Book Thoughts: Just The Way You Are (Beth Moran)

I am all for women standing on their own two feet

★★★★☆ – CALSPIE: 7.79

Title: Just The Way You Are
Author: Beth Moran
Genre: Fiction / Contemporary Fiction / Chick Lit / Romance
First Published: 2022
Edition: Kindle e-book

FROM THE BLURB: When Olivia Tennyson – or Ollie to her friends – was sixteen, she wrote a Dream List of all the things she wanted for her life, including a happy marriage and a family. But at twenty-nine, Ollie is single, living at home with her over-protective and manipulative mother, and is feeling like her dreams are getting further out of reach. It’s time for a change. It’s time to take matters into her own hands. Without telling her mum, or more importantly, asking her permission, Ollie finds the perfect place to start her new life. End Cottage has a duck-egg blue front door, a garden that leads to acres of forest, and definitely counts as her dream home. Now all Ollie has to do is complete the rest of her list and find out who she really is, before she can imagine any romance coming into her life.

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I read this mainly in the evenings in bed to relax. I read one of the author’s novels before, so I knew her writing worked for me. This was more a women’s fiction novel than a romance, but the element of romance was good enough for me.

I liked that this novel was about a woman trying to find happiness in her own right without needing anyone else. It starts out being about an overbearing mother, which was an interesting dynamic and relationship and then follows her as she builds a new life in a small village, forging new friendships and relationships. There were quite a few side characters, which made the story interesting, if a bit scattered in the latter half. There was a bit of unnecessary miscommunication and a couple of plotlines that could have done with a bit more page time. I wasn’t completely convinced by the second half.

Even if it did not completely work for me, I liked it well enough overall and I am sure I will read more from the author in the future.

4 out of 5 stars

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CALSPIE: 7.57

• Characters: 8
• Ambience: 8
• Language: 8
• Story: 7.5
• Pacing: 7.5
• Interest: 7.5
• Enjoyment: 8