An interesting enough book, it's exotic setting of Morocco the highlight. After her father dies Addy is given some documents of his by her half-sister Phillipa. Amongst these documents is a packet of polaroid photos from 1984, of her father and a pregnant woman, taken in Morocco. Addy had never realised her father had been to Morocco, and had never mentioned the woman to her, so she soon travels to Zitoune looking for answers.

She finds herself welcomed by a local tour guide, Omar, and is quickly accepted by his family. Yet nobody seems to remember the woman in the photo, or the man, Addy's father. As she searches for the truth, despite the reticence of those around her, she eventually finds more than she bargained for. This is a book about family, acceptance and yes, love.

The main problem I had with this book is that the characters weren't very engaging. I never came to care for any of them. Plus the plot did tend to wander around a bit too much for my liking. All in all it's not a bad book, but I doubt it will be memorable.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC n exchange for an honest review.

Addy has survived illness and when her estranged father dies, she finds old photographs, one of which contains a happy image of her father Gus, and a woman she doesn’t know, The back of the photo is dated 1984 Morocco.

She sets off on a journey of discovery, hoping to get to know her father better. She falls in love with Morocco but finds more questions than answers and risks repeating history.

The setting for this story is beautifully described. The vivid images immerse the reader, in the culture and ethos of Morocco. I like the timeslip story best, but unfortunately, the plot doesn’t allow this to be explored to its full potential. Whilst this faithfully represents what Addy discovers, from a reader’s point of view it would have been preferable to spend more time in 1984.

The characters whilst complex and interesting are hard to empathise in most cases. The pacing is a little slow and there is perhaps too much emphasis on the setting rather than the characterisation and plot.

An interesting read of forbidden love in a different culture.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this more for the writing about Morocco than for the mystery of the letter or the simmering between Addie and Omar. Addie takes a big leap of faith when, after she's been through a lot of personal issues, she travels to Morocco to find out more about her absent father and to take photographs. Her relationship with Omar, a Berber, begins when he acts as her tour guide and then expands. There were times when I wanted to tell her to pack her bags and leave. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I suspect others will like this more than I did.

I enjoyed the unusual setting of Morocco. Overall, The Lost Letter from Morocco was a good read though I felt the resolution left a bit to be desired. I finished the book with several questions which is not my favorite situation to be in as a reader.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really liked this story. I liked the characters and the descriptions of Morocco. I was totally swept up in this story from the start. Parts of it are really heartbreaking and had me close to tears. It is beautifully written and told with feeling. I would definitely recommend reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This review was originally posted on my blog Trails of Tales
Adrienne Chinn tells us two tales in one.

The story of Adela Percival

And the story of Gus Percival.

Both completely different but tied together

Through the sands of Morocco.

At 40 years of age, having survived breast cancer Adela or Addy decides to follow her dreams.

Addy decides that she wants to travel the world as a photographer.

That is when she finds an old unfinished letter from her late father, petroleum geologist Gus Percival.

The letter reveals a part of Gus’s past that his daughters Addy and Philippa had no clue of.

Years ago, in beautiful Morocco, Gus had met a young woman and fell in love….

Hanane

The unfinished letter had just given Addy a starting point.

She will go to Morocco and find out about Hanane.

But all she has is an incomplete account of her Father’s memory and a Polaroid picture of Gus and Hanane looking as if they couldn’t be happier.

But then

What is a story without complications?

As Addy travels through Morocco retracing Gus’s steps, she finds herself increasingly attracted to her tour guide Omar, 10 years younger to her.

Would Addy’s feelings for Omar stop her from discovering Gus and Hanane’s buried memories?

Can Adela afford to follow her heart?

What I need to get out of my system first and foremost is

The love story of Gus and Hanane was infinitely more relatable and heartwarming than that of Addy and Omar.

There

I said it.

I felt so attached to Hanane and her love for Gus that it irritated me when Addy focused more on Omar that on finding out about Gus and Hanane.

Sorry Addy. Not hating on your love but…well…A bookworm’s heart wants what it wants.

Adrianne Chinn did do a commendable job of merging the two stories together.

