Another fabulous and emotional book from one of my favourite authors. This time I was taken to Croatia to find out whether Kate could bounce back from the most humiliating evening of her life.

Croatia sounded lovely and the book is full of great characters, some humour, lots of love and some secrets.

A perfect read for a sunny bank holiday weekend

Loved this little bit of escapism and made we want to revisit Croatia. Great read for this year's staycation

What a joyous read. The vivid descriptions of Croatia literally transported me there. I could see the places, feel the places and smell the air. A truly beautiful love story. I would read this book again and again. Bravo to Isabelle Broom! A triumph

This fits firmly into the chick-lit genre. It is a light summer romance with cliched characters and predictable plot. Kate breaks up with her long-term boyfriend after he refuses to marry her. She runs away to Croatia where her gay brother runs a hotel. She immediately finds a new career and hooks up with a mysterious man, soon forgetting her boyfriend who eventually turns up too late. I had to laugh when best friend describes mystery man - "He is a man of the salt, the sea and the wind"!? She also writes Herculaneum effort instead of herculean! This is also an advert for Croatia, which sounds lovely except for the cuisine - the only food mentioned is omelettes.

If you are staycationing this year then this book is the perfect escape to the summer holiday that you can only dream about during the pandemic. Like all Isabelle Broom books, it reads like a mini travelogue for Croatia, where it is set, with beautiful colourful descriptions.

With a nice set of characters, it is a funny lighthearted read that I totally recommend to anyone wanting to escape for a few hours.

Heard such good things about this book and I loved the cover. Pure escapism for a few hours for me! This book is beautifully written and certainly takes you through all sorts of the emotions. Kate is such a fine character and the description about the island, food and scenery almost transports you directly there. Gorgeous read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The Getaway" is another great summer read from Isabelle Broom. After Kate's boyfriend James has totally embarrassed her and ignored her marriage proposal Kate decides to take some time out. Escaping to spend time with her brother in Hvar, Croatia she finds a new direction for her life and a new love. The story is more about "how" than "who" as it is fairly obvious from the first time they meet who Kate will eventually find love with. Hvar and the surrounding islands sound idyllic so another great promotion for the local tourist industry, but then they all need as much help as possible at present.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

This is yet another lovely read by Isabelle Broom which offers fabulous escapism, I’d never considered Croatia but it sounded so blissful, along with some great characters and relevant issues. Kate is reeling from the humiliation of a disastrous attempt to propose to her long term boyfriend and decides to escape to her brothers hostel in Croatia inspired by a magazine article about a woman desperately searching for her missing brother. I loved the cheeky trick her brother played on her on her first day and the beautiful locations described. The storyline was gentle, no huge surprises but it was good to see how Kate’s character developed in her time there, overall it’s excellent escapism.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Kate, escapes, from her family and the person who she loves, James, after her life falls apart in a unforgettable way and one where everyone will know about to Hvar, a place where no one will know who she is or what why she’s there.

Thinking that the distance will make him change his mind.

Meeting Alex, someone, so totally different to the other men she’s known, she feels a connection. Soon she’s talking to him about her past in a way she’s not even done with herself.

But there’s a something that he’s not telling her and something that she’s keeping to herself.

Soon she’s about to find out that hidden truths eventually catch up with you........

Recommend it.

A warm, atmospheric, comfort read of a book that will make you want to book flights to Croatia immediately.

