I have enjoyed so many books that were set in Ireland, everything from the mysteries of Tana French to the novels of Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes.  So, I was excited to come across this book which is set in the fictional town of Ballyanna.  Ballyanna is a quiet seaside town in the southwest of Ireland.  The main characters whose lives readers follow there are Daniel and his son who are recovering from a tragedy, and Annie the daughter of the local hotel owner who has her own issues.  How these characters lives intersect form the basis for this story which tugs at the emotions.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

I have a love of Ireland. Maybe it is my Irish heritage coming into play. But, there is just something romantic about the emerald island.

Ballyanna is a remote village full of history. Daniel O'Connell is an American documentary maker who has come to town to research an old cable station. He is also hoping for his family to find healing from the death of his wife.

Annie is the daughter of the local hotel owner, home on a sabbatical from her London job. She brings with her a secret of the failed relationship and finds herself struggling to survive in close proximity to her dysfunctional family.

Dan and Annie find themselves drawn to each other as they both journey on a path to healing. The question is whether they can let go of the past to embrace a future together.

Overall, a fun read with a story full of second chances as well as knowing when to wash your hands. There is a bit of mysticism included with one of the secondary characters. He is a priest returned home from years as a missionary. He carries his own secrets including the ability to communicate with lost souls. I don't want to spoil the story, but will say that someone closely connected to Dan is one of these lost souls in need of help to cross over.

Fiona O'Brien's "The Summer Visitors" is an emotional and spiritual trip to the beautiful Southwest coast of Ireland. I especially enjoyed the way the book was structured, which came with a jolting and unexpected surprise I did not see coming. A myriad of interesting characters, who each progress the complex storyline from their own perspectives, keeps the story captivating.

7 Women’s Fiction Best Bets for June 2017
Scarlettleigh
“You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't.”
-Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Sometimes our family is the wind beneath our wings and sometimes they’re our biggest heartache. Ditto for friends—because in some cases we’re blessed with lifetime friends but other times—well, like choosing lovers, we don’t always choose that wisely. We’re blinded –taken in by fool’s gold.
This month’s selection is all about relationships but the stories are so varied. That is what I love about women’s fiction. No matter your age or your life situation there is a book for you —from the traditional women’s fiction type stories to the niche stories that entertain with humorous and satirical takes on societal norms.

The Street Where You Live by Roisin Meaney
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It's the hottest heatwave in years and as preparations for an end-of-summer concert get underway, the notes soar. But so, too, do the scandals and secrets ...
Choir member Molly sees a young boy who she's convinced is her grandson, but how does she find out the truth when her son Philip ran away to New Zealand five years ago?
Meanwhile Molly's daughter Emily has fallen in love for the second time in her life. Except this time it's with the wrong man ...
While choir leader Christopher, who closed off his heart to love a long time ago, is making do with snatched trysts with new member Jane - who also happens to be married. But then American author Freddie moves in next door and suddenly things begin to get complicated.
As performance night approaches, the heatwave breaks and members of the choir discover that their lives intertwine more than they could ever have imagined. But are the inhabitants of the town ready for what happens next?
Strengths: Staycation appeal; Multi-faceted characters; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: I’m a big fan of Roisin Meaney books. One reason, of course, is the setting—idyllic Ireland. Meaney does a wonderful job of writing about everyday people dealing with all the complexities of life.

The Summer Visitors by Fiona O’Brien
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American documentary maker Daniel O'Connell is renting the beautiful Cable Lodge for the summer. He's hoping that three months researching an old cable station in a remote village on the south-west coast of Ireland will help him and his traumatised son finally move on from the accident that killed his wife.
Meanwhile local hotel owner's daughter Annie Sullivan has communication problems of her own to deal with. Home on sabbatical from her life in London, she's keeping a secret from her dysfunctional family and trying to save them and the hotel from their latest drama.
As summer draws to a close in Ballyanna, both Dan and Annie are forced to confront the pasts they've been escaping. But will they be able to grasp the future that lies ahead?
Strengths: Staycation Appeal; Surprising twists; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: O’Brien is new author for me, but I’ll definitely be reading more of her books. Started out as a pretty traditional story, but O’Brien surprises with an appealing touch of magical realism and an unexpected plot twist.

