This was heartwarming and a joyous read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

⭐️ 5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I absolutely loved everything about this book, and it will definitely be one of my top reads of 2023.
 
The book is superbly written and the characterisation is excellent, with fully fleshed-out characters that almost jump off the page. I loved the main characters, Gayle and Martin, and Gayle’s filterless friend, Donna, but my favourite character by a country mile was Bruce, a talking seal (yes, really).
 
The beautiful setting of Ynys Dwynwen, a tiny, private island off the Welsh coast, provides a spectacular backdrop to the story. David Barnett's beautiful, detailed descriptions of the landscape, flora, and fauna made me want to visit the island to see it in all its glory.
 
It's a love story, but not a fluffy, sickly, overly sentimental one; it’s one with heart, a tonne of humour, and a gentle message about nature and the environment. It’s a truly wonderful book; it made me cry, but it made me smile more.

Perfect!

A moving and quirky book about love, life, family and the things that we go through in life. Emotional and well written.

Martin is a lighthouse keeper. He has chosen this life because he wants to get away from people. He more or less manages this with only George who brings him supplies and tells him about to magic on the island to converse with occasionally. But there’s a catch as the private island is open one day a year for a local school group to visit and that’s the crack it needs for his heart to open.
Gail is in a relationship. She’s a teacher with oversight of a group that visit the lighthouse island every year. She’s not looking for love but it will find her anyway.
This is the story of two lonely people who would never have found each other but for the magic of the island.
David M Barnett can do no wrong in my eyes. Every book of his has moved me and this is no exception. It is a sweet love story but so much more. It’s about a world not letting go which can give us all hope. Did I mention I love this book and who wouldn’t want to contemplate the isolation and beauty of the island and chatting with a walrus?

My first book by this author and I absolutely loved it! We meet Martin and Gayle. They are former sweethearts and haven't seen each other for years. When Gayle takes a group of children on their annual school trip to the lighthouse on the Welsh island of Ynys Dwynwen she finds Martin is the lighthouse keeper there The story follows their lives over the next ten years where they fall over in love all over again.

I didn't know what to expect with this book initially. Martin is a very likeable character, but I did feel sorry for him at the beginning with one piece of bad luck after another. Who could blame him for wanting a job where the only person he needed to interact with was himself, but when it came to it and we follow Martin to the lighthouse I want sure I would be as brave as he was! Gayle again was a very likeable character but did feel I needed to warm to her more as the book moved on.

The book follows their lives over the years with it told from their individual perspectives. There is a strong theme of environmental matters running through the book, but there is also a little bit of magical mystery in the form of Bruce the talking seal! I loved not only the slow burning romance between Martin and Gayle, but the whole story of the lighthouse from its location, history, the wildlife and the folklores associated with it. I loved this book so much, crying my eyes out several times throughout it! Would recommend!

wow what i can say?! i loved this book. i fell in love with the characters straight away and was so invested in their stories, throw in the mix a magical island and it’s the perfect recipe for a great read. A great story and a great read

What a lovely quirky read- a romance between a lighthouse keeper and a teacher. They are soulmates who for various reasons have remained apart for many years but a magical Welsh island tries very hard to bring them together.
Martin and Gayle met at university but for various reasons they have gone their own separate ways. Martin has not reached his full potential, working at a fulfilment centre in a very boring job whilst visiting his mother in a care home and trying to continue a relationship with his current girlfriend.
When things go very wrong, Martin takes a job as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island off the coast of Wales. He finds he likes his own company and grows to love all the flora and fauna surrounding him.
Gayle is an environmental lawyer doing very well in her career but not so well in her private life. When she meets Tom she thinks she has met the right person but there is something not quite right with her new life.
When she encounters Martin again whilst helping a group of young children visit the island they both feel the spark of something return.
However they cannot contact each other, the island has no phone or internet so they can only meet once a year on the school trip.
Things happen in both their lives and the book switches effortlessly between both their view points culminating in Gayle not appearing on the visit one year.
This is a delightful read, reminding me of some recent romantic fiction such as “One Day” . I was really rooting for Gayle and Martin but it was unclear if anything would materialise.
The title is very clever- referring to both the lighthouse and inner feelings of our two main protagonists.
There are also some wonderful secondary characters, Gayle’s sparky friend Donna, who advises her and amuses the reader as well as Gwyn who brings supplies for Martin.
There is also an environmental theme in the book which is of course very pertinent in today’s world.
A thoroughly enjoyable and heartwarming read which I highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

My thoughts :
I applied for this blog tour on the basis that it is based around a lighthouse and having visited one locally last year i was fascinated. I found the story engaging from the word go and i immediately fell in love with all of the characters especially Mike,Gayle and Donna and i did take a dislike to Tom Gayle's partner and felt there was always something fishy about him.
I loved the depictions of nature and the general surrounds of this remote island that Mike was employed to maintain the lighthouse at all times a job which im sure people thought was outside his capabilities but he took to it like a duck to water as was extremely sucessful throughtout his time there.
It its a story told from two POV and spans stories from both the past and present. A tale of two young lovers who parted ways and found each other over 20 years later when life for each of them was completely at opposite ends but its a read ill be recommending as a cosy summer fun romance

Being a Smiths fan I was drawn to this book by the title and I really wasn't disappointed. Beautifully written second chance romance book set in a lighthouse. Another passion of mine. Great character's lovely setting what is there not to like. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

When I read the title I thought about The Smith's song and somehow the characters could sing it, excluding the double decker bus.
It's cute, escapist and a good summer read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was every kind of wonderful and one of my favourite reads of the year!

