Good morning, I hope you all have lovely plans for your Sunday ahead. I would like to kick start your day of relaxation with a review of the lovey Lost Luggage by Samantha Tonge. This book should fill you with inspiration to make fabulous plans for the future! A huge Thankyou to Rachels Random Resources for providing me with an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. If my review sparks interest in this book you can purchase it using the following link https://amzn.to/3bgCnBC
𝐵𝓁𝓊𝓇𝒷
Brand new from the bestselling author of Under One Roof.
One lost suitcase. Two strangers. And a notebook that will change lives.
For almost fifty years, sisters Dolly and Greta have lived together – getting each other through the good times and the bad.
Except this year, Greta isn’t there and Dolly is feeling lost and alone. In memory of her sister, Dolly heads to the lost luggage auction where she and Greta go each Christmas. But her bid reveals a gift she never imagined.
Amongst the clothes is the notebook of a reclusive woman who has hardly been outside for an entire year, but who isn’t ready to give up on life. The notebook’s contents resonate with Dolly. With the support of her neighbours, retired Leroy and eleven year old Flo, Dolly decides to take on the year of firsts Phoebe had planned.
But, can you have a year of firsts when you’re seventy-two? And is Dolly ready to discover the notebook’s secrets, or are some secrets better left lost at the airport?
𝑀𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈
This was such a gorgeously uplifting story full of love, loss, strength, self discovery, grief, and dancing. The whole book kept me smiling from beginning to end, even when I was gasping with surprise! I loved the character of Dolly, she had gone through so much in her life and even though she had given up on a lot of life when she moved in with her sister she hadn't felt like she was lacking. It was right for her at the time. What I loved though was that she found the gumption to change and break herself out of her grief spiral. She saw the value of choosing life (with the help of the notebook and her friends) and took opportunity as it came to carry out her evolving journey of self discovery.
Her supporting cast were just so fabulous, I loved Flo. I find the relationships between children and the older generations in stories just so life affirming. The natural ease with which they conducted their relationship was a joy to read and the innocence and quirky nature of Flo and her love of insects was infectious. I learnt so much about insects that I didn't know, I mean did you know that butterflies taste with their feet and a slug can stretch up to twenty times its length? I kept relaying the facts to my husband as I was reading! 🤣
"𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚏𝚏, 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚎; 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚘𝚗. 𝚆𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚢. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎"
𝙵𝚕𝚘
Leroy encompassed every emotion I think people have gone through when it comes to heartbreak, the devastation and wondering what you did wrong, to the wanting to reinvent yourself to make yourself more worthy in the eyes of the one you lost. I loved his journey too and the choices he made. I think everyone needs a Leroy in their life, to give tight hugs, drink rum and dance the night away with!
I won't say too much more about the other characters as that will give away a key part of the story however needless to say they all play an important role in Dollys journey and there were some great twists throughout. I really did gasp In shock a few times!
This heart warming tale held my attention, I flew through it in a day, eager to find out what was going to happen next. I hope that when I am 72 I am as healthy and positive as Dolly is. I might start my own year of firsts! I shall leave you with a quote from the acknowledgments which I think sums life up....
"𝐌𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐥𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 - 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐲.... 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐬"
𝒜𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇
Samantha Tonge is the bestselling and award-winning author of over 15 romantic fiction titles published by HQ, and most recently Aria. Her first book for Boldwood, Under One Roof, was published in February 2022 and her move to Boldwood marks a broadening of her writing into multi-generational woman’s fiction. She lives in Manchester with her family.
Social Media Links –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter
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Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-tonge
This sounds like a wholesome story and really like too when there's a friendship between the older generation and children, will add it to my list!