The Swallow’s Nest by Emilie Richards
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Three women fight for the chance to raise the child they've all come to love
When Lilia Swallow's husband, Graham, goes into remission after a challenging year of treatment for lymphoma, the home and lifestyle blogger throws a party. Their best friends and colleagues attend to celebrate his recovery, but just as the party is in full swing, a new guest arrives. She presents Lilia with a beautiful baby boy, and vanishes.
Toby is Graham's darkest secret—his son, conceived in a moment of despair. Lilia is utterly unprepared for the betrayal the baby represents, and perhaps more so for the love she begins to feel once her shock subsides. Now this unasked-for precious gift becomes a life changer for three women: Lilia, who takes him into her home and heart; Marina, who bore and abandoned him until circumstance and grief changed her mind; and Ellen, who sees in him a chance to correct the mistakes she made with her own son, Toby's father.
A custody battle begins, and each would-be mother must examine her heart, confront her choices and weigh her dreams against the fate of one vulnerable little boy. Each woman will redefine family, belonging and love—and the results will alter the course of not only their lives, but also the lives of everyone they care for.
Strengths: Complex exploration of motherhood and marriage; Multi-generational family; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: While this story is a bit on the predictable side, it’s a great mixture of a complex issues, romance, and character growth. Definite beach book appeal!

Touch by Courtney Maum
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Sloane Jacobsen is one of the world's most powerful trend forecasters (she was the foreseer of “the swipe”), and global fashion, lifestyle, and tech companies pay to hear her opinions about the future. Her recent forecasts on the family are unwavering: the world is over-populated, and with unemployment, college costs, and food prices all on the rise, having children is an extravagant indulgence.
So it’s no surprise when the tech giant Mammoth hires Sloane to lead their groundbreaking annual conference, celebrating the voluntarily childless. But not far into her contract, Sloane begins to sense the undeniable signs of a movement against electronics that will see people embracing compassion, empathy, and “in-personism” again. She’s struggling with the fact that her predictions are hopelessly out of sync with her employer's mission and that her closest personal relationship is with her self-driving car when her partner, the French “neo-sensualist” Roman Bellard, reveals that he is about to publish an op-ed on the death of penetrative sex—a post-sexual treatise that instantly goes viral. Despite the risks to her professional reputation, Sloane is nevertheless convinced that her instincts are the right ones, and goes on a quest to defend real life human interaction, while finally allowing in the love and connectedness she's long been denying herself.
A poignant and amusing call to arms that showcases her signature biting wit and keen eye, celebrated novelist Courtney Maum’s new book is a moving investigation into what it means to be an individual in a globalized world.
Strengths: Sardonic look at technology and society; Imaginative storytelling; Uplifting ending;
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Satirical
Why You Should Read this: Outrageous scenarios? Yes and No! It’s written humorously but it also makes you stop and think. Lots of food for thought and such a quirky, compelling story!

City Mouse by Stacey Lender
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Priced out of their Manhattan neighborhood, Jessica and Aaron move with their young daughters to the one place Jessica swore she'd never go: the suburbs. But to Jessica's surprise, life in the commuter belt makes a great first impression. She quickly falls in with a clique of helpful mom friends who welcome her with pitchers of margaritas, neighborhood secrets, and a pair of hot jeans that actually fit.

Still, it's hard to keep up in a crowd where everyone competes for the most perfectly manicured home and latest backyard gadgets. And what's worse, as the only working mom in her circle, Jessica sometimes feels disconnected and alone. So she's thrilled when she's invited to a moms-only weekend at the beach, which she assumes will mean new opportunities for real talk and bonding. Instead, the trip turns into a series of eye-opening lessons, and Jessica must decide if she's strong enough to be honest with herself about the sort of life she really wants.
Strengths: Humorous scenarios; Sardonic take on mommy-cliques and materialism, Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Dash
Mood: Sardonic & Humorous
Why You Should Read this: Such a relatable book—even if you don’t live in the suburbs. Because we all want to fit in and have friends. Message of being true to yourself will stay with you even after you close the book!

The Shark Club by Ann Kidd Taylor
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One summer day on the beach in Florida, two extraordinary things happen to Maeve Donnelly. First, she is kissed by Daniel, the boy of her dreams. Then, she is bitten by a blacktip shark.

