A sweet romance.

Ella is felling a bit lost in life after being fired from a job she hoped would lead to her dream position. She hasn’t been dating anyone and her best friend is encouraging her to follow her dreams but they don’t seem practical after her last attempt failed. When she learns that her aunt needs help after falling and breaking her hip she decides to take a chance in getting out of her comfort zone. Ella travels to a small town in Wales to help her ailing aunt and decides for once to leave things to fate.

When she arrives she learns that her aunt Gillian has a greater need for help than she realized. After her partner, Mike, passed away a year and a half ago Aunt Gillian has been pushing everyone away. As Ella attempts to helps her reconnect with her friends and get her house to rights, she discovers that there may have been more to her aunt’s fall than she first realized. She decides to uncover the truth and finds more mysteries along the way.

I felt a great connection with Ella. She is quick-witted, kind and seems to handle Gillian’s tough and blunt exterior with ease. I also adored Aunt Gillian. She’s the type of character you can’t help but love with her one-liners, cantankerous ways, and deep caring for her loved ones. The rest of the residents of the town were quirky and lovable (for the most part - I’m sure you’ll soon discover who I didn’t love). I thought the romance in this story was sweet. It was more of a slow building relationship which worked well for this book.

There were a few points in the plot where I wished things moved along a bit faster. That was especially true toward the very end. There were also a few surprises along the way but much of this story felt expected, making this feel more like a comforting romance read for me. Overall, I enjoyed it.

This was cute. I liked how Gillian's friends came around her after this tragic experience and even though she tried to get the town to leave her alone and become recluse. I liked that Ella and Joe stood up to Gillian even when she was rude and brash. I found the relationship between Ella and Joe cute, but also felt like they kissed twice and fell madly in love with each other without more context. I needed it to be a bigger arc of the story. I loved that towards the end how it kind of became a mystery of who was messing with Gillian and the story behind mike and his paintings. I found this storyline the most interesting and wished it had been brought forward sooner.

Some things I thought could have been better was the whole yogurt drama in the beginning. It was so trivial and unjust and could have totally been avoided. And while the main theme of this novel was about leaving it up to fate to decide, I felt like it wasn't a well thought out concept until the last couple chapters.

I loved Corby’s Where There’s A Will, but I think I like this one even better. There were twists and turns (and a few mysteries needing to be solved) that I didn’t see coming, and all of the characters were so well developed, I felt like I was visiting this small Welsh village right along with Ella.

There were a lot of characters in this book, if you include everyone who lived in Gillian’s tiny little village, and I felt like I got to know every one of them without having to try too hard. I could almost draw a map of where everyone lived, too, because Corby set it up so nicely. It’s a bit of a slow burn because you’re getting to know everyone and how they’re connected, but I think that gives a bigger payoff at the end. I also appreciated that there is a love story, but it’s not the sole focus of the story—this is truly about Ella and Gillian and how they’re meant to move onto the next chapters of their lives. Sometimes you really do just have to let Fate take the reins when you don’t know what to do next.

My only criticism would be that I wish Joe, the love interest, was fleshed out a little more. While I feel like I got a sense of the villagers—heck, I feel like I even know his sister Petra better, and she’s a very minor character—other than him being good-looking and very helpful-slash-caring, I don’t feel like I know him all that well or why he and Ella fell for each other so quickly. I suspect it had something to do with one of the twists, but I almost feel like if he weren’t part of the story, or if he were just a guy from the town, I wouldn’t have liked the story any less. Though his banter with Gillian is very entertaining.

If you enjoy a story with deep-seated, sometimes complicated, relationships; small-town dynamics; appreciate art and want a little love story mixed with a mystery or two, you won’t want to put this one down. I highly recommend it.

4.5 STARS

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.
I have read Beth Corby's previous book, Where There's a Will, and really enjoyed that one. This one is similar in the way that it's about family with a little mystery thrown in.
It was a little slow to start, but once Ella gets to her Aunt's place it becomes quite interesting. The characters in the area are lovely and the plot is well thought out.
It wasn't especially heavy on the romance, but I really enjoyed this book.

