Book Review – The Cornish Village School – Second Chances by Kitty Wilson

 

Ex-ballerina and single mum Sylvie is in trouble. Juggling her ballet classes in the nearest town, preparing shy Sam for his first day at Penmenna Village school and trying to finally move out from the farm she shares with her cantankerous Uncle Tom means life is anything but easy.

Television Journalist Alex is facing challenges of his own. Seeking a calmer environment for his newly adopted daughter, Ellie, he’s swapped reporting in war zones for the school PTA in quiet Penmenna, where his best friend Chase has persuaded him to start laying some roots.

Fireworks ignite when Sylvie and Alex meet but as Ellie and Sam become instant best friends, will they be able to keep things strictly platonic for the sake of the children?

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

So I didn’t actually realize that this is the second book in ‘The Cornish Village School’ but I can safely say that it does read well as a standalone book. Also on a somewhat related note, I now do really want to read the first book in the series!

We start of the book by being introduced to Sylvie and her son Sam as they are heading off for their afternoon visit to the beach, I really loved the pure excitement from both of these characters as they initially set off for the beach, it’s where they meet both Alex and Ellie and begin an almost instant friendship. (Living pretty close to the beach I can safely say I do not take advantage of visiting as much as I really should and after reading the first few chapters of this book I really wanted to get out and visit!)

This was a great character-focused book with a lot of different relationships coming in to play, there was quite a focus on the children as well as the friends and family of Sylvie and Alex which made it just that little bit more than a simple romance book. There were a few ‘secrets’ in the background but mostly I really enjoyed it being a straightforward romance book. I think perhaps there could have been a bit more focus on some of the place descriptions but it doesn’t take away from the story at all. For me, it was a great sweet little read that had me smiling all the way through.

Rating: 4.5/5

Would I read again: Probably

Would I Recommend: Yes

Would I read another book from this author: Yes