Miranda Dickinson

Books like these are not my cup of tea, but Christmas was fast approaching and I wanted a break from my usual History-themed novels, and a dive in something light, heartwarming, but with some substance, not a wishy-washy romance. So, enter A Parcel for Anna Browne.

The story is engaging, the writing is pretty good, it makes you want to read a little faster in order to discover who is the mysterious sender of the beautiful parcels, and Anna is an intelligent, kind and classy human being, a show more memorable protagonist. These are the reasons that made me feel so disappointed with the ending of the novel. This is strictly my personal opinion, but I cannot for the life of me understand why Anna would choose to settle with that guy in the end. It made no sense. Yes, she is in love with him, but he was so indifferent as a character, I almost found him slimy. I don't think a woman with Anna's intelligence would choose him as her partner, but to each their own. Also, the revelation of the sender was anti-climactic, and a tiny bit disappointing.

Overall, it was a nice story, a nice protagonist, but perhaps everything was too "nice" for my liking. show less

The course of true love never did run smoothly and never more so for Phoebe and Sam in The Day We Meet Again.

They first meet when setting off on their respective adventures. For each of them a year away is what they've dreamed of, for different reasons. Phoebe is setting off on a Grand Tour of Europe: Paris, Florence, Rome and maybe more. Sam, on the other hand, is going back to his childhood home, the Scottish island of Mull, for the first time in a long time to maybe sort out some of his show more inner demons that have plagued him since his father left when he was a kid.

A chance meeting by the statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras station leaves them questioning that desire to get away as it's literally love at first sight. These two are made for each other but they have their plans and they decide to see them through and meet back at the statue in a year's time.

So we follow Phoebe on her tour of Europe and Sam on his trip to Scotland. I loved reading about their settings. Italy and Scottish island? I was in my element. Each of them either makes new friends or meets up with old ones and it was really lovely to watch each of them learn and grow. But all the time I was waiting for that year to be up and for them to get back together. Because surely all would be well....

Well of course, things are never that easy and spending a year apart when you've only just met is bound to be problematic. There are plenty of ups and downs for our couple but I found their story utterly gorgeous. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is just a light and fluffy read as it's not. It's about making the right decisions at the right time, missed opportunities and what ifs.

This is the first book I have read by Miranda Dickinson and I was struck by her beautiful writing and storytelling and the absolutely delightful tale she has weaved here. I was so invested in Phoebe and Sam's love for each other and hoping beyond hope that they made it in the end. As our romantic hero I thought Sam was perfect. A Scottish island fiddle playing gorgeous kind-hearted guy! And Phoebe is really lovely too, so thoughtful and sweet.

I thought this was such a great idea for a story, throwing them together and then tearing them apart. But it's not only about their romance, it's also about them finding out what makes them tick. What a journey they both go on, both literally and emotionally.

So to conclude, wonderful characters, stunning locations, beautiful writing and a story to break the hardest heart. What a fabulous read. I now want to go to Mull and listen to fiddle players in people's front rooms! show less

An insta-love story with an almost immediate forced separation? Count me in on that. Miranda Dickinson’s novel tells a story of two strangers who meet during a prolonged train delay and fall in love. (Don’t you wish that could happen to you during transport delays?) The problem is, both Phoebe and Sam are about to start big, important year long journeys. Neither of them had planned on allowing for a relationship to complicate their trips. But in the space of several hours, they decide show more that if they feel the same way about each other in exactly one year, they will meet again at St Pancras station. If they don’t…well, they don’t turn up. No hard feelings, right?

It’s the start of a love story that just begs to be made into a movie. And in true movie style, Phoebe and Sam have made rules. They can send postcards to each other and texts with the occasional phone call. So it’s not quite the pining lack of contact that brings them back together at the end of the year. Rather, it’s the endless analysis of what he or she said or didn’t say that threaten to drive the couple apart before they’ve even properly started. Sam is off to find the father who left his life as a child and get over an awkward breakup. Phoebe is trying to spread her wings, gain confidence and live on a whim. Because they don’t really know each other that well, Sam doesn’t know that Phoebe tends to anxiously overanalyse everything and Phoebe isn’t aware that Sam can barely talk about feelings and his past. That’s where the fairy tale instant attraction love tends to wither rather quickly. With only limited contact, the pair hang on to every word of the other, examining it until they find a potential fault. Phoebe’s impetuous ‘I love you’ has Sam freaking out, followed by Phoebe convinced that she’s driving him away. Sam’s lack of in-depth discussion of finding his father has Phoebe convinced that he doesn’t want to tell her everything when Sam just doesn’t know how to say it.

Told in alternating chapters by the main characters in first person, this analysis of the other’s words got a bit wearing for me. Knowing exactly what was going on, I found the rehash of Sam’s/Phoebe’s take on whatever the other had/hadn’t said repetitive. Perhaps this part of the story would have been better told in larger chunks by one character so the reader didn’t have the omnipotent view. Phoebe’s jitters, which didn’t have a clear reason, were also irritating sometimes. It would have been good to have some backstory as to why she was so cautious to be on her own, especially given Sam had a rather detailed background. To me, Phoebe came across as immature which didn’t match her age or her educational background (I have no idea how she managed to write her PhD thesis when she is so indecisive)!

There are a lot of near misses in this book, especially towards the end. It’s a sweet idea, but bogged down by the continuous introspection and a lack of growth in Phoebe. Probably a good pool or plane read, but some nights I just couldn’t face the continuous revising of the characters’ actions towards each other.

Thank you to Harlequin for the ARC of this book. My review is honest. show less

Rosie Duncan is a from the West Midlands, England, but now runs a florists – Kowalski’s – in New York City. There she has a tight circle of friends – kooky Marnie and laddish Ed, who work at Kowalski’s; and Celia, a journalist who is probably Rosie’s closet confidante. From early on in the story, we learn that a shocking event in Rosie’s past has brought her to New York (although we don’t learn at first what the event is) and stops her from pursuing any kind of relationship show more or letting herself be vulnerable to the possibility. But then things happen to make Rosie reconsider her life- first in the form of Nate Amie, a charming publisher with relationship issues of his own, and second in the form of a person from Rosie’s past who brings all her painful memories to the surface…

Rosie narrates the story, and this is the kind of book where a first person narrative works very well. She was an instantly likeable character and I really wanted things to work out for her. I also really liked her relationship with Marnie, Ed and Celia, all of whom were well drawn.

The story flowed well, and I genuinely did not know how things would end up – but I knew what I wanted to happen, and I wasn’t disappointed (I’m not saying anymore though – you’ll have to read it yourself to find out!).

New York City is one of my favourite places, with an atmosphere and buzz that is all its own, and I really felt that it was described perfectly. Miranda Dickinson is open about the fact that she has never been there – which makes it all the amazing that it has been captured so well here. I also really liked Kowalski’s – the kind of shop I love, where the customers are genuinely important, the atmosphere is friendly and personal – and good coffee is always readily available. I liked the descriptions of the floristry work itself, and learning about the various customers who frequented the shop. Mr Kowalski, the former owner of the store, is not a present character in the story, but he is ever present as Rosie recalls his anecdotes and sage advice.

Overall this is a lovely, comforting read, which is perfect for curling up with on the sofa, with coffee and cake to hand. Definitely recommended. show less