Family holidays, eagerly anticipated and so often disappointing. Join three very different women as they spend two weeks in Cornwall at Lorna's holiday cottages. Maggie and her 14 year old daughter, Em with her two teenagers, her new boyfriend and his young daughter, Olivia who's taking a break from her family altogether.

Laugh, cry, reminisce about being a teenager with all the angst and stupidity that entails. Sympathise with all three women and cheer as they each triumph in their own ways.

I requested this arc from NetGalley and was unable to read the file (some corruption occurred in the download) but I really wanted to read something light-hearted and uplifting so I bought a copy anyway. This was fun, relatable and certainly uplifting, just what the doctor ordered.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for asking me to read and review.
This story was a wonderful read.
It is well written with some characters that are well rounded and as a reader you feel you are right there with them and feel the emotions that they are going through. The plot draws you in, keeping you wanting more and turning those pages.
A brilliant, addictive read.

Lucy Diamond is a fab author, her books are always a pleasure to read and make me smile. This one was no exception :)

I really enjoyed this book as I have with all those written by Lucy Diamond, difficult to read at times with loads of letters missing but still very enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for a review, I will be putting a review on Amazon too.

I really like this author & was entertained again with this book. I really enjoyed the storyline & characters. I'm never disappointed reading any of lucy's books.

I struggled to get into An Almost Perfect Holiday. I usually enjoy books by Lucy Diamond but I had to give up on this one as I struggled to get into it. Sorry this one was not for me.

I have always been in love with Lucy Diamond's novels and they good feeling I am left with when I finish them. An Almost Perfect Holiday brought back these same feelings, though I must say that I've liked the author's previous books much more – probably because I could see myself in the characters.

This novel presents a mix of families that happen to be on holidays in the same place in Cornwall. It was, as always. beautifully written and it made me want to take a plane (if only!) and visit Falmouth. The stories are very different from each other and it's very interesting how the author portrays the different situations the protagonists find themselves in. The main characters have something in common, though – they are all mums with a past.

I once said that Lucy Diamond's novels are like a cup of hot chocolate in the middle of January and I maintain what I said then. Her books show us that, with a bit of courage and good will, things tend to fall into place – and it's always beautiful to have faith in these things, I think.

LOVED THIS!

Lucy Diamond is establishing herself as one of my faves😍

This book spoke to me on a lot of levels.
It's about less than perfect family dynamics (and who needs reassurance about those during lockdown? Mee!)
It's about anxiety. (Again, something I've struggled with).
It's about #mumguilt and the loneliness of motherhood.
It's about social media and our projected selves and how they may or may not be different to the real us, or our real emotions.

It is beautifully written, it is dramatic, it is emotional. It is wonderful!

Lucy Diamond never disappoints. Loved everything about this book. The relatable characters, how the storyline brought them all together, the holiday setting. I would love to stay in that location! Great read.

An Almost Perfect Holiday sums up majority of our holidays. Something goes wrong especially when you add children into the equation A story set around three women, all with different tales to tell. The story is told from each woman during each chapter Olivia,, who grew up with a mother who had walked out on her and now has twin boys. Is she about to do to them what her mother did to her. As a parent we all at some time say stop, I want to get off. We think our parenting skills are awful. Maggie is a single mum with a teenage daughter., Amelia. Lastly we have Em who has two teenagers, Jack and Izzie. All three women come together at holiday homes in Cornwall. Maggie has just entered a new relationship. She had already booked this holiday however thought it would be great if George and his young daughter Seren joined them for the two weeks. True to form the teenagers cause havoc, Izzie more than Jack. Maggie wants to get her relationship with Amelia back on track. The beginning of the holiday doesn't commence quite as she was hoping. Olivia manages to look at herself and get things in perspective. I loved this book as it was full of warmth and humour. I could identify with the three women as it's quite true to life. The characters were believable Cornwall is such an amazing part of the country and it was easy to visualize the setting. Lucy Diamond did not disappoint me. A truly uplifting novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Lucy Diamond for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review. a

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader however this story intrigued me. I absolutely loved it, truly one of the best books I have read. I am extremely pleased and grateful to both for opening up my mind to something totally different.

