that will not disappoint.

I liked the characters and the storyline was actually really moving. A bit of a weepy one this is but has a great ending that makes all of the tears worth it.

A perfect holiday read, definitely a beach bag essential!

Thanks Goodreads. What a fabulous book, I thoroughly enjoyed this and really liked Evie

Evie doesn't have an easy start in life being in foster care until she finds Irene and finds the love that she has been searching for. At 23 she is working as a librarian which is the perfect job for her when she receives the signed copy of a book for her birthday and is inspired to go a look for her birth mother

Evie has some great friends, especially Clara who works with her, and they both totally live in the world of books but her search is going to take her out of her comfort zone and meeting new people - including Noah who she has had a bit of a crush on but what has he got to do with her mission?

A lovely warm hearted book with plenty of fun and drama - definitely one for the beach

Evie's Year of Taking Chances
What a lovely story with not one but two happy endings.
Evie Cooper has a reasonably happy life, she works in the library which she loves, has a best friend called Clara who is always lots of fun and a foster mother called Irene who loves her so much. But things hadn't always been so good for her as she didn't have a very good start in life.

After having a very unsettled childhood she eventually found stability with the lovely Irene and the relationship between those two characters was beautiful. They were so close and really needed each other.

After giving it a lot of thought Evie decided that on her birthday she would begin the search for her biological mum. I could really feel the angst she was going through and could imagine how much her stomach would be churning whilst she waited for news. Also because she loved her foster mum Irene and didn't want to hurt her by looking for her biological mum.

Having not told anyone about Irene being her foster mum she eventually confided in her best friend Clara who was very supportive.

I loved Evie's explanation of why she hadn't found anyone because she felt she needed to try and meet her mum before she could move forward in her life with regards to relationships.

Evie has a crush on author Noah Jones and I was really rooting for her hoping she could get together with him because he sounded gorgeous.

The whole issue of searching for her birth mother was handled very sensitively and there were some shocking revelations which Evie needed to come to terms with.

I really enjoyed accompanying Evie on her journey which was filled with lots of ups and downs and found this book to be completely entertaining from beginning to end.

Despite having a very bad start in life I was pleased to find there was a happy ending for Evie. But just when you think it's over and that life couldn't get any better for her there is another even happier ending.

A heartwarming, emotional read full of heartbreak, tenderness, love, laughter and friendship.

What a truly wonderful delightful read, thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. I read it in two sittings, just could not put book down.

I loved all of the characters & thought they were all well written. The story plot was brilliant and so cleverly done, i loved how everything just fell into place, a truly heartfelt read.

I would definitely recommend this book.

5 books in 2 years and each book gets better and better. I really do love this author! Christie Barlow has a knack for writing characters you just know you would be best friends with and therefore you really become invested in their story. Evie is a truly loveable character, the story flowed beautifully, and kept my interest throughout. I highly recommend this fun and heartwarming read!

Evie has a great life filled with a super job as a librarian, lovely friends and even a romantic possibilty , an author she admires from afar. However she is about to celebrate another birthday without knowing who her parents are and she wants this to change right now. Despite having a wonderful foster mother, Irene, in her life who she loves deeply Evie really feels like there is a big hole that needs to be filled so she takes the chance and sends off to the Salvation Army to see if she can find her mother.

There were moments when I really loved some of the characters and where the story was going and then other times when I just felt like the momentum was lost and too many pieces were being pushed together. There were quite a number of sub-stories going on for other characters so I was never quite sure who I was supposed to feel something about. I really liked the last book I read from this author, 'Lizzie's Christmas Escape', and I think she creates interesting characters but I just didn't quite believe in Evie so I never became overly invested in her story. I can see other people thought the world of this story and that is the lovely thing about books and reading. We don't all have to like the same thing. No, this story didn't work for me completely but I'm sure that for some it will hit just the right note.

I've enjoyed every page of this sweet clean romance. Perfect book to read at the end of the day. Barlow, you got yourself a new fan!

Evie's Year of Taking Chances by Christie Barlow follows the story of a Librarian called Evie who has g who has buried herself in books to ease the pain of never knowing her Birth Mother and being the product of a childhood spent in foster care. She was lucky enough to meet Irene who took her under her wing and gave Evie the life that she deserved.
On Evie's birthday she receives a mysterious parcel on the counter of her work and it sparks something inside Evie and she finds the motivation to finally search for the answers that she needs and find out who her Birth Mother is. Little does Evie realise that she may have been under her nose the whole time....

This book was just a heartwarming beautiful read full of the right amount of love, life and laughter. Christie Barlow never fails to disappoint! I found myself so swept up in the ages pages that i finished this book in one sitting.