The narrative of ‘The Lost Letter from Morocco’ oscillates between Addy’s adventures and snippets of Hanane’s memory which effectively holds your interest.

To me, Hanane was the perfect heroine. I wish her character was explored a little more.

The most marvellous aspect of Adrienne Chinn’s storytelling would be the beautiful manner in which she creates an image in the reader’s mind of all the places Addy visited. Discovering a culture through the eyes of one who never beheld such beauty before is a heart tugging experience.

Nature has innumerable wonders that often leave you dumbfounded. It is indeed difficult to express them in words but Adrienne Chinn did it.

And she did it well.

‘The Lost Letter from Morocco’ is a good book in the genre of adventure fiction.

As a reader, I would have loved a little more of Hanane and Gus.

Though I suspect Adrianne Chinn was trying to preserve some of the magical elusiveness of their love story.

Just like the certain romanticism of the desert sands of Morocco.

A wonderful vivid glimpse at life in Morocco full of colour and characters. The story from modern times mixes nicely with the story from the past and eventually link up. The culture of the Muslim family is upfront and in your face, agree with it or not, but the true warmth and bonds they have is clear and true. A nice twist at the end makes you want another chapter, but overall a really good read.

I was very disappointed by this laboured and quite frankly unbelievable story. There was almost no chemistry between the two central characters, Addy and Omar, and the rest of the people were not likeable to boot! There was too much repetition of phrases and unnecessary information that really slowed the story down. The story was poor and didn't hold my attention, in fact, the story should have been about Gus and Hanane and the titular letter that hinted about a relationship. That got only a brief mention at the very beginning of the book, and then these two people almost disappeared from the story!!
It promised much but failed miserably.

Urgh, this was one of the worst books i have read for ages. It was like wading through treacle.

I have no idea what the author was thinking when writing Omar, he was overearing, controlling and intensley irritating, if i had read habibi, habibiti, you cant do this, you cant do that, one more time i would have thrown my kindle up the wall.

There was zero chemistry between Adi and Omar, none at all, and the big super reveal of both Assine and Hanane was pathetic. Especially Hanane. The entire book could have been a short story and then i wouldnt have had to sit through all of the tiresome waffling going on, and dont get me started on Nigel the stalker.

Bypass it.

A lovely story that made me want to keep on reading right to the end in one go. Flowed well with twists and turns. Definitely recommended.

An intriguing book which I read whilst on holiday in Egypt so many parts resonated with me as i could see how had got Addy herself into her situation and the problems with it provided her. I'm also a professional photographer so that drew me in as well.

It's essentially about forbidden love affairs and a long-buried secret. It has 2 timelines both in Morocco, one in 1984 and the other 2009. Both woman fall in love with men of different backgrounds with consequences that draw them into worlds they don't understand and then history starts to repeat itself with Addy in 2009 as she embarks on an affair with Omar.

I quite enjoyed the book, but found my attention wandering about 3/4 of the way through, it was worth persevering though as it gives a true flavour of Morocco, you could feel the heat and smell the spices...a truly exotic book.

This is a lovely book. I love everything about Morocco and reading this was a joy. The characters felt real and I could relate to them. After all the thrillers I've read this book was a nice change. Highly recommended!

THE LOST LETTER FROM MOROCCO by Adrienne Chin

If you like exotic climes, then you will enjoy this debut novel set mainly in Morocco. It concerns the adventures of a single woman, Addy, who decides that the only way to solve a mystery surrounding her late father is to follow in his footsteps. She believes this will make bring her closer to him. Her efforts at first seem futile but she makes friends and finds a lover along the way.
Addy's travels as a woman alone in an unknown foreign country, where she neither understands nor speaks the language, are seemingly fraught with danger but she has a trusting belief that all will end well. Her determination to find out the truth about her father's sojourn in Morocco is finally rewarded.
An enjoyable journey with a pleasing conclusion.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for supplying a review copy.

