Couldn’t put this book down. Totally flew through it and was gutted it was finished. Lovely easy read with mix of emotions

If We Could Turn Back Time by Sian O’Gorman was an interesting book. The descriptions of the store and the characters stick with me.

Alice has returned home from Australia for a month’s holiday. She misses Dublin and her childhood friends but loves the life she has on the other side of the planet- the sun and the beach. She helps out in the local shop owned and run by her mother Ciara, and finds herself a whizz at marketing, bringing new customers to the shop and encouraging old ones to spend more time there as well as money, which is a good thing as it had been getting a little stale. Her friend Mary-Marg suggests they bring back the disco they ran when at school. Will the over 45’s be up for a night with a disco ball? There are relationships that have soured over the years and secrets being held close to the owners chests.

This is a beautiful Irish story of friendships and adventures, perhaps of the small variety. Of how the little things can mean the most and that a good friend is a real gem. As with all of Sian’s books the characters come to life and are instantly likeable. The descriptions put the reader right into the heart of Sandycove and what is going on. Each chapter is from either Alice or Ciara’s perspective. It’s a read that gave me a warmth and a smile and I’d love to try one of Alice’s Irish breakfasts and wine tasting evenings. A read that made me smile and yes, it made me cry. The warmth of human kindness.

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I love love love when a book gets into different professions than the regular office job and shows life revolving around it all. This book was absolutely lovely. Easy read and quite quick. Loved learning more about this small town and getting cozy. Was sad it ended so soon!

Alice returns back to her roots after spending ten years in Australia. Whilst living in Australia definitely has it’s own appeal, being back home in Sandycove with her mum and grandmother has it’s own draws. I adore Sandycove, whilst a lot of the authors books are set there, they are all standalone novels.

The story alternates between Alice and her mother Ciara. I really enjoyed the chapters with Ciara and her best friend Mary-Marg. With Alice being back home and helping run the shop, it gives Ciara a new lease of life being able to go out more and do things. It was lovely to see her becoming more relaxed and having fun with her best friend as well as their plans to make it more fun for not just themselves but for the other residents in the area that are over forty five.

From the beginning there seems to be some sort of history between Alice’s family and Conal’s family. What though is anyone’s guess. I had so many thoughts going through my head as what it could be. When all is revealed it left me feeling a mix of emotions as it does both families.

If We Could Turn Back Time is ultimately an uplifting read. It’s full of warmth, family, friendships and romance. It’s hard not to be swept away by the author’s writing and be drawn into the character’s lives. The secrets just add more to it’s appeal. A gorgeous novel to lose yourself into that will leave you with a huge big grin on your face!

“If We Could Turn Back Time” is by Sian O’Gorman. This book takes place in a small town in Ireland and mainly focuses on Alice and Ciara - daughter and mother. Alice has returned from a ten year stint in Perth, Australia. Ciara has been working at the family grocery store, Murphy’s. Eva, Ciara’s mother, makes appearances. This book mainly deals with family but also a family secret. At times I found this book a bit long and slow, but I think part of that was due to the author’s writing style. There is some romance - but it’s all very clean and chaste. One of the problems of living in a small town is that so many people know each other’s business, but in this case, there are still some secrets kept close to the chest. Some of the twists I saw coming, but overall this is very much a feel good, things work out in the end sweet book about family and small towns. If that’s your jam, this book may be a great fit for you. It wasn’t quite my cup of tea, but I appreciated stepping into the town and meeting its residents. 3.5 stars bumped up to 4.