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sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
5.0
It may only be the middle of summer, but there’s always something so magical and cosy when reading a book set around winter time.
Glendale Hall is a wonderful property on picturesque grounds. It made me wonder how Beth had managed to stay away from it for so long, but then as we find out a bit more about what happened in the past to make her move away, I started to understand.
It was sad to see the decline of the small town that Beth finds herself returning to. Things have certainly changed since she was last there. One thing that hasn’t, is her friendship with Heather, her childhood friend. I enjoyed seeing the friendship between these two as it was so effortless and comfortable.
There’s lots going on within the story to do with Beth’s family, her childhood sweetheart and the decline within the small town. It all blends wonderfully together though making for an all engrossing read.
Coming Home To Glendale Hall is as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside. It promises so much and delivers it all and more. It’s a feel good, heart warming read bursting to the seams with family bonds, romance and hope and goodwill. Definitely one you need to add to your to be read file if you’re a fan of this genre.
My thanks to Hera Books, NetGalley and Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
Glendale Hall is a wonderful property on picturesque grounds. It made me wonder how Beth had managed to stay away from it for so long, but then as we find out a bit more about what happened in the past to make her move away, I started to understand.
It was sad to see the decline of the small town that Beth finds herself returning to. Things have certainly changed since she was last there. One thing that hasn’t, is her friendship with Heather, her childhood friend. I enjoyed seeing the friendship between these two as it was so effortless and comfortable.
There’s lots going on within the story to do with Beth’s family, her childhood sweetheart and the decline within the small town. It all blends wonderfully together though making for an all engrossing read.
Coming Home To Glendale Hall is as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside. It promises so much and delivers it all and more. It’s a feel good, heart warming read bursting to the seams with family bonds, romance and hope and goodwill. Definitely one you need to add to your to be read file if you’re a fan of this genre.
My thanks to Hera Books, NetGalley and Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
clair_82's review against another edition
5.0
Coming Home to Glendale Hall is the perfect festive read…it has all the key components of an ideal Christmas book to me; a wonderful wintery setting (Glendale Hall and its village fit the bill perfectly), a cause to fight for, community spirit and just the right amount of romance!
I absolutely adored Coming Home to Glendale Hall right from the outset, Victoria Walter’s narrative transports the reader to Glendale and feeling like we already know Beth and her daughter Izzy. The book opens with Beth’s return to Glendale Hall, 10 years after she fled to London and never returned. Whilst her parents and grandmother have visited Beth and Izzy in London on occasion, it is clear from the outset that their relationship is, at best, strained. Beth and Izzy are back in Glendale for Christmas as it is feared that this will be Beth’s grandmother’s final Christmas as she is terminally ill and her health is deteriorating. Izzy is thoroughly excited to visit her mother’s childhood home and spend time in Scotland, although for Beth it brings back difficult memories that she has tried to bury for years – which are exacerbated when she unexpectedly bumps into Drew, her first love.
In addition to the family issues, Beth finds that the village is no longer the community that she left, it is now largely abandoned with developers circling around like vultures to purchase the vacant shops and convert them into flats. Beth is devastated that Glendale has seemingly lost its heart, its community spirit so she is determined to do something about it.
Coming Home to Glendale Hall is a beautiful heart-warming read with brilliant characters who come alive from the pages. Beth is a strong, independent woman who has raised Izzy alone in London, working just to make ends meet. Her relationship with Izzy is lovely, because it’s always been just them two their bond is very strong. Beth’s strength wavers a little bit when she comes back to Glendale Hall but she soon gives herself a talking to, reminding herself that she’s no longer the frightened 16-year-old who ran away all those years ago. Izzy is also a wonderful character who really brings the excitement of Christmas to life with her enthusiasm for all things festive…including tacky inflatables and gaudy tree decorations - much to Beth’s mother’s disgust! I also liked Beth’s grandmother who is trying to make amends for her actions 10 years ago which, at the time she did in good faith but now sees that there were alternatives.
