I don't want to go too much into the plot as I really don't want to ruin it for anyone so I will try to be as vague as possible. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and how they both dealt with the sudden change of direction in their lives.

I also have to say that I love Mallory as a name and it was even one that we considered for our daughter. I actually loved that we got the added bonus of seeing Mallory's life with Sam I think it gave me a deeper connection to Mallory and understanding of her character. Greg left me smiling every time he was on the scene. At first you think oh he's just plain grumpy but the more you get to know him the more layers to his personality are revealed. Showing a different character to the one we are first introduced to with a depth that is so appealing.

My heart broke for both of them and their tragic pasts but they both have determined personalities. I loved the use of songs throughout the book, songs can evoke memories and so many emotions so this tied in perfectly with the story. There is also a lovely humour within the story that left me smiling and on quite a few occasions it was when Greg kept putting his foot in it when talking to Mallory.


There is sadness, love and hope too that made this story all the more engaging. A seaside Escape moves at a lovely pace and one of the things I enjoyed the most was the friendship that slowly builds between Greg and Mallory.

A delightfully heart warming story!
Four stars from me!

With thanks to Melanie at Aria Fiction for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I have to say that the first few chapters of this novel were not completely winning me over, but I am so incredibly happy that I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley and Aria! What a beautiful, heart-breaking, but also joyous novel! Mallory experiences so many different circumstances and emotions in this novel going back and forth between certainty and uncertainty, happiness and grief, confusion and hope. When she meets her soon-to-become best friend Greg, the reader gets a glimpse of an amazing friendship and bond that forms between two seemingly unlike characters. Greg was grumpy and distant at times, but otherwise – he is my new book boyfriend! Gorgeous, romantic, funny, talented, dog-lover, old Land Rover driver – I could go on and on! Of course, there were several other important people that were in Mallory’s life and that she met along the way, but the compassion and care that Greg and Mallory demonstrated to one another was amazing.

This is not a simple HEA novel but filled with obstacles, fears, and challenges along the way. A Seaside Escape challenges the reader to take risks, follow their dreams, and to understand that past and present lives don’t have to exist separately. I loved, loved, loved this novel and cannot recommend it enough. Although there are heart-wrenching moments, A Seaside Escape will leave you will a warm, fuzzy feeling and tremendous respect for Lisa Hobman’s outstanding writing style.

Mallory “Mally” Westerman is happy with her life. She’s the owner of a gift shop in Leeds, and gets on great with her best friend. She doesn’t really have time for love.

That is….until she meets charming Canadian Sam. They strike up a friendship which soon turns to more. The book is so romantic and I was hooked. Life is good for the happy couple who start to cement their dreams by traveling to Scotland on holidays. Their dream is to have a house in Scotland. When they find a cosy, whitewashed cottage on the Atlantic coast which has a beautiful landmark in the form of an ornate bridge, they pack up their lives in Leeds and head up the motorway towards their new life.

They are little prepared for what will happen next…..

I really want to say more, but I won’t as I don’t want to spoil things for readers.

The book is full of happiness, romance, dreams tragedy drama and sadness but it’s well-written. There’s a great atmosphere in the new area they move to. I warmed to Greg after a stormy beginning, and I liked Mallory and her cute dog, Ruby. Her best friend Josie was warm, funny and really supportive along the way which Was an aspect of the book I liked, too.

Sam’s parents and sister are welcoming kind and generous and I loved the parts of the book set in Canada, too. A Seaside Escape is a book that takes the reader from Yorkshire to Scotland and Canada.

This is the first book I have read by Lisa Hobman, and I was swept away by the plot and the realistic and human nature of the characters.

I loved Mally’s 30th birthday party and the happy times that take place throughout the book. I felt for the characters during the trying times they experienced and the playlists at various points with meaningful songs was a beautiful and original idea.

The book is the kind that takes you by surprise. There are twists and turns when you don’t expect them and that made me like it even more. It’s so emotional and had me holding back the tears (whether of happiness or sadness) at points. it’s so true to life.

Thanks to Lisa Hobman and Atria Books, an imprint of Head of Zeus, for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Lisa, PLEASE write a sequel! I recommend this book 100%!

Review: Such a heart warming and touching story.

I really enjoyed this book by Lisa Hobman. I was asked by Aria the publishers to review this book and to be apart of the blog tour. I jumped at the chance as from the blurb it sounds like a good book. I was not disappointed. 

