With thanks to NetGalley for a copy of ‘Under a Starry Sky’ audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read anything by this author before, but she writes similarly to some of my favourite authors such as Cathy Bramley, Heidi Swain. This is a gentle lightly romantic family saga, exploring the lives of Wander and a number of her childhood friends. Set in Wales, the narrator proves to be a very entertaining story teller with some great accents and voices and a really easy to listen to voice, she complimented my bath time relaxation perfectly. I love the references to camp site visitor reviews throughout the book and could totally imagine myself as a bystander watching the lives unfold in this lovely little welsh village. All the main characters were warm and welcoming and the landscape so beautifully visual.

I will be looking out for other novels by Laura Kemp next time I’m in need of being whisked away to a different starry sky 😍

Recommended for a beach, bath or fireside escape. Just lovely.

Sadly I was unable to get into this audio book. The story and narration were both poor. I feel like this is more suitable to a young teen audience.

I was excited when I got a copy of this audiobook to review- I love audiobooks.

Unfortunately I couldn't make it through to the end. I made it to chapter 17 before I decided that life is just too short to force your way through something that you are just not enjoying.

On the upside, the narration was great, I am not sure who the narrator was, but it sounded very like Joanna Page. She tried her best to enliven the story.

On paper this book contains lots of things that I have an interest in, Camping, Wales, a cute love story- but unfortunately I found the characters flat and unbelievable, and the story shallow and lacking detail and depth to give it credence.

I really wanted to like it, but I just didn't- it was all too superficial.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It is set to be published in August 2020.

"Under a Starry Sky" by Laura Kemp was a pleasant surprise for me, since I'm not a big fan of romance.
The characters are very relatable and original, the plot is more complex than what you would expect from a romance novel and the writing is clear, direct and perfectly paced.
Overall, a thouroughly enjoyable read, that manages to stay away from stereotypes while entertaining and charming the reader.
The narrator's soothing voice nicely complimented the story, making the reading experience so much better.

Under a Starry Sky is a cute, enjoyable book.
It is a story of family, friendship and forgiveness. I really liked all of the characters and liked reading all of their stories. Claire Morgan’s narration fit perfectly with the story and characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio UK for this audiobook in exchange of an honest review.

Beautifully narrated by Claire Morgan in a lilting Welsh accent that paints a perfect mind-picture of the atmosphere of a close-knit Welsh community where romance is waiting for the eager reader.
More than a romance, the story opens with a tragedy in the small-knit Welsh community of Gobaith – Wanda Williams’ father is killed in a wildfire on the mountainside where the family run a camping site. Her friend Annie’s tearaway brother Ryan is also killed, though her other friend, Lew escapes from the mountainside where he’d gone to look for Ryan. But then Lew disappears from Wanda’s life and their budding romantic relationship is cut short. Wanda’s friendship with Annie is also over – how can she be friends with the brother of her father’s killer?
Fast forward fifteen years, and Wanda is preparing to leave Gobaith at last for a year of travelling, something she’d put on hold after her father’s death. Then her mother breaks her hip and Wanda has to abandon her travel plans once more, in order to help her pregnant sister Carys run the campsite. And when she discovers the mountain of work needing done there, she has to call on her neighbours to help – neighbours who include Lew and Annie, both newly returened to Gobaith.
This is a lovely, multi-layered story with a cast of delightful characters in the close-knit community of Gobaith. The narrative races along at a cracking pace, but there’s always time to stop and admire the scenery and enjoy the romance as Wanda, Lew and Annie finally come to terms with their past and look towards the future.
A visit to Gobaith is must for every keen armchair traveller and romance lover!

I loved this audiobook. It’s a lovely story and a satisfyingly relaxed listen but what really ‘made it’ is the narrator who has an appealing voice and the most wonderful Welsh accent. In some audiobooks it’s difficult to follow which character is speaking, but not in this audiobook. A good story, very well narrated. Particularly relevant is the campsite setting, as hundreds of Brits are trying out camping for the first time during Covid! It was interesting to see campsite life from the owners’ point of view and the reviews they are left by campers. My thanks to Netgalley for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Goodreads hasn’t found the ISBN as I try to post this review but I will head over to Goodreads and leave my review if it’s possible.

This one let me down a little bit. It was a lovely story, I loved the connections between all of the characters, the dynamics of running the campsite but overall I found it a little bit boring. It’s the perfect book to read if you want to unwind and relax a bit but don’t expect anything too exciting.

First of all, allow me to rave about the audiobook. The narrator does an incredible job and I miss her voice now I’ve finished! The book is set in a small village in Wales and the narrator has a lovely Welsh accent that gave the book a warmer, more wholesome feel than I’d have had from just reading the words on the page. Therefore, I’d highly recommend the audiobook!

The story follows our protagonist Wanda. Her family own a campsite in a small Welsh village by a lake and an (almost) mountain. Wanda has always wanted to travel the world but things have cropped up and stopped her going. The book mainly begins where Wanda has to look after the camping site when her mother breaks her hip!
While the story focuses a lot on Wanda, we meet friends, family, neighbours and other village members. The reader is never given the opportunity to get bored and there are so many characters that there’s a lot going on! Stories discuss past traumas, abusive relationships, loss of loved ones, absent parents and of course, relationships. It’s very absorbing and I wish the village was a real place I could visit!