Eighteen years later, Maeve has thrown herself into her work as a world-traveling marine biologist discovering more about the minds of misunderstood sharks. But when Maeve returns home to the legendarily charming and eccentric Hotel of the Muses where she was raised by her grandmother, she finds more than just the blood orange sunsets and key lime pies she’s missed waiting for her.
While Maeve has always been fearless in the water, on land she is indecisive. A chance meeting on the beach with a plucky, irresistible little girl who is just as fascinated by the ocean as Maeve was growing up leaves her at a crossroads: Should she re-kindle her romance with Daniel, the first love she left behind when she dove into her work? Or indulge in a new romance with her colleague, Nicholas, who turns up in her hometown to investigate an illegal shark-finning operation?
Set against the intoxicating backdrop of palm trees, calypso bands, and perfect ocean views, The Shark Club is a story of the mysterious passions of one woman’s life: her first love and new love; the sea and sharks that inhabit it.
Strengths: Complex relationships; Compelling storytelling; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: I’m one of those people that are afraid to go into the water, but Kidd writes such a fascinating tale on a feared animal. Great exploration of family, letting go and moving forward.

Before Everything by Victoria Redel
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Before Everything is a celebration of friendship and love between a group of women who have known each another since they were girls. They’ve faced everything together, from youthful sprees and scrapes to mid-life turning points. Now, as Anna, the group’s trailblazer and brightest spark, enters hospice, they gather to do what they’ve always done—talk and laugh and help each other make choices and plans, this time in Anna’s rural Massachusetts home. Helen, Anna’s best friend and a celebrated painter, is about to remarry. The others face their own challenges—Caroline with her sister’s mental health crisis; Molly with a teenage daughter’s rebellion; Ming with her law practice—dilemmas with kids and work and love. Before Everything is as funny as it is bittersweet, as the friends revel in the hilarious mistakes they’ve seen each another through, the secrets kept, and adventures shared. But now all sense of time has shifted, and the pattern of their lives together takes on new meaning. The novel offers a brilliant, emotionally charged portrait, deftly conveying the sweep of time over everyday lives, and showing how even in difficult endings, gifts can unfold. Above all it is an ode to friendship, and to how one person shapes the journeys of those around her.
Strengths: Exploration of lifelong friendships; Multi-faceted Characters; Authentic scenarios
Measure of Love: Dash
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: It’s life. Excellent examination of acceptance and honoring others wishes and truly being there for a friend.

https://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2017/06/best-womens-fiction-june

I really enjoyed this book - it is a poignant tale of relationships and emotional trauma. It is well written and drew me straight into the story - I couldn't put it down and finished it very quickly.

Both of the lead characters have had a terrible time - Annie has fled from London with a broken heart after her boyfriend cheats with another woman who is now pregnant and Dan whose wife died suddenly in a terrible car accident. Annie returns home to help out with her family's hotel whilst Dan is holidaying in the area with his twin boys Sean and Pat. Dan is researching the history of the old cable station. The grief experienced by Dan and his family is touching - Sean hasn't spoken a word since the terrible car accident.

The twist which came around half way through the book took me completely by surprise.

I couldn't put this book down but was disappointed to finish it. Beautifully written, superb characters, this book brought a tear to my eye and kept me engrossed throughout.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This well-crafted story really kept me wondering what would happen next. Characters are very real and likeable. Setting is great and the story moves along.

When a documentary maker and the hotel's owners daughter come together sparks fly. Each with their own set of problems and past difficulties. Two strong characters, but they didn't interest me much. This is my first try at author O'Brien and I'm not sure if she is my style, though we did purchase the book.

Definitely not what I was expecting, but a very good storyline. Characters were all very believable. Thanks

Set on the southwestern coast of Ireland, ‘The Summer Visitors’ by Fiona O’Brien tells a story about communication and mistakes of the past. The fictional town of Ballyanna is the seaside community which hosted the first undersea telegraph cable between Ireland and Newfoundland, Canada. Daniel O’Connell and his twin sons are spending a few months in Ballyanna while he researches the old cable station for a documentary he is making. Annie Sullivan is returning home to Ballyanna to rest from her life in London but also to help her family. Each family lost someone/something and they want to change but don’t know how. As in any small town, friends and neighbors assist with a romance, help resolve problems and support the families as they come to terms with the own frailties.