A big thankyou to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review which I have been more then happy to give.

A good read, particularly interspersed between thrillers! Set in a library, this book has a cast of characters to love, intrigue and mystery aplenty (including surprises and hunky authors) and a heartbreaking tale at its centre. Well worth a read. 4*

I was given an ecopy of this book by Bookouture, Christie Barlow's publishers in exchange for an honest review - something which I'm more than happy to give.

Once again, Christie Barlow has written a book that is full of delightful characters that are interwoven into a local community. The story is about the ups and downs of family life, friendship and relationships. Evie, the main character in this book works in her local library and is an out and out book worm, losing herself in the lives of the many characters she reads about. She works with her best friend Clara and until her recent retirement, her foster mother Irene. Evie was given up at birth and knows nothing of her birth parents. Although sharing a very close bond with her foster mother she can't help but wonder about her birth mother - with each passing birthday the urge to try and find her gets stronger.

Christie described the emotions and process that Evie goes through in her search for her mother with empathy and compassion - the roller coaster of emotions is shared by her close friends and family as they support and encourage her in her journey to find her mother and to take a chance on love too. Add a book group held at a gorgeous cafe owned by Mim, a stripper and a hunky author and Evie's Year of Taking Chances has the recipe for success.

All in all, despite the highly emotive central story this was a light, frothy book that does what it says on the tin. An easy read that gives exactly what you'd expect from a modern chic lit author. It's the sort of book that is quite predictable but in a good way. Sometimes we need that fix and to know we are going to get a happy ending. A perfect story for an afternoon curled up on the sofa beside the fire. It's equally balanced with humour and seriousness.

I really enjoyed this book - I started it Friday evening and finished Saturday morning. It was so easy to read that I felt like I just whizzed through the pages - there was no effort and I found myself losing track of time to get to the end. I really liked all the characters so I was a lot more emotionally involved in the story than I get with some others. I guessed when Evie filed the report to find her birth mother who it was but then were a few twists thrown in that made me second guess myself. In the end I was right though - woohoo! I was desperate for Evie to find her birth mother and it to be a happy reunion. I also got invested in the relationship between Clara, Wilson and Aiden - I hoped that it would turn out all right in the end. Irene and Noah were also both lovely, and I liked that we had to go through a stage of doubting Noah before he came through.

The cover is really pretty and draws my attention - It would be one that I went to first on the shelf before I even read the blurb. Thank you for the chance to read and review this one - I'll be putting up a blog post on it next week.

Evie loves working in the library with her friend Clara and new colleague Aiden – having been introduced to the job by her caring foster mum, Irene. When her birthday rolls around, she decides it’s time to find her birth mother and turns to the Salvation Army for helping in tracking her down. Meanwhile, she can’t help her continuing crush on author Noah Jones, who she met briefly at a seminar once, and she can’t figure out who dropped off a mystery present of a signed copy of the latest book by her favourite author, Sam Stone.
First up, my immediate reaction with this story was: why are you picking up that abandoned bag on the bus? Have alerts about terrorism threats not reached this city? Or did you not think you should pass the bag on to the bus driver who can drop it into the depot’s lost property? From there on, there were just a few too many coincidences and overly obvious clues for me. But if you can put all that aside, it's still a charming story with a cute heroine that many will adore.

Thank you to Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. I have a few of Christie's books on my TBR pile but this is the first one I have read.

The main character in this book is Evie Cooper. Evie has had a less than perfect life. As a child she never felt like she was loved or wanted. Moving from foster home to foster home Evie's early years were quite unsettled. As she reaches her 23rd birthday, her life is stable and she finally has the courage to look or her birth mother.

I actually loved every single character in this book. They all had such great personalities, but I think my favourite was Clara. She was spunky and really helped Evie to come out of her shell. I also thought Irene is a truly inspirational woman. After losing her husband she not only took in Evie she also gave her more love, care and attention that she's ever had in her life.

I guessed who Evie's birth mother was before it was revealed but there were a lot more surprises that I did not see coming.

This book was quite the emotional roller-coaster at times but I found it extremely easy and enjoyable to read. I look forward to reading more of Christie's books in the near future.

*Book Provided By The Publisher In Exchange For An Honest Review*

The Story Follows Lovely Evie, Who Is A Librarian. She Loves Books, So Of Course I Liked Her From The Start.

Live Quickly Changes When She Receives A Mysterious Parcel, Everything Is Turned Upside Down And She Is About To Discover More About Her Life And Family. She Now Wants To Find Her Real Mother And The Journey There Is A Real Adventure.