An excellent story that made me smile and root for the characters. It's well written, engrossing and entertaining.
The story-line and the characters are great.
I loved how the story was told and the narrator.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was looking forward to a relaxing listen. The story is nice but very light and predictable. The audio narration was a mix of interesting, with the well rendered accents, and unbearably high pitches shouting kind of tones to express enthusiasm or upset throughout the book.. I can see from the reviews that many readers have enjoyed this book and audiobook but as much as I like a nice summer story, this one did not do it for me.

I enjoyed this story and I liked the audio book. It was nice being read to. I'm very new to audio books this only being the 2nd one I have ever done. Very enjoyable

This is not my normal genre but I really enjoyed the story. I care about the characters and was keen to know how their stories would unfold. The narration was great a nice voice clear and easy to listen to.

Wanda Williams has put her life on hold, not once nut twice. She gave up her around the world trip at 18 after the tragic death of her father, now she’s given it up again on the heels of her mother’s injury and her sister’s unexpected pregnancy. Someone has to run the family’s resort business, which has fallen on hard times due to neglect. The last person she expects to see again, let alone get help from, is the sister of the man she blames for her father’s death. There’s a little bit of It’s a Wonderful Life in this lovely story, where Wanda discovers that, together with her friends and family, her little village is the most beautiful place in the world. Morgan’s upbeat and quirky rendering of this book gave it even more charm. A highly recommended tonic in these trying times

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

What it's about:

When Wanda has to sort out the family campsite while her mother is in hospital, putting her travelling plans on hold, she finds that she has to confront part of her past. It is a very community heavy book and also seems to share POV with another character called Annie (an old friend of Wanda's who has her own issues). Both characters are interesting and have different paths they want to go down. Other characters such as Spike, Blod and Lou all help carry the story giving more depth to Annie and Wanda as well as having nice dynamics.

Pros:

The characters are all quite interesting and easy to like so it was easy to be immersed and the way the story goes, have you begging to know more about the characters and their secrets.

This made me want to read more of both the authors (Laura Kemp) and the narrator's as the writing was enjoyable and the narrator really captured the different characters as well as being able to differentiate between the characters and the writing.

Overall, this book is full of friendship, romance and although there is so some drama, it overall feels like a warm hug. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this at night as I settled for sleep.

Cons:

I enjoyed Annie a little bit more than I enjoyed Wanda so in a way I wished that Annie was the main character, however, I still enjoyed the book!

Rating:
4⭐

Would I read it again:

Yes, especially if I just want to listen to an Audiobook and not read

Would I recommend it:

Yes, especially to people who enjoy light romances.

https://www.dannisbookreviews.com/post/under-a-starry-sky-audiobook-arc-review

A wonderful tale to lose yourself in. Set in and around the wonderful Welsh village of Gobaith this charming story pulls you into the lives of the villagers, each of whom have a story to tell. I listen to audiobooks whilst gardening and I was totally absorbed in in their world listening well into the evening in order to finish the book. Excellent narration, all in all highly recommended.

This story is perfect for an audiobook listen. The narrator is professional and believably voices the characters. The story is simple, and the characters are authentic and relatable. The combination of characters, plot and setting are what makes this heartwarming.

Told mainly from Annie and Wanda's point of view the story begins with the fire that destroyed more than buildings fifteen years ago. It altered the village and the lives of Annie Lew and Wanda. The story follows their current lives which are full of angst, guilt and regret with some well-placed humorous touches.

The life experiences are realistic and draw the listener into the story. The final chapters are uplifting and the ending romantic.

I received a copy of this audiobook from Hachette audio UK -,Orion, via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I’ll be honest, there are women’s fiction books with this style of cover around a lot but I don’t tend to reach for them. To me, they often feel light, fluffy and formulaic/predictable. However, I really enjoyed this book!

First of all, allow me to rave about the audiobook. The narrator does an incredible job and I miss her voice now I’ve finished! The book is set in a small village in Wales and the narrator has a lovely Welsh accent that gave the book a warmer, more wholesome feel than I’d have had from just reading the words on the page. Therefore, I’d highly recommend the audiobook!

The story follows our protagonist Wanda. Her family own a camp site in a small Welsh village by a lake and a (almost) mountain. Wanda has always wanted to travel the world but things have cropped up and stopped her going. The book mainly begins where Wanda has to look after the camping site when her mother breaks her hip!
While the story focuses a lot on Wanda, we meet friends, family, neighbours and other village members. The reader is never given the opportunity to get bored and there’s so many characters that there’s a lot going on! Stories discuss past traumas, abusive relationships, loss of loved ones, absent parents and of course, relationships. It’s very absorbing and I wish the village was a real place I could visit!

Oh no! I didn't enjoy this! I feel bad as I was so excited for a cosy summertime read. But it just lacked any real storyline.

I read this as an audiobook and I must say that the narration was fab. The narrator was excellent. I enjoyed her story telling and voices, the Welsh accent was really very fitting to the story, it had a twee feel to it.

I was hoping for more from the romance with Wanda but this seemed to disappear into the background.

The premise was fun and flirty and relaxed. And I listened to this on a lovely summers day so the setting was right. However the story fell flat to me.

I'd read more of this authors work as she seems a competent writer and the prose was well structured and flowed well. It was just the plot I didn't warm to. Bring me sunshine was very good, so this was a let down.

As Wanda (our main character) sets about resurrection the aging family campsite, we meet a whole array for villages that help her along the way.
Ultimately Under a Starry Sky is a tale of love, loss, friendship, forgiveness and hope.
A feel good, heartwarming read that has you putting your feet up and wanting more.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for a pre publication audio copy in exchange for an honest review.