Where There’s a Will by Beth Corby a five-star read that will challenge you. Beth Corby has just become a one click author for me on the standard of this novel alone. Its funny and honest and will challenge you, it shows us grief and family drama and you will laugh at inappropriate moments, but you may also be sad at some strange ones too. Hannah will allow you to accompany her along her journey, you get the joy of watching her get a sense of purpose in her life but that’s not the story. But the thing is, she isn’t the character that will show you the most in this story, that honour falls to Donald, he may be a black sheep but sometimes they are the ones that can show you the most. Alec will challenge you as he isn’t that likeable for most of the story, but the rest makes up for it. Now all I need to do is find out what else Beth Corby has written so I can get me some more reading done.

You, like me, might figure out early on that Uncle Donald's tasks for Hannah after his death were arranged so that she would gain confidence and, in his fondest dreams, find love with Alec, his assistant. No matter, Hannah's a mess but Donald sees something in her that the rest of her family does not and that's why she is his heir. He's a hoot, btw, and a good egg. Alec is a classic foil to help her along (and to see what Donald saw in her). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a light read and one that will make you smile.

I decided to read this while relaxing next to a pool. The blurb and the cover made it seem like a upbeat, fun book and I'm delighted to say it didn't disappoint. It was a joy to read from beginning to end, easy to read but also very much one of those were you laught out loud and giggle to yourself. The main character Hannah was relatable (don't we all get compared to our older more successful siblings, dont we all have those relatives who we let treat us like a doormat), he reactions to the situations she was in were funny but also believable and I thorougly enjoyed watching her character develop and grow with the story. Uncle Donald was an amazing, intriguing character with a fascinating history. Honestly he made me wish I also had an uncle as fun and "eccentric" as that. More than anything I loved the message of this book (no spoilers, not giving it away), it was the perfect read for a relaxing thursday night.

It was one of those day when you feel blue when I read this book and it improved my mood and made me smile.
It's a funny, quirky and entertaining read, you will root for the characters and will not be able to put this book down.
I liked the humor, the plot, and the well written characters.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This a lovely piece of escapist contemporary fiction from Beth Corby, it is a light hearted and entertaining read for those times you need a uplifting book. It opens with 25 year old Hannah's interview to become a teacher, and it is an abysmal disaster. In truth, Hannah has no inner drive to become a teacher, so perhaps it is no surprise that her interview is such a flop, the only problem is that she has no idea what else she wants to do. She did a degree in Art History and is now on the cusp of completing her second degree in English. She is belittled and ridiculed by her family, and seen as a failure, compared unfavourably with her go-getting ambitious sister, Laurel, who is a high flying head hunting recruiter in that profession's dog eat dog world. Her family, parents and Laurel, Grandma Betty, Grandpa Albert, Uncle Nigel, Aunty Pam, their obnoxious son, Nicholas, have all been invited to tea, a first meeting with the estranged Great Uncle Donald at his fabulous home, The Laurels.

While a number in the family look around in wonder at the wealth that Uncle Donald appears to possess, there are those who look to establish a relationship with him that they hope will lead to them inheriting his fortune, particularly Nicholas and Laurel. However, it is Hannah that Donald takes an interest in, and when he dies shortly after, he sets her a series of tasks with an unspecified reward at the end. She is helped in the tasks by Donald's PA, Alec, he is suspicious of Hannah, suffering from grief, just like the housekeeper, Mrs Crumpton, who continues to communicate with the dead Donald, berating him on a constant basis. The tasks are geared towards getting Hannah to engage in life, accumulate a diversity of life experiences, become more confident in her aspirations to become a writer, learn to stand on her own two feet, handle her troublesome family, particularly her sister, Laurel, so that she can be who she is. The letters that Alec give her from Donald at the end of each task has her getting to know Donald, warts and all, his life, and the significant people and events in his life, and what a life it is!

Corby does a lovely job in portraying dysfunctional family members, and the priceless gift that Donald offers Hannah, to not mirror the rifts and estrangement from family that regretfully was his lot in life. From beyond the grave, he provides Hannah with the close friendships of those that mattered to him, like Jane Forester and Mrs Crumpton. The romance between Alec and Hannah is very much a background affair in comparison to the larger picture of Hannah's character development as she becomes more comfortable in her own skin and begins to learn to really live life. Nothing gelled the main characters together more than facing a villainous adversary, the despicable Mrs Jennings, and the scheming Laurel. This is a wonderfully engaging read! Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

Perfect for those of us that love a bit of fluff! A sweet and fun little read that will leave you grinning from ear to ear from not only humour, just pure sweeeeet fluff 😍 A nice original storyline as well that was interesting the entire way through.

With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Staughton for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Twenty five year old Hannah had spent her adult life as a university student. First she gained a degree in art history and then decided to study for an English degree. At home Hannah was treated as the runt of the litter, and constantly put down by her successful older sister Lauren.