On the night of her 30th birthday Kate makes the biggest mistake of her life: she proposes to James, her long-time, live-in boyfriend with whom she is madly in love. It would be an understatement to say it didn’t go well, but it was so obvious that James was not singing from the same hymn sheet as Kate. They break up, he wants no further contact with her and Kate is heartbroken. But even worse than that, the video of her ill-timed proposal goes viral. It becomes an internet sensation, escalating by thousands and thousands of viewings as the days go by. She feels totally humiliated and decides to put distance between herself and James, in fact distance between her and everyone in the UK.
Kate has a brother called Toby living in Croatia. He and his husband called Filippo are working hard to finish off their brand new hostel called Sul Tetto in the seaside resort of Hvar. She flees there where nobody will know what has happened to her, offering her services to help with the decorating in return for a room to sleep in. She has an excellent eye for design and soon gets cracking, leaving Toby, Filippo and their hired handyman Alex to do the carpentry, painting and setting up of the dormitories and private rooms. She is glad of the work, it takes her mind off James, but she cannot help being tearful and unhappy. Gradually the hotel is brought alive with salvaged and natural items, set artfully around the hostel and all gathered by Kate. She is so talented and her work is widely admired. She even gets the offer of commissions.
Alex is very quiet but as they work together they build a unique friendship based on trust and the happy times they share. Alex offers to take her sightseeing, listening patiently while she opens her heart about her broken romance. She tells him that she hopes James will be missing her, realise he has made a mistake and change his mind. She dreams of reconciliation, reunion, a deepening love and a baby cementing their bond. Alex is totally not her type: he has dreadlocks, an untidy beard and wears tatty clothes. His home is on his old, battered boat, and he relies on picking up work by word of mouth. Alex is secretive about his past and does not open up to her. He sometimes goes missing without any warning. He is unattractive to Kate, but gradually her feelings change. She loves his personality, the way he encourages her, his loyalty and his kind nature. James or Alex, Alex or James? Still James is the winner by far. He is such a hardworking guy and they have been together for years. She loves him so much and has struggled with her loss since they broke up.
Then her best friend comes to spend a week full of sunshine and sightseeing, swimming and sunbathing and most of all for her catch up with Kate. But what happens next is not at all what Kate wanted or could even imagine happening. What will she do?
I thought this novel was a really good read. The story telling was beautiful, the storyboard was full of interest, twisty, exciting and very well handled. I never once suspected that the finale would end as it did. I liked the carefully crafted and developed characters, the exotic island descriptions and the range of emotions the story evoked. The choice of themes was also varied and contemporary, with issues of emotional abuse, fertility, mental health problems and so much more. I received a complimentary copy from publisher Hodder through my membership of NetGalley and with the promise of a review. Thank you so much for my copy. These are my own honest opinions without any outside influences. It is a well-deserved 4.5* review from me. It is a perfect holiday read.

Escapism to beautiful Croatia , This book made me add Croatia to my bucket list . lovely description .

Kate run away to Crotaia to run away from big humiliation in her life, I felt bad for Kate and I loved how the writer started building her up and showing how some times you can find your self and your passion in an expected places.

I was not interested at the other characters , Kate was enough for me , to see her grow and becomes confident women , not undermining her self all the time.

Aslo liked how there in no perfect character everyone are flawed .

This book was breath of summer holidays , concentration on the landscape and beauty of the country.

The Getaway, A holiday romance for 2021 - perfect summer escapism!, Isabelle Broom

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Romance 
Genre: Romance, women's fiction ( adult)

Bah humbug, women's romance again. I hate reading that in categories, so outdated.
|Anyway, this was fun. Poor deluded Kate, after a disastrous 30th birthday she's going through a break up of epic proportions. She's been with her ex for 8 years and the end blindsided her. Her friends, parents don't know how to help get her out of the mire she's in, depressed, in tears. She'd just lost her job too, not that it was something she liked but it was a job. Big brother Toby comes to the rescue, takes her off to Croatia to help him and his husband Filippo with the new hostel, and they seriously need that help!
I loved Toby and Filippo, loved the island of Hvar and the people. Kate finds that she's not the disaster she thought, she does have talent and discovers a field she enjoys and is good at. I loved her personal growth, her build up of self belief, the way she was able to look back and see she wasn't the person her ex portrayed.
Of course she meets someone new. The gorgeous Alex, who's not without his own problems. I did find the coincidence of their meeting and what she knew a tiny bit hard to believe....but its book-land! I also found that once there she was able to let go of the past 8 years with her ex pretty quickly. I didn't want her to wallow but I did feel she moved on faster than I expected. Maybe that's just book timing, its set over a short period but for me I was a little surprised.
There's fabulous descriptions of life on the island, great characters, and lots of twists in the story, some of which had me cheering and yet tearful too. I enjoyed reading this story, it didn't keep me gripped to the page, I did read over a few periods, but that's me not the book.

Stars: Three, great holiday read, sweet romance, and great portrayal of personal growth

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

I’d heard so many good thinks about The Getaway, the new novel form Isabelle Broom. It’s set in beautiful Croatia and although I’ve never visited there before it’s certainly whetted my appetite to explore there.

It’s Kate’s thirtieth birthday party and something goes wrong. Something of monumental proportions. Kate needs to get away so disappears to Croatia. Surely endless blue skies and the gorgeous sea will help her take stock of her life. No one on the island of Hvar knows her or why she’s there. Until she meets Alex. He’s another lonely soul yet Kate feels instantly drawn to him.

