Summer Daydreams - Book Review

Summer Daydreams by Carole Matthews

Do you ever feel the need to change your life or have aspirations to be something more? Well then this is just the book for you….

It was my first occasion reading a Carole Matthews book and I was pleasantly surprised. She has a wonderful ability to create true to life characters, which you as the reader can really relate to.

The main character, Nell McNamara, is someone who I instantly warmed to and found myself identifying with, even though our lives could not be more different. Nell is a young British mom, essentially doing everything in her power to survive the economic crunch while at the same time trying to provide a loving home for her four-year old daughter Petal, and long-term boyfriend Olly. She holds down a job at a local chip shop, but has aspirations for a more creative and fulfilling career.

Just to maintain their basic existence, Olly holds down two jobs of his own, and the fact that they both works shifts, does not allow for much family time. Despite the challenges, they seem to make do with what they have. That is until Nell displays some form of artistic flare while revamping the chip shop, with astounding results. Thus begins her journey to reinvent herself and build a “better” life for her family.

After a short-lived course at a local design college, Nell feels the despair that most working moms often do, when trying to juggle work, studies and a family. Even though college does not work out, Nell still feels the need to pursue a more creative path, this leads her to follow her dream of owning her own handbag boutique. Nell has somewhat of a fetish for handbags (a trait passed down from her mother) and finds that she is a natural when it comes to designing them.

Without giving too much of the story away, this is when it all begins to go a bit awry and her dream threatens to become more of a nightmare. Can Nell handle the emotional and financial pressure of a business, without losing her family, and will it all be worth it in the end?

Summer Daydreams is full of fun and many laugh-out-loud moments, as well as nail-biting, real-life drama! I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is definitely a book to take on holiday with you, when time is not of the essence, as I could not put it down.

{Published by Little Brown, RRP R215.00 available at all good book stores}

Source: Penguin Books

Summer Daydreams – Book Review Disclaimer: Book provided by Penguin Books for review purposes