Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream- Abby Clements

Amelia Grey is a woman with a dream.  Desperate to escape city life, a poky flat and her stressful life as a secondary school teacher, Amelia persuades her husband Jack to bite the bullet and move to the countryside.  Buying a property in rural Kent in need of a complete facelift, Amelia and Jack soon realise that life in the country is not all roaring fires and Hunter willies.  Is village life everything they expected it to be?  Can they make the ramshackle, dated cottage a home? And will the previous owner ever be able to accept that Amelia and Jack are now living in 'her' house?

I was really excited to receive a review copy of Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream as Abby Clements has been one of the most talked about chicklit authors of the year.  I was told to expect a light, romantic read and a chatty, conversational writing style.  Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream is a simple tale of friendship, big dreams and the strains that everyday life can put on a marriage.  I mostly liked Amelia and admired her determination to create a cosy, welcoming home, and could relate to impact of distance between her and her closest friends.  The subplot surrounding the previous owner of Jack and Amelia's house was interesting and I would have liked it to have been explored in a more detail.

The storyline was predictable at times, but I don't mind that in a chicklit book.  Infact there is something quite reassuring about expecting a plot to go a certain way when you are reading a book specifically as a gentle, easy read to wind down after a day at work.

If you like Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes and Freya North, give Abby Clements a try.  A cosy read to warm your heart as you snuggle by your own fire. 

Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream is out now, published by Quercus.

7.5/10

With thanks to Abby's publicist for providing me with a review copy of this title in return for an honest review.