On The Way She Also Gets To Know Gorgeous Author Noah Jones. He Is Very Handsome And She Is Attracted To Him Immediately. I Really Enjoyed Their Scenes Together And Just Wanted For Something To Happen Between Them. Of Course It Took Longer In The Story And There Was Still Her Search, Which He Might Be Connected To.

We Also Meet Her Friends Along The Way, A Great Group Of People. I Have To Say That I Struggled From Time To Time Connecting Them To Evie And To Each Other, Because There Were Quite A Lot Of Them.

Christie Barlow Has A Real Talent Of Bringing The Characters To Life And Of Creating A Refreshing Storyline Around Them. She Added Some Mystery And A Of Of Important Aspects Like Family, Love And Friendship. It’s A Great Mixture And I Enjoyed Every Single Second Of This Book. The Story Is Full Of Surprises And It’s Also Very Emotional, As I Said The Mixture Is What Makes This Book So Special. I Would Definitely Recommend Reading It, A Real Feel Good Book.

Have you ever fallen in love with a book very early on in the storyline? I don't mean 'fallen in love' as in you love the book, giggle, close the book, giggle and put it away. No. I mean falling head over heels in love with the front cover, the characters, the setting; all before you've gotten to the nitty gritty moments? Yes? Well, I have, and thanks to Christie Barlow, it was her book that made it happen.

First of all the main character, Evie, is a librarian which means that most of the storyline is set surrounded by books. Er hello, heaven! Second of all, Evie has such a warm personality and a huge heart, it was a bit difficult to do anything except LOVE her. I just wanted to hug her as she came across as such a fragile soul, and with her past in mind it's no wonder why she is fragile. Evie's birth mother gave her up soon after she was born, meaning that Evie was taken in and loved by a second mother, with no idea who or where her biological mother was.

There was something incredibly special about this entire novel, it felt as though the storyline was a game of pass the parcel and underneath each layer sat something rather beautiful. For me, Evie was the star of the show with her adopted mum a close second. Everywhere either of them went, they were able to light up the area or someone's face by doing very little. Their personalities just gave off that vibe; people like that are like gold dust.

I'm struggling with my words here, apologies. I can't find the right words for how this book made me feel, but I really am trying my best.

Reading Christie's novel had me laughing like a hyena one moment, and then ugly crying the next. The humour that oozed from this book was incredible, so natural, unforced and extremely on point. Don't get me wrong there were a couple of moments where my laughter was due to proper cringy moments (yet oh so fabulous!).

I really felt as though I got to see various different sides to Christie in terms of her writing ability. Within the space of a chapter she had created an emotional moment which also had a smidge of humour attached to it, as well as keeping the flow of the storyline intact and perfect. How many authors could be so diverse in one chapter, yet still keep the momentum? Absolutely incredible.

Now, I tried to be a brave girly whilst reading this novel. I had told myself that I wouldn't cry as I was aware it had already made several people rather teary, so I gave myself a kick up the bottom and told myself to be brave. Ha ha ha...yeah I can see that worked well! Christie Barlow!!!! What did you do to me woman! I was blubbering like a baby yet I wasn't the one going through everything like Evie was! Absolutely beautifully written and such poignancy in regards to such a sensitive subject; I had even more respect for the author after that.

I am in awe of 'Evie's Year of Taking Chances' and Christie Barlow's outstanding delivery of an emotionally charged, humorous storyline which became the home to a family of such warmth and depth. Every small detail, every emotion, every action and  every description were written flawlessly. I wasn't just reading about characters going through heart breaking moments and walking the path of love, no; I was feeling every single emotion alongside those characters.

Reading 'Evie's Year of Taking Chances' felt like being on the receiving end of a warm, safe embrace from an extremely good friend. Full of heart ache, true friendships, love, respect and enough books to last you.....several months; Christie Barlow has written such a beautiful and poignant novel which will keep your heart full from the first page, until the last, whilst highlighting the importance of believing in yourself.

Utterly spellbinding (even if it did take me ages to stop ugly crying!), Evie and her friends are now included in my list of most favourite books, EVER.
Christie Barlow, you are a fantastic, fantastic author.

Thank you Bookouture.

Evie works as a librarian and her life is wonderful except that one thing-she doesn’t know her birth parents. Every birthday it hits her hard, but this year is going to be different. A mysteriously appeared book gave her the inspiration to start searching for her mom. Evie has a fantastic foster mom and great friends and she also has a crush on a guy who she saw 8 months ago, but that’s about to change when he comes to the town due to his work. What will the year of taking chances bring to Evie?

It’s the third book by the author and I’ve loved each and single book. I enjoyed the writing style and how the characters were brought to life. The story has wonderful plot, relatable characters and of course in addition to that it gives you all kind of emotions from grinning to balling your eyes out. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would totally recommend it.