After loosing her job, Ella has to decided what to do to get her life back together. After an interesting encounter at the tube station she decides to leave it to fate and to see where it’ll bring her. Little did she know, that she will end up in Wales and have hers and everyone else’s life completely shaken.

I absolutely loved this book! Loved the constant squabbling between Gillian and Ella, Joe’s cavalry, Bryn’s pure heart, and the spirit of community in the village.
Every single character had been introduced slowly in the story so that you could really appreciate every single one of them and get to know their characteristics and know their stories. I personally loved Gillian, an apparent angry and rude woman, but in reality heartbroken by the many uncertainties the her husband’s death brought to light.
The book is an easy RomCom read, with two small twist in the mix which will keep you on the edge of your sit!

I really enjoyed this book! A good, solid read for the intelligent woman :)

Ella loses her job over an unfortunate incident at work. Why her colleague didn't have more of a sense of humour, she just doesn't know. This makes her think about what she really wants, and she finds herself drawing a blank. She has been trying very hard to make her career in art, but everywhere she turns, she runs into brick walls. As if it is fate, she runs into a busker who shares some of his wisdom with her.

Next thing she knows, her mother calls and tells her about her aunt Gillian, who has had a fall and needs help. Her mother certainly has no intention to going into the wilds of Wales, but Ella decides that she would like to get away from her flat mate anyway and borrows a friends car and goes there. Her aunt isn't anything like she expected, but despite first impressions, she thinks her aunt could do with a hand.

Her aunt's late partner's nephew is rather a handsome fella and he catches her eye straight away but of course, the path of true love never runs smooth and there are plenty of obstacles in the way of any possible love story here!

I don't want to give the plot away but this is a terrific story, with interesting characters and sweet moments without being sugary in any way. It did make me want to go and stay in Wales for a while, it has to be said. I am really looking forward to reading more books written by this author :)

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton.

This was a fast read and cute romance about two people Ella and Joe! Ella loses her job (oh no!), and ends up traveling to Wales to help her aunt who has had a terrible fall. Ella realizes that her aunt has been struggling since the death of her husband and is in need of not only assistance, but the companionship of family. Joe and the villages help Ella's aunt get back on her feet and Ella finds a new lease on life! Joe's character was not fully flushed out. At times he felt like an after thought. He needs more development to become a fully rounded character. I really did enjoy this book..

I hugely enjoyed Beth Corby’s debut novel and I have to say I got the same level of enjoyment out of this. She has a great talent for captivating you from the start primarily due to the characters but in this instance the amusing events in the first chapter definitely caught me although I did find it hugely unjust! There’s a mix of all sorts in this, family feuds a bit of a mystery and both welcoming and distrustful strangers but it all adds up to an easy going but engrossing read. I loved the depth of the characters and the beautiful Welsh setting but I think it was just the writing style that made this such a delightful read for me. Can’t wait for book number three!

As Ella inches her way toward thirty, she loses her job due to a hilarious and unfortunate event involving a yogurt thief and a trap set with yogurt spiked with hot sauce. A stranger urges her to leave it all up to fate and she does just that when Gillian, her estranged aunt, suffers a bad fall and needs someone to help her while she recovers. When Ella arrives, she discovers her aunt has been struggling with anger and grief after her long-time partner died, leading her to push everyone away. It seems fate has brought the pair together to repair their lives.

I read and loved Beth Corby’s first book, Where There's a Will, so I knew I had to check this out when I saw she published another book. While I did enjoy this one, I do have some mixed feelings that left me feeling a bit iffy about some things by the end. That said, I really did enjoy the story and great cast of characters.

We follow Ella, whose life has been floundering. Her art career never took off, she just lost what she was hoping would become her dream job, and she just had to go crawling back to her old soul sucking job so she can continue to make ends meet. Unsure about where her life is heading or what the point is, Ella is extremely relatable. She’s realistic, funny, creative, and a breath of fresh air. I also really liked her best friend. I wish we got to see more of her, but given Ella had to leave town to help her aunt, it makes sense that we didn’t see much of her.

