This book follows Callie on the rocky journey of grief after she loses her fiancé, Liam just before their wedding. It's blunt in that there are days that Callie doesn't want to get out of bed. Then even though she gradually starts going about her days again, she still isn't "whole."

When Callie meets Nathan, she doesn't realize that he has been through his own year of drama and change. Following a severe illness himself, he's taken on a new attitude with life and is determined to slow down and enjoy it more. He's given up his partying ways and wants to be present and actually live and enjoy his life. Part of that for him is getting to know the sweet widow better. Unfortunately, Callie isn't quite ready to move on into a romantic relationship yet.

As the two maintain their friendship "only" relationship, it's sweet to see how they continue to connect in many ways. It may take time apart for them to both realize exactly what is most important to them and how to best achieve it.

The characters in this book are well-written and easy to connect with. In addition, the side characters are strong and vital to the storyline as well. Another important factor is the impact that the location has on the characters and their story. A big portion of the story revolves around Callie's hope that Nathan will work to preserve the land that he's looking to develop and try to damage it as little as possible. In addition, the beach near where they live is a connection for them both. It's where Callie initially met her fiancé, Liam and also Nathan later on.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

An emotional read. Callie is still not over Tuesday of her fiance when she meets Nathan. She is still struggling when she finds out a bit secret - will.She be able to move on with Nathan when she finds this ojt. I liked how it was told from both points of view.

My heart broke for Called who was left at the altar. Liam died on the war to the wedding in a car accident. So Called was left to figure q how to keep living.

I was instantly sucked into q story. I finished it in one sitting. I really liked Callie and was with her on her journey.

I liked Nathan too. Both were realistically written. The continued meetings and coincidences were nice.
I cried quite a bit and always sadly.
I really liked the setting of Cornwall and the descriptions were beautiful.

This will stay in my memory for quite awhile.

Highly recommended

Thanks to the author and Goodwood books and Netgalley for the opportunity

4 1 \2 stars

I love a story where you are fully invested in the characters.

Callie is set to marry love of her life Liam, he gets her, they love the same things and she can't believe how perfectly they fit together.

On the day of their wedding, Liam sadly passed away. Callie has to do life without him now.

She meets Nathan who moves to a cottage in Callie's town. He is going through his own issues which was the reason for his move. As Callie's feelings grow for Nathan, she has to choose to continue wallowing in her grief or move on.

The descriptions in this book are stunning and love how true to life both Nathan and Callie's feelings are. It accurately portrays what grief is like and shows the important of relationships, not just romantic, and reinforces that we need to live life to the fullest.

Thank you Booldwood Books and Netgalley for this book. I give five star to this sad end emotional read. Even this book not made me cry I liked the main characters so much that I give all stars. They both receive a second chance in life. Just they need a little longer to see that. There are some twists and a familly matters from both side. I maybe wanted to have desire more their time for just them. No relationship is perfect but we.can always try to do our best.

The Shape of Your Heart is a sweet, romantic, beautiful read that is so much more than the inital meet cute i thought it would be. The Shape of Your Heart has such depth of emotion and wonderfully flawed characters that you feel like they are your friends. We meet Callie who is all settled in life, ready to begin the next chapter with her Fiance when fate has other plans, and suddenly Callies world comes crashing down around her. We meet her a year down the line slowly starting to emerge the fog that she has spent the last year wrapped in. Shes slowly starting to see just maybe she can be happy.

Nathan has slowed down his pace of life after he needed to make some changes for the better, when he meets the woman on the beach and he feels immediately drawn to her, just like he was to his new home. As they start to discover each other, he learns her heart is still torn and with another but can they help each other navigate the changes they both need to make?

I honestly loved this, it was so much deeper than alot of books, the way it was written you felt every emotion along with Callie. I dont know if it was the way Callie was written or the way the whole narrative was wrriten but my feels were all over the place. It was complex and dealt with grief in a beuatifully written way. This was one of those books i was excited to curl up under my blanket with to read more.

This story had all the ingredients to need endless boxes of tissues, but somehow I didn't. I was moved by what Callie went through, losing her fiancé, but I wasn't as heartbroken as I had expected, perhaps because it happened before we fully got to know the characters. After the immediate drama the story became a lot more gentle with a lot of gardening and dealing with grief takes time.
Callie was fortunate enough to be in the position to take all the time she needed, not to have to work every day to make ends meet, but instead focus on her garden as her way of healing and then meets Nathan and that leads to a whole lot more gardening and questioning whether she can ever move on.
Overall a really good and moving story with lovely main characters that have the support of their family members when going through rough times.

