I adored this story. From the bleakness of Genie’s emotions and the scene in the pub at lunchtime in the beginning to tears at the end, I feel as if I’ve been part of Genie’s grief and experienced all that she has.

In Isabelle Broom’s stories I have read, she always writes about locations that are not only stunning but challenge the characters physically in some way and One Winter Morning is no exception. The settings in New Zealand are simply breath-taking and offer Genie opportunities to peel back those layers of indifference to her core of vulnerability. At times I just wanted to hold her tight …

It’s difficult to share much without giving spoilers but two characters I have to talk about briefly are Kit and Tui. I loved that Kit was so balanced with his yin and yang. So much strength in his solidity. Being in touch with his feelings only enhances his masculinity (in my eyes) and I have to admit, I fell a little in love with him myself. Tui’s vulnerability instantly draws you in and her love of life uplifting and inspiring. She made me smile and see the world with new eyes.

The universe has given a prompt that means the time is right for both women to uncover the truth and for their voices to be heard. Genie, at first, stumbling in the dark holding her grief close and her trip to NZ giving her the friendship and love that unfurls that pain and lets the light in to begin a healing of acceptance. An outstanding read.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

It's nearly Christmas, which only means one thing - it's nearly a whole year since Genie lost her adoptive mother, who raised her since she was a baby. Then she discovers her birth mother's identity and where to find her: New Zealand. And travelling there may be the one chance to get the answers she's been looking for, and find out why her birth mother gave her up.

I've loved Isabelle Broom's novels since I read her first one; I find them really descriptive and hard to put down, and this one was exactly the same. I felt like I was in New Zealand with Genie at times.

The book is told by two characters, Genie and her birth mother Bonnie, as well as in the form of Bonnie's letters to Genie, who provides the background of what happened at the time of Genie's conception, so we can learn exactly what happened in the past. We also pick up clues from the past with Genie in New Zealand as she learns more about her own identity, as well as that of her birth mother.

I love all of the characters, especially Tui - her disability is portrayed really well, but sensitively too.

Like Broom's other novels, there was romance, though it was very subtle, leading me to wonder at times if anything would actually happen there.

This is a heartwarming read to sit back and enjoy!

This book deserves all the stars, it tackles some major subjects including adoption and grief, but the author writes in such a way that it doesn't feel like a heavy read. It was heart-warming and the perfect read for this miserable week.
After the death of her adoptive mother Genie is lost, she doesn't know herself or her place in the world. In her grieving state she travels to New Zealand to find her birth mother and so the story begins.
The descriptions of NZ made me want to visit and at one point the author even managed to make me want to get on a horse, which is unheard of as they slightly scare me!
I definitely recommend you pop this on your wishlist

A great story that had me gripped from start to finish. A really enjoyable read and characters it was easy to empathise with. Isabelle Broom is an author I follow.

There was such a beautiful simplicity to this book that I adored it from start to finish. The story is told from two perspectives, Genie’s experiences when she sets out to find her birth mother Bonnie, and Bonnie’s recollections of what lead to her giving up her daughter.

Although Genie was struggling to cope following a bereavement, there was a grace to her growth as she found her way through her grief, and that grief was mirrored in the feelings that Bonnie had about parting with her baby.

Most of the book was set in New Zealand, and the descriptions certainly made me feel like I was there. In spite of the title of the book, it did not feel so much like a festive read, because obviously the seasons are different in New Zealand, but the story began with Genie losing her adoptive mother one winter morning, the catalyst for the progression of the story.

I found the characters were very well-written. I loved Genie, she was brittle at the beginning, but as her grief eased, the brittleness left her, and revealed a strong, sensitive and caring character. The side characters were adorable, particularly Kit and Keith, but my favourite character in the entire book was Tui. Tui, Genie’s half sister, has special needs, and is such a pure character that it was impossible to not love her. I loved that her character was written from a point of purity, and not simply as a caricature, as has been seen in other books by other writers. Her character sparkled from the page, and I finished the book believing that everyone needs a Tui in their lives.

This wonderful book will stay with me for a long time, not just because it made me want to hop on a plane to New Zealand, but because it was so beautifully written.

A lovely light read full of humour, love and loss. A 3.5 from me. I enjoyed Isabelle’s style of writing and loved her characterisation. She also has a great talent in the way she sets the scene and describes the settings and locations of the story. A definite recommendation if you like a good chic lit read.

