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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...

Christmas by the Coast by Mandy Baggot #Review

 

We are off the the Hamptons for a festive novel today. Christmas by the Coast by Mandy Baggot was published in paperback on October 14th by Aria. It is also available in e-book format.


This Christmas, find out if love letters from the past can pave the way to a brand-new future ... 

After a terrible heartbreak, Harriet Cookson worked hard to build her life back up. Now she has a dependable boyfriend, a great job and a decent flatshare. But when her beloved grandmother passes away, Harriet drops everything to fly out to the Hamptons tocomfort her grieving grandpa. 

Christmas is coming and as she arrives on the sandy beaches of her childhood in Montauk, Long Island, Harriet spots someone she never expected to see again –her ‘one that got away’, ex-soldier Mack Wyatt. Now, Mack is determined to win Harriet back and show her that the life she’s been living might be the wrong happily-ever-after.

My Thoughts

 This festive read is certainly one to curl up with. Its central characters are vividly drawn with a shared, interesting backstory and the surrounding cast adds colour and life to the story. I enjoyed the setting in The Hamptons which added a different twist to the Christmas festivities, as led by Harriet's grandmother, you see them recreated. Both Harriet and Mack have an air of vulnerability and you get to see the story through both their eyes.

    Another interesting dynamic in the story is Harriet's relationship with Iain, who at the beginning is both her partner and business partner. The reasons for this become clear as the story develops but suffice it to say, that she has to reappraise what she wants from life. Full of warmth and humour, the story manages to tread a path through some darker subjects and show you that life is a hopeful place.

In short: Starting over, second chances.

    

About the Author


 

Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer. 

The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK's Festival of Romance, her romantic comedy novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy's books have so far been translated into German, Italian, Czech and Hungarian. 

Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, white wine, country music and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1's Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor. Mandy lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters

You can follow Mandy here: Facebook   |  Twitter  |  Instagram

Book links:  Amazon UK   |  Waterstones

 Aria links: Website  |  Twitter   |  Fiction   |  Instagram
 
Head of Zeus: Instagram  ||  Twitter |  Website  |  Facebook
  

Thanks to Mandy Baggot, Aria and Victoria Joss for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

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