I would actually rate this a solid 4.5⭐️

I love it when we are treated to a standalone book from Heidi Swain. It's lovely getting to meet characters for the first time and exploring new locations.

Kittiwake Cove is home to Ally, her Dad Geoff, her best friend Flora, and a fun group of other residents. But Ally longs to be far away from Hollyhock Cottage. This had me instantly gripped as I felt the pull to the Cottage myself.

As always with Heidi Swain's writing, we are treated to laughter, tears, flowing dialogue, and wonderful descriptions of both the scenery and the food (which truly made my mouth water!). I could picture it all so clearly in my head, and I wished I was there. I wouldn't mind sharing a picnic with Logan, if I'm being honest.

There's drama, humour, cheekiness, and some sizzle, just what I like in a summery book! A definite must-read from one of my absolute favourite authors.

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

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

It’s dry in a Dorset and is the story of Ally, who, along with her Dad run the business.

But she she’s always dreamt of living elsewhere and a much better life. I loved the characters and the friendship between Ally and Flora.

Will Ally get to live the life she’s dreamt of, or will the area and her friends show that the life she’s living is her best life?

I recommend this book.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This was a book of two halves for me, as I didn't really enjoy the first half. The second half was much better.

Ally helps run the family business, a crafters retreat from Hollyhock Cottage in Kittiwake Cove, Dorset. But Ally longs for a different life, glamourous city living with fancy restaurants and galleries at her fingertips. Each off season Ally takes trips where she pretends to live the life she wants, if only for a short while. But a chance encounter with Logan on the plane to Barcelona turns out to be something more than the intended pleasant distraction, and sends Ally home with a less than spring like step.

Used to feeling refreshed upon her return, Ally feels dejected and tries to throw herself into running the retreat. But when Logan turns up unexpectedly at the holiday cottage as a guest, the summer seems like it’s going to be less than straightforward.

I am a big fan of Heidi Swain’s work, and her books are an auto request/buy for me. I started this one with high anticipation but it wasn’t long before I realised I wasn’t connecting to the story or the characters. I’ve come to expect Heidi’s protagonists to be very warm and easily likable characters but Ally just felt very superficial to me.

It was still an easy read that I enjoyed enough to finish just didn’t live up to my expectations for this author.

Heidi Swain is one of my auto buy authors and I have loved each and every one of her books that she has written. The Holiday Escape is her second standalone novel so this is a perfect book to introduce you to Heidi’s writing if you haven’t read a book by her before.

Ally is our female lead in The Holiday Escape and we meet her two personas! The Ally who jets away to Barcelona and pretends to be the person living the life she dreamed of and the Ally who lives and works with her dad at costal Hollyhock Cottage where they run creative retreats.
But call it fate if you will Ally's two worlds are about to collide when the romance, she sparked on her recent get away surprises her by turning up at Hollyhock Cottage!

This set of characters got right under my skin and I devoured each and every chapter hungry for more. Ally is such a selfless character putting her mums wishes and dads needs before her own and I loved the path of self-discovery she made throughout this storyline with a little help from Logan along the way. The friendship between Ally and Flora was a joy to watch they felt more like sisters with an unbreakable bond but as for the dreaded Tara she had my warning siren going off from her first appearance!

What I loved about this storyline is that in places it was predictable but equally there was surprises instore for me too so I was kept hooked the whole way through and could kick myself for not joining the dots together to work out what was going on behind the scenes.
The book covers the effects of losing a loved one on our path in life, moving on and letting go of the restraints we sometimes put on ourselves through feeling of loyalty, duty and love. But this book is on no way a sad novel it is full of hope, friendship, love and support.

Heidi Swain’s first book The Cherry Tree Café has always held the number one spot firmly for me and as much as I have loved her following books none of them have quite challenged this one for the top spot…..

That is until The Holiday Escape has come along and now it hasn’t knocked it off its perch but they are sitting firmly together in the number one spot together so Heidi Swain fans you are in for a treat with this one.

