On a Beautiful Day

Last year I was introduced to Lucy Diamond’s books (The House of New Beginnings) and instantly fell in love. Lucy’s books are full of warmth, celebrating female friendships through life’s up and downs. They are comfy reads that I associate with long summer days and nights (nights because you can’t help but get engrossed in the story). Naturally, I had to start reading On a Beautiful Day on a lazy summer weekend and continued to read for several days and nights (only interrupted by a pesky thing called life). What I love about Lucy Diamond’s books is how welcoming they are.
They seem to pull you in with open arms to the story, standing right alongside the characters.

I was very happy to become part of the group of women who make show more up the main characters. They all appear to be fun, happy and doing well in their life…until witnessing a nasty accident (at a birthday lunch no less) brings their issues to the fore. India, whose birthday lunch it is, develops a fixation with one of the victims. But is it as simple as that, or does Alice remind her of something in her own past? Jo has come through a divorce and met a new man at the mechanic’s. But his daughter Maisie is hostile, causing Jo to question whether she wants to do this. Her sister Laura desperately wants a child, but nothing has been happening. When she discusses options with her husband, it drives him further away. But Eve has the deepest secret of all. She’s found a lump in her breast and is paralysed with fear about what to do next. Running down a client may just spur her into action…

While the characters all have big problems on their mind, there’s a lot of fun to this novel too. Lucy Diamond brings humour to the story through wayward children who do random things and so-cringe worthy-it’s-laughable moments. The strength of the friendship between the four women also shines through really strongly. Don’t dismiss this story as light and fluffy ‘chick lit’ though – it’s a story of reconciling your past, dealing with a difficult present and being able to look towards the future (even if it doesn’t hold what you expected). The book is carefully plotted and planned. The reader is never left hanging, wondering what’s happened to a particular character as the story turns to them at just the right time. The story also feels connected – meaning that the characters are closely interwoven within each other’s lives. Not once did I feel that there were four separate stories, or be unable to remember who was who. I’ve come to realise lately that creating unique characters that have one story is a special skill, and Lucy Diamond has it in spades. (Yeah, I meant that pun!)

Lucy Diamond’s books are perfect for reading when you just want to escape into another world. Definitely an author for the hot summer days, or long winter nights!

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for the ARC of this book. My review is completely honest.

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This was my most recent ‘listening while running’ audiobook, and the first book by Lucy Diamond I had read/listened to in any format.

There are four main characters – best friends India, Eve, Jo and Laura. They are all at a leisurely lunch to celebrate India’s birthday when they witness a horrific crash. The emotions it stirs up in each of them causes them all to take stock of their life. India is devastated to hear about one of the young victims of the crash, which strikes a chord with her due to her own personal history; Eve, always calm and in control, finds herself unsure of how to deal with the worrying lump she has found in her breast; Jo uncharacteristically jumps headlong into a new relationship which moves at lightning show more speed; and Laura, who has wanted a baby for years, feels the maternal pull more deeply than ever. As life changes for each of them, the one constant is their friendship and support for each other.

I liked this book more than I probably expected to. I think I was expecting a fluffy chick-lit novel, and while this is definitely aimed at a female readership, it actually wasn’t fluffy, and it addressed real life problems – health issues, past sorrows, changing relationships and new families – in a respectful way. I find it hard to choose a favourite character as happily all four women were very likeable.

The audiobook is narrated by Clare Wille, who did a good job of bringing all the characters to life and making them all distinctive. I don’t think the ending brought too many surprises, but it was satisfying and appropriate to the story which had gone before. Overall, this was a pleasant surprise and I would definitely read or listen to more books by Lucy Diamond. show less

An inspiring and uplifting novel from the bestselling author of The Secrets of Happiness and The House of New Beginnings.

It’s a beautiful day in Manchester and four friends are meeting for a birthday lunch. But then they witness a shocking accident just metres away which acts as a catalyst for each of them.

For Laura, it’s a wake-up call to heed the ticking of her biological clock. Sensible Jo finds herself throwing caution to the wind in a new relationship. Eve, who has been trying to ignore the worrying lump in her breast, feels helpless and out of control. And happy-go-lucky India is drawn to one of the victims of the accident, causing long-buried secrets to rise to the surface.

This is a novel about the startling and unexpected show more turns life can take. It’s about luck—good and bad—and about finding bravery and resilience when your world is in turmoil. Above all, On a Beautiful Day is about friendship, togetherness and hope.

MY THOUGHTS:

I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book would make a great summer read for those days when the sun is warm, and you’re feeling lazy.

It’s about friendship and celebrating each moment of life while you can. It will tug at your emotional heart-strings and cause you to pause often for reflection. The different scenarios depicted in Diamond’s book are realistic and explored to an emotional depth that will truly leave you thinking about your own life. In the end, you will perceive an overall message that may or may not hit close to home.

The story is driven by an incident witnessed by a group of friends where a vehicle drives into a crowd of people killing many. This affects each friend differently and in a unique fashion related to their own personal struggles. Diamond handles how each reacts realistically and deeply. I love that the age demographics isn’t about twenty year olds, but that of older women.

The major focus of this book is about the friendship these women have for each other. Prepare to cry, sob and pretty much fall apart at times. Although this book is filled with sadness, it does end on a positive note, leaving you feeling uplifted and satisfied.

The writing is strong and well-written. Diamond has a very distinct voice in this book. She doesn’t pull any punches and writes with an emotional poignancy important to moving the pace along steadily and without jarring. POV is clearly depicted and plot elements unfold easily transitioning from one to the next without issue.

Character ARC development is complete and fleshed out to leave fully rounded individuals that many will relate to. They each are complete with warts and all, very real, and conflicted, driven by their own backstory and emotional state.

The beginning may challenge your interest, but stick with it. You’ll find yourself deeply immersed in the lives of these four women. show less

This is a well-written novel about four women, close friends, whose lives are disrupted by a tragic accident taking place near a restaurant where they are sitting. While not directly involved, each one takes something away from the incident, and make some changes over the next few months.

The story is good, enough to keep me turning the pages, although I didn't entirely believe in all the characters or the situations. But there are some poignant sections, and it ends in a rounded and mostly satisfactory way.

However I didn't feel as if any of the people in the book were truly three-dimensional. I had to think about who each one was; not that I had any trouble distinguishing them, but I never actually felt any of them under my skin. show more

Pleasant light reading for anyone who likes this kind of undemanding women's fiction - essentially chick-lit involving people in their late thirties and forties.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/08/on-beautiful-day-by-lucy-diamond.ht... show less

Too many characters to keep straight.