A beautiful romance for Mallory and creating dreams together as a couple is what leads Mallory to Scotland. However, while in this beautiful part of the world what she hoped would lead to a happy ever after gives her just that but not exactly in the way she thought.

A brilliantly written book, a real romanance that will leave you feeling all fussy inside, but be prepared for a few tears along the way.

This starts out like your average chick lit story but then we get a plot twist pretty early on which leads into the rest of the book. It's a very good, well rounded romance with an emotional edge to it that was very realistic.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion of the book. I flew through this book. I read it in four hours. I fell in love with the not quite perfect Mallory character. It was great all the different twists and turns Mallory was put into to achieve her romance goal!

Mallory Westerman loves to create beautiful things to sell in her gift shop, Le Petit Cadeau. She has suffered the loss of her parents and then her aunt Sylvia but has the love of her best friends Sofie and Brad. Her life unexpectedly take an upward turn when she finds herself caught in the arms of hunky Canadian Sam Buchanan. I really enjoyed reading about Mallory & Sam’s romance and then following her journey. The thing I loved about this book was the thread of music, which grew and added a rich background to the narrative. In fact I ended up making myself a Spotify playlist so I could really get into the mood of the scenes.

I’ve just put this book down, realising that, unfortunately for me, I was at the end. I didn’t want it to be over. I wanted more laughter, more tears (okay maybe there were enough of those already) and more importantly, more Mally.
I’m attempting to write a review without a single spoiler, but that’s really hard when all I want to do is talk about this amazing story and why I loved it so much.
Lisa J Hobman lures you in with her beautiful prose, but you stay for the characters, the blossoming love, the ups and downs that undoubtedly feature... this is what makes her books so amazing and why I love each and every story she creates.
I’ve read goodness knows how many books recently and you could say that some feel a little contrived, a forced happily ever after because that’s what the readers expect. People want a HEA or they won’t read a book. Well, at least that’s what it feels like lately.
Not all stories have a HEA and not all stories are a roller coaster ride of emotions that have you higher than the clouds at some points and lower than dirty ditch-water at others.
Some stories are sad, they make you cry uncontrollably, but they are beautiful. As a reader, I want a bit of diversity in what I read. Sometimes I want the “and they all loved happily ever after” and sometimes I don’t.

A Seaside Escape was... how do I sum it up?... tumultuous, happy, sad - it definitely pulls the heartstrings on more than one occasion.
I experienced a myriad of emotions with a bubbly, sweet young woman who is given the truest of loves and a mercurial man who made me want to pull my hair out, punch him in the face, kick him in the [____] and yet somehow made me fall in love with him anyway.

Lisa’s writing was beautiful, eloquent, thought provoking and she created a place where I could escape my own reality, swapping it for the highs and lows of someone else’s life for a while.
I love everything I read by this author, but this one was truly a beautiful story that talks of true love and how it conquers all. The characters touched me in a way that was almost tangible. It talks of how lucky we are to experience the truest of loves, if we ever get to. But also how lucky we are if we get to experience it more than once in a lifetime. It taught me that though I might not think it right now, maybe one day, when the right time comes along, I’ll find that kind of love again.

If you’re looking for a romantic story to whisk you away, download this to your kindle (or if you like the feel and smell of a real book like I do, grab it in paperback) when it comes out on Sunday October 1st.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Another nice easy feel good read which can be done in one sitting.

A Seaside Escape by Lisa Hobman is a great read. An emotional journey of a woman losing her loved one. It was easy to relate to her loss, grief, and to understand some of her actions. A heartbreaking tale that felt realistic. I felt sympathy for Mallory. I can't imagine how hard it was for her. But at the same time, her journey seemed to drag. It was stretching the grief out as though it were a rubber band but without it ever breaking. There had to be an earlier time to let go of her past memories in order to move forward a bit faster. There was also, another main character who suffered the same loss. Their connection was entertaining to follow. Again, I wished she, Mallory, would have realized that sooner. Other than that, the book overall, was good. Heartfelt, sweet, and believable.

Mallory Westerman and her boyfriend, Sam, were just beginning their lives together and everything was going perfectly for them. The couple had just bought their dream home and were planning the rest of their lives when tragedy strikes. When Sam was late returning home Mallory was beginning to worry when there is a knock at the door and she gets the worse news of her life, Sam had been in an accident and didn’t make it.