Lovely book full of holiday romance, loved it from start to finish. I would highly recommend as I would all of Heidi Swain books.

I have read and/or listened to all but Heidi Swain’s previous book, my favourite will always be Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage. I enjoyed diving into The Holiday Escape and was excited to be transported to my favourite County ‘Dorset’. Kittiwake Cove sounds wonderful and just the place to find home in. The main setting is at Hollyhock Cottage which in true Swain style offers community, family, love, food and crafts. Ally the main character is somewhat lost in her dream of escaping the life she has submitted too (supporting her father run the family business) and the trendy life she believes she should be living overseas, complete with designer labels.
Her best friend Flora is supportive and encouraging of her dreams, she provides the holistic vibe in the book through her tarot and reiki practice.
There’s a lot of décor description, you can tell the author reads Country Living Magazine.
The arrival of Tara the mean girl from their school days sends shock waves through both women. She’s not the only one to cause a stir though, Logan the handsome hook up whom Ally left behind on a short break also sets hearts racing with waves of will they? Wont they? You’ll definitely enjoy the birthday fun and games and chuckle at Kasuku the Parrots antiques. She might have taken us out of Norfolk but it’s still very much an enjoyable afternoon escape. A recommended read.

It was a pleasure to read this authors latest book, which is her 18th & 2nd standalone. Well done Heidi and keep them coming.
Set in lovely Dorset, Ally and her Dad live in Hollyhock Cottage in Kittiwake Cove. The Cottage was left to her parents by their former employer which was very generous but Ally never felt comfortable there as a child. She has dreams of leaving and moving to Barcelona as the cottage holds sad memories as her Mum died leaving a legacy of building a business that Ally feels forced to see through with her Dad.
The Cove is home to some lovely folk including Flora, Ally’s childhood bestie. I got the sense that there is a strong community spirit who rally round when needed. Newcomer Logan is Ally’s love interest but the path is muddled with misunderstandings and secrets. For me the star of the book is Kasuku, resident Parrot at the cottage who is cheeky, unpredictable and funny and a hoot!
My thanks to Net Galley and Publishers Simon 7 Schuster for this advanced digital copy of the delightful book.

I usually can't wait to dive into a Heidi book and this was no different, except I wasn't gripped by the story or the characters, it was a good book but didn't feel it was the page turner we usually get, I know stories have to have an amount of misunderstanding etc, but this went beyond what i would expect and did spoil it a little, I will still look forward to future books and hope it is what we have come to expect, sorry.

"The Holiday Escape" is a complex romance set around a seaside destination in Dorset. Ally stepped up to realise her mother's dream when mum tragically died early. Now she feels stuck, helping dad Geoff to run the family business. To escape, and maintain her sanity, she takes short breaks and the most recent one is to Barcelona, one of her favourite cities.

This book focuses on the aftermath of this holiday escape, when her holiday fling turns up at home. It is a story of family, love and friendship, and of finding your best life. A great holiday read which will make you think.

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

🌅THE HOLIDAY ESCAPE🌅

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was super cute but not at all what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be 'The Holiday' but set in summer but boy was I wrong and I'm not mad about it!

Ally wants to escape the seaside, and Logan wants to escape the city. They meet on a flight heading to Barcelona and really hit it off...

💭
I absolutely loved this book and was smiling (and shedding a few tears) the whole way through. This story was full of emotions, wonderful friendships, families, relationships and coming to terms with loss. Heidi Swain always tugs on my heart strings and I love the characters she brings to life. There is huuuuge character growth as the story unravels.

This story is a very cutesy romance for anytime of the year but would be absolutely perfect for a holiday read while lounging by the pool🥰

Thank you @heidi_swain Simon and Schuster and @netgalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review

The Holiday Escape will be released on 17th July this year and I highly recommend you add it to your tbr! ✨

Well
What can I say! Really enjoyed this heartwarming book! Thank you net galley for the early read!

