The task of repopulating the senior library has been an exciting and daunting task aS in a boarding school our aim is to encourage all members of the community to read. Because of this, I have been searching down a wide and diverse range of books to read that will entice a wide cross-section of the school to come in, browse and find books that they love.
Books like this will ensure that the senior students in the school see the library as a diverse, modern and exciting place with books that speak to them and they want to recommend to their friends, classmates, teachers and tutors.
It is an engrossing and exciting read with fully-formed characters and a plot that ensures that it's hard to look away. It is as far from formulaic as it is possible to be and kept me up far too late in order to finish it. I immediately wanted to read all of this writer's other books as I loved their voice and found that it really drew me into the story and made me think about it even when I'd stepped away from this tale.
This is a thought-provoking read which I'm sure will be a popular and well-read addition to our new library; I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to read it and I know that the students are going to absolutely love it too!

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

A lovely heartwarming read - Lizzie recieves a letter from her boyfriend 12 years after he mysteriously vanished. Lizzie decides to find out what happened to him . Its a story with lots of twists and turns - its about friendships, first loves, mental health.

How exciting to review a book by someone I know. (To clarify, I do not actually know Lia but we chat on Twitter – she posts about food, parenting, exhaustion and Bon Jovi, and who am I to diss any of that?)

Somewhere-Close-to-Happy-1-1Somewhere Close to Happy is Lia’s debut novel and has the loveliest cover with a dear little caravan on it (the significance of this becomes clear when you read the book). It is the story of Lizzie James, in her twenties and working in a steady but dull job, living at home with her dad, and trying to deal with a family wedding where she’s been invited to be a bridesmaid out of obligation on the bride’s part. So far, so ‘women’s novel’ but the book soon tells us more about Lizzie’s life so far.

For into her life comes a letter, from Roman, a boy who was Lizzie’s best friend, her rock, her salvation when she struggled with terrible mental health issues as a teenager. Lizzie met Roman in a youth facility for ‘troubled teens’ and together they helped each other survive. Until Roman disappeared. Now, 12 years later, Lizzie takes his letter and, with her friend Priscilla, tries to track him down.

Once in a while you read stories in the media about how children are growing up too fast and what they can and can’t handle, what we should or shouldn’t be teaching them etc. And oftentimes, you forget what reality is like for many kids across the country. But Lizzie and Roman are trying to deal with divorce, bereavement, alcoholism and neglect, even before you talk about their mental ill health. Their story is told through a mixture of present scenes, flashback scenes and instant messaging chats that Lizzie finds in the attic. This way, Louis tells us just enough at a time, while giving us accomplished glimpses of their characters.

There is some wicked humour here. Lizzie’s family, in the pre-wedding scenes, are ghastly, and her best friend Priscilla is a blast, despite facing sad times of her own. The humour is there to offset some poignant scenes, as the truth of Roman’s disappearance comes to light. But the main story is Lizzie’s, a girl who starts out just trying to manage but ends up lifting herself higher. This is a deftly told tale, and we are in the hands of a talented new writer. Louis’s next book has already set the publishing world aflame – so once you’ve finished this one, get waiting impatiently for the next!

Somewhere Close to Happy is published on Thursday by Orion Books and you can find it at all good bookshops. Thanks to Netgalley for my advance copy.

This was a stunning debut to read - refreshing to find an author with unique talent and style exploring beautiful topics and painting wonderful characters.

A very impressive debut novel, that delves into mental health and some other issues, while also being a journey of trying to rediscover yourself.

It's the story of Lizzie and Roman who were incredibly close when they were teens, until Roman just disappeared out of her life 13 years ago.

She has had no clue where he is, but out of the blue she recieves a letter that leads her to search for him.

Within this search as readers we are treated to chapters dealing with events 13 years ago, which were very interesting, especially the time they both spent in The Grove.

I found it surprisingly fast to read, and it was very hard to tear myself away from the story at times.

I have a feeling that elements of this book will be staying with me for a while, which is always a sign of a good book in my eyes.

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

Ok. Lizzie pines for her first love, Roman, who disappeared twelve years ago. She has never been able to move on with her life. I just found it slightly unbelievable.

I expected a light read, from the cover, but never judge a book by its cover. This book is a pleasant surprise, filled with emotion and suspense. It was a perfecr read as autumn closed in.

I did feel though, the changes between scenes wasn't totally flawless. And, the formatting of this copy made it a challenge to read at times.

Overall though, I'm really happy with this book and would willingly recommend it!

For a debut novel I was surprisingly impressed. For me, the characters were well developed and greatly fleshed out, which can be difficult to find in a standard rom com. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to those who want a nice easy read to get them through a rainy day!

An interesting story with several twist and turns that led you into the complicated lives we leave. Recommended to those who enjoy reading this type of book.

