Member Reviews

One Summer Sunrise is a fun and easy read. Inside the pages you get to spend one hot and eventful day in Glasgow with the four main characters, plus their vibrant group of friends and family members. Each one starts the day with a very big problem. As the day progresses we follow the characters to see how these are resolved and how chance meetings change their lives.

I really enjoyed the multiple character narrative. It was intriguing to see how the separate tales would intertwine and how the four characters would eventually influence each other’s stories.

The story that engaged me most was that of Harriet. After facing unthinkable tragedy in her earlier life, she finds herself completely alone in her 80s. We find her on the day she is due to leave hospital and return to the isolation of her home. She fears loneliness so much that she’s planning to take her own life. Her story is by far the most heartwarming, as we see how the kindness of strangers, as well as the hand of fate, turns her life around.

The novel deals with a range of compelling issues such as loneliness, regret, mid-life crisis, the empty nest, failing relationships and heartbreak. It does this with a dose of drama but also a heavy helping of humour. It’s a bit like a soap opera in book form.

Overall, a great choice if you just want to switch off with a cuppa and immerse yourself in someone else’s drama for a bit.

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⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️
(Rounded up to 4 stars).

A well written, entertaining read.

The story takes place over the course of a day, from sunrise to sunset; as the drama slowly unfolds, we discover how the characters lives are inevitably intertwined.

One summer Sunrise is an enjoyable, warm, lighthearted, easy read, with a generous sprinkling of humour; a satisfying summer accompaniment.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Shari Low for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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Over the next twenty four hours, four lives are going to change forever.

Maisie is standing in for her best friend at an event taking place at the stately home she was jilted at a few months previously.

Harriet is being discharged from hospital and is reluctantly going back to her lonely existence. After the death of her husband she has no family left and nothing to live for.

Scott and Kelly have been married since they were teenagers, now their grown up daughter is leaving home it’s time for them to live their dreams. Dropping a few bombshells along the way.

I loved that this story is told over the course of one day. I laughed, cried and loved every word.

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One summer sunrise
By Shari Low
Pub date June 3 2021
This is the perfect summer read you enjoy I’ve read a few books by Shari low and this one I love. Shari low is a talented writer and her writing style is amazing. The characters are amazing and easy to understand and connect with I loved them all. This story is full of emotion you love this story. Full of drama and twist you love a great read.I enjoyed it.

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One Summer Sunrise is written predominately within a 24 hour time period as we meet Maisie McTeer who steps in at the last minute to help her best friend cater an event as she has gone into labour. This sets off a chain reaction of events that Maisie or anyone else in this story ever saw coming.

We get to meet Maisie early on as she peels her eyes open from a hangover and realises the event she is helping to cater for is being held at the very location her ex jilted her on her wedding day just months before. We also get to meet the lovely Harriet who after a fall and broken hip is getting ready to leave the hospital, however Harriet hasn't told anyone how alone she is and how she can't face returning home to continue her lonely existence.

As you read this story which is full of highs and lows your heart soars and then falters as you follow the emotional story of all the people caught within its pages. Everyone in this story is experiencing a range of emotions that all interlinked and create unexpected new relationships and discoveries for both Maisie & Harriet.

I loved this book and flew through the pages as loved the short time line for the majority of the story and how it all tied together to create a wonderful discovery. An author whose books I love, took me on another wonderful journey that I did not want to end.

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I’m so pleased I chose to read this one. I loved the whole concept of this book when I first saw it – one day, sunrise to sunset – and the book was an absolute delight from its beginning to its perfect end.

The book’s introduction sets out the large cast of characters with a few key facts about them – I wondered if I should maybe take notes so I could keep track, or perhaps that I really needed to have read the last book (I understand we met Maisie and Hope in One Day in Summer). But no, there was absolutely nothing to worry about, this book is entirely standalone – the events of the earlier book are there in the background, but nothing that’s unexplained – and the characters leapt into life from the book’s pages as soon as I started to read, and the wonderful story began to unfold.

Maisie finds herself responsible for running the catering at a big charity event when her friend Sissy goes into labour – and might just be a bit more enthusiastic about it if it wasn’t being held at the same venue where Nathan jilted her at the altar. It’s a graduation event largely organised by Carny Bassett, about to leave home for the bright lights of London, leaving her parents behind in their empty nest. Her father Scott is finding the courage to drop the bombshell that he’s decided to walk away from the marriage and pursue his own dreams – mother Kelly is struggling with the impending loss of her daughter, but has secrets of her own and one big bit of news that she really needs to share. And then there’s Harriet – in her 80s, being discharged from the geriatric ward of the hospital to return to her empty and lonely life, taken to the event by nurse Yvie who spots the shared surname and hopes there might be a family connection.

