Hello! Welcome back to my blog, if you’re new here then welcome in general! Well, another month has passed by (how fast is this year going??) which means we’ve come to another Reading Challenge update! I only managed to read 1 book this month and I finished it pretty early on in May. I did start another book but haven’t got round to finishing it yet, I seem to have fallen into a bit of a reading slump! I’ve made quite a few new book purchases this month though so lots to look forward to reading, I’m determined to get back on it In June! Anyway, on to this month’s book…
The Longest Holiday – Paige Toon
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Chick-Lit/Romance/Contemporary
Blurb
He’s smiling down at me with tears in his eyes as I say my solemn vow:
‘I, Laura, take thee, Matthew, to be my lawful wedded husband…’ I thought I would never feel like this about anyone ever again. Not after my first love… Not after the heartbreak and the loss and then trying to pick myself back up again… Then I met Matthew, and I know that he has my heart forever: my perfect, gorgeous, adoring Matthew. And then I wake up. And I remember that he’s not perfect. He’s so far from perfect that my heart could surely collapse from the pain that instantly engulfs me…
To say Laura is unlucky in love is an understatement. Her first boyfriend died in a horrific accident, and now she’s just discovered that her husband of six months has been hiding a terrible secret. Devastated and unwilling to face reality, she escapes on a girls’ holiday to Key West with her best friend Marty. But a deep and instant attraction to a sexy Cuban scuba diver takes her completely by surprise. When her two weeks in the sun come to an end, Laura doesn’t want to go home again. But she can’t run from real life forever. Can she?
God, I love Paige Toon’s books. Ever since I read my first book of hers 2 years ago (The One We Fell In Love With) I have been obsessed with them ever since! You can really get lost in her stories and I always find when I start one of her books, I really struggle to put it down! The Longest Holiday is the perfect read to escape from the stresses of work! I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to just drop everything, stay on holiday and not go home for 3 months (every girl’s dream, am I right??) Anyway, the book begins with Laura, our protagonist, the person in which the book is centred around. Laura has had her fair share of troubles, her ex-boyfriend and love of her life, Will, was involved in a fatal car accident leaving her with painful grief and now, she finds out her husband Matthew cheated on her a week before they got married and now has another woman’s baby on the way. I swear, this girl just cannot get a break. Until… she is invited to get away from it all in Florida’s Key West by her best friend Marty. Laura accepts the offer but the holiday seems to be of no help at all to her and she doesn’t seem to have much fun – to begin with! Eventually, she meets scuba diver Leo and ends up falling head over heels in love with him.
Now I will try not to spoil too much but here are some thoughts I had whilst reading this book…
It’s not been 2 seconds since she found out that her husband of only 6 months cheated on her on his stag do and Laura is already eyeing up the moody and mysterious scuba diver guy? Is she insane? I wouldn’t want to be within 50 feet of another man ever again! I feel like it’s a little bit too quick if you ask me, and Leo doesn’t seem to be showing any indication of fancying her back? Also, I did feel it was a little bit hypocritical of Laura to then go off and sleep with another man before officially breaking things off with her husband, doesn’t that make her just as bad as him? Either way, I would say my only real criticism would be that the relationship between Laura and Leo was a little bit rushed. It seemed really one-sided, to begin with. I will admit I did warm to him in the end though, he showed commitment and stayed by Laura’s side when she needed him most!
Overall, ‘The Longest Holiday’ was actually a great read! I really enjoyed reading a book set in Florida as it’s one of my favourite places I’ve been to. It’s perfect for a bit of escapism but It does make you really want to book a holiday! I feel like it would be a really good book to read on holiday actually, just make sure you don’t get too carried away and end up leaving your husband for a Cuban scuba diver and refuse to come home!
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Related
2019 Reading Challenge – April Edit
2019 Reading Challenge – March Edit