With Mallory’s world shattered she really doesn’t know how she’ll move on without Sam in her life but finds comfort where she least expected from a local man she had just met before Sam’s accident. Greg wasn’t the friendliest of the locals at their first meeting but after losing Sam Mallory finds that she and Greg have that grief in common as he had recently lost his love too. The unlikely friends soon find themselves leaning on each other but Mallory is hesitant to let her feelings go deeper so soon after the loss of Sam.

A Seaside Escape by Lisa Hobman is a contemporary romance read that takes readers on a roller coaster ride of emotional ups and downs all throughout the story. As much as I liked about this book and Mallory’s story there were things that I just didn’t care for along the way too. For the good in this one I did quite enjoy Greg and his musical side. The author brought in playlists all throughout the book which went right along with Greg’s feelings and actions at the time. The setting is also quite nice and dealing with grief in the story had it’s ups and downs and Mallory’s feelings were realistic in her struggles to cope with her loss.

However, on the other side of things I felt that the author really could have cut out a lot of the flashbacks with Sam after he was gone in the story. This seemed a bit distracting to building a new relationship to continue to focus on the old to great lengths. I would expect Mallory to remember Sam but this could have been done in a paragraph or two here and there. Also, I struggled with liking Mallory overall as a character since at one moment she would be someone I’d feel for and want to find happiness and the next she would seem to go overboard to the annoying side and I’d start to dislike her which would really bring down the book yet again. In the end I’d probably rate this one at 2.5 stars, some good parts but they did get overshadowed unfortunately.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What a lovely book! I opened this book, unsure quite what to expect, but the story line carried me along through first love, loss, tumultuous change and finally falling in love all over again! Mallory is the kind of down to earth girl, you will cheer on from the start and then of course there's the arrival of the brooding, guitar strumming Scots man - a modern day Darcy!
This is a story to fall in love with, a triumph of love over loss, hope over heartache and ultimately a tale that will lift your spirits and leave you smiling at the end! Well done Ms Hobman, a great debut!

First of, let me thank NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

Now to what I think of the book... It was just ok. Needs editing. The story of Mallory and Sam was unnecessary to the story which is about Mallory and Greg. Mallory and Sam's story should be relegated to the background, the basis for Mallory's grief and the start of her life in Scotland. I get it, she loved him so much. But the chapters dedicated to Mallory and Sam was unnecessary. It drew away from Greg and Mallory's story.

Mallory was at times, such a stubborn unlikeable person. Greg, I love his taste in music, was well, not like the alpha males that are out there in the fictional world in droves. Despite that, I liked him better than Mallory. And so I rooted for them to get together. It was nice that their story really started as friends (well as much as Mallory would allow) and that they decided to honor their dead loved ones.

But still, Sam and Mallory's story was not needed at all.

This book was a bit sentimental and cloying in places. That being said it was fairly imaginative and at times very moving. It was well written and the story moved along nicely.

I got this book as I sometimes need a break from the thriller style books. It was just what I needed started gently and I thought it was going to be happy ever after but quite the opposite. Mallory is thrown into a dark deep world and can't see a way out the author takes you from Yorkshire to Scotland making sure you have to to understand and relate to all the characters. Because from then on its not plain sailing and I cried ,laughed and gasped at how the author navigates Mallory through the following months of her life .loved it

Mallory is the main character and this story follows her through a life changing period of time. I loved the premise, parts of it were maybe too long, too descriptive? But nevertheless and enjoyable read. Mallory meets the love of her life and they make plans for the future and move up to Scotland to live by the sea. But life had plans of its own.

Fell in love with this book. Its cover is lovely. Made me curious to find out more. The description sounded like just my kind of book. Im sad to say the book wasnt for me. I found it very slow and tedious. The writing was poor and almost cheesy. Maybe would appeal more to a teen age.

I am a Cover Lover, and always have been a soft touch for a gorgeous cover, it even looks as if my little 15 year old Patterdale cross, Bertie has got a staring role on the cover of this book!! its not him but it really does look like him.
A Seaside Escape did not disappoint, neither did the characters, they came over as “normal” who chatted about everyday things and laughed, cried and in general made this a very enjoyable book to read.

I am a music lover and loved the playlist idea! A Yorkshire Lass too so been somewhere not too far from me, kind of felt as if i was reading about home until Scotland was on the horizon, then my ears and eyes really opened. I adore that part of the world and loved the descriptions of the area as well as the other people which appeared along the way.

A book is what you make it, just like life… This was my kind of read…

This was a very long winded story,back and forth. In love not in love. When the story started I was looking forward to the story as it went on I wanted it to end.