An almost perfect holiday it most defiitely was not!
Three different women eventually end up around the swimming pool at the Cornish holiday cottages where they are staying, to confide in one another and share just how life is not going according to plan. This very much echoes the traditional way so many women come together in solidarity to support their female friends through tough times and will resonate with readers.
Em is divorced and on her own with 2 teenage children but has a boyfriend who on a whim she suddenly invites to their family holiday get away. Trouble is he is bringing his 7 year old daughter who is somewhat of a brat!
The shenanigans of this patchwork family draw the most laughs in the book, apart from a serious interlude concerning 16 year old Izzie and the peer pressure she is under to impress her friends. This leads to a lie being told which then leads to more damaging accusations. Will Em lose George as a result?
Meanwhile Maggie is a single parent to Amelia. They used to share a love of geography and archaeology when Amelia was younger but now Amelia has better things to be doing which leaves Maggie, a secondary school geography teacher, feeling rejected and overlooked, not to mention frumpy and dull.
Olivia is much younger. She is married and has 3 year old twin boys. Her Mum abandoned her and her brother and now Olivia, trying desperately to manage being a full time parent, feels so run down that she simply gets in her car and drives away, fearful that history is repeating itself.
There is one other female character featured, Lorna. She owns the cottages but is caught up in the past.
Connections are made and long term issues brought to a head in a way that you just know will bring about resolutions that provide healing, restoration of the soul and the chance of future happiness.
This book is warm, funny, sad and uplifting which is often just what is needed to escape your own real life dramas. However, for me, it was just a bit too neat and tidy and all wrapped up in shiny new bow for me to be able to award this read 5 stars.
I have given it 4, which for me is always going to be the highest I can stretch to for this genre.
Will I remember the book? Probably not. But it provided me with an escape route to sunnier destinations, and was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.
The book will undoubtedly delight all Lucy Diamond fans and when the mood takes me I will definitely read more of what Lucy Diamond has to offer, because we all need some sunshine, right?!

Many thanks to Lucy Dillona and Pan Macamillon for the opportunity to read and review this book. A lovely read about 3 women and their families on a summer trip. We get to take a look into each of their lives as the summer evolves. There lives and friendship develop over the summer. A great read by the reliable Luxy.

I really enjoyed this Lucy Diamond book, she is one of my favourite authors and I love getting lost in one of her novels!

This book tells the story of 3 women and their families who all rent a cottage for the summer, which brings them together, learn the stories of love laughs, teenage behaviour, trials and tribulations through this lighthearted read.

Fantastic book centring around three women in different circumstances. Heart warming, funny and entertaining with a few surprises along the way. I found the story telling enthralling and thoroughly enjoyed every page. Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley

I really enjoy Lucy Diamond books so I was excited to get this. I will say my copy was missing a lot of ff, fi and fl so at times it was hard to work out which word was which but I still loved the book. I could identify with Maggie and Em, having teenagers of my own and could definitely feel their pain and anguish! There have definitely been days I wanted to run away and leave it all behind - Although with older kids, not toddlers ! I didn’t really like Olivia. I understood why she wanted to run away but her big secret to me was incredibly selfish and as soon as I realised what it was going to be I couldn’t warm to her at all

The antics of the teenagers and Amelia trying to connect with her dad - again familiar themes to me!!! I found myself wanting to read just one more chapter a lot!!!

There were lots of characters in the story, which can throw me - especially when it moves between them - but I didn’t have any problems with this book

All in all a great summer read

Unfortunately a poor copy of this with letters frequently missing made this difficult to read and may have affected my enjoyment of the book. Without that it might have been a 4 star read as the characters are interesting and the plot well constructed. I would however like to make a request to writers of this genre - please choose a location other than Cornwall! It’s getting too predictable and boring to keep reading about beaches, tea shops, gift shops and implausible endless sunshine.

The book is based around a complex of holiday cottages located in beautiful Cornwall and owned by Lorna and her husband Roy.

Although the location is stunning, and the cottages welcoming, things don't go to plan for any of the families staying in the holiday rentals. Three women, all experiencing different stages of motherhood, find themselves connecting, sitting around the communal pool one evening. They look back at some of the mistakes they made with teenagers who test the boundaries and relationships which were not meant to be. They discuss how sometimes they forget to have fun, and feel invisible as the children become more independent.

The writing is warm with characters who are so believable, with relatable real-life problems that we have all faced at one time or another. I liked how not one of the women pretended to be 'perfect' mothers but they all genuinely cared deeply for their children. Mistakes are made, forgiveness is given, relationships strengthened and friendships formed.

A well-paced, insightful and life-affirming read from Lucy Diamond.

Loved this book, characters you could really relate to. Loved seeing how the characters came together too. A lovely, very realistic, heartwarming book, lighthearted and easy to read. Perfect relaxation!

Holidays are like Christmas you have high hopes that it’s going to be perfect and the family will all have a wonderful time but things never quite work out that way especially with teenagers in tow. Em and her children are going on holiday with her new boyfriend and his daughter. Maggie is hoping to reconnect with her daughter Amelia and Olivia is running away from everything. Staying at the same holiday cottages is a blessing for all of them as they meet and discuss their lives and dreams. Can they be brave and confront their lives and maybe have a perfect holiday?