For the first half of the book, I wondered where the story was going: summer romance, drunken Irish stereotypes, cute twins & their new friend, etc. If that was the case, my 2 star rating was ready. Then came a significant story point that changed the book for me and improved the overall story arc. It became an emotional read (I admit that I cried a few times) and touched a few points that most people could emphasize with. You can tell the author knew the real Kerry County because the environment and land descriptions made me want to immediately book a flight. Points for the Force Awakens reference ☺

My biggest fault with this story is the multitude of characters with little or nothing to do. The kindly golf pro, the physic neighbor, the parish priest – what is the point and why were they taking up space on the page? Each of these ‘characters’ could be reference points without having to actually meet them. The best friend seems to be cross-over from her own story but I don’t think this is a sequel, more of a continuing story line for Ballyanna.

Overall, an unexpected read that gave more of an emotional punch than I expected from a light hearted beach read. I recommend to anyone looking for a few enjoyable hours and not looking for an in depth character analysis.

This book was provided by the publisher (through Net Galley) in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher. This is a wonderfully constructed and powerful story dealing with death, bereavement, mental illness, parenting, long lost love and friendship

A very enjoyable read. Great characters, lovely setting and romance with just a splash of the otherworldly.

What a beautiful gem of a story, a story of love, life and second chances. A story of hope and forgiveness, from life here and beyond.
The summer visitors are Annie Sullivan, who is coming back home to the village of Ballyanna, after four years and a messy break-up and Daniel O'Connell, his twin sons, Pat and Sean, who are here for the summer, directing his documentary on the Trans-Atlantic cable laid in 1866 between Europe and America.
Annie is back home to help out her mother, Breda, in running the hotel, getting her sister Dee and niece Gracie sorted out, after her brother-in-law's 5 million euro scam and to deal with her father's alcoholism.
Daniel has his own problems to deal with. He lost his wife Mary, a year ago in an auto accident which involved his sons. So Sean has PTSD and doesn't talk and Pat does all the talking for him. The village of Ballyanna, with a backdrop of the ocean and cliffs,weaves its magic, on all the characters in this book. It is a place of healing and a place of resting. A place where anything can happen....
And love happens....
But this is not just a love story. It's so much more. It's about the things we cannot see, but can just feel. It's about family and its core strength. It's about a mother's love for her children and never letting go. It's about giving up her own life for her child. It's about parents wanting to see their children happy. It's about mystics of life and beliefs in spirituality. It's about opening the heart to the possibilities of life...
This is my first book by Fiona O'Brien, written oh, so beautifully. There is a sublime beauty and wonder in her words. She deals with alcoholism and mental illness with the same sensitivity as she deals with love and family. Humans are flawed but it's these flaws which make us interesting and lovable. All the characters in her book are etched out carefully, be it be, Jerry with her clairvoyance, Barry with his gift, Declan with his charm, Luke Nolan with his scepticism, Connor with his selfishness. Their flaws and insecurities make them more real and this is what makes the book complete...
There is a quote in the book I especially liked,
Everything you do, everything you put out there, however big or small, ripples out to affect other people, for better or for worse
In this life filled with stress and sadness, there are these few books which bring joy to the heart, tears to the eyes and hope to the dreams, for a better future...
Love from here and beyond

I saw the cover and so wanted to read this. And as you know you cant judge a book by its cover, all to often i am disapointed in this case i loved the book. It toatally lived up to my expectations. It was the perfect summer read. Everyone needs to get out there and buy one.

The Summer Visitors started off strong and really never let up until the very last page. Set in Ireland, it tells the tale of three very different families who are all experiencing difficulties and emotional trauma. The families, two Irish and one American, all intertwine during a month in the summer and through many encounters, excursions and episodes, they learn about love and life. At times, the narrator of the story is a set of twin 11-year-old boys, their father, his new love interest, her mother, her old flame (the mom's), his sister and occasionally, the father's dead wife. It is unputdownable. With Ireland playing just as much a character as any of the rest, it is a book that stays with you after you turn the last page because the characters experience love, loss and life within is 300-plus pages. There are plot twists and surprises that will keep the reader guessing along with truly superior writing and characters. This book is a treat.