We also closely follow Gillian, who is angry, and grief stricken after her long-time partner, Mike, suddenly passed away. Her house is a mess, she’s pushed everyone away, and now she needs help she doesn’t really want. The more time Ella spends with Gillian, the more we learn to love her. While abrasive, she’s smart, funny, and straight to the point. Gillian is someone who does not beat around the bushes and anyone who meets her will discover that right off the bat.

The characters in Gillian’s small town are mostly wonderful. It made me wish I knew most of these fictional people. Plus, while Mike is dead before the story starts, he plays a large role in the story due to some secrets that came out at his funeral. This plays a large role in while Gillian is so angry on top of extremely anguished.

While the story is cute, funny, and even sad at times, I will say that the romance was beyond flat. Ella’s biological father his heavily implied all book long. The foreshadowing is there. Her mom is extremely illusive about it and dislikes her own sister along with this guy. Everything is there and then, surprise! It’s revealed that her biological father is someone else. I assumed the romance between Ella and Joe was super flat because it was super obvious who her father was from the start, and that would make her and Joe cousins. Then it’s revealed that her father is someone else and they’re free to be together with their extreme lack of chemistry. Maybe I could accept this revelation if their romance was on fire before they found out they’re cousins only to find out they’re not, but this isn’t the case.

All in all, I did enjoy this cute and funny slice of life story. It just seems silly to do all that buildup only to not go through with it so that the story ends with Ella getting a cherry on top of her ice-cream sundae. It was not necessary for her to find romance while finding her place in life, so the revelation at the end and the romance that comes from it doesn’t make sense.

Once Ella is on the road, so is this story. The first few chapters were a bit slow, but I'm glad I didn't put the book aside, because it was a lovely story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book

I received an ARC from Hodder Paperbacks through NetGalley.for an honest review. When I read what the book was about, I knew I was going to like it. There was so much more to this book than I ever expected. There were secrets, surprises, shockers, and then when I thought things were going to be smooth, my heart dropped.
Ella loses her job and on the way to the train, she meets a man that tells her it was probably fate that interfered which caused her to lose her job. She thought about it and made her lists but nothing seemed right. Then her mother called her and said her sister called her thinking she would go there to take care of her so she could get out of the hospital. They haven't spoken in years and she wasn't going to do it. Ella said she would go and take care of her aunt. She stopped at the hospital to see her aunt but her aunt couldn't go home until the next day. So, Ella left and went to her aunt's house and what she found was shocking. Ella has determination and she manages to get a lot accomplished before her aunt comes home.
When her aunt gets home we meet the people in the community. There seem to be things not quite right and they seem distant. But Ella has a way with people and she gets invited into homes that they haven't been invited to for a long time. Ella seems to be just the person who can bring the community together and she does that. Don't get too comfy in your seat because Beth Corby starts letting out the secrets. Just as I finally said yes this was fate and we learn about Gillian's partner, Mike. That is where my heart dropped because I thought something so wonderful was something so wrong. Ella leaves and goes back home and I am sad because she is just so good for the people in the community and everyone loves her. But it isn't the end of the book and Beth tells us the rest of the story. The author seemed to reach deep inside each one of the people, and she brings it all to the surface. It was a wonderful book that offers so much.

I adored this book. It really did feel like fate that I read it at this time in my life as we are caring for an elderly relative and it was perfect timing to read this now!

The characters and location are richly detailed and I became really invested in their relationships. The plot is a bit predictable but sometimes you need a feel-good story to get you through.

If you haven’t checked out Corby’s first book, “Where there’s a will”, definitely pick it up! I had high hopes for this second book and it was good but fell short of expectations. The narrative felt choppy to me, the storyline didn’t feel flushed out or I guess realistic but the ending was satisfying which was redeeming. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Ella loses her job, somewhat unjustly, because of a pot of yoghurt! She has no clue what to do, friend Vivienne advises her to leave it to fate ..... which leads her to Wales to help nurse her aunt Gillian who she has never met because of family estrangement.