This book is beautifully written and certainly takes you through all of the emotions. Kate is such a lovely character and the depth of description about the island, food and scenery almost transports you directly there.

A fabulous five star read. Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

We all love a party but no one would wish for the 30th birthday bash that Kate experienced. The love of her life James wasnt expecting a surprise of his own either that leads to insecure Kate feeling humiliation and heart broken.
This delightful story then takes us to Hvar in Croatia which is so beautifully described that it left me wanting to be there right now. Kates brother Toby and his husband Filippo are just the tonic and distraction Kate needs, as is the renovation project of their hostel Sul Tetto. Kate is introduced to Alex, another Brit who does odd jobs for them. Alex appears to be a complex character who leads a very simple private life but the spark between him and Kate is evident to all except Kate who still pines after her ex.
A fabulous summery read that had me almost feeling the sand between my toes.
My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Isabelle Broom really understands the joy of a good sun holiday, and her ability to describe gorgeous, sun kissed locations is in evidence here again. If you can't travel abroad then why not read a book that brings the beach to you!

I've read a few of Isabelle's books and have always enjoyed them and this one was no exception. I love the way you get a great story as well as being taken to a foreign country and the author makes it come alive. I came away wanting to jump on a plane to Croatia - if only we were allowed.

I loved the story of becoming the person you are as opposed to the person it is perceived you are. I think we all hide behind masks and the preconceptions others have off us and it is refreshing to have a story where being yourself is the best way.

Just wish I could have read it while lazing on a beach or by a pool.

The Getaway by Isabelle Broom. I requested this book because I’m a fan of the author and I certainly wasn’t disappointed, this book was amazing. The Main character is Kate and she has been humiliated after proposing to her boyfriend, which ends in him dumping her and the proposal going viral. Kates bother lives in Croatia, so Kate goes to spend some time with him. While there it’s a journey of discovery, discovering more than she would expect. This book to be honest was a slow burner but stick with it because it comes alive and you will end up loving it. It starts off with quite a sad situation, being dumped but that isn’t the whole feel of the book, it’s humorous, it’s passionate, it’s relatable, it’s honest and it’s emotional, you will laugh and cry in equal measure and you will get behind Kate like she’s someone you know and that’s down to the great writing from the author. At times you will feel like you want to scream at the characters, yet at other times you will just want to give them a hug and tell them everything will be alright. Isabelle Broom’s writing is what makes this book the brilliance that it is, I’ve never been to Croatia and to be honest never thought of it as a destination for me, yet after reading this I’m intrigued, as it sounds stunning and beautiful. The way that Isabelle describes Croatia you build this picture up in your head of blue sky’s, white buildings, little winding streets, pretty flowers growing from the white buildings, a sea front with busy bars and clear blue water. Isabelle’s writing makes this story feel like every word has been well thought out, every situation and setting well researched. We’ve all been through what Kate went through it some form or shape, this is what makes it relatable, because it’s not about Kate getting dump it’s about being at a point in life where your no longer a child or a teen but a adult with adult responsibilities; yet it’s so much more than a story about finding yourself it’s about mental health, a very current topic. The story that unfolds could feel predictable and in some respects it is but Isabelle Broom keeps you guessing until the very ending, when you think the story is going in one direction, when you think what you thought was wrong yet when all is revealed wow, no actually WOW WOW WOW. It’s beautifully and sensitively. Another great book and another huge book hangover. Will be recommending to all. If I could give more than 5 stars I would.

What would you do if you were publicly humiliated at your 30th birthday party? When Kate is, she runs away to hide on the island of Hvar in Croatia to stay with her brother Toby and lick her wounds. The story follows Kate who doesn’t have a very high opinion of herself until she meets loner Alex, who gives her the confidence to realise her true potential.

A wonderful read with a great mix of characters. It’s the perfect summer book.

Kate goes to Hvar in Croatia to 'Getway' from an embarrassing situation.

There she finds herself again and finds a new found joy in upcycling and interior design.

Wow this truly was a magical read I devoured this beauty in less than 24 hours.

This makes you realise that you can be bold be brave and never let anything stand in your way of what you want to achieve in life.

Alex was a total joy and just a go with the flow guy and that opposites attract.

If you need a perfect escapism read then this is for you!

A pleasure to read and review thank you for giving me the opportunity.