A wonderful and moving story, captured me from the start and held my attention.
Fabulous characterisation and description of the setting, a perfect book to snuggle up with on a gloomy day.
The first book I have read by this author but it certainly won't be the last.

Isabelle Broom is the author who started her writing career around the same time I started my blog, and I am proud to be her supporter from the very start.
How could I not be?
Ever since I read her novel My Map of You and fell in love with her writing style and courage to paint characters in the most realistic way, I knew I’d read every single book she’d write (okay, I admit I’m not the best supporter out there, because I am two books behind, but in my defense: do you know how it feels like to know that you don’t have anything new to read that’s written by your favourite author? Plus, I plan to read both of them before the end of this year).

One Winter Morning takes place in New Zeland most of the time, but also some parts of the story are set in England.
The story is written from POV’s of two women: Genie’s and Bonnie’s.
Even though Genie is the main character, I have to admit that I was more invested in Bonnie’s life and reasons behind the decision that she made.

If you didn’t know, Isabelle Broom is famous for her beautiful descriptions of the places her stories take place in.
Although I enjoyed descriptions of New Zeland, this time I couldn’t imagine myself there, as I usually do when it comes to her books. Maybe the reason for that is the fact that I am not that familiar with New Zeland (the most I know is from Hobbit), but I also think that the part in that plays my disappointment with all the sunshine and summer, because the book cover and the title made me expect more wintery setting.
I admit, I should have paid more attention to the premise, and obvious logic, because I know that New Zeland is on the other side of Mediteran.
Also, the story takes place around Christmas time, so it is a festive read, but with different setting.

It is important to say that this book has one disabled character (I hope I used the right term, if I didn’t, I apologize) who is, in my opinion, presented very well and Broom gave her (the girl who is disabled) a strong personality and she really was the big part of the story.

As I understood, this story is close to heart to the author (I got it from her email newsletter I am subscribed to) because of her own family situation, so it makes me appreciate it even more.

Family relationships were my favourite parts of the book.

I would highly recommend One Winter Morning to readers who love family stories with dash of romance in it, but also to those who’d like to read about Christmas set in sunny parts of our planet.

A story of an girl, adopted as a baby who travels to New Zealand, following the death of her adopted mother, to find her biological mother. The story is told both from the perspective of Genie and Bonnie. Enjoyable story with great descriptions of New Zealand.

This lovely story oozes a whole host of mixed emotions, love, loss and friendship to name a few. It held my attention throughout and I can definitely say that it is a great read.

When Genie is faced with a Christmas without her adopted Mum Anna, the guilt she holds over her death almost a year ago triggers her to get on a plane to New Zealand in the hope of finding her biological Mum Bonnie. Genie has many unanswered questions the main one being why she abandoned her as a baby. Armed with Anna’s memory book she settles down on the long flight and begins an emotional journey.

On arrival Genie wastes no time in her search but discovering her Mother has flown to England! This devastating blow is softened by Tui the gorgeous young girl with learning difficulties who is revealed as her sister. As she learns more about Bonnie a shared passion of horses enhances the connection between them and this helps her with her own demons. A spark with Kit a worker at the stables helps her grief with his kindness and honest nature.

Bonnie meanwhile on the other side of the world in England is not being so brave so decides to write her story while being holed up at an old friends home. Having found herself pregnant at 18 and in a different country away from her family, Bonnie had some pretty tough decisions which affected her life daily.

One Winter Morning is packed with some great characters which I warmed to straight away and of course the beautiful descriptive scenery of New Zealand. My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC digital copy and to Julie for putting this review on her blog.

A new Isabelle Broom book has become a highlight in my reading year and with One Winter Morning she completely surpassed all my (high!) expectations. This is a beautiful touching story set in a stunning location that stole my heart.

I found the characters in this story very interesting and I loved getting to know them. The story unfolds quite slowly so you don't really know how they are connected until you are totally immersed in their world. I think it worked very well here as it made it easier for me to connect with them and understand what they were going through.

I especially enjoyed reading about New Zealand. Locals Tui and Kit were the perfect guides for Genie in this foreign land and they made such a great job that not only she felt in love with the beautiful nature but so did I. New Zealand has just climbed to the top of my dream holiday destinations.