What an absolute pleasure to spend a few hours in such delightful company. I fell in love with feisty Gillian from the start, Ella is a fabulous character and she’s more than up to the challenge her aunt presents! Ella wins the Welsh village over with her lovely personality, she gains friends and it’s probably fair to say she becomes central to the future of the Welsh village. She’s kind, creative and very thoughtful. Then there’s Joe .....say no more!! It’s a well written book, it’s lively and very engaging, I like the humour and it’s full of vivid descriptions so you can easily picture the settings. There are some unsettling things going on for Gillian and a few shocks for all concerned along the way but the outcome is positive. I love the arts and crafts element which is a central theme and it made me envy the skills since I struggle to draw a stick man or knit one, purl one!

Overall, a delightful read which is principally about belonging and finding out where your roots and anchors are. It’s fun, enjoyable, entertaining and has a good message. A perfect read for right now.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the arc for an honest review.

This was just a good book. I truly enjoyed this read. I read it in one sitting.
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.
4 stars.

Beth Corbys Leave it to Fate is the kind of warm fuzzy loveable romance I needed to read. It wasn’t your standard rom com plot, and whilst somewhat predictable, had elements of mystery and thriller interwtiwned which added to the overall story. Following Ella, who feels her life has grinded to a halt with no clue what path she is taking, we follow her, and fate, into the welsh countryside where she finds herself befriending (and potentially boyfriending) a cutesy , once close knit town. Whilst this isn’t one of my favourite reads, it is just a heartwarming easy going one what I kept wanting to pick up and indulge in. I did feel some parts of the story were rushed or overshadowed and could’ve had more detail, but for the most part I really thought this was a lovely read to have been sent and would recommend it! Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for this free copy in exchange for an honest review!

After losing her job Ella ends up in a Wales looking after her estranged aunt Gillian who needs help recovering from a fall. Throw in the mystery of why Gillian fell in the first place and how she managed to get so closed off from her former friends, lovely nephew Joe, a mix 0f interesting supporting characters and fate waving her hand over all the proceedings and you have a very enjoyable read. I liked how fate led Ella to Gillian and it helped them both find their ways. Well written, engaging read.

I adored this. I read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down. Loved the characters and the style of writing.

Leave It to Fate by Beth Corby a five-star read that fate needs to encourage everyone to read. This was amazing, from the dedication to family and a Nanna spelt the right way (according to my Nanna), to a hospital car park that I am sure I have sat in, to freaking out about spider food!! There are so many moments in this story that will strike a cord with many of us, there is something for everyone in this great story, you will imagine yourselves in the beautiful Welsh hills in the driving rain, chasing ghosts and a beautiful view. I am lucky enough that I live in some other hills in Wales similar but not quiet as remote, and sadly not so filled with Art. I don’t know if it was simply the location, but this story just swept me away. Reading this story almost felt like I was being told a great and passionate story by my friend, like she was filling in the gaps for me, it was such a rich and detailed story that I could feel Bozz rubbing up against my leg wanting his dinner, feel the smoothness of a carved egg. Understand where Gillian is coming from and why she reacts like she does, and warm to the cantankerous older lady. Do yourself a favour and don’t leave it to fate, pick this amazing story up and enjoy your reading.

This book was absolutely amazing!!! At first I felt it was a bit frustrating and boring, and wondered if I'd even finish it, but I'm so glad I stuck at it. This book had me on the edge of my seat with who the vandal was, awwing (is that even a word?!) at the relationship between the leading couple, and getting warm fuzzy feelings about the relationship between niece and aunt. I loved this book so much and felt that it really picked up from when the character moved to Wales and started being the book it promised to be. This is perfect for fans of Robyn Carr as it looked to me to be a cleaner, English/Welsh version of her books in that they're all about a close knit community with an eclectic mix of characters but all really lovely. I am recommending this book to everyone I know and am sincerely hoping it'll become a series as I'd love to hear more of Petra's story whilst still seeing this one progress in the background