Coming Home to Glendale Hall is the perfect book for curling up in front of a fire with a steaming hot chocolate on a cold day when you have no other plans so you can lose yourself in the narrative. Whilst this is a Christmas book, it is much more that that – its an exploration into family dynamics and putting to bed the past, realising that you cannot change it, only focus on the here and now. Another fabulous book from Victoria Walters!
I absolutely adored Coming Home to Glendale Hall right from the outset, Victoria Walter’s narrative transports the reader to Glendale and feeling like we already know Beth and her daughter Izzy. The book opens with Beth’s return to Glendale Hall, 10 years after she fled to London and never returned. Whilst her parents and grandmother have visited Beth and Izzy in London on occasion, it is clear from the outset that their relationship is, at best, strained. Beth and Izzy are back in Glendale for Christmas as it is feared that this will be Beth’s grandmother’s final Christmas as she is terminally ill and her health is deteriorating. Izzy is thoroughly excited to visit her mother’s childhood home and spend time in Scotland, although for Beth it brings back difficult memories that she has tried to bury for years – which are exacerbated when she unexpectedly bumps into Drew, her first love.
In addition to the family issues, Beth finds that the village is no longer the community that she left, it is now largely abandoned with developers circling around like vultures to purchase the vacant shops and convert them into flats. Beth is devastated that Glendale has seemingly lost its heart, its community spirit so she is determined to do something about it.
Coming Home to Glendale Hall is a beautiful heart-warming read with brilliant characters who come alive from the pages. Beth is a strong, independent woman who has raised Izzy alone in London, working just to make ends meet. Her relationship with Izzy is lovely, because it’s always been just them two their bond is very strong. Beth’s strength wavers a little bit when she comes back to Glendale Hall but she soon gives herself a talking to, reminding herself that she’s no longer the frightened 16-year-old who ran away all those years ago. Izzy is also a wonderful character who really brings the excitement of Christmas to life with her enthusiasm for all things festive…including tacky inflatables and gaudy tree decorations - much to Beth’s mother’s disgust! I also liked Beth’s grandmother who is trying to make amends for her actions 10 years ago which, at the time she did in good faith but now sees that there were alternatives.
Coming Home to Glendale Hall is the perfect book for curling up in front of a fire with a steaming hot chocolate on a cold day when you have no other plans so you can lose yourself in the narrative. Whilst this is a Christmas book, it is much more that that – its an exploration into family dynamics and putting to bed the past, realising that you cannot change it, only focus on the here and now. Another fabulous book from Victoria Walters!
reading_in_lala_land's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed this! The storyline was good and I really enjoyed all the characters. It felt a bit long in spots but overall a really good read.
elizastudying's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Really liked this though at times it was a bit repetitive in that character are constantly interrupted in important conversations and key moments are pushed back. A bit too much suspension.
saragalisteo's review against another edition
4.0
Gleandale Hall es uno de esos lugares que te dejan con una sonrisa y una sensación de paz que te hace querer volver a reencontrarte con los personajes. Aunque al principio me pareciese un poco lenta, la historia de Beth me ha gustado mucho. Su relación con Izzy, con sus padres, con Drew, todos los problemas familiares que han tenido debido a su decisión de tener a su hija cuando era una adolescente... Son detalles que redondean la trama. Y no puedo dejar de mencionar que me encanta Izzy y su adicción a los libros.
chelton's review against another edition
5.0
After ten years, Beth Williams is ending her self-imposed exile in London to finally return to her childhood home, Glendale Hall in Scotland, just in time for Christmas. However, coming home means digging up old ghosts and facing the family that turned her away when she became pregnant at sixteen. As the holiday ramps up and secrets unravel, she discovers a past unlike the story she was led to believe. And after an old love shows up in the village, she realizes the happy ending she’s waited for might just be possible.
