The Beginning of Everything
by Jackie Fraser
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Description
"After escaping a bad relationship, Jess Cavendish is running and leaving it all behind, carrying just a few treasured belongings in her rucksack. She needs to start over, but that means sleeping where she can and making the most of her slim savings. Luckily, she comes across a recently sold, unoccupied house. It couldn't hurt to stay while she saves up enough to get her own place, right? Gethin Thomas is also looking for a fresh start. He's moved back to his hometown after the end of a show more long-term relationship, anxious to move into the fixer-upper he bought and out of his sister's cramped guest room. When he walks through the door one morning, he finds Jess, who's ready to run again, and surprises them both by offering to let her stay. It feels like the right thing to do, but Jess doesn't want a handout. They strike a bargain: Jess will help with the renovation, furnishing, and decorating in exchange for room and board. While they peel wallpaper and shop for new furniture, an unexpected friendship develops as they bond over music and food, each slowly opening up about their pasts. And when it's time for Gethin to move in, he convinces Jess to be his official housemate and she agrees--so long as he lets her pay rent. Before long, the connection between them shifts to an attraction that seems both inevitable and overwhelming, and Jess must decide what she wants for her future. With so much hurt in her past, can she risk loving again? She was brave enough to reach for a new life--and now a future she hadn't even dreams possible could be just within her grasp"-- show lessTags
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Member Reviews
There’s a huge issue of trust these days and Jackie Fraser identifies it with a one-of-a-kind love story.
It’s narrated by Jessica who keeps a daily journal at 45 years old. She describes the past three weeks of sleeping at night in a dreadful cemetery in the present time period. She’s homeless, cold and has escaped from a bad relationship.
Right at the beginning, she finds a vacant house. How I wish she didn’t break into it. There was a sold sign but she figured that she had a little time before the buyer would be moving in.
She was fooled. The door opened. She panicked, grabbed her purse and quickly ran out of the back door. He yelled for her but she was gone. She realized she left behind her tent, clothes and essentials. She show more went back to check and found a note from the owner, Gethin. It was a rather friendly one. He said she could stay there another night before he actually moved in. Seriously?
Back to the word: trust. Would she dare stay? She didn’t know who he was. And he didn’t have a clue about her.
I was curious. That was the beauty of this book. The author dropped in pieces of information that kept me wanting to know more about this woman and man in their 40s. Both had hurt feelings from the past. It kept my attention.
I loved that it took place in Wales with beautiful gardens where everyone knew each other and the locals were pleasant. Everything felt like it was at a slow pace from big city life to small town folks with easy-going characters. Image was also a focus which I found to be interesting.
My thanks to Dell Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected released date of September 26, 2023. show less
It’s narrated by Jessica who keeps a daily journal at 45 years old. She describes the past three weeks of sleeping at night in a dreadful cemetery in the present time period. She’s homeless, cold and has escaped from a bad relationship.
Right at the beginning, she finds a vacant house. How I wish she didn’t break into it. There was a sold sign but she figured that she had a little time before the buyer would be moving in.
She was fooled. The door opened. She panicked, grabbed her purse and quickly ran out of the back door. He yelled for her but she was gone. She realized she left behind her tent, clothes and essentials. She show more went back to check and found a note from the owner, Gethin. It was a rather friendly one. He said she could stay there another night before he actually moved in. Seriously?
Back to the word: trust. Would she dare stay? She didn’t know who he was. And he didn’t have a clue about her.
I was curious. That was the beauty of this book. The author dropped in pieces of information that kept me wanting to know more about this woman and man in their 40s. Both had hurt feelings from the past. It kept my attention.
I loved that it took place in Wales with beautiful gardens where everyone knew each other and the locals were pleasant. Everything felt like it was at a slow pace from big city life to small town folks with easy-going characters. Image was also a focus which I found to be interesting.
My thanks to Dell Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected released date of September 26, 2023. show less
Book Review: The Beginning of Everything
Stars: 3 X 5
Author: Jackie Fraser
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC
Gethim finds Jess living in his new home. She is homeless and unbelievably, Jess invites her to live with him. He also then decides to let her drive his car and adds her name to his insurance. At this point in the book I found this so ridiculous that I was going to stop reading it. I then remembered a movie with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn called Housesitter, which basically the same premise. I remembered that movie was so outrageous and funny and decided to give the rest of the book another try. This book was a tad more dramatic the I thought it was going to be. It tackled show more homelessness, abuse, starting over, trust issues, friendship and love. All of those in this sweet love story between Gethin and Jess.
#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookpics #weekendreads #bookpictures #bookstagram
#thebeginningofeverything #goodread #lists #reading #fiction #notebook #procrastination #morning #routine #books #romance #friendstolovers #hope #resilience #newstart #fixerupper show less
Stars: 3 X 5
Author: Jackie Fraser
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC
Gethim finds Jess living in his new home. She is homeless and unbelievably, Jess invites her to live with him. He also then decides to let her drive his car and adds her name to his insurance. At this point in the book I found this so ridiculous that I was going to stop reading it. I then remembered a movie with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn called Housesitter, which basically the same premise. I remembered that movie was so outrageous and funny and decided to give the rest of the book another try. This book was a tad more dramatic the I thought it was going to be. It tackled show more homelessness, abuse, starting over, trust issues, friendship and love. All of those in this sweet love story between Gethin and Jess.
