#BlogTour – #BookReview of #TheSummerWeRanAway by Jenny Oliver @JenOliverBooks @HQstories

I’m pleased to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for delightful holiday read The Summer We Ran Away by Jenny Oliver. Thank you to Isabel Smith from Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read and review this lovely book.

About the book:

It was meant to be the party of the summer…

In Cedar Road, everyone is preparing for Lexi’s ‘White Hot’ summer party. For one night, parking squabbles and petitions are put aside as neighbours sip Prosecco under the fairy lights and gather by the hot tub to marvel at Lexi’s effortlessly glamorous life with Hot Hamish.

For Julia, it’s a chance to coax husband Charlie out of his potting shed and into a shirt so they can have a welcome break from the hellish house renovation they’ve been wrestling with. And it’s a chance for Julia to pretend – just for a night – that her life is as perfect as Lexi’s.

But when, during the party, one of Julia’s WhatsApp messages falls into the wrong hands and reveals her most intimate thoughts, things reach boiling point…

And when all the neighbours know exactly what you’re thinking, there’s only one thing to do.

Run away.

It’s going to be a summer Julia will never forget…

About the author:

Jenny Oliver is a bestselling author of contemporary fiction. Twice nominated for the RNA Best Contemporary Novel award, Jenny’s books explore the ups and downs of relationships and an unwavering belief in happy ever after. In the past she has had jobs ranging from an elf in the Disney store, a personal trainer, journalist, editor and now, by far the best, a writer. In her spare time she can be found cajoling her family out to car boot sales, trying to reign in her competitiveness on the netball court and subtly eavesdropping on strangers’ conversations as inspiration for her next book.

Follow her on Twitter @JenOliverBooks Instagram JenOliverBooks Facebook JennyOliverBooks or go to the website jennyoliverbooks.com to find out more about Jenny, her books and read her blog!

Jenny’s new book, The Summer We Ran Away hits the shelves in June 2020. If you are looking for some bite-size reads why not try her Cherry Pie Island novella series. Or if it’s YA you love – check out Chelsea High, coming August 2020!

My Review:

Oh my goodness, what a lovely, fun read The Summer We Ran Away by Jenny Oliver is! The perfect book to escape with this summer, it tells the story of Julia who would like nothing more than to be accepted as one of the ‘in crowd’ of Cedar Road.  So when her less than favourable WhatsApp messages fall into the wrong hands, Julia does the only thing she can think of to do. She runs away.

Turning her back on everything, from her marriage to her interfering parents, Julia escapes with her feisty, carefree neighbour Amber to the hot and sunny climate of France, where she soon finds herself reevaluating everything she thought she knew about herself.

I thought I knew exactly where this book would lead when I started it, but it took me on a surprising journey of love, friendship and the importance of being true to yourself. With a wonderful and varied cast of supporting characters, The Summer We Ran Away is a heartwarming read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Beautifully written by Jenny Oliver, this is a book that instantly transported me to the idyllic heat of France right alongside Julia, as she slowly began to rediscover the things that meant the most to her. Will she be able to put the pieces of her life back together again? Or is it already way too late?

I loved this book. It’s pure escapism at its very best, something I think we’re all in desperate need of right now. A lighthearted and entertaining summer read that I would highly recommend.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jenny Oliver, but it most definitely won’t be my last. Simply delightful!

The Summer We Ran Away by Jenny Oliver is available to buy now: Amazon UK