Thoroughly enjoyed this book. great descriptions and enjoyable plot and characters! I've not read this author before but will do so again in the future!

A good book heavily focused on mostly positive female friendship which i really loved. But sadly the actual writing was sometimes a bit hard to enjoy but overall a nice read.

I really enjoyed this book - it is one of those books that once finished makes the reader consider their own lives and what is really important to themselves, being thankful for the good times and their nearest and dearest.
It would be a great book to take to the beach this summer and enjoy with the sound of the sea as a backdrop, imagining they are those from Fiji and not from good old Blackpool or Weston Super Mare.

Thank you to the publishers, Transworld, for sending me the book to review.

There are very few times that I've not managed to finish a book, and I'm afraid that this is one of those. I found this tedious and a little contrived. How much this is to to with being a translation of a Norwegian book, I don't know, but I found it hard to follow when the POV kept changing as did the timeline. This made it difficult to keep a track of things such that I had to put it down.
My apologies to those followers of this author, just not for me.

A lovely way to escape for a few hours. A story about friendship and love. This is a beautifully written book and the descriptions make it so easy to imagine being there and eating the chocolate. Definitely worth reading.

I devoured Pieces of Happiness within a few sittings. I think it was the book’s description that caught my attention when I was asked to review this novel! Something about five friends upping sticks and starting a new life seemed a really intriguing premise. And I certainly haven’t been disappointed – this is an engrossing, warm-hearted lovable book that is perfect for a weekend away.

When four women receive letters from old school friend Kat asking them if they would like to make a new life on a cocoa plantation in Fiji, they jump at the chance. Tired with what life has to offer, the four friends make a stand against what has become just a mere existence in Norway and decide to start afresh. But despite the lure of the locale, not everything is plain-sailing.

I LOVED learning about the Fijian customs. The way of life, the myths and legends and the local cuisine. You really do feel as if you are in the thick of it. Pieces of Happiness is a book filled to the brim with life and colour and, of course, food. Mouth-watering food! At times, I found myself wanting to hop on a plane and go to Fiji myself!

I really enjoyed the housekeeper, Ateca’s chapter’s. I found it so interesting to see things from her point of view – what she thought of the newcomers and how they settle into life in her native country. The characters in this book all possess very distinct personalities. They all have secrets and unresolved issues from their pasts which gave the book an interesting side to it.

Anne Ostby’s writing is beautiful: rich, intuitive. It took mere moments for me to read the first sentence and fall head first into the lives of these five – six if you include Ateca – fascinating women.

A sweet and mouth-watering tale of new beginnings, friendship and love that will have you surrendering your heart and stomach to the lives of these remarkable women.

🌺Sweet. Mouth-watering. Brilliant.🌺

To be published in numerous magazines in September: Recently widowed, Kat invites her four old school friends to join her on a cocoa plantation in Fiji. Now in their sixties, the women each have their own reasons for wanting to leave their old lives behind. Together they set up as chocolatiers, and let the island heal old wounds and allow them to make peace with their lives. As the subtitle says, this is a ‘Novel of Friendship, Hope and Chocolate’. Perfect for fans of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The incredibly beautiful cover is probably first drew this book to me, without it, I would have probably passed it by which would have been a huge shame. The next thing that drew me in was the mention of the South Pacific, an area of the world that conjures up the feeling of being incredibly exotic, and I just couldn't resist knowing more.

Having never read anything set in Fiji, and for that matter Norway, were the characters originate from, this story was a complete surprise to me, and its certainly a book I'm very glad I took the time to read. Without realising it, the story was seeping under my skin until I was thinking about it between reading.

Kat invites her four friends from school to visit and stay in Fiji with her, after the death of her husband. She writes them all such eloquent invitations, that it is hard not to be drawn into the story instantly, while my own desire was to to hop on a plane and fly out myself to join them out there.

The five ladies are all in their sixties, and as the book progresses we learn about their lives, about their families, and how they have barely stayed in touch with each other over the years. They together start to dream and come up with plans of a new future on the cocoa plantation, but it isn't without its difficulties.

There are 6 very distinct perspectives in the book, the five friends, and Ateca, who is Fijian and from her view point you see just how different she views things to the women from Norway. She is continually praying for various things, for for guidance for the women.

I loved learning about the customs of Fiji, and seeing just how different life is in The South Pacific to what I'm used to in England. I found the whole book really fascinating, and it really conjured up a great feel to the islands, the sights and smells, and in general the day to day way of life.

The ladies have their own things going on to, and there is some ill health to be dealt with, plus some secrets to come out. Nothing was overly shocking, just all matter of fact, which was a refreshing feeling to a book, after I read so many stories that are designed to have you gasping!

I really enjoyed Pieces of Happiness, a lot more than I thought I might, and am really glad I took a chance to delve into a book that sounded quite a bit different to my norm. Anne Ostby has crafted a really great story, full of highs and lows, and I liked all the main characters, although some of the family members left a lot to be desired.

Thank you to much to Netgalley and Doubleday for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Brilliant read, obviously well researched. I found the culture of Fijian life so interesting and could not wait to finish the book.

Thanks Netgalley. What a wonderful novel about a group of women best friends in high school now in their 60s,are sent a letter by one of this group Kat to come join her on her farm in Fiji.Kat has recently lost her life companion &is advised by her housekeeper a dear friend to bring family to surrond her