#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookpics #weekendreads #bookpictures #bookstagram
#thebeginningofeverything #goodread #lists #reading #fiction #notebook #procrastination #morning #routine #books #romance #friendstolovers #hope #resilience #newstart #fixerupper show less
Book Review: The Beginning of Everything
Stars: 3 X 5
Author: Jackie Fraser
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC
Gethim finds Jess living in his new home. She is homeless and unbelievably, Jess invites her to live with him. He also then decides to let her drive his car and adds her name to his insurance. At this point in the book I found this so ridiculous that I was going to stop reading it. I then remembered a movie with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn called Housesitter, which basically the same premise. I remembered that movie was so outrageous and funny and decided to give the rest of the book another try. This book was a tad more dramatic the I thought it was going to be. It tackled show more homelessness, abuse, starting over, trust issues, friendship and love. All of those in this sweet love story between Gethin and Jess.
#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookpics #weekendreads #bookpictures #bookstagram
#thebeginningofeverything #goodread #lists #reading #fiction #notebook #procrastination #morning #routine #books #romance #friendstolovers #hope #resilience #newstart #fixerupper show less
Stars: 3 X 5
Author: Jackie Fraser
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC
Gethim finds Jess living in his new home. She is homeless and unbelievably, Jess invites her to live with him. He also then decides to let her drive his car and adds her name to his insurance. At this point in the book I found this so ridiculous that I was going to stop reading it. I then remembered a movie with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn called Housesitter, which basically the same premise. I remembered that movie was so outrageous and funny and decided to give the rest of the book another try. This book was a tad more dramatic the I thought it was going to be. It tackled show more homelessness, abuse, starting over, trust issues, friendship and love. All of those in this sweet love story between Gethin and Jess.
#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookpics #weekendreads #bookpictures #bookstagram
#thebeginningofeverything #goodread #lists #reading #fiction #notebook #procrastination #morning #routine #books #romance #friendstolovers #hope #resilience #newstart #fixerupper show less
A homeless woman with a history of bad relationships finds an empty house where she is able to live. The man who owns the house has a history of bad relationship but is very kind allows her to stay. A sweet love story between adults. Set in Wales.
Fact from the book. Magnolia trees originated in China and are so old they existed before bees! They were once pollinated by beetles. A truly wonderful rom-com. Slow and simmering. A great read.
Book Review: The Beginning of Everything
Stars: 3 X 5
Author: Jackie Fraser
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC
Gethim finds Jess living in his new home. She is homeless and unbelievably, Jess invites her to live with him. He also then decides to let her drive his car and adds her name to his insurance. At this point in the book I found this so ridiculous that I was going to stop reading it. I then remembered a movie with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn called Housesitter, which basically the same premise. I remembered that movie was so outrageous and funny and decided to give the rest of the book another try. This book was a tad more dramatic the I thought it was going to be. It tackled show more homelessness, abuse, starting over, trust issues, friendship and love. All of those in this sweet love story between Gethin and Jess.
#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookpics #weekendreads #bookpictures #bookstagram
#thebeginningofeverything #goodread #lists #reading #fiction #notebook #procrastination #morning #routine #books #romance #friendstolovers #hope #resilience #newstart #fixerupper show less
Stars: 3 X 5
Author: Jackie Fraser
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC
Gethim finds Jess living in his new home. She is homeless and unbelievably, Jess invites her to live with him. He also then decides to let her drive his car and adds her name to his insurance. At this point in the book I found this so ridiculous that I was going to stop reading it. I then remembered a movie with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn called Housesitter, which basically the same premise. I remembered that movie was so outrageous and funny and decided to give the rest of the book another try. This book was a tad more dramatic the I thought it was going to be. It tackled show more homelessness, abuse, starting over, trust issues, friendship and love. All of those in this sweet love story between Gethin and Jess.
#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookpics #weekendreads #bookpictures #bookstagram
#thebeginningofeverything #goodread #lists #reading #fiction #notebook #procrastination #morning #routine #books #romance #friendstolovers #hope #resilience #newstart #fixerupper show less
Book Review: The Beginning of Everything
Stars: 3 X 5
Author: Jackie Fraser
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC
Gethim finds Jess living in his new home. She is homeless and unbelievably, Jess invites her to live with him. He also then decides to let her drive his car and adds her name to his insurance. At this point in the book I found this so ridiculous that I was going to stop reading it. I then remembered a movie with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn called Housesitter, which basically the same premise. I remembered that movie was so outrageous and funny and decided to give the rest of the book another try. This book was a tad more dramatic the I thought it was going to be. It tackled show more homelessness, abuse, starting over, trust issues, friendship and love. All of those in this sweet love story between Gethin and Jess.
#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookpics #weekendreads #bookpictures #bookstagram
#thebeginningofeverything #goodread #lists #reading #fiction #notebook #procrastination #morning #routine #books #romance #friendstolovers #hope #resilience #newstart #fixerupper show less
Stars: 3 X 5
Author: Jackie Fraser
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC
Gethim finds Jess living in his new home. She is homeless and unbelievably, Jess invites her to live with him. He also then decides to let her drive his car and adds her name to his insurance. At this point in the book I found this so ridiculous that I was going to stop reading it. I then remembered a movie with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn called Housesitter, which basically the same premise. I remembered that movie was so outrageous and funny and decided to give the rest of the book another try. This book was a tad more dramatic the I thought it was going to be. It tackled show more homelessness, abuse, starting over, trust issues, friendship and love. All of those in this sweet love story between Gethin and Jess.
#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookpics #weekendreads #bookpictures #bookstagram
#thebeginningofeverything #goodread #lists #reading #fiction #notebook #procrastination #morning #routine #books #romance #friendstolovers #hope #resilience #newstart #fixerupper show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Beginning of Everything
- People/Characters
- Jess Cavendish; Gethin Thomas
- Dedication
- This one's for Katie.
- First words
- It's nearly a month since I ran away, if you can call it that. I suppose you can.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Ah," I say happily. I kiss him again. "I don't care where we go, as long as we're together."
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- Reviews
- 8
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- (3.95)
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- English
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- ISBNs
- 9
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