My first book by Holly Hepburn but certainly won’t be my last.

Merry has just been dumped and has writer’s block, not something she needs when she’s on a deadline. An escape to the Orkney Islands for a Writer in Residence stay makes her hopeful to get over heartbreak and to make a start on her book.

I really loved the setting of this book, somewhere I haven’t read about before but now somewhere I think sounds quite magical. The descriptions of the locations were really fantastic and it really made me feel like I was there with Merry.

The characters were also really well written and I felt like I knew Merry quite well early on. It’s important to click with a main character straight away and I definitely had that with this book. I also loved the colourful characters that Merry meets during her stay, as well as her best friend Jess. Plenty of time (but not too much) is spent on other characters so that they feel just as important to the story.

I really lost myself in this book and it was such a joy to read.

Another fantastic book from holly. Originally released as 4 parts. Only little criticism when joining these together as one book is the recap at where each begins it a little annoying.

The start of a brand new series by popular author Holly Hepburn is total escapism. Best selling author Merina Wilde is suffering from writer’s block and her childhood sweetheart tells her he doesn’t love her anymore and wants to separate from their relationship. With a broken heart and a lack of inspiration Merina takes up a six-month writer’s residency on Orkney. With vivid descriptions of the island it’s like being transported to a stunning paradise. As Merina gets to know the locals, friendships develop and Merina’s inspiration gradually returns but does she find more than her next best seller? Beautifully written it made me smile and warmed my heart. A charming story from an author who doesn’t disappoint. I can’t wait for more.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Another brilliant book from Holly.

When author Merina Wilde suffers from writers block and her long term boyfriend finishes the relationship she applies for a writer in residence post on the island of Orkney for six months. She arrives on the island hoping escaping the hustle and bustle of London and heal her broken heart. Will she mend her broken heart? Will she be able to start writing again?

This book started life as 4 novellas, but I'm extremely glad to have discovered it in its' new format! This had all the feelgood boxes ticked, full of characters that you instantly warm to and will have you ready to move to Orkney in a heartbeat to be part of the friendly community!

Merry is a writer who has hit the dreaded writer's block phase of her life, alongside recently being dumped by her boyfriend of 15 years! She needs a change of scenery so when the opportunity to go to Orkney for a 6 month writer in residence position she is fully up for it!

She finds herself living in a remote croft in a stunning setting - I want to live there! - and ready for this next chapter of her life, whatever that may bring her way. She is taking to the bosom of the local community straight away as they love a writer, treating them like rock stars!!

The characters she meets along the way are so warm and friendly, from Niall the perfect host showing her all the local sights, Magnus the hot viking, and Sheila her elderly neighbour, who is only old in numbers and not in spirit! She finds herself adapting to Orkney life really easily and starts taking inspiration from local history to spark her back into writing again.

Ooh and not forgetting Gordon the goat who causes chaos wherever he roams!! This was one of those books that I raced through as I just adored seeing how life would pan out for Merry - both professionally and personally! - and it didn't disappoint in the choices she made!! Wonderful!!

I have read a few of Holly Hepburn books and enjoy her style of writing, the only negative I have is that the books are originally published in four sections and therefore sometimes the story is retold at the beginning of the next section which can be a little off-putting if you are reading the story as one book. But that is the only downside to this book. Merry escapes London to the wilds of Orkney to find her writing mojo and we are then taken on a wonderful journey around the isles and the ups and downs of her life. I look forward to reading her next book.

What a simply wonderful read. This book totally consumed me, not only were the characters very relatable but the wonderful descriptions of Orkney made me feel like I was actually there having a personal guide from Niall.

I loved the journey Merry went on to mend her broken heart, find writing inspiration and self discovery. All the characters that help her on this journey were amazing and their genuine friendship shines through.

It was an absolute joy to read and I hope we get to visit Brightwater Bay again soon.

The book got archived before I downloaded it and therefore this is not really a review. I will try to request another copy and if I get a chance to read it, I will update this review

What a wonderful story, I fell completely in love with the plot, the characters and especially the setting. Also, I love stories about authors, writing books and publishing so imagine my delight when I read that the main character, Merry, is an author.

When we first meet her though she has lost her passion to write. And her long term boyfriend has called it quits, she definitely needs a change of scenery. So she doesn’t doubt when the opportunity to be the writer in residence in the far away Orkney Islands comes up.