I was right about the large cast of characters – the various partners, friends and family members – but every single one of them plays their own significant part in the story, and is quite perfectly drawn. I loved the fact that it was a multi-generational story too, with distinct characters and situations that every reader couldn’t fail to identify with – and there’s a strong focus on complex family relationships alongside friendships that entirely warm the heart. I’ll admit to having a particularly soft spot for Yvie – her relationship with her sister, her gentle caring and ever-present humour, the perfect part she has at the heart of the story and in one of its particularly dramatic moments.

The whole plot is busy – so many unexpected twists and turns, echoes of the past fleshing out the characters, encounters that bring changes in direction – but beautifully controlled, and the writing is quite superb, the threads of the story firmly held, satisfyingly tangled (and then knotted a few times to make sure), then slowly pulled apart with a few more delicious surprises along the way.

The comedy is quite perfectly judged, ranging from the most wonderful one-liners to more sustained laugh out loud moments, with supporting characters playing their part (Janice and Jane, from the catering company, their contact with the public limited for good reason, were fantastic!). But the ever present humour is more than balanced by the strength of the emotional content – Harriet’s story is particularly heartbreaking (and did make me cry), very real and so sensitively handled, and the angst in the relationship between Scott and Kelly really makes you ache inside. But Maisie’s story line is quite wonderful too – she remains clearly in sight throughout all the other unfolding storylines, having already won your heart, and her final big triumphal moment made me want to cheer out loud.

This really was a perfect summer read – I read it in one glorious sitting and loved every moment. It’s an engaging and compelling read, made me laugh and cry, left me with a fullness around the heart and a massive smile on my face – and I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I was by the storytelling and the way the different storylines were constructed, overlapped, and brought together. I now want to read everything Shari Low has ever written – another author most definitely now added to my list of favourites.

(#Blogtour - Review copied to Amazon UK but link not yet available)

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This story features several main characters and their stories which take place across one single day during the summer. A day which for all of the characters changes their lives dramatically. The book almost follows a ‘Love Actually’ style, where the characters stories are individual to them, but almost end up intertwining together during the course of the book.

First we are introduced to Maisie. She is 25 and is an actress/singer from Glasgow. Maisie was jilted at the alter two months prior to the beginning of the story by her fiancé Nathan. Her two friends are about to have a baby, so Maisie fills in as a caterer for an event that is hosted by Maisy’s friend, Carny.

Next we are introduced to Scott Bassett, a 38-year-old, has decided he does not like the direction his life has gone. Scott is trying to figure out how to leave his wife and quit his job. Scott loves his 22-year-old daughter, Carny, he is not thrilled with his past. He and his best friend Carson are both attending the event Carny is hosting.

The third character is Kelly Bassett, the 38-year-old mother of Carney and wife of Scott. She and Scott have been together since they were 16 when she was pregnant with Carny. Kelly finds out that she is pregnant, but she is not sure how to react and how to tell Scott.

The final character in the story is Harriet Bassett. She is a lonely 80-year-old woman who is recovering from a hip injury. After losing both her husband and her son in the past and no known family connections, she is struggling a lot with daily life. Each of the characters journey is so well written and I absolutely loved following them as the story develops. One Summer Sunrise is such a beautifully written story with incredible emotion and heartwarming moments throughout.

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There is so much going on in this novel, so many characters whose stories entwine together to create a rich tapestry. There is a romantic element however it goes beyond that. It’s a story of different kinds of love, friendship and family and I love how some of the characters are older, and further into their lives. It made them completely relatable. Despite being filled with dilemmas and dramas, this is a light-hearted book with some humorous moments and an uplifting feel whilst still tugging on the heartstrings.
The whole book covers a single day and follows the four main characters; Kelly, Scott, Maisie and Harriett, all of whom are facing their own issues and things to sort out. Each character is different and their problems are all different. The narrative switches between each character and gives them all their own voice however we see them through different eyes as they cross over into each other’s stories. Shari has woven their single threads together to create a much larger picture of real people living real lives.
It was so easy to become totally lost in this novel and I loved everything about it. I loved the timeline, multi narration and the characters who were captivating. A fabulous read for the weekend.

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I was lucky to receive a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I absolutely adored this book. It made you smile and cry all before you finish the last page. This is just what we needed after the last year! Thanks Shari Low for another fantastic read! Can't wait for your next book!