I think the development of the main character Genie was perfect. At the beginning of the book she was quite lost but she found her inner strength and took a chance at life again. A very inspiring woman. I think I will be revisiting her story quite soon to enjoy all the little things that happen to her in more detail.

One Winter Morning is the perfect story to escape to this winter. There's plenty of sunshine and adventures waiting for you in New Zealand!

This is the story of a young woman searching for her birth mother after the death of her adoptive mother, but more than that. Genie wants to find out why she was given away and the journey to do this changes her life. Of course there is a romance as well, after all this is Isabelle Broom, but also sibling love. The exotic setting this time is New Zealand - what a hard job researching a novel must be!!! Great emotional roller-coaster of a read.

Isabelle Broom does not disappoint with this story about two women. One woman has lost her mother and feels responsible for her death and goes to seek out her birth mother in New Zealand. She realises this is a challenge and also that she might not want to meet her. However at the same time Bonnie, Genie's birth mother flies to England to meet her after all these years and she has her own reasons. The story flits between the two and it is highly enjoyable.

A heartbreaking story that takes you on a journey of loss and despair, where guilt is the winning emotion as Genie works to find a way forward through her grief. This is a truly beautiful story, I loved reading about Genie as she finds her way back from the darkness.

Supported by her father Genie decides to take a trip where she meets the wonderful Tui and Kit who she quickly develops a bond with and works to overcome her fear of horses that has set in since the tragedy the previous year.

A stunning book full of superb characters based in the beautiful location of New Zealand. I loved this book from beginning to end and felt I reached the end too quickly as I was so caught up in the story that was unfolding.

Once again Isabelle Broom takes us on a journey through another country combining it with a heartwarming story of love and loss. This time it's New Zealand and if you haven't been I guarantee you will want too.

I’ve always loved reading Isabelle Broom books and this one is no exception. It’s a heart warming tear jerker. A must read

What a lovely read, just what the doctor ordered. Genee knows she is adopted but when her adoptive mum dies she finds herself going to New Zealand to seek out her birth mother. This is a tale of finding out what is important, finding unexpected love and coming to terms with life and all it’s surprises. Nothing to shock but lovely descriptions of New Zealand, a story that swings along and leaves you feeling satisfied.

A story of guilt, grief and love. Really pulls at the heartstrings but heartwarming also. A really lovely read.

With a fantastic setting in New Zealand, we follow the timelines of Genie and Bonnie and discover what links them together. Never overly sentimental, this novel looks at family, what is family and what ties us together. Genie's relationship with her sister is touching and you find out so much about her character from how she reacts to others. A beautiful read.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book

One thing I love about Isabelle Broom's books is that you know you are going to be swept away to a wonderful location and swept up by the story. In One Winter Morning that location is New Zealand and given that this book is set mostly in December, it's maybe not quite as wintry a story as you might expect! Having said that, part of the story takes place in the UK so it is a bit colder here.

It is the story of Evangeline, known as Genie. Grieving for her mother and convinced her death was her fault, she has found it very difficult to move on at all in the year since Anna passed away, becoming rather reclusive. She has always known that she was adopted but is shocked when her father, David, tells her that he knows who and where her birth mother is and that he and her adoptive mother always did know. David encourages Genie to go to New Zealand hoping that meeting her birth mother will help her find some answers and begin to come to terms with her mother's death.

Genie has felt so guilty since her adoptive mother died and it was lovely to see her allow herself to begin to live again and find moments of happiness. She does not find what she expects when she gets to New Zealand, I won't say any more, you'll need to read it to find out for yourself what I mean. But she does begin to develop friendships with handsome Kit and endearing Tui. Tui was a character who was so easy to like with her irrepressible cheerfulness and openness. She was a character who had lots of challenges to face in the world but also lots of people determined she would enjoy life to the full. I wasn't surprised that it was through her connection with Tui that Genie began to put the past behind her and start doing the things she most enjoyed.

One Winter Morning is a moving portrayal of one woman's journey through grief to find herself again. It has a beautiful setting, memorable characters and a lovely romance which develops along the way. It is a story to warm your heart, so snuggle up with a hot drink and a cosy blanket and prepare to be taken on a wonderfully uplifting journey.