Prompt: a book involving a summer romance

Popped to one of local Little Book Hub book swaps to drop off some books and picked up a couple of Paige Toon books that are perfect summer challenge reads and did not break my no body July! For a book involving a summer romance I went with The Longest Holiday.

What it’s about?

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 the 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?

What I think:

This is pure summer escapism.

I had to fully suspend my disbelief for this book. Watch out for spoilers!

Laura has to be the unluckiest girl in the world! Her first boyfriend is killed and then when she thinks she has found love her husband has sex with a random girl in the toilets on his stag do and gets her pregnant. Laura finds out when she reads one of his Facebook messages!

So she heads to Key West with some mates and meets gorgeous but troubled Leo. After knowing him for only a week, Laura decides not to go back and face her husband and ends up stating with Leo’s family.

Within days they are having amazing sex. And if she’s not having sex Laura spends her time cleaning the house or crying over Matthew and the baby. She seems genuinely shocked that he has been spending time with baby and that he wants to be involved with his son’s life.

One thing that baffled me was that Laura’s parents and best friend spend so much time trying to get her to work on her marriage! She’s only been married 6 months and her husband has cheated on her and had a baby with another woman! This is not a great start to marriage. No matter how lovely you hubby is. When he takes her to meets Tessa and the baby it’s so cringe and I felt really sorry for Laura.

The last quarter of the book is so dramatic! And when you think poor Laura’s luck couldn’t get any worse… I won’t spoil this bit but it’s all a bit much. Matthew behaves badly and Leo is a love sick pup.

This is a fun summer read. It’s a bit of a soap opera and perfect for the beach.

Traumatised, unlucky people find love, there’s a lot of flying to Florida and turning up unannounced. Itwill make you want to head to Key West. I’ll be returning this to the Little Book Hub for someone else to enjoy.

Grab a copy of The Longest Holiday:

Waterstones: click here

Amazon.co.uk: click here