One Last Summer at Hideaway Bay by Zoe Cook
Release Date: 21st July 2016
Publisher: HarperImpulse
Buy: Kindle Paperback
Rating:
Lucy, hi. It’s Tom. How are you? It’s been a while. I’ve been meaning to get in touch but it’s hard to know how to after so much time. I hear you’re doing really well up there. I knew you would be.
You should come here, you know, back to Hideaway bay. Come and see everyone, see how little it’s all changed. Feel the sand between your toes, the Cornish sea breeze on your face. When the sun hits the surf in that way it does, it’s as magical as ever.
That’s why I’m writing to you, actually. I want to get the gang back together again, one last time before…well…just one last time. You should come too. The four of us, a summer on the beach, like old times. We all want you here for it. I want you here for it. It’s been so long since I saw you.
I still think about you.
Tom
Lucy thinks she has her life in London sussed. After leaving Hideaway Bay in Cornwall where she grew up in order to escape from something that happened in the past, she is now loving life. Honest. She has a fab job working for a TV company and her life is one big round of partying & getting drunk. Oh, not forgetting the odd dabbling in drugs…
So when she receives an email out of the blue from the former-love-of-her-life Tom inviting her back to Hideaway Bay for one last summer and to be reunited with her friends from the past Nina and Kristian she isn’t keen. Why go back and rake up old memories?
However, the call of Hideaway Bay proves to be too strong, and after something occurs at work Lucy decides to go for it and heads back to sunny Cornwall for the summer. But exactly how much have things changed and is Lucy ready to face up not only to the memories from her past but also to Tom’s girlfriend Tara…
As soon as I heard about One Last Summer at Hideaway Bay I couldn’t wait to dive into the story. From the synopsis I just knew it was going to be my kind of book; I love stories where characters return to places from their past and revisit their old memories. I was intrigued to know exactly why Lucy left Hideaway Bay in the first place and joining her on her ‘last’ summer in Cornwall was such a fantastic experience, of which I loved every minute.
It was fascinating watching Lucy reconnect with the place she had spent so long trying to avoid. Not just the place, but the people, the friends and of course, the memories, from her past. There’s no doubt that Lucy ‘finds herself’ when she returns to Hideaway Bay, but this isn’t done in a cheesy overly-obvious cliche way. The pieces of the story begin to slot together and as the story progresses you come to realise why Lucy is the way that she is.
Lucy was a wonderful lead character who had so much depth. She was so interesting to read about and I really warmed to her, wanting her to be happy to just choose the right path in life. Tom was also lovely and the moments they shared were genuine and realistic. My heart ached for these two and what they had once had…
Which brings me on to my warning: Have tissues to hand when reading this book because it WILL make you cry. As well as romance and friendship it’s also full of secrets and heartbreak so don’t say I didn’t warn you. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an absolutely lovely story, but it will certainly pull on your heartstrings in certain moments too. There’s also a huge twist which completely knocked me for six. I certainly wasn’t expecting that…
Now don’t even get me started on the setting. OOOOH, It was just perfect. Zoe brought Hideaway Bay to life for me in a HUGE way with her wonderfully descriptive writing. Such a beautiful, idyllic setting, I could hear the waves hitting the shore and hear the cries of the seagulls overhead as I got lost in this gorgeous cove. I want to be there so badly but Zoe’s wonderful writing really did the best job of transporting me there through fiction! I am very excited about reading more from Zoe in the future as this is a wonderful debut.
One Last Summer at Hideaway Bay is a gorgeous, summery read, full of humour, love and emotion. It’s the perfect holiday read so be sure to pack this one in your suitcase and prepare to lose yourself to the beautiful Cornish coast…
A huge thank you to publishers HarperImpulse for approving me on NetGalley to read & review One Last Summer at Hideaway Bay.
I grew up by the sea in Cornwall, spending my summers on the beach. I left to study History at Oxford University, before starting a career in television during which I was lucky enough to travel the world interviewing incredible authors for the Richard & Judy Book Club. Fast forward ten years I’m now married to a lovely man called James and have a daughter who keeps us on our toes. Oh, and a very furry cat called Bobby.
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