The book...
Clare is anxious to start a family with adoring husband, Pete. When she takes on the seemingly simple task of obtaining her late mother’s birth certificate, she finds herself in a family history search that will challenge everything she thought she knew about her life.
Scarred by her parents’ ill-fated marriage, Tessa lives by three rules - dating unavailable men, building her cafe into a food empire, and avoiding her father. However, when her carefully planned life is thrown into chaos, Tessa is forced to decide which of these rules she’s willing to break.
As Clare and Tessa’s paths cross and their friendship grows, can they both finally unlock their family secrets in order to realise their futures?
Purchase from Amazon UK
The review...
A book by a new author is always a bit of a risk - you never know quite what you're going to get or how enjoyable it's going to be. But I'm happy to say that in the case of Megan Mayfair's debut, the risk definitely paid off.
The story follows two women - Melbourne coffee shop owner and serial commitment-phobe Tessa, and the quieter Clare, newly moved to Melbourne with husband Pete.
While Clare and Tessa are very different characters I found both women very believable, likeable and relatable. I adored Tessa’s confidence and independence and honestly, I found her horror of commitment quite refreshing and convincingly done. It made for some hilarious moments too and I laughed out loud quite a few times (Matthew’s scented candles!!). Clare was also a very likeable character. Having lost her mother at a young age and been raised by her grandmother, Clare is anxious both to start a family with the lovely Pete and to learn more about her rather mysterious family history. All is not plain sailing, though, and there are some hard hitting emotional moments. I could definitely relate to Clare's feelings and experiences.
A book by a new author is always a bit of a risk - you never know quite what you're going to get or how enjoyable it's going to be. But I'm happy to say that in the case of Megan Mayfair's debut, the risk definitely paid off.
The story follows two women - Melbourne coffee shop owner and serial commitment-phobe Tessa, and the quieter Clare, newly moved to Melbourne with husband Pete.
While Clare and Tessa are very different characters I found both women very believable, likeable and relatable. I adored Tessa’s confidence and independence and honestly, I found her horror of commitment quite refreshing and convincingly done. It made for some hilarious moments too and I laughed out loud quite a few times (Matthew’s scented candles!!). Clare was also a very likeable character. Having lost her mother at a young age and been raised by her grandmother, Clare is anxious both to start a family with the lovely Pete and to learn more about her rather mysterious family history. All is not plain sailing, though, and there are some hard hitting emotional moments. I could definitely relate to Clare's feelings and experiences.
The story is sharply written with a contemporary feel. I really enjoyed the Melbourne coffee shop setting (I want to go there!). And there are some memorable images, like the description of local “It Girl” and footballer’s girlfriend Zoe Diaz as “very tall and extremely thin. She looked like a pretty insect from a Pixar cartoon“. I love that! In fact every scene involving Zoe is comedy gold
While the romance element is definitely there - and there is an excellent love interest - it's handled with a very light touch, which I appreciated.
If I have any criticism to make it’s that there are a few typos and the odd sentence which doesn’t quite make sense. However these are few and far between and certainly don’t affect enjoyment of the book in any way, even for a pernickety reader like me.
The Things We Leave Unsaid was a delightful read, funny, warmhearted and touching, and a very impressive first novel. I will definitely look out eagerly for whatever Megan does next...
Many thanks to the author and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to be part of the blog tour!
Megan Mayfair is a Melbourne-based writer who draws inspiration from her beautiful hometown and regional Victoria to create contemporary women’s fiction, containing a big dash of romance and a spoonful of family intrigue.
While the romance element is definitely there - and there is an excellent love interest - it's handled with a very light touch, which I appreciated.
If I have any criticism to make it’s that there are a few typos and the odd sentence which doesn’t quite make sense. However these are few and far between and certainly don’t affect enjoyment of the book in any way, even for a pernickety reader like me.
The Things We Leave Unsaid was a delightful read, funny, warmhearted and touching, and a very impressive first novel. I will definitely look out eagerly for whatever Megan does next...
Many thanks to the author and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to be part of the blog tour!
The author...
With a background in public relations, copywriting and higher education, Megan is passionate about words and loves to bring them to life on the page. Megan holds a Master of Arts in professional communication and is a member of Romance Writers of Australia and Writers Victoria.
Megan is married with three children, loves a good cup of coffee and believes you can never have too many scarves.
No comments:
Post a Comment