This book is just a delight. A perfect summer read with a little bit of mystery, I absolutely devoured it. I'll read anything Lia Louis writes - her work is just so warm and I devoured Somewhere Close to Happy. Would highly recommend.

The story takes you on a journey with Lizzie when she gets a letter from Roman, a childhood sweetheart. Well written but it took a few chapters to get me hooked. A great debut novel.

Oh my goodness what a wonderful read.
It hooked me from the get go, with its intrigue dotted amongst a beautiful love story. I loved the characters and the flow of the story. It made me laugh and cry.
Superb.
Thank you to Lia Louis and Netgalley for the ARC.
Highly recommended.

Lizzie James has a settled life at the age of 27, and is happy with her family and her best friend, Priscilla. As we see, this hasn't always been the case, and Lizzie has had mental health problems for years. As a teenager she ettended a unit for troubled teens, and here she met Roman, who was the only one who understood her, and they became a form of mutual support. The mental health issues in the book are handled sensitively, even when we see how family members didn't always understand. The death of her beloved grandfather was a catalyst for events affecting the rest of her life, as Roman disappeared. Now, years later, Lizzie receives a letter from Roman, written on the day he left. She sets out to track him down, with the help of Priscilla. Her anxiety resurfaces and we see her battles to overcome it, not helped by a family who don't understand. Her aunt is particularly difficult and I felt myself shouting at her! This was an emotional read, while being funny too, and I enjoyed it on many different levels. #somewhereclosetohappy #netgalley

Incredibly well-written, but I found the main character a little plain, and the premise felt insubstantial as more details were revealed. I felt a little mislead and frustrated.

I do think this author is very talented, and I would read something else by her, but I think the book was missing an extra element of mystery

Lizzie' world is shaken to the core the day she receives a letter from her childhood friend and first love, Roman Meyers. The problem is that the letter is dated 12 years ago, when Roman mysteriously disappeared from her life, but it has only just been posted.

Roman...the faithful friend who could see the real Lizzie, behind the anxiety and depression she felt after the break-up of her parents' marriage.
The friend who said he would never leave her, despite his own troubles.
The friend who was going to be her companion when they left their worries behind and travelled off into the sunset in the battered old caravan named "Sea Fog".

Where are you Roman? Why did you leave? Are you safe?

Lizzie has certainly had a troubled childhood, made worse by the loss of her beloved granddad, Hubble, just before Roman disappeared from her life. It took her a long time to get to where she is now, but she has settled into a routine with a steady job and her regular Thursday nights round at her dad's place, with her brother and sister-in-law. It is best to avoid some members of the family - such as the horrendous Aunt Shell - but Lizzie mostly manages to succeed. She is somewhere close to happy, at least.

Encouraged and aided by her oldest friend, Priscilla, Lizzie attempts to track down Roman. She is unsure if she really wants to do this, at first - scared of what she might find, but Priscilla plays Sherlock to Lizzie's Watson and they soon begin to uncover some clues. Lizzie's search will stir up some painful memories and she will learn some truths that she did not expect along the way. Can she find Roman and forgive him for leaving her?

This book is wonderful.
The timeline moves around a lot between the present and past - swinging between the events of now and the events that tell the story of Lizzie and Roman's relationship. Past events do not always come in the order that they happened, but this serves to build up layer upon layer of the history between Lizzie, Roman and her messed up family. Everyone here will benefit from confronting their past to help them move forward.

Tension builds beautifully towards the end of Lizzie's search, when the answers to the past become clear.
Lizzie will reach a kind of peace with what happened to her years ago, and a breach will also begin to heal between the fractured members of her own family....well all except the awful Aunt Shell anyway, who seems beyond help and needs a good kick in her substantial pants!

This is a book about friendship, love, loss, family and accepting people for what they are. I absolutely loved it and sobbed my little heart out at the end.

An incredibly emotional story with characters who jump off the page. Well written with a strong voice carrying difficult themes and strong emotions all the way to the end. This is a fantastic debut from a fantastic author.

An absorbing book where Lizzie receives a letter from her friend Roman dated 12 years earlier. It follows her search for him and the reasoning behind this letter.

A true heartwarming read. It’s an amazing debut novel, in fact I couldn’t believe it was a debut book. The characters are so well written and relatable, you really go on Lizzie’s journey with her. An emotional read. I will definitely be reading more by Lia.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This story had great potential, it is well written and had an interesting storyline. The plot is intriguing and quite different from what I was expecting; the search for Roman had me intrigued.

The characters are interesting, if somewhat annoying at times. I like Roman best of all and I wanted him to be found and for him to be happy. The characters are well developed and you certainly felt for them.


For me, though it just missed the mark. There was too much going backwards and forward, although I get this was to set the scene but it felt messy. I found it difficult to get into for quite a long way into the story. Having said that, the ending was really good and not what I expected at all. It is definitely worth a read.