Family is complicated and Beth Williams certainly understands that better than most. She’s lived her life cut between two separate ones: her mother, father, and grandfather, who she feels abandoned her when she became pregnant as a teenager, and Isabelle, the daughter she’s devoted her every moment since then to. But circumstances spurred by the Christmas season force these two sides together in an unavoidable clash.
Author Victoria Walters milks this tension for everything it’s worth. This is a group of people who have suffered from a breakdown in communication long ago, and Walters drops hints at the start that everything could work out if only everyone would start actually talking and listening. It’s incredibly effective, more so because Beth reads like such a grounded, well-balanced woman. It’s easy to read into her side of the issues, casting her mother and father as unreasonable, almost callous. And yet when everything clicks into place through an expert reveal, it’s impossible not to want to see these characters work everything out.
While this makes for an entirely satisfying book in its own right, Walters weaves in an even bigger complications. If Beth hasn’t been home in ten years, she might as well tie up all of her loose ends in one go. Drew, Isabelle’s father, shows up in Glendale, and she has a few surprises for him. Their scenes together are utterly charming as their worlds are pulled together after so long without speaking. It’s a tour de force for anyone who enjoys a solid second chance romance.
Of course, no Christmas love story is complete without a charming, idyllic village, and Walters does not disappoint. Glendale is looking a little shabby at first, with rundown shops and a library on its last legs— a far cry from what Beth remembers. Yet as she finds an understanding with her family, she also senses an opportunity to do something about her hometown.
In the end, this all combines to form a beautiful examination of family and community in all of their shapes.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Review also posted at https://pluckedfromthestacks.wordpress.com/
Family is complicated and Beth Williams certainly understands that better than most. She’s lived her life cut between two separate ones: her mother, father, and grandfather, who she feels abandoned her when she became pregnant as a teenager, and Isabelle, the daughter she’s devoted her every moment since then to. But circumstances spurred by the Christmas season force these two sides together in an unavoidable clash.
Author Victoria Walters milks this tension for everything it’s worth. This is a group of people who have suffered from a breakdown in communication long ago, and Walters drops hints at the start that everything could work out if only everyone would start actually talking and listening. It’s incredibly effective, more so because Beth reads like such a grounded, well-balanced woman. It’s easy to read into her side of the issues, casting her mother and father as unreasonable, almost callous. And yet when everything clicks into place through an expert reveal, it’s impossible not to want to see these characters work everything out.
While this makes for an entirely satisfying book in its own right, Walters weaves in an even bigger complications. If Beth hasn’t been home in ten years, she might as well tie up all of her loose ends in one go. Drew, Isabelle’s father, shows up in Glendale, and she has a few surprises for him. Their scenes together are utterly charming as their worlds are pulled together after so long without speaking. It’s a tour de force for anyone who enjoys a solid second chance romance.
Of course, no Christmas love story is complete without a charming, idyllic village, and Walters does not disappoint. Glendale is looking a little shabby at first, with rundown shops and a library on its last legs— a far cry from what Beth remembers. Yet as she finds an understanding with her family, she also senses an opportunity to do something about her hometown.
In the end, this all combines to form a beautiful examination of family and community in all of their shapes.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Review also posted at https://pluckedfromthestacks.wordpress.com/
vikkiew87's review against another edition
5.0
This book is as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside. There are so many things going on in this story- decline of Glendale, family relationships and secrets.
This was a book which was really lovely to read and difficult to put down. The style of writing was engaging and the plot is easy to follow.
The characters in the book are easily relatable and the book has an extremely picturesque setting which makes this a stunning read.
This is the first book I've read by Walters, but it definitely won't be the last. This is a story which has left me smiling.
This was a book which was really lovely to read and difficult to put down. The style of writing was engaging and the plot is easy to follow.
The characters in the book are easily relatable and the book has an extremely picturesque setting which makes this a stunning read.
This is the first book I've read by Walters, but it definitely won't be the last. This is a story which has left me smiling.
clairedevitt's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0