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Shari Low is one of those authors who always have me eagerly anticipating getting my hands on their new release, so when given the opportunity too read and review One Summer Sunrise I jumped at the chance.

This story is full to the brim with drama, as we follow the lives of three very different people. First we meet Maisie, a woman who is determined to find out what exactly was going through her ex fiancé’s mind when he jilted her at the alter. This is obviously something that is hard to simply ‘get over’, and Maisie feels she can’t really move forward until she gets the answers she so desperately needs.

When eighty year old Harriet loses her husband, the thought of carrying on without him seems unbearable. When she is discharged from hospital back to the lonely care home, her life feels rather dire. As she struggles to contemplate her lonely existence, a face within a crowd causes her to stop and think, and consider if there really is something – or someone – worth living for after all.

And then there is Scott, a man who has found himself in a rather loveless marriage with Kelly. Neither of them are happy, yet they refuse to acknowledge this fact, staying together for the sake of their family. But with their daughter about to leave home, Scott decides that now is the time to end their marriage and follow his dreams. However, Kelly has some news that is about to change both of their lives once more.

Shari Low always manages to produce a story that has you well and truly immersed in the characters and their lives to the very end. The story is so wonderfully written, and intertwines the lives of Maisie, Harriet and Scott in the most beautiful ways. I loved how we got to experience the story from each characters perspective, allowing us to get to to know then as individuals on a much deeper level. Each of the characters had their own complex personalities, all of which impacted the story in some way. The storyline flows effortlessly from beginning to end, and takes you on an emotional rollercoaster alongside the characters. Another fantastic book by the fantastic Shari Low.

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Another rip-roaring read from Shari Low!

One summer day with such a lot going on! Maisie decides to find out exactly what was going through her ex’s mind when he jilted her at the altar; Harriet considers where her lonely existence is leading until she sees a familiar face in the crowd. Scott and Kelly have stayed together to raise their daughter who was the result of a teen pregnancy, but with her leaving home today Scott has plans to pursue his own dreams, but Kelly has news of her own to surprise him with. Just one day, 24 hours, to affect the rest of their lives – who’s going to live happily ever after?

Shari Low is one of my must-not-miss authors; she never fails to entertain and lift my spirits. Her sense of humour always makes me giggle and I think that she must have some great fun with her real-life pals. This novel is just bursting with terrific characters – I loved them all and would be hard pushed to choose but Maisie, Janice and Jane will be hard to forget. Their quick-witted rapid fire repartee is pure dead brilliant, so it is! Don’t be fooled though, this is a cleverly plotted tale of lives intertwined, all based on real situations and beautifully written. A pleasure to read but not just full of fun as there’s plenty to make you think too. I loved everything about this one and I’m not sure I’ll ever have my fill of this author’s work. Absolutely, definitely a sparkling five star read and my highest recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy and to Rachel Gilbey for my spot on this tour; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

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Shari Low does it again. Straight in with the drama, laughs and tears. I love that this book is just about 24 hours, it gets you hooked straight away. I’ve loved every Shari book and they have all been 5 star reads. This is no different. Amazing, brilliant and as always, I cannot wait to read more from her. Recommended for an easy, quick, drama filled read. The perfect summers day book.

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Okay so I think it took me all of about 5 minutes to fall in love with this book! It is such a well written book, with a storyline that keeps you hooked on it. This is a book of heartbreak , love, friendship for all ages.

I absolutely adored the character of Maise , recently left at the altar and trying to move on , she is the type of refreshing character that I love, instead of a wallowing character just thinking of herself she is determined to get her life back on track. She is so wonderfully described by Shari that you can close your eyes and picture her , to be honest she describes all her characters this week but I just especially love Maise!

This book had me hooked from the first page and kept me until the very last word. The plot, the setting, the characters everything is just done perfectly. This was my first book I've read by Shari and it certainly won't be my last!

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Wow what a book. I don't know what to do with myself know this book is done but wow. I didn't know what to expect opening up this book but safe to say i was blown away by family,drama and love in one.
This is my first Ms.Loe's read and it's safe to say i have a new author on my summer read.
So if you're looking for something to curl up to this summer. Then this is your book. It's in the name.

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The synopsis gives a quick introduction to the main characters of the story, Maisie, Harriet, Kelly Scott. Along with other family and friends, this is the story of one day in the summer.

Oh, my goodness did I love this story! I was completely wrapped up in the lives of the characters and how in one day their lives all changed dramatically. The author did such a wonderful job of introducing the characters in such a way that they became easily memorable. Even though the focus is on the main characters, the supporting ones are just as important, without them, this would be a very different story.

