Many thanks to Quercus and Netgalley for my spot on the Blog Blast and for the advanced review copy.
BOOK DETAILS
Book Title: Make Do and Mend A Broken Heart
Author: Katey Lovell
Publication Date: 9th January 2019
Publisher: Quercus
Genre: Contemporary/ Romance
Format: E-ARC
Language: English
Page Count: 258
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Loss of a loved One, Grief, Sadness, Heartbreak, Loneliness.
When you know how, you can make anything from scratch, including a new life after love…
When Leanne and Richard bought a dilapidated old seaside cottage to renovate together as their forever home, their future was full of hope and promise.
But heartbreak was just around the corner: fast forward a few months and Richard is gone. With his death, Leanne finds herself stony broke, faced with an uninhabitable home and lacking even the basic skills to do it up herself.
With the help of the friendly woman who runs the library and the reluctant assistance of the man who works in the local hardware shop, the cottage is lovingly restored. But broken hearts aren’t so easy to fix… are they?
Make Do and Mend a Broken Heart is a heartwarming story about love, loss and friendship. This was the perfect story for me as I was in the mood of reading a heartwarming, feel-good novel. Contemporary fiction is something that is in my comfort zone and whenever I am in the mood, I pick up one of these comforting reads.
Make Do and Mend A Broken Heart by Katey Lovell tells the story of Leanne and Richard who have spent sixteen years of their lives loving each other and have been married for nine years. They both move into a new seaside cottage which needs a lot of renovation. Leanne has always dreamt of living by the seaside and dreams of a new look for Sea Glass Cottage, something that would uphold the value of their life-long togetherness.
The chapters are titled after the months. It begins with August and after a long interlude, the timeline jumps to February. Between August and February, a lot happens which changes Leanne’s life. She experiences a devastating loss which changes the course of her life. We find her struggling to accept her new life but she soon begins a journey of discovering herself and attempts to come to terms with her current situation.
Often times our lives don’t go as planned. When Leanne’s life is in shambles, she picks up the pieces and tries to make something new out of them. It gives her a purpose and a drive to fulfill her dream— build her very own Sea Glass Cottage. Battling with grief, loneliness and her very own money problems, Leanne comes across as a strong and determined person who has only one goal–to keep all her cherished memories and regain control of her life. During this time, there is a coming together of all the townspeople who try to help her. Some question her ambition while others wholeheartedly accept her in their community with open arms.
I loved how Lovell portrayed Leanne’s raw emotions and her struggles. I couldn’t help but empathise with her. Leanne is one such character with whom I am very familiar with. I have come across quite a few people who have been in a similar crisis in their lives but have never given up. Leanne doesn’t either. I loved everything about her.
Although the Blurb pretty much sums up the story and doesn’t leave much to the imagination (which I was a little disappointed about), after reading Make Do and Mend a Broken Heart I realised that sometimes a predictable story isn’t all that bad. Not when it gives you all the “feels”.
Hope and loss are intertwined together in such a way that it left a feeling of melancholy but also incited a feeling of comfort and ease. Make Do and Mend A Broken is a beautiful and soul-stirring novel.
This has been such a great start to 2020 and I couldn’t be any happier! All the books that I have read so far have been amazing. Make Do and Mend A Broken Heart is a recommended read from me if you love a good heartwarming feel-good story.
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Signing off,
Sohinee Reads & Reviews 
great review! this sounds so good, I’ll definitely have to check it out when I want some cozy to read. 💙
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Thank you! This was the perfect cozy winter read for me. Hope you get to read it soon! 💜
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