3 stars//

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Shape of Your Heart follows Callie and Nathan on their journeys navigating self discovery and grief. Callie lost her fiancé the day of her wedding a year before she had met Nathan, and Nathan had a serious health scare which pushed him to finally make a change in his life. He moves to Callie's small town, and following a few coincidences, they meet and Callie decides to help him with his garden. All kinds of feelings arise and Callie has to decide whether she wants to continue wallowing in her grief and sadness or take a few steps forward.

The author's description of the places and nature around the characters was very vivid and honestly just beautiful. I really enjoyed the way she portrayed the sceneries and how passionate Callie was about protecting the environment. She also delved into the subject of grief and how healing is subjective to each person and their situation. The book mainly revolved around that, with the romance being underdeveloped or more of a subplot rather than a focal point in the characters' stories.

I do have to say I could not see the chemistry between the characters. At no point did I feel they were meant to be because the 'coincidences' that lead them to one another were just too predictable and cliché to be believable. I also found the subplots to be a little dull and slow moving. It was pretty repetitive about halfway through, and I just wanted to finish it in all honesty.

All in all, I think the messages in this book were important reminders about how much there is to live for, especially when dealing with grief. If you are looking for an easier read about a relatable character realistically dealing with grief, definitely give this one a shot.

It's one of my first books by this author so I was excited to jump in and see what it had in store.

Set around our main character Callie who tragically lost her fiance on the day they were due to be married, one year later still struggling with the realities of grief she decides to start living her life again, when she bumps into new guy Nathan there's an instant connection she can't help feel guilty about.
Agreeing to help him with his garden the roller coaster of emotions begin.

This one caught me by surprise, it's an extremely emotional novel and covers the true reality of coming to terms with losing someone, its also got a lot of sad news throughout so definitely have your tissues at the ready, ultimately though it is a very heartwarming tale.

For me I did struggle with Callies character at times, although I empathised with her hugely, I did sometimes feel she was a bit forcefull with her thoughts towards Nathan and it took a good chunk of time before she actually listened to him, I did find that he was more a product of what she wanted him to be than actually being his own unique character but that does make sense as the story unfolds.

It did get a little bit cliche in the second half in my opinion, the story kind of reminded me of those romantic chain messages that would be sent around in the early 00s, but overall it was a very easy read, there's a lot of great characters and it did leave me smiling in the end 😀

When Callie’s life changes just before she says ‘I do,’ she struggles to find happiness again. But one year later she meets Nathan at the beach and she may have to leave her past behind to give her heart freely to another.

This is a beautiful and emotional novel exploring themes such as grief and the struggle to rebuild your life again after loss.

This novel is told from the two main characters' points of view, Callie and Nathan, which allows the reader to see both perspectives. This was a great way to tell the narrative and allowed the reader to engage further and feel the raw emotion coming from these characters. I just loved the character of Callie and Howells's writing style. Such a fantastic read.

I totally adored this book, it is a complete emotional roller-coaster that will have your heart instantly. The life-affirming narrative deals with the stages of grief sensitively. I was Nathan and Callie to see how much they needed each other, I was so desperate for them to see they deserved a fresh start. This is my second Debbie Howells book and I loved them both equally.

As with the authors previous books, I loved this, however I feel she has created the most annoying (at times) I character in Callie. I even shouted at her when she wouldn’t let her sister go to the hospital, very much a me me me person and the jealousy 🙄.

I really liked the sound of the memory garden! Such a sweet idea, I also liked following Nathan on his journey and the project he set up.

Callie's fiance Liam was killed in a car accident on their wedding day and she is trying to move on with her life but is finding it hard
Nathan has been very ill so left his stressful job and moved nearer to the seaside in Cornwall for a quieter more relaxing way of life
They meet one day on the beach and slowly become friends until Callie finds something out about Nathan that changes everything
I certainly wasn't expecting the way the book went but enjoyed it none the less

I fell in love with this beautiful by Debbie Howells, it’s so emotional (bring tissues because you’re going to need them) a story of highs and lows, grief, survivors guilt , learning to move on, it’s just such a moving read. Debbie Howell’s writing is brilliant, she managed to wring every emotion possible from me whilst reading this book, her characters are so well written and developed, you feel like you live the journey they are on and you literally cry and laugh with them.

