***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Victoria Cooke. ***

2.5 stars

It Started With A Note: A brand-new uplifting read of love and new adventures for 2018!, Victoria Cooke, was just OK for me. Cath, a single mom whose son has just left for university, finds a box of her great-grandfather’s letters from WWI. She decides to retrace his steps in France. While there, she falls for her handsome tour guide, Oliver.

For me, the balance of this book was off. There was a lot of WWI history, making the story less character driven, which is they type of story I prefer. The WWI mentions were likely meant to be moving, but after a few times I found the references rather heavy and sad, not all that well suited for a romance. If you love history, none of this will likely bother you, but I felt like we spent the majority of the book in the past. I wanted to be in the present. I wanted to get to know Cath and Oliver and watch them fall in love. For much of the story—nearly three quarters of the book—there is only the suggestion of feelings and mixed signals and back-and-forth. The last quarter of the story saved the book for me. We really get to see Oliver and Cath give in to their feelings and work out whether they can have a future together. Oliver was so romantic. His heart was just out there on his sleeve. And he was such a gentleman to Cath, which I adored. I really liked Cath too, though I honestly want to kick her plenty of times for standing in her own way. By the end of the book, Cooke tied up the ends nicely and I was happy with where the characters ended up. I wanted to be wowed by this book, but I simply wasn’t.

It Started With A Note by Victoria Cooke is the most delightful contemporary romance about two loves a century apart.
The love just oozes from the novel. They are loves that will last. They are loves that are wrenched apart. There are loves of parents for their children. The whole novel is a tribute to love – not wild, searing passion but a deep love that reaches beyond the novel to envelope the reader and make us feel loved too.
With amusing dialogue and everyday situations, the reader can empathise with the lead character. She could be any one of us as she goes about her daily life. Her problems of fly away hair and crumpled tee-shirts give a universal appeal.
Set in England and France, the two locations could not be more different. The rain in Britain contrasts with the bright atmosphere in France.
The novel is about connecting the past with the present as century old letters from The Front are discovered by a great granddaughter. In memory of him, she decides to tour the WWI battlefields where he fought. The reader feels the sadness and complete waste of young lives, used as cannon fodder and snuffed out. “Killed like he was nothing.” So many families devastated on all sides.
If war teaches us one thing, it is to cherish our loved ones. People matter. “Happiness comes from within and from the people you are connected to, not from a place.” Places and stuff mean nothing without loved ones. We need to practice carpe diem and seize the day. Grab life with both hands and live it. The novel shows that life can be an adventure if we would just grab the opportunities that come our way.
It Started With A Note is such a wonderful read. It left me smiling and with a warm heart. Victoria Cooke is a new author to me but I want to read more, more, more.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I do love a good romance.
This book brings with it a history of the World War One and the separate battles each regiment faced.
Cath decides to travel to and visit each part of France her Great Grandad battle against the enemy.
During her travels she meets Olivier (a tour guide) and vows not to fall in love with him, this proves easier said than done.
3 and a half stars.

Having researched my own family history and found several relatives who served during the wars I loved the concept of this book exploring a part of a tragic family past and the realities of WW1. During the centenary for the armistice it has been particularly poignant to remember how many lives changed forever during the Great War.
Cath's pilgrimage during this book to visit France where her great-grandfather fought and wrote letters, that Cath has unearthed, to his love, was such a sweet touch.
I initially found Cath a frustrating protagonist; she has clearly gotten in to a rut of letting others walk over her and take advantage of her nature, she's lost her passion for life and confidence in breaking out of the norm and I could relate to that; I think parenting very often can have that affect and especially when so much relies on you. Thankfully life throws her in an unexpected direction and this forces her to take chances on something new and different, albeit reluctantly at first.
The bits I loved about this book were: the journey of self-rediscovery that Cath embarks on, and also how this changes those around her, for the better; the letters written by Cath's great-grandfather and the historical battle information this reveals in the story; the wonderful friends that Cath makes on her trip.
There was a point about midway through that I felt a bit lost, things flattened a little and the aim of researching her family past seemed to get forgotten for a while that was noticeable to me. I would have liked to have read a little bit more about her grandparents' story and its conclusion, as well as seeing more of a satisfying comeuppance for her feckless brother, but maybe that's just me. I also have a bit of a problem with the ending, not how things worked out as that part was written well, but more a final scene that I won't spoil, but if you've read as many contemporary dramas and romances as I have you will probably guess what happens as this conclusion seems to be how the majority of books in this genre end these days and I am a little weary of it if I am honest.
Other than that this is a book that you are absorbed by and involved with and it is full of romance with an endearing character in Olivier. If you love an uplifting read you will enjoy It Started With A Note!

After a slow, somewhat depressing start, I thought about not continuing with this book. I'm so glad I persevered. I really enjoyed it, and it was a bit different. Learning about the First World War, being taking around various locations in France, was great. And now I want to go and see the same places - always a good sign! I did think that Cath was a little melodramatic at times (despite her practical streak), as there wasn't really any problem with her and Olivier being together, but that's a minor point. And looking back I guess the depressing start was to set the scene. So all in all a good read.