The supporting characters are to help interlink the main characters and bring them together and also weave an emotionally charged story. As well as this there are snippets of backgrounds, relationships, family and friends that create a much bigger picture.

This is a story that has a whole lot going on, there are moments when grief and guilt make an appearance, but this is what happens in real life. There are also some inappropriate comments, some well-meaning comments, quite a few giggles and some wonderful heartfelt moments. The story is one that deals with family, friends and relationships. While on the outside lives can look great, you're not always aware of things that are hidden away.

The author gradually works her characters and the storyline to provide a book that is very addictive. She effortlessly glides between characters and weaves her tale. I adore this book from the very start, and then there was that final section. Oh my! what a wonderful ending, it left me with tears.

A fabulous story about family and friends, of happiness, guilt and grief all worked together to give a stunning read. One for fans of contemporary fiction and family drama. Great book and one I would definitely recommend.

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The 3rd July, a date to remember! A day when Maisie, Scott, Kelly and Harriet converge at The Lomond House Estate and leave knowing their lives are about to take on a very different direction.

The concept and plot are what makes this and other novels by this author must-reads. The idea of how one day can reshape your life in a small world kind of way is addictive. The protagonists and the large cast of supporting characters are diverse and truly add to the appeal. As you'd expect, the narrative is busy but somehow avoids becoming overwhelming... a huge plus for me.

The narrative has a light-hearted feel, yet includes some tough, thought-provoking issues for the protagonists to navigate on this extraordinary day. Therefore, prepare to experience the same emotions as those facing their challenges head-on. Those familiar with Ms Low's novels will delight at seeing the familiar face in Hope McTeer, as her sister Maisie moves into the spotlight. However don't worry if this author is new to you because this is a standalone novel, although I do recommend reading other titles by this author too.

Overall, another satisfying and well-written novel from an author I admire.

***Review copy received courtesy of Boldwood Books via NetGalley***

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Today, Maisie McTeer decides to track down the ex who jilted her at the altar. Today, she’ll find out that revisiting the past can also rewrite her future.

After losing her husband, Harriet Bassett can no longer bear her lonely life. Today, a familiar face in a crowd will spark a quest to discover if there’s something and someone worth living for.

Scott and Kelly Bassett’s daughter is leaving home. Today, Scott plans to tell Kelly that he’s ending their marriage to pursue his rock and roll dreams.

However, Kelly, has a bombshell of her own. How will Scott react to the news that a new arrival is on the way to fill their empty nest?

Between sunrise and sunset, there’s love, heartbreak, laughter and tears, but who will find happiness at the end of the day?


I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is something about reading a book based on love in the good weather. This book needs to be read on a sunny afternoon with a glass of something fizzy and just to lose yourself in it

This book centres around some family drama. But at the same time is such a feel good book

The book takes place over 24 hours and it took me just over 24 hours to read

The author delivers another great book, perfect for the summer U.K. staycations

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Wow! Shari does not mess about in this book and gets straight into the drama. This may be because this is part of a trilogy, but I read it as a standalone and I feel it worked perfectly well in this way.

I loved hearing from the different perspectives straight away and the structure is carefully plotted to have maximum impact on the reader. At first, I felt sorry for Tilly, and then Kelly, then you realise Kelly has been keeping secrets of her own…

I loved how so much action and drama was packed into one day. This is definitely an original feature and Shari navigates this with ease and effectiveness.

The characters are well drawn, relatable and believable and it is a real skill of Shari’s to build such a connection between reader and characters.

There is an excellent balance between humour and intense emotion in the book. Any serious topics such as fertility, loneliness and relationship breakdown are dealt with sensitively and are balanced with a light hearted humour and an overall uplifting feel to the book.

I absolutely love Shari’s books but I think this is my favourite yet. The pace and the careful plotting make for an addictive and great read.

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I loved each story and how unique they were to each other. This book wove a truly beautiful story and I was here for all of it. This is one that has you so curious but doesn't give into it until all of the stories come together at the end.
The perfect light, uplifting and sweet story with a little crazy thrown in!

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A heart warming story of love, friendship and family. It is very well written and was an absolute pleasure to read. The characters were all really interesting and they developed as the book went on. This story made me smile and made me cry. I enjoyed this book and all of the dysfunctional relationships and the resolutions of them for the parties involved...it was thoughtful and the ending was the best.

Shari Low's stories are always a joy to read, but this really is exceptional. One Summer Sunrise is definitely the author's best book to date and really showcases her talent for storytelling. I can't wait to see what she delivers next.

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