SPRING AT BLUEBERRY BAY: An utterly perfect feel-good romantic comedy

Man I really love and adore Holly Martin's work. The jewel island was my first book in this kindle journey and Hope Island was right up there beside Jewel Island. I loved every characters that appeared in this book and the beauty is I wanted the same ending that Isaac and Bella got, be it Rome, Eden, Doughie, freya.

OMG!! Seriously this book is just so so awesome. It's a must read for sure. No excuses at all for not reading it.Just Awesome!!!

The writing is pretty juvenile!

*spoiler free review*I almost never give five stars to books but since you can't give half stars, I had to bump this up to a 5, which I think it well deserves. This is the 8th book of Holly Martin's that I've read and I can quite easily say this is the sexiest of the books she's written. Holly is great at writing humor and romance, and that's what I have come to be a fan of but this one got really steamy and showed that Holly can write the fire very well, too, without it becoming a sleazy bodice ripper. This was the quickest I've been drawn into one of her books as the premise was so intriguing because you know the charade it starts with can't possibly last for more than a few chapters without becoming farcical (or morally unredeemable). So from the word go you're holding your breath to see how and when the charade will end, and then the rest of the story unfolds. I once again have to give compliments to Holly for creating such endearing characters and here's where I have to pay out a huge compliment.When I read a book, I often have some composite image in my mind of what each of the characters look like based loosely on their character descriptions. The women tend to be more of a blur because I tend to find qualities in characters I identify with personally. In the case of Bella I had Merida from 'Brave' in my mind at the very beginning (due to her red hair) but then what came forward clearly in looks and voice was Canadian actress Amybeth McNulty, who is known for playing Anne in the Netflix series 'Anne with an E'. That was owed likely to the fire and determination - no matter how ridiculous it could make her look - that I associate with 'Anne'. Given that Anne is 'Anne of Green Gables', I think that's a solid literary compliment. I also kept loosely picturing actor JJ Feild as Isaac, though their physical descriptions are different but for some reason his face kept popping into my head - he must have played a character that reminded me of Isaac. So basically I've cast the film version of this book!The chemistry between Isaac and Bella bounces off the walls, and that's both in tenderness and passion. Bella's family and extended family are so full of life and backstory (which I believe will become future novels) that they never feel like a diversion from the story of Bella but an enhancement. Isaac's family is not in this novel but his friends and employees are a bit like family for him and they are also written with qualities that make you believe that Isaac surrounds himself with good people. The elephant in the room between Isaac and Bella is heartbreaking and made me teary-eyed at times; it made for really authentic drama, tension and conflict. The town of Hope Island is written as the darling small town that people dream about but isn't quite so quaint that a modern corporation can't exist there for people to work at. But as you can imagine with any of Holly Martin's locations, it's full of charm, nosy neighbors and lots of creatives and artists populating the town. And of course, there's hot chocolate!My only disappointment, and it is soooooo small, is that though this book has some truly laugh-out-loud moments, I didn't laugh to the extent where I couldn't breathe like I have with some of her other novels. But there is some really fun humor in this one and there's definitely a lot of com in the rom-com.Perhaps the highest compliment I can give the book (especially the characters) is how much I didn't want it to end because I knew I'd miss them. When I finished the book, I had the next in the series here and instead of diving right into it, I sat and thought about the story I just finished and what I loved about it (can't say as this is spoiler free!). I didn't want to dive into the second book right away because I know I'll be whisked away into Freya and Rome's story next and I didn't want to forget Bella and Isaac quite so quickly. I have started the next book, though, and I'm happy that Bella and Isaac have both appeared early on so I guess while I move forward with the book I can still visit with my favorite couple!

I loved this story. I know that I keep repeating myself but I love all of Holly Martin's books. Some I love more than others but they are always entertaining and beautiful. Loved the characters. Hope Island is another of Martin's great locations for the setting of this new triology. The places she describes make me want to live there. Couldn't put this book down until I finished it.

Un très bon livre, le premier de la série. Les personnages sont très attachants et l'ile où se passe l'histoire fait réver. Le livre est bien écrit et se lit très facilement.

Holly Martin is one of my all time favourite, feel good authors. You know before you even open the first page that you're going to fall in love. Everything from the cover, which I have to say is one of my favourite, to the characters and location were just perfect.Spring at Blueberry bay introduces us to Bella, her sunny, effervescent character leaps from the page - she's open and far too honest for her own good, the truth just falls from her mouth and to hilarious consequences,not always at the right time. But, she also has an alter ego who is vulnerable and struggles to trust, believing herself to be unloveable. surface.Spring at Blueberry Bay introduces us to her extended family and friends and from the very first chapter gives us a clear understanding of the 'real' Bella. Despite being out of work and penniless herself when she encounters a homeless person camped outside her house her heart melts and she invites Zac into her home, offering him a bed for the night and shares the last food in her cupboard with him.This was a book that made me smile throughout, there are hilarious moments that made me laugh out loud. One such moment which I shall refer to as the 'sofa tango' had me literally crying laughing and at a totally inappropriate moment - I was sat on the train, next to a total stranger, that coupled with the 'incident' made me lose control. This happens all the time when reading a book by Holly Martin - she adds empathy and warmth to all her characters with comic timing that is just perfect.The one thing that shines out from this book for me is that with the support, love and trust of family and friends, determination, loyalty and a strong will anything is possible and Bella proves just that in Spring at Blueberry Bay.I highly recommend this book, it truly is a another perfect slice of deliciousness by Holly Martin - a dream like book that totally melted my heart. I cannot wait for the next instalment. Bring on summer!

I loved this lovely story about love. Holly Martin writes a beautiful love story with great care and love for her characters. I felt their pain when things got confused - I laughed at their joyous times and feared for their misunderstandings.So happy that it allworked out in the end as love should .Recommend this wondeeful story to everyone.