And once she lands in the stunning islands, it is impossible not to fall in love with the beautiful views, the amazing history and the lovely community. It had been a while since I had read such beautiful and vivid descriptions of a place. I felt like I was there myself, discovering all the secrets of the islands with Merry. So a huge bravo from me for Holly Hepburn for transporting me to such a special place and giving me the opportunity to disconnect from reality for a few hours!

Also, I really enjoyed the plot: the love story kept me on my toes until the very last moment. And the cast of characters was amazing. From the crazy goat, to the stunning Viking, or the running-obsessed senior neighbour, it was impossible not to warm up to them. Plus, we got a little inside of how a writer writes, where she gets her inspiration from and what challenges she faces! What else can you ask for?

Coming Home to Bridgewater Bay is a stellar read, I highly recommend it. Especially if you are looking for some adventures in a very special place with the most wonderful people!

Previously a novella in 4 parts, this book is amazing from beginning to end. I just love Hollys books and was lucky enough to get this early copy of the full version. Read in a couple of days, does Brightwater Bay exist? If it does I so want to go there!

In the times that we are currently living in, having books by my side have allowed me to escape and travel to places I'm unable to have the luxury of travelling to for real and I can confidently say that Holly whisked me away to the holiday of a lifetime within Brightwater Bay. I absolutely adored the story of Merry and her journey in finding her feet and sorting out her writers block once and for all.

Scotland has never been a destination I've thought of visiting, however, after Holly's astounding descriptions, I would be crazy to not one day visit and explore all of the nooks and crannies, find out all of the stories within the landmarks and just be there. Holly detailing of Scotland was so in-depth and vivid, to the point in which you feel that are you amongst the pages yourself.

All of the characters, from the mains, to the additional, were just every bit of gorgeous and wonderful - they were such a tight-knit community and had each other's backs no matter what. They took to Merry immediately, as did she with them and it was obvious from the start that Merry belonged there with everybody else - including a very gorgeous and special gentleman.

The romance in Merry's life was complicated and slow-burning, however, by the time you had reached the final pages, all of the waiting and the denial had been worth the magical final moment between the two! I would absolutely adore to see a new series within Brightwater Bay based on Merry's best friend Jess as the new writer in residence and explore her new love interest!

I absolutely loved this book, I am a fan of Holly Hepburn's books and I was thrilled to receive an early preview copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher.
This book really appealed to me, as firstly, it is set in Scotland. I used to visit Scotland a lot as a child and I have fond memories of it. Scotland makes such a great location for books in my opinion, as there are so many beautiful places there.
This book was set in Orkney, I have never been there, but Holly Hepburn made it sound like a lovely place to live and to visit. Her descriptions were very vivid, and I could picture them in my head. I actually looked up some of the places like Skara Brae, as I would love to visit them one day. At the moment though, when travel is not permitted, I was grateful for Holly's writing that helped me escape there just for a little while.
The second reason that this book appealed to me was that it was about books and writing. I love books that feature libraries, they are amongst my favourite places to visit. I also loved hearing about Merry's writing methods and inspirations. It was very interesting for me.
The characters were great in this book, no real bad characters, but there was a wide range of different types of people. I really liked Merry and also Niall. It was nice to have a brief cameo from Nick, a character in The Star and Sixpence series.
This is such a nice enjoyable feel-good read. It was also interesting to read about the history of the Orkneys. This book is the perfect escapism. I definitely recommend reading it.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really like this author she makes me smile and always had great characters, great locations and such a feel good storyline. Loved it.

A wonderful story of how Mer has lost her spark and cannot seem to put pen to paper and get on and write her next book. With the deadline looming and an unexpected change in her love life. Mer applies and gets a six month job as a literary writer in Orkney. Orkney is so full of surprises wherever you look/ go, a whole host of new friends and the most stunning view from her cottage. That. Mer begins to look at her life as a whole new chapter. I loved all the characters and the descriptions of the island were amazing ( I could imagine myself there). A must read

I’ve read (and enjoyed) all of Holly Hepburn’s previous books, so I’ve been looking forward to this one too. It definitely didn’t disappoint me - in fact it exceeded my expectations.

As soon as I started reading, I immediately felt right at home. This book is so relaxing to read. The atmosphere of the islands really comes through, and I love the croft and the sea so much.

