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See the Stars by Eleanor Ray #Review

  See the Stars by Eleanor Ray will be  published on February 5th 2026 by Piatkus .  Do you ever feel that life isn't going to plan?   When Alice Thorington collapses in the street after a particularly hellish day at work, she must finally admit to herself that her outwardly happy life - steady relationship, well-paid job, beautiful flat in the city - isn't everything she'd hoped it would be. Burnt out by long hours and living a life that doesn't fulfil her dreams, Alice returns home to Yorkshire.  Her childhood home brings complicated family dynamics, a rediscovery of her passion for stargazing and two new friends: Berti, a boy who finds it easier to count the stars than interact with people, and Matt, her brother's best friend and Alice's teenage crush. With each of them facing their own struggles, can the stars that meant so much to Alice in her past help them to find their way in the present?  Filled with heart and warmth, this uplifting novel...

All at Sea by Gemma Roman #Review

It is great to support books which are independently published so I am delighted to feature All at Sea today. In fact, this is the first day of the blog tour to celebrate this novella by Gemma Roman.


Alice is young, in love and living on the Cornish coast. Life should be perfect. But Alice is about to meet someone who will make her question everything.



                                                                                     My Thoughts

This novella of 170 pages is a quick and entertaining read which nevertheless shows the complexity of relationships. Alice's life is thrown into turmoil when she meets a newcomer to her home town and this has a ripple effect on several others. One of the interesting aspects of Alice's character is how she is a mixture of conformity and recklessness. She loves her home town and needs to stay close to her family and friends who she has known all her life. Yet there is an unfulfilled aspect to her as well. 

    You also get to see the events from two others' perspectives ie Kai and Mia which adds interest and gives you a 360 degree look at the situation. Alice is not the only one who is confused by their feelings and unsure how to get what they want. Kai craves for stability and permanence. The style of writing is fairly intense as you hear the characters' thoughts and insecurities. This is the first of a series of novellas set in Cornwall and the sea and the environment are linked throughout. 

In short: Feelings are questioned and assumptions overturned.
 


                                                                              About the Author



“I'm Gemma Roman.


I have pretty much always been a bookworm.

I always loved reading, writing and the creative arts, and also enjoyed dancing which led me to study for a degree in Dance Studies when I was at University. Following graduation, I worked in retail and became interested in the wealth of characters that I came across daily while working in customer service. 
I'd had a few ideas rumbling around in my head for a while, and so spent a few years writing my first novel in my spare time. I finally managed to release it in June 2016, and am now planning for the release of my new book 'All At Sea', which is due out in 2019.
Follow me on the social media links below to stay updated on all of my bookish news, and even subscribe to my blog  (www.gemmaromanbooks.co.uk
You can read my review of  The Years of Us here.
Book link: Amazon UK 
Thanks to Gemma Roman and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.


Follow the rest of the tour!
 


 



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