I adored the setting of Cornwall and Spain, Cornwall is one of my favourite places and Debbie’s descriptions of Cornwall, all the coves, streets and beaches I felt I was there again. I also loved the emphasis on being eco, the import of nature and saving the planet, not destroying it. It’s one of important messages that thread throughout this beautiful story, family, second chances and really living each day.

I thoroughly recommend this book to all lovers of women’s fiction, of books that move you and make you think, but if you have a heart I think you’ll love this.

Thanks to Debbie Howells, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for a free e-book in return for an honest and voluntary review, all opinions are my own and freely given.

Decent read but very predictable and a bit saccharine at times. Definitely not a feel good book, quite a bit of sadness and drama.

This is a life-affirming story which deals with the aftermath of grief and living with loss in a sensitive and heartwarming way. Through Callie, you follow her devastation at a life changing event and see how, as the year progresses, she processes what has happens and learns to look forwards again.

Nathan has moved to Cornwall after a major health episode and found that he now wants a different, less stressful way of life. As Nathan and Callie’s stories merge, you see the healing power of nature and the purpose caring for nature can bring. There are some important messages in the book about the effect of tourism on Cornwall and how going after maximum profit may not always be right for the community. I enjoyed the glimpses into Callie’s family who all support her so much.

In short: starting over
#blogtour

The Shape of your heart

This book will take you on an emotional journey. My heart broke for Callie; she was such a sweet soul who didn't deserve what happened to her.

The story is told from the perspectives of the two main characters, Callie and Nathan. It was interesting to hear the story from both of their perspectives. I also liked Callie's family and their close relationship with one another.

When fate intervenes to prevent Callie from marrying,
She's at a loss for what to do and is instead dealing with grief.
A year later, she's trying to put her life on track together and stop crying.

These two first encounter on the beach, but Callie isn't quite prepared to be happy when they first meet.
When destiny intervenes and brings them together again
Dare she accept his friendship, or will it cause her even more pain?

Gardening and nature are important in assisting them to heal.
But there are numerous twists and turns before the big reveal.
An emotional roller-coaster ride of a life journey
Including several family dramas thrown in for good measure!

This book will take you on a journey of emotions. My heart went out to Callie I loved her she was such a kind soul who didn’t deserve anything she went through.

The story is told in the POV’s of both the main characters Callie and Nathan. It was good to hear the story from both their sides. I also really liked Callie’s family and the close relationship they all had with each other.

Whilst the story was sad at times it was also hopeful and that time along with many other factors can help the healing process.

I have read a few books by this author now and always enjoy them. I look forward to reading more in the future.

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and the publisher for having me on the tour and for my gifted ebook.

This is one of those stories I'm unlikely to forget,
A moving, emotive one of the best I've read as yet.
A story of tragedy, grief and more
With protagonists and families to adore.

Nathan's had a dramatic health scare
He's determined to make the most now whilst taking care.
He's moved from London to Cornwall to live now
Wanting a slower pace of life somehow.

When fate intervenes preventing Callie being wed
She's unsure what to do, left coping with grief instead.
A year on and she's starting to try
To put her life back together and not to cry.

On the beach is where these two first meet
But Callie's not ready to be happy yet when they first greet.
When fate intervenes and has them meeting again
Dare she let his friendship in or will it result in more pain?

Gardening and nature are key to helping them to heal
But there are twists galore before the huge reveal.
A life journey that's an emotional roller coaster ride
With several family dramas included here beside!

An emotional story of survivors' guilt and grief
Moving on slowly, endeavouring to find relief.
It is also about healing with family support throughout
Where their love and kindness is never in any doubt.

For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

Oh how I loved this story.
I find myself quickly becoming absorbed in to author Debbie Howell's stories. She writes so well and I feel have found her home in romantic fiction.
I was talking to a colleague recently and she felt the same way. Debbie just writes with almost a comfort. Her books are like sinking in to a lovely huge armchair.
Huge congratulations to her on switching genre's.
A hard thing to do but boy has she nailed it.
I will wait with baited breath for her next story..
Love, love, loved it.