One day Hannah`s family received an invitation to visit Donald who had been estranged from the family for years. During the meeting Hannah and Donald spoke and she revealed she wanted to write a book.

Three months later Donald passed away, at the will reading Hannah was told she would receive an undisclosed award if she performed a series of tasks. The instructions for The tasks would be held by Alec, Donald`s PA.

I think the plot line to Where there`s a will was truly unique. The characters were wonderfully drawn although there were a couple I didn't like.

I absolutely loved Uncle Donald, he was definitely a roue in his time!! I enjoyed the challenges because they were innocent such as star gazing, building a go kart and going to the theatre in London. But each task told the reader a little bit about Donald`s life. I liked how Donald kept some of his old friendships and were still part of his life.

I liked Hannah and her willingness to perform tasks for a family member she barely knew. I also liked the housekeeper Mrs Crumpton who would still argue with Donald out loud.

I didn't like Lauren and was annoyed every time she put Hannah down. Where There`s a Will was a heart warming read, I look forward to the authors next book.

If you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella books this might be for you. It was a cute fluffy story that would be perfect to get you out of that reading slump or to read at the beach. You don't have to think too hard and can just enjoy the ride (even though you already know the destination) overall, it kept my attention and I think I would read more by this author if I needed more light reading material.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There's just something about this book that got me hooked. It was one of those situations where I was just over halfway through before I went to bed, and I was so drawn into the story that I didn't put it down until it was finished (and only a few hours left before I had to be up for the day). That doesn't happen to me often anymore.

I liked Hannah's character. I liked her dynamic with Alec, too. They were both skeptical of the other in a believable way, and their story progressed at what I thought was a nice pace. Hannah's family, however, is a little too mean to be plausible. There was no real reason for her to be the outcast (okay, so she's 25 and hasn't quite found a job that she likes yet—when I was 25, I had a lot of friends in the same boat), and there was no reason for them to be as invested in the will as they were... they barely knew the guy, and they were all pretty well off, from what I could tell.

I think I was mostly interested in Great Uncle Donald's story. He was an interesting man with a very complicated past, and we only got to discover it piece by piece with Hannah. I wanted to know everything there was to know about how all the pieces fit together, and I could only do that by powering through the chapters (and the tasks) one by one. There were many twists and reveals that I didn't see coming—I love when a book's plot surprises me!—and although some of the reveals were a little bit anticlimactic (Mrs. Jennings's secret, for one), I still appreciate that the story made sense as a whole.

The book embraces quirks, which I love. And although the whole "I leave you letters after my death to help you find your way" trope is not new, because Donald was such a fascinating character, it felt refreshing.

4.5 STARS

This post will go live on my blog, The Modest Reader, on May 20, 2019 at 7:30 am.

https://themodestreader.com/2019/05/20/where-theres-a-will

I really enjoyed this book, I found it humorous in all the right places, but also poignant in others. Hannah is a likeable character, despite being a bit of a doormat when it comes to her family. The tasks she undertakes as she finds out more about her long lost relative were fun and the relationship she had with her family believable. The reveals about her Great Uncle Donald happened slowly throughout and it had a well paced plot.
Overall, a well written romantic comedy.

Where There’s a Will
An eccentric elderly relative, family members estranged for decades and nobody knows why, and a healthy dose of people who believe they are better than everyone else. This quirkily set romance is a delight to read.
Hannah doesn’t really know where her life is going, and at the ripe old age of 25, she’s feeling the pressure of her older, and more successful sister. And then Hannah gets a mystery bequest in a Will that changes her life in some very unexpected ways.
The relationships between Hannah, Alec and her sister Lauren are full of friction, sparks and a few unexpected turns. Although they are also a little bit predictable at times, but I don’t think that detracts from the enjoyment of the book at all.
The way that the story weaves in and out of the series of letters and discoveries of her family’s past and in particular the past of her Great-Uncle Donald is a great way to move the storytelling between time frames and between characters.
The story flowed nicely and kept me interested and engaged with the main characters throughout the book.
Overall a great read that I would recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Beth Corby for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book contains many unexpected elements, likeable plot and characters. I have really enjoyed this book- I couldn't put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of Where There's a Will.

Hannah is a quiet, reserved young woman looking for her path in life.

Bouncing from job to job, she is constantly overlooked and dismissed by her own family, especially her successful headhunter of an elder sister.

When the entire family is brought to meet a great-uncle Donald, the black sheep of the family, Hannah and Donald discover a mutual respect and rapport and hit it off.

When she meets her great-uncle Donald, the black sheep of the family, the two of them hit it off. When he dies, he leaves a series of tasks for Hannah to accomplish with the end goal being that she rediscover her passion and true calling in life.

It took me some time to get into this book. It was rife with typical cliches and chick lit stereotypes:

1. Hannah is the typical browbeaten, often forgotten member of the family. She is meek and mild and is constantly patronized by her relatives.