The Lost Letter from Morocco by Adrienne Chine is all about a forbidden love affair and secrets and takes readers to 1984 and London 2009. It was an easy read but it didn't grip me. After Addy's father dies, she receives some of his belongs and finds a note and a picture of her dad with a woman she doesn't recognise. The picture has the words Morocco 1984 on the back of it and this is what spurs Addy to travel to Morocco to find out who this woman is. She's also a photographer so she can make use of her time there too. During her travels, she uncovers secrets and meets a man called Omar. The storyline was good and I enjoyed learning about the culture, but I did find the repetition a little jarring after a while. Parts of the book were very slow and I don't think it was the right story for me.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A nice easy read slightly far fetched in area's but over all a good read

Addy is wrapping up her chemotherapy with many ‘proclamations’ from her half-sister, Philippa, in to discuss their father’s estate and choices Philippa had made, unbeknownst to Addy, about the disposition of house and possessions on the west coast of Canada. A box of his things given to Addy contained his Mont Blanc pen and several polaroid photographs, a surprise to Addy as she didn’t know her father was also a photographer. She has had, of late, a particularly bad run of luck: a cheating boyfriend, a photography studio going toes up and the cancer – she’s decided that a coffee table book of travel photos has the potential to sell, and the photographs from her father and the mysteries they hint to, along with an unfinished and never-mailed letter to her decide her on Morocco.

This book worked, and didn’t on several different levels. The descriptions of Morocco, the social structure and the history were well presented and brought instant visual references and uncovered interesting layers of ‘precedence’ based on history, religious and tribal affiliations and affluence. And Addy’s discovery of Omar who acts as a tour-guide, taking her to the Zitoune waterfalls so present in the polaroids left from her father, into the village of Zitoune as she searches for Hanane, the woman her father was so enamored of and who made him happy. Of course, we have the ‘obligatory’ romance between Addy and Omar, a romance that is seeded with difficulty for them both, and the ongoing questions of what happened to Hanane, as well as her father’s time in the area.

I had a mixed reaction – the story was a bit meandering and never quite reached the level of answers that the story required, while falling into the ‘trap’ of taking what could have been a solidly ‘second chance at her dream’ story for Addy. With the cliffhanger ending that wholly and completely left the story unfinished, and Addy’s ready acquiescence into ‘biddable’ partner as defined by Omar felt a bit ‘grubby’ – Addy was far too biddable and malleable, I wanted to see more growth and backbone from her with this new quest to find more about her father and recapturing her desire for photography – and that never quite happened. It was as if we were close – and then that was pushed aside to find answers that never really came, leaving this as one of the many great concepts that never reached fruition stories.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-ajJ/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for the ARC

After Addy's father passed away she receives some of his belongings. There's a note and a picture of her father with a strange woman. On the back it's signed Morocco 1984.
Addy decides to journey to Morocco to find the woman.
Being a photographer gives her a purpose. She will travel and shoot images for a travelbook she intends to make, meanwhile diving into her fathers past.
She uncovers many secrets, but will she find Hanane, the woman who made her father happy?
In Morocco she meets Omar who claims her for himself. Throughout the book I've been conflicted about their relationship. He's a good man, but so possessive, telling her how to be a good muslim woman and already planning their future. Addy falls for it, little by little giving up her true self. Is she really that naive? It annoyed me big time.
As we move from Addy in 2009 to Hanane in 1984, we get to know both sides to the story. It has a good pace, the characters are interesting, the landscape is just gorgeous.
The mystery unfolds naturally. Beautiful story, pleasant read.

The story line was good but at times found the Moroccan behaviour traits a bit laboured and repetitive. I enjoyed the concept and the culture but struggled through parts when the culture aspects were reiterated again and again

A wonderful summer read. Well written . A book that you can sit and relax.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Avon for my eARC for this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

I thought this was a good story. I felt like Addy’s character was very complicated and wasn’t sure really what she wanted & I kept changing my mind about Omar. One moment I thought he might be a good fit but the closer they got, the more controlling he tried to be. He was very jealous & kept a lot of secrets so I didn’t really trust him.

I loved Fatima’s character & really hoped that she would get her happy ending that wasn’t linked to ‘duty’ or ‘honour’.

The last part of the book made me wonder if there is to be a sequel as i would love to see what happens to Amine.