When Martin takes up his new role as the resident lighthouse keeper at Ynys Dwynwen, he has no idea that a chance meeting with ex sweetheart Gayle is going to change the course of his life in ways he couldn't imagine.

This was one of those stories I wished could go on forever, I loved everything about it...the second chance romance, the characters, Bruce (the talking seal) and the lighthouse magic.

This is a beautiful and uplifting read that my captured heart. From the outset, when they were introduced to the island, Ynys Dwynwen, I was hooked by the location and the hint of magic. The novel promised all I love: a romantic story, the sea blended with folkloric history?

Split into multiple POVs but mainly Martin and Gayle, the short chapters and style made it highly readable and impossible to put down especially when Bruce was introduced. As a character he was inspired and will always be loved and remembered, If you want to know more about him, you need to read the book.

Being a lightkeeper is a lonely occupation but when Martin takes over the Ynys Dwynwen’s lighthouse he is more than down on his luck. The ten year story of his life was a lovely gentle transformation and I enjoyed seeing him grow as a character. The descriptions of his tour around the island made this an ideal summer escape. With puffins, seals and voles it was a nature delight.

Gayle’s transformation headed in a different direction but was just as engaging. Seeing their lives in parallel added to the emotions and desire for them both to somehow get their happy ever after.

As well as the affinity with the protagonists, the supporting cast made this novel special and a firm favourite. These ranged from villagers who provide Martin sporadic provisions, Bruce to Gayle’s best friend. Donna. They all had distinctive personalities and vibrancy which added to the story’s overall sense of warmth, and completeness. It was a hug in a book.

This novel is a superb character led love story grounded in a magical coastal location and is a must read. It’s pure magic!

There is a Light That Never Goes Out by David M Barnett - wow does this book play on your heartstrings, and test your patience. Barnett is able to explore serious subjects of parental loss, affairs and romance whilst making an entertaining story.

This story focuses on Gayle and Martin with each chapter titling who the focus is on as they cross paths years after their break up. Gayle at the beginning has her life together, her career and most importantly her best friend Donna until she meets property developer Martin who controls he life making her feel like due to his success she doesn't need to work (he also books a lot of her weekend full so she cannot see Donna). Whilst Martin has an awful start at the beginning of the book, he loses his mother, his job and his girlfriend all in one day. This leads to him becoming the lighthouse keeper on a private island of Ynys Dwynwen. We follow these two main characters for the next ten years but I let anymore slip out - as much as i want to.

The writing style used in this book is thought provoking and emotive, with times where i was laughing out loud (luckily not in public!). Being brought up near a lighthouse myself I instantly loved the chapters exploring the lighthouse and their associated characters the most.

This is a must read romance which is easy to pick up and devour in one day, which i near enough managed.

4.5 stars

Well, what an absolute delight this was! A refreshing interlude in my usual fare of thrillers and heavier fiction. It’s a wholesome, uplifting read, with engaging characters and some delicious nuggets of social commentary to satisfy your literary tastebuds. I really, really enjoyed it.

I was thrilled to get an early copy of this, as Barnett’s quirky Calling Major Tom was one of my favourite finds of 2020. And here, again, his talent for entertaining storytelling, while exploring serious subjects, is on full display.

It’s the story of former sweethearts Gayle and Martin, whose paths take a serendipitous turn years after they break up. Gayle is now living a life of luxury with her successful property developer partner, while Martin has retreated from the world by taking up the position of lighthouse keeper on the tiny, private island of Ynys Dwynwen. Their paths cross when Gayle accompanies a group of school children on their annual field trip to the island. What follows is a story of second-chance love played out one day a year over the following ten years.

Oh my heart! Barnett has crafted his characters to perfection. We follow Gayle, as her partner stealthily robs her of her sense of self. And we follow Martin, as the island — and a talking seal named Bruce — salve his soul and help him find his peace. Their individual story arcs are captivating, if at times frustrating, but my hopes were always high that the light they held for each other, just like the light on the island, would never go out.

Barnett’s writing is stirringly evocative, the narrative full of unexpected quirks and laugh-out-loud humor. I adored the descriptions of Ynys Dwynwen and its wildlife, as well the glimpses into Martin’s tragic back story and his wacky conversations with Bruce. And I appreciated how skilfully Barnett wove in subtle messages about conservation and the healing power of Nature.

An effortlessly enjoyable, heartwarming read for all fans of up-lit.

Thank you Netgalley for gifting me a copy of this book.

If you're looking for a lovely story about a lightkeeper and a woman passionate about helping others, this book is for you!
The short chapters were a very nice surprise. The book was easy to read and the end made me want to hug the characters as I got attached to them and loved both their story and growth.
I thorougly enjoyed it!