This was a first time for me with one of Victoria Cooke's books and it won't be my last! This book was a surprise, a sweet and touching story. Cath is a single mom with a dull life and we follow her journey through France following her great-grandfather tracks during the Great War. The memories of that terrible War are very touching, and it breaks your heart just the thought of so many people leaded there by their hope and duty only to find death and never come back to their beloved ones. I found that part of the story surprisingly touching and beatiful. Of course, we have a lovely romance with a hot french guy that will give you butterflies in the right places LOL (he was, by far, my favourite character). Cath sometimes drove me crazy, with her constant stubborness (especially at the end of the book) but Oliver is pure perfection.
The book is quite predictable and I found the ending a little poorly developed but, overall, the reading was a cozy one, sweet and charming.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This is a book with real heart, and clearly written from the same place. In the acknowledgements, the author reveals her personal connection to the heartbreaking events of World War One, when so many young men lost their lives on the muddy and blood-soaked battlefields of France.
Cath is a single mother with her only son at university and her layabout brother, Gary, causing her no end of grief. Her life is stagnating, until she discovers some old letters and sets off on a timid adventure to follow in the footsteps of her great-grandfather.
Of course, there is a love interest in the form of the delectable Olivier whose background and life is so far removed from Cath's own existence. Together, they explore the places that serve as memorials to those lost in battle, with a few other colourful characters adding to mix. Will their differences – and geographical distance – prove too much?
There are some lovely lines – 'It's as though the views and weather here are acting as some kind of consolation for what happened in the early twentieth century'. And I adored one section where Cath quietens down a group of noisy schoolchildren when she explains how the WWI soldiers were only a handful of years older than themselves.
Billing the book as 'hilarious' is something of a misnomer. There are a few gentle laughs, but for me this is a romance tinged with sadness and a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by so many. It ends a little abruptly, but I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying Cath on her voyage of self-discovery.

This book was very captivating. I was hooked from the first chapter. Five starts. I enjoyed the characters and the story so very much.

Prior to this book I had not seen nor heard of Victoria Cooke before.
I liked her writing style- it was well written, however saying that I just could not get on with the characters.
An ok read
Thank to both NetGalley and HQ Digital for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Cath is at loose ends after her son Kiernan leaves for university. After finding letters written by her great grandfather, she travels to France to track his history. There she meets Olivier and, of course, romance ensues. This isn't as funny as the blurb suggests but it has a good heart and makes for good read when you need something diverting (perfect for travel!). Cath's a good character as is Olivier so you'll root for them. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Not my favourite of Victoria Cooke's but it was still enjoyable. Easy to read, heart warming. It was nice to read a novel from an older woman's perspective and it was different to what I usually read. Wasn't a huge fan of some of the secondary characters but I did like reading about Cath and her journey.

The note piqued my interest from the start however, and I found from this point on I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed this story!

This was quite a nostalgic story and I thought was very well written and very enjoyable.

The writing style was great and the author had great attention to detail with the story but I did feel that there was a bit too much detail in places and I think it detracted from the main plot for me at times.

The characters were believable and I could really relate to them and they worked really well with the story. The flow of the story was great and I read it in a day.

Four stars from me, an enjoyable story - highly recommended!

*3.5*

"It started with a note" is the lovely story of Cath, a single mum who had her child really early in her life, and since then she's never thought about herself for a minute, not anymore.
Until the moment she finds a box of letters that belonged to her grandmother: her great-grandfather fought in WWI, in France, and he wrote those letters to his wife and his daughter. The man tragically died in the War, and Cath, inspired by his great-grandfather bravery, decides to go to France to explore the places where he fought.
There she meets Olivier, a really gorgeous travel guide, and the connection between the two sparkles almost immediately.


I was so entertained by this book, I really liked the idea of a romance set in France, with a bit of history aspects, and I particularly enjoyed Olivier and his "lessons".
He was by far my favourite character, cause he was so dreamy, and I can totally see why Cath starts to fall for him.
The connection between the two is undeniable, and I was very much rooting for their happy ending. Every little thing Olivier did for Cath made my heart melt, cause he was very thoughtful.
The mother/son relationship between Kieran and Cath was also very heartwarming, and very touching.
One thing I didn't particularly enjoyed was the variety of characters who had little purpose. Sometimes I've found them to be a little bit repetetive. I would have loved a little bit more time of them being in love, or at least in their sort-of relationship, but we can't have it all.
I'm really grateful to have read this book in advance, and I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ Digital again for giving me this opportunity.
I will certainly read another Victoria Cooke's book.

This book started well and I really liked Cath and understood why she travelled to France. However for some reason I wasn't as engaged with the story midway through. A lovely idea however for me it lost me.

Thank you to NetGalley & publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

3/5 (thank you Netgalley & publisher for the digital arc)

It Started With A Note promised a blend between romantic comedy and heartwarming story. It delivered, no worries, but to me it possessed few interesting pieces.

Cath had enough reasons to left her usual life and traveled to France for a month: a son who just left home for college, a deadbeat brother, and letters she found from her late grandfather where he talked about France during his war days. Romantic escapades ensued.

I was interested with the cover at first, so fresh! And Cath character didn't disappoint, the first few chapters also worked for me. But somehow, after Cath met Olivier, I lost any interest quickly.

However, it might be a case of me, not the book. To me, the writing was fine, and have I told you all that I love Cath? I like how she interacted with the people around her, her optimism, and the fact that at least it was sorta romantic comedy with a real adult character and not just 20something running around like they have no time left for love is refreshing.

Recommended for a quick beach read.