2. Her sister is beautiful, aggressive and seductive. Naturally, she tries to insinuate herself when Hannah and Donald's PA begin to develop a sort of friendship.

3. Great Uncle Donald's personal assistant is, naturally, a looker. Because handsome men are a dime a dozen in books!

4. Hannah's family are made up of rude, insensitive cads (actually, this applies to real life since I can relate)

5. How convenient Donald is wealthy, especially since Hannah's career path will rely on being independently wealthy.

Yet, as I read on, I liked Donald more and more as readers (and Hannah) get to know him through his letters. He is honest and transparent about his mistakes, what he did and why he did what he did.

In his revelations, he also sheds light on how he met the most important people in his life and how their paths cross and continue to inspire love and loyalty among all of them.

When a villain from Donald's past threatens to destroy his good name and reputation, Hannah must work with Donald's loyal friends to concoct a plan to protect her uncle and everyone he loved.

Throughout the novel, Hannah, as a character, evolved and matured as she began to know her uncle and his faults. She learned to find her voice by reading her uncle's letters told through his voice.

Donald reveals pieces of his past, his secrets, his joys, many heartbreaks, and the lessons he learned on his own, which he imparts to Hannah in the end.

The tasks are not difficult but learning experiences, fun and meditative, seeking the little pleasures in life we all take for granted amid the bustle of our daily lives.

As a result, with the help of Donald and the PA, Hannah grows a backbone and faces her parents and conniving sister and relatives, and realize that the first person you should love is yourself, with all your faults and foibles.

The writing is good, and though the pacing is kind of slow, Donald's voice shines through in his letters, his sincerity and forthrightness in not taking shit from anyone is something we can all relate to and learn from.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel. Beth Corby Introduces us to Hannah in her Romance novel “Where There Is A Will”. Hannah is a loveable character who I found myself rooting for from the start. Hannah is twenty-five and about to graduate from university and has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up. She realizes that she is grown up and this is a bit of a problem. Her family treats her as a lost cause and it is no surprise to them that her latest field of study, English, that has led to an interview, for a teaching position, was a disaster. What to do now? Hannah feels fresh out of ideas and dreads seeing her family in the aftermath of her most recent failure.

A mysterious invitation from an estranged uncle, his will, and her possible inheritance all ask of Hannah those things she has never really asked herself.

She has no idea how her life will change should she choose to honor her uncle’s last wishes. He has left Hannah with a set of letters containing instructions to complete the tasks he has left her to perform. She is not pleased that his personal assistant will be the one to assist with the tasks. She does not like him very much and feels the feeling is mutual. As the story progresses we learn a lot about Hannah and her uncle. Their characters share similar values though they have had different experiences. Hannah feels close to her uncle through these letters and not only honors his requests but also defends his honor at the same time.

I recommend Corby’s book. It is a fun read and keeps you guessing with every turn of the page. This is a whimsical romance and perfect for a weekend read. Her characters are well defined and the story has a great pace. I found myself willing Hannah along through her tasks and talking to her out loud when she let herself get in her own way.

If you are looking for a fun read and a story to make you feel good, "Where There Is a Will" is for you. Pack this novel in your beach bag or suitcase for vacation! It will be available May 30, 2019. 📚📚📚1/2 Stacks out of 5
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#WhereTheresAwill #NetGalley A lovely easy to read uplifting book. I really liked the character of Hannah , though not so much her family apart from Uncle Donald! I loved the way that we got to know more about Uncle Donald at the same time as Hannah through the letters that he left her. I did think that some of the 'tasks' were a bit lame but it did not deter from the overall enjoyment of the book. A great holiday read.

I enjoyed this cute uplifting romantic comedy! It was super presh. I enjoyed reading the development as the. book played out and the sparks between the characters.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Bear with this book it is a bit of a slow starter. Trust me it’s worth it- Hannah and Alec are great characters well written with some emotional chemistry.
Good book all round
Thank you to both NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this. It reminded me of P.S. I love you, but with a happier outcome. There isn't much I could fault with the book. It is written well, quite fast paced and has a myriad of characters that bring out different reactions and emotions in the reader. There are moments where it is not a light read, and has you appreciating life and the relationships that matter. Other times the chemistry keeps you on the edge of your seat, taking away from the main tasks in the story.
This is definitely a book I'll be recommending to others.
4.5 stars

What a great read! Beth Corby outdid herself! Hannah and Alec had great chemistry that had me flipping the pages. I would highly recommend.

Sooo... this book is a bit of a slow burner. It took a while to get into it and I wouldn’t necessarily say I was hooked at the beginning but wow! That soon changed! This is a book that teaches you life lessons as you read. It’s a book that is morally thought provoking and makes you think, “Yes I should definitely stand up for what I believe in and what is right!” Hannah is an amazing main character and is treat dreadfully by her family from the beginning. It is wonderful to see her stand up to them in the end! Just goes to show that being kind rules over all else!