What a moving, beautiful story of love, loss, betrayal, forgiveness with a touch of good Irish mysticism. Annie returns home to her small, isolated village after the breakup with Ed in London. At the same time, Dan arrives with his family, damaged and heartbroken after a tragedy. Their lives intertwine, as do the rest of the characters, Annie's sister Dee, best friend, Barbara, but most importantly, her courageous and spunky niece, Gracie. This one left a mark on my heart.

Quaint Irish story of finding love when you are not looking for it. Story of losses but finding solace eventually. Scenery is typical of a small Irish village . All families have hardships and it is not easy dealing with them . Alcohol, keeping secrets , avoidance sometimes help but in the end the truth although painful and cruel prevails.

It's been so long since I have read anything by Irish writer Fiona O'Brien. When I actually checked when her last book was published it was way back in 2011. Six years is a long gap between books and readers would be hopeful the wait was worth it. Fiona is an author people may not have heard much mention of before and that is a shame. I feel she is vastly underrated and had definitely been up there with the other women's fictions writers I adore.

This new book The Summer Visitors has a lovely bright inviting cover which really conjures up images of summer and relaxing with nothing better to do than read a good book. Is this the book that fits into that image? Honestly for the majority of the book I found it quite slow going. I had become familiar with the characters, their various problems and the gorgeous setting but to my mind nothing was actually happening and the summer days in the village of Ballyanna on the south west coast of Ireland seemed to be slipping by fairly uneventfully. It's not until perhaps the last quarter of the book that my opinion changed but I still question whether it was too little too late. Bam you were hit with that moment of shock and revelation that makes you kick yourself that you had never spotted it coming. Upon reflection the hints were all there for the reader to pick on but the fact I didn't see it coming made me realise the book was a lot better in parts than I had been giving it credit for up until that point.

The Summer Visitors is a story of love, second chances and finding the courage and strength to move on. The themes throughout the book are handled with sensitivity and care and there is a really summery feeling throughout despite the fact many of the characters are deeply troubled. The setting of Ballyanna although fictional was wonderful. It wasn't too big that people would become lost there yet the village itself and the surrounding landscape and beaches provided a respite and a place to hide for those who needed it. The old cable station, once the scene of such vital work linking America with Ireland, will play a crucial role once again and the theme of communication will also feature heavily. 'Something is disturbing the reliable patters of village life. Something or someone, seems determined to make themselves heard, whatever the cost, however precarious the means. And for one last time, the old cable station, for so long silent, will facilitate a vitally important communication between two very different worlds'.

Annie is 36 and just about to celebrate her fourth anniversary with Ed. She has a beautiful house in Notting Hill and a brilliant job in an advertising agency she helped set up. Babies are next up on her long term agenda but Ed won't entertain it. We soon find out why and Annie finds her life in disarray and with time on her hands as a sabbatical from work is suggested. So Annie turns to the one place where she knows she will find solace and comfort, a place with many memories some good some bad and that place is home in Ballyanna. Annie arrives back to the village at a time when changes are afoot. The family need her to help run the hotel. Her father is 'not well' and her mother is under immense pressure. On one hand I felt Annie was great to step into the breech and keep the hotel going when times were strained as each family member had something they were battling with. She was the strength when others were failing and she was to be admired for this. But on the other hand I had felt she was going to be a major character with a lot of focus on her own story but as the book progressed I felt her own issues were pushed aside and could have been explored far more. I understand she became the glue that held her family together and that she helps Dan but I would have loved more focus on Annie herself, a deeper view instead of the peripheral one I felt we got.

Daniel O'Connell is holidaying in Ballyanna with his twin sons Sean and Pat. He is researching the old cable station and its history but also the break is a chance for his little family to get to know one another again, to find some solace and maybe begin to heal as Daniel has been made a widower through a tragic accident. 'Life goes on. Even if you feel like you're walking through it on autopilot. Someone has stolen his, taken everything he knew, loved and lived by and turned it on its head'. I thought Fiona dealt so well with the grief the family were experiencing and there were numerous sentences I felt the need to stop for a minute and reread and absorb them. It touched a cord with me and I found myself nodding along in agreement with how they family were feeling and coping on a day to day basis. Said accident has left Sean in a world of his own. A world of silence as he has not uttered a word since the event that left him motherless. This is ironic considering the field of communication Dan has come to study. We do have plenty of chapters from Sean's viewpoint which I felt were needed in the book. The relationship he develops with Annie's niece Gracie was brilliant to observe and although he never uttered one word, the connection between the two was something special to witness. Gracie did more than enough talking for the pair of them and I think she needed that time away from what was going on in her own personal life. Gracie although one of the youngest characters was perhaps my favourite.