The Holiday Escape is a standalone novel by Heidi Swain, set in the Forset town of Kittiwake Cove. Ally is living with her Dad, helping him fulfill her mother's dream of running a successful retreat for crafters. However Ally dreams of living abroad, and she escapes her real life by taking regular short breaks abroad, pretending to be someone else. When escape meets real life, how will Ally handle it?

Heidi Swain writes wonderful friendships, and that between Ally and best friend Flora is another fabulous one. I also loved the character of Logan, his thoughtfulness was beautiful - but I do wish the characters would just talk to each other!

A good summer read.

Title: Disappointing Departure from Expectations

As an avid fan of Heidi Swain and her heartwarming, festive tales that never fail to uplift, I eagerly anticipated diving into her latest novel. However, despite my high hopes, this time around, I found myself struggling to connect with the story. "The Holiday Escape” fell short of the cozy charm and feel-good magic that I have come to associate with Swain's writing. Although I had anticipated another enchanting read, this particular book left me wanting.

As always a Heidi Swain book is something lovely to fall into when all things in your world aren’t ticking along as you’d like them to. This is another story about a mix of people in a lovely Dorset village by the sea, it dives into past misdemeanours, grievances and sorrows. Of course it has a happy ending, a tiny little twist that I saw coming right from the start of the book but it doesn’t spoil the book at all. Lovely easy read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Such a fantastic book, I really loved the beautiful setting of Dorset, and the wonderful character of Ally. Straight away I felt a bond with her, her attempt to give herself a taste of the life she wanted to lead was so moving. Seeing her give up her dreams to support her lovely dad was very inspiring. I was rooting for her to find happiness and as always in a Heidi book, we get to see her find a chance of joy and accomplishment.
Logan was gorgeous and I enjoyed watching him connect with Ally. His thoughtfulness was a delight to see and I found him extremely likeable too.
Some great twists in the story kept me avidly reading.
And can I just say , I’d love to have a friend like Flora!
Heidi writes the best friendships into her gorgeous books! I always find myself wanting to be in the fantastic communities that she writes about!
An amazing standalone story that certainly helped me escape my life for several hours as I avidly read about Ally and Logan, with their sweet romance and the uplifting moments that only a Heidi Swain book can provide.

Another fantastic book by Heidi Swain. I am slightly biased as it's set on the Dorset coast, where I love, but I really loved this new setting (although I did miss the familiarity of the Norfolk setting). Heidi has a real knack of transporting to the places she writes, I really felt like I was sat with the characters and watching their every move. This will be another topseller. Well done Heidi.

What an absolute pleasure it was to read this book. As a huge fan if this author I was extremely excited to read this and knew I had to start this right away.

Let me tell you that first chapter has to be one of the best first chapters I have ever read. We are introduced to the main characters Ally and Logan and they are extremely lovable.

The locations in this book are absolutely beautiful and I wished I was there so many times. Kittiwake Cove sounded absolutely stunning and would be the perfect little summer holiday location.

The story itself is just perfect, I really loved it and didn’t want it to end. Once you pick this up you will not be able to put it down it is addictive. This will definitely be the bestseller of the summer! Will definitely recommend this!

Oh my an absolutely fabulous stand alone ace read. I loved it. Heidi Swain had done it again in spades. The beginning is brilliant and it just improves. Set mainly in Dorset with a little Barcelona thrown in. Some fab characters. Flora , Tara , Logan . You had hot love , helping family out, A fab parrot . A great craft cottage. Just read it. Also a lovely beach . Can’t recommend it enough.

This was a fabulous standalone read set in a beautiful costal location in Dorset. Told from the point of view of Ally who lives with her dad and helps him run his business but dreams of living abroad and living a bigger life, this is a real warm and heartfelt read. There’s some lovely characters in this, especially her long time friend Flora and the area itself sounds lovely. It’s a brilliant reflection on what you really want in life, family loyalties and being true to yourself. I had worked out a lot of the story well in advance but that had no impact on my enjoyment at all, it’s just a lovely uplifting read with so much positivity in it.