Publication Date: 23rd May
Formats: Hardback & Ebook
Price: Hb £19.99/ Ebook £12.99
Publisher: Allison & Busby
I would like to say a huge thank you to Josie Rushin and Allison & Busby for inviting me to take part on this heartwarming and endearing book. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Allison & Busby for my physical copy and goodies (of which some magically disappeared). I would also like to say a huge thank you to the creative talent, Helen Hawkins for creating such a wonderful, funny and heartwarming tale of missed chances and second time around romance plus a lot of foot ball in action. Intrigued? Let’s head over to the blurb and find out a bit more.
Lizzie is ready for the first day of the rest of her life – she’s starting as a trainee teacher at Cranswell Primary and she’s hopeful that she’ll make the squad for the final of her team’s Football Tournament. Finally, Lizzie seems to be putting her tragic past behind her and she is sure that her parents would be proud.
Coming face to face with Noah Hatton, however, was not part of the plan. He is still as athletic and handsome as she remembered and seeing him drags up painful memories. Horrifyingly the Head Teacher then asks the pair of them to organise the School’s Sports Day and thrown together, their chemistry and competitive relationship reignites. Will the unwelcome distraction of Noah derail Lizzie’s teacher training and will she survive this blast from the past?
I am not sure how to start this review without dissolving into a heart emoji…. This was such a lovely, heartwarming and also emotionally wrought book which I was surprised by. Some of the plot looks into abuse and also into tragic incidents which shape both Lizzie and her sister and not only that her relationship with Noah Hatton. I found these two, both Noah and Lizzie extremely adorable both in their constant trying to one up each other and also even though she has mixed emotions about him she gradually sees the real man rather than the boy or a somewhat twisted version of him that due to her parents unfortunate demise meant she couldn’t see past her own grief and placed a lot of the blame on him.
But as we follow through the narrative we see that she starts to look at herself and her relationship with her sister, and though they are close now they never had been close before and soon we see tensions and a disturbing secret in which her sister has tried to keep hidden. I won’t say more due to spoilers and because this book is just brilliant. There are some wonderful moments both with Lizzie nearly getting stuck on the climbing rope and also her fantastic play on the field.
This is a book which delves into the heart of missed chances, grief and also having to deal with someone being in a abusive relationship and how jealousy can be the cause of most harm especially when it comes to romance. But like most things having it declared out in the open rather than bottling it up can also make things better, maybe not how it used to be and possibly with a lot more talking involved but all it takes is someone to talk it out and for the other person to really listen.
I loved Tom, and his wise cracks it also that he’s there for Lizzie even when he has his own romance going on he will make sure Lizzie is ok and will do anything to cheer up and support her.
This book is just so moving and wonderful, it makes me laugh, cry and just feel seen. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Ratings: 5 🌟s with a large ☕️ and a large 🍰
Author’s Blurb:
Helen Hawkins is a writer, editor and English teacher. Her first attempt at novel writing was shortlisted for the Penguin Michael Joseph Christmas Love Story Competition and highly commended in the I am in Print Romance Competition. When she’s not writing, Helen can be found editing, singing and dancing with her local operatic society, or running around with her daughter and partner at their home in Oxfordshire.
I hope you have enjoyed this funny, romantic and moving novel about second chances and overcoming our fears and deepest grief. It’s also about forgiveness and yes the football. This is certainly “A Match To Remember” (too corney?…) anyway if you are looking for a copy you can find it in Waterstones or on Amazon. I will leave you now to say Happy Reading and see you soon!!!
Zoe's Book Nook 