Breda the matriarch of the family is under immense pressure, keeping up appearances. On one side the hotel has to be kept going and she is thankful Annie has come home to help. On the other keeping her husband out of trouble as his tenancy for a tipple or too becomes ever more known is now high on her list of priorities. Also the fact her daughter Dee is experiencing troubles of her own as husband John has brought shame on the family is not helping matters. The reader can sense Breda is just pure tired and worn out, that she can't keep battling any more. Decisions need to be made. Should the hotel be sold? How can she help Dee who is going down a bumpy road? How can she protect Gracie from being exposed to a reality no one should have to experience? Onto the scene comes priest Father. Barry McLaughlin -Breda's first love. He is back home after years away in Africa working as a missionary. Old memories stir up for Breda and at a time when she is vulnerable and all around her seems to be falling apart will Barry offer the comfort and answers she so desperately needs? I did think Barry seemed very surplus to requirements. He makes sporadic appearances and I couldn't see how he would fit in with things but once again I was proven surprised.

Fiona O'Brien has written a good story with a lot going on underneath the surface that doesn't became apparent and relevant until much later in this book. There is a complex cast of characters and as relationships and bonds develop over the summer in the small village and secrets are exposed one wonders will there be any happiness or resolution for the people you have invested time reading about? How are all the people connected? Will the village work it's magic? Why did the author use communication as a driving force for the story? The themes do shine through towards the end and things began to make more sense. It's the big reveal that made me glad I persisted with this book as it literally stopped me in my tracks.

Is The Summer Visitors worth a read? Yes it is but it's not my favourite by this author and not one I think will stick in my mind when I come to pick my books of the year. It is one to read on a sun lounger abroad and enjoy it for what it is at the time of reading.

This is a wonderfully constructed and powerful story dealing with death, bereavement, mental illness, parenting, long lost love and friendship.
There’s spirituality in it (and it’s something different from religion), which I really liked.
There are beautiful characters and tropes in this story, some of them not as developed as I would have liked (Barry, and the long lost love trope, for example).
I loved the way Fiona O’Brien crafted the strong special bonds between the twins and their parents’ love for them.
I also liked that the twins’ mother wasn’t portrayed as the evil parent and that her somehow undying love for her boys was so beautifully shown throughout the story.
And it’s always great to read a story set in beautiful Ireland.
I was a bit confounded by the author’s use of verbal tenses, I guess I’ve yet to figure out the meaning of her strategy.

Annie lives in London, her relationship has just fallen apart so she decides to take a sabbatical and return to Ballyanna in Ireland to help her parents run their hotel. Annie left Ireland four years ago after an argument with her dad, in the meantime her sister Dee’s marriage has imploded and she has also returned to Ballyanna with her daughter Gracie..

Dan and his twin boys, Pat and Sean are in Ballyanna while Dan works on a documentary about the first transatlantic cable. Dan’s wife has recently died in a car accident and Sean has not talked since.

Barry has arrived back in Ballyanna after being a missionary in Africa, he is staying with his sister, but we do not know the reason for his return.

The characters lives all manage to connect with elements of love, family, grief and death. Fiona O’Brien has a magical way of writing a story that tackles so many different themes, especially with the completely unforeseen and bittersweet twist towards the end. This was an exceptional book, which I cannot begin to recommend enough, and I am hoping for more very soon.

Annie is devastated when she finds out that her boyfriend Ed has been cheating on her and that the other woman is pregnant - something he refused to consider with her - and so she decides to take a 3 month sabbatical and return to help out at her family hotel in Ireland

Dan has had a terrible year after his wife got killed in a car accident and one of his twin sons, Sean, has refused to speak since. His job is making documentaries and so he decides to go to Ireland to research a documentary on the Atlantic cables in the hope that a change of scene and getting away from it all will help heal Sean.

This is a lovely story that I couldn't put down.....I am always a sucker for the Irish stories........the relationships and problems all relate to real life and families and the characters were great but with good twists ....and what a lovely place to spend the summer