Merry is a hugely relatable character, and she comes to Orkney at a low point in her life. I also loved all the other characters, especially Niall, and Sheila. But all the characters are well written. I enjoyed the fact that although there is a “bad guy” at the beginning of the book, the man she doesn’t end up with is not a bad guy, it just doesn’t work out.

If you’re looking for a romance with great characters and a wonderful setting, look no further.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

We’ve all wanted a change of scene to escape a break up or stressful work situation...or even lockdown right now! The lead character, Merry, does just that to flee her broken relationship & writer’s block by becoming writer in residence on Orkney! Such a fabulous setting & somewhere I hope to be able to travel to...someday!
On this beautiful island Merry has the chance to heal her broken heart & finds the cure for her writer’s block. She meets a stunning Viking & a Clark Kent look-a-like librarian too 😍
Wonderful escapism and a really enjoyable read. Highly recommended!

I think this book was really well written and enjoyed the story too. It was lovely meeting the main character Merina and then how she falls for Orkney. It was nice to be a part of the journey where she realises the better Verison of herself.

Merry is a bestselling author and everything runs smoothly in her life. Until it isn’t. She’s been experiencing writers’ block for some time and now her boyfriend of 15 years has just dumped her. In a restaurant. So that she doesn’t make a scene. Not really knowing what to do, Merry jumps on a place and flies to Orkney, to spend there the next 6 months as a so – called Writer in Residence. She’s hoping to get her inspiration back; to be able to write again. What she’s not expecting is to become a kind od Orkney celebrity, nor that – perhaps – she’s going to find much more there?

Merry was a lovely character and I immediately warmed to her. It was so interesting and gripping to see how she struggles with her writer’s block – something absolutely new and something I can’t relate to but something that I’ve heard about and it was great to get such an insider peep, to see the world through her eyes – as the places and encounters on Orkney started to spark her creativity. I liked that she was so open, friendly and down – to – earth.

Merry’s love life was as colourful as a rainbow and I think even Merry herself hasn’t expected it to turn out like this. However, mmmm, I think I would have chosen differently  I had a feeling there is much better connection with the other candidate, that they simply work together better.

The lovely story is shadowed – yes, I use this word consciously – by the descriptions of the setting. I don’t mean it in a wrong way, because oh my word, Orkney is a wonderful place and the author has done such a brilliant, lovely job with vividly describing it, so seamlessly transporting me to this place, beginning with the tricky journey on a plane and ending with the lighthouse – I truly appreciated it. But I also think that the plot has lost because of it. The story of Merry was great and I enjoyed it so much but I wished for more focus on it.

The problem with books that are published as four – parts series before is that they feel repetitive and slow. I want my plot to go on, to continue, events happening and the rerunning of scenes, introducing to the characters again, simply slows it down. It must be done like this, of course, series need this but it irritated me too much. I am not criticizing the author ort he book here, of course not, I am only honestly writing about my feelings while reading the story, and it hugely affected my reception.

„Coming Home to Brightwater Bay“ is a perfect escapism, a lovely and gentle story about second chances with a right amount of romance, fun, misfortune, friendship and half – marathons. Gordon the goat is absolutely hilarious!

I absolutely loved this book. I love all of the characters except Alex but that will become apparent to you if you read it to.

I think my favourite character is Merry and her friendship with Jess, because there relationship is very similar to that of my best friend and I.

Throughout the book I love reading about all of the beauty spots that are in the Orkneys, so much so it's made me want to go there when we are able to. The scenery and history sounds absolutely amazing.

Towards the end of the book you realise how absolutely foolish Alex is, I help but get annoyed with him being so silly. This is obvious testiment to the writing because to evoke that strong, dislike and annoyance for a character is amazing.

When Alex is referred to as Jasper from film 'The Holiday' this made me smile because that's the person comparison and it happens to be one of my favourite films.

I really enjoyed the relationships Merry gets herself in and her decisions were not what you'd expect so I feel like its a nice twist that she decides what she does.

This book has also given me the motivation to continue with my own novel too.

I would definitely read another by Holly.

What a treat! This book brings a smile and gladdens the heart...and makes you want to fly to the Orkneys and explore!!
Merry lives in London, her life seems to have hit a wall with her work, and her boyfriend of 15 years dumps her instead of supporting her. She sees an opportunity to escape to the Orkneys and follows it.
This is a winner, love, loss, history, travel, and lots of whisky!
A classic Holly Hepburn! Loved it ....could there be more to tell on the islands??