The Mini-Break

Louisa has been finding much of London distracting and far too repetitive: meeting with the “gang’ to show of and be seen, drinking too much, finding every excuse NOT to write, even tired of the constant “lather, rinse, repeat” with live in boyfriend Benedict, now taking even MORE advantage of situations since he’s now paying his share by picking up the electric bill. With her sister now recovering from a knee injury and them both owing their agent / publisher a book, an offer of a house in Devon for a week of heads down work and remove from the distractions of London is just what the doctor ordered. Well, not quite – mud, rain, cold and no food delivery in sight for two women who regularly order in or use pre-made meals from Waitrose as sustenance: the wine and snacks have gone well -but with a missing laptop cable, spotty wifi and general discomfiture being in “the country’ the two are having a less than productive, or enjoyable, getaway. But being back in London is no joy for Louisa either – and the one glimpse of the neighbor has her thinking of the country again – a few back and forth moments, a decision to sell her flat and some truly fish out of water moments where Louisa has ZERO idea how to cook, function in mud, or even manage to scale a fence – the struggles with life as she tries to sort out plotting, her own life and find what feels right – despite it being a mad choice. There are no huge dramatic action scenes here – even the romance is rather sweetly awkward and odd as Louisa is facing many choices and challenges she’s never before addressed, and situations that, in her London life, were wholly inconceivable. Please does a lovely job of showing us just how Louisa is changing and seeing her life (and ‘friends’ ) in London as just what they are – not enough to make her happy after all these years. Both in her outlook and in her attitude, Louisa is growing up and changing, and the baby steps she takes are well detailed and feel plausible, even as many are late to arrive in the grand scheme. Louisa is finding her happiness and joy in a small Devon village – with a house on a narrow track, nearest store miles away and iffy (if not downright malicious) weather for many of the days……. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.