I received an early preview copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
Zara is a travel writer for a prestigious magazine. Her assignments usually take her to luxurious hotels in glamorous resorts in Far Flung places. She is horrified to find that her Editor wants her to review the Highlands of Scotland, where she will not only be camping, but cycling the famous 500 mile route. This is Zara's worst nightmare, as she hates mud, and being without her home comforts. Just as she is about to leave, a confrontation with her boyfriend Josh, makes her grateful to put some distance between them.
Along the way Zara meets some interesting characters, including the enigmatic croft owner Lachlan. She discovers that she might actually be enjoying herself a little bit.
As a child I visited the Highlands, so some of the locations were familiar to me. The style of writing is excellent, the detail is so descriptive that you feel that you are actually there with Zara. It made me want to move to Scotland and buy a croft. The character of Lachlan was wonderful too.
This is such a heart warming novel, it made me smile, and I found myself wanting to cheer Zara on, although I wouldn't want to ride 500 miles. I did find myself humming the Proclaimer's song regularly thigh while I read the book. The setting was perfect and the book was well written, I would definitely recommend this book.

Firstly, I would like to thank Aria for asking me to review this book and be apart of the blog tour. As most of you know I adore all of Lisa Hobman's previous books.
We are back again in the Scottish highlands which is such a perfect setting for a romance. I must warn you that once you start reading this you will be utterly and completely lost to society for at least a day. I was. I loved it.
The plot contains an epic Summer road trip which takes Zara out of her comfort zone. She goes camping and cycling and together we meet some amazing characters including Lachlan and the brilliant Bess the Boarder Collie. Zara is not looking for a man or romance but perhaps the air in the Scottish Highlands has other ideas.
A must read for all those romance lovers out there. Lisa Hobman is a brilliant story telling and creates amazing romantic moments.

A beautiful romantic story told with love, humour and music.

Set in the stunning Scottish Highlands, this wonderful romantic novel is absolutely amazing from start to finish! I could not put it down and read it over two days!

We are completely and utterly drawn into a wonderful adventure through an incredible Summer road trip which involves lots of cycling and camping adventures and lots of wonderful music! We meet such wonderful characters and learn so much about them and get to see the wonderful Scottish country through their eyes. I am trying to not give too much away as it is such a delight and a must read!

It was so wonderful to take the journey - The Scottish Highlands were brought to life so vividly and the descriptions were breathtaking - you felt like you were actually there too!

It was great to get to know the characters and find out so much about them. I loved all the friendships made along the way and the camaraderie and compassion shown by all.

An outstanding novel - the first I have read by Lisa Hobman but not the last! Her love and passion for Scotland shines through throughout this incredible novel and makes you want to there now!

I love stories about loveable people I can relate to. This novel has lots of them so I enjoyed reading it. Zara is very lucky to have such a strong support group of friends and family.
I also loved reading about Scotland where Zara the main character goes on a cycling tour. I cannot ride a bicycle I am afraid, I still felt I would like to take this scenic route.
I also love a good happy ending and the book provided it. So I am really happy that I found this very enjoyable book. I can recommend it to everyone who likes good romances.

What a lovely book - I've read this while the paths were icy outside and it was a real ray of sunshine. Zara is a travel writer, faced with the assignment from hell as she sees it, but like life, sometimes the things you dread can turn out to be the doorway to a much happier life. This is a book that will make you fall in love with Scotland, if you haven't already visited, you will be adding it to your bucket list by the end!

A stunning setting for a stunning story! The synopsis and cover pulled me in from the outset and it truly didn't disappoint - so incredibly romantic!

Zara Bailey is a travel magazine writer, usually travelling to far-flung, exotic locations and staying in luxurious resorts however the magazine editor is let down by a fellow reporter and Zara ends up having to cycle the Northcoast 500 route in Scotland, which in case you haven't guessed is 500 miles!

I thought I might have to suspend disbelieve a little at this storyline but actually it flowed really well and was more believable than I expected as it was clear she did have a hard time along the way. Just prior to setting off she broke up with her cheating, waste of space boyfriend, Josh, so it was perfect timing to clear her head with some idyllic scenery and fresh air.

Zara ends up enjoying the journey more than expected and meets the rather delectable Lachlan Grant, a croft-owner, en route. Zara is confused about her feelings that may remain for Josh mixed in with fresh lust for Lachlan (who has an adorable collie Bess). But could it be more than simple lust?

I thought the book would be solely on her cycle ride so was pleasantly surprised that this only took up about half of the book and there was a lot more to the story after that, I shan't add any more spoilers but suffice to say it is well worth a read. In typical romance style the will they/won't they question was always lodged in there but the writing of their relationship and separate heartaches was superb and kept me on tenterhooks racing to the end.

I have been fortunate to travel around much of Mediterranean Europe but now have a dog who is very much my family so will not travel without her which means we are kept to UK holidays. I am a firm believer that our beautiful countries are just as stunning as anywhere else in the world and reading about the Scottish Highlands hit home how astonishingly true this was as the descriptions transported me right there with the luscious detail. What an incredible setting, it would surely grab anyone's heart.

I confess to having tears pricking at my eyes over the closing chapters, it truly was a romantic, soaring read that I simply adored.

My many thanks to Aria and NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGallery, the publisher and author, Lisa Hobman, for allowing me to read and give my honest review on the arc of “A Summer of New Beginnings.” The following is my true and honest review.
Loved the main setting of Scotland. The author wrote so realistically about Scotland, I thought I was back there on a visit.
The main character, Zara Bailey, has a wonderful, ordinary life going on when she is asked to do something completely out of her comfort zone. What follows is a romantic, heartwarming and humorous story that I really enjoyed.
I definitely recommend “A Summer of New Beginnings” and the writing style of the author is enjoyable. I look forward to reading more from Lisa Hobman.

2.5 stars

This is a decent chick-lit, predictable read. I enjoyed the parts about Scotland, and I've love to visit one day. Some plot points seemed a bit far-fetched. Nothing seriously wrong with it, but nothing overwhelmingly great, either.

Zara is a travel writer, assigned to write about luxury destinations for an up and coming magazine in London. From Miami resorts to Maldives Honeymoon escapes she loves the variety, the challenge and the touches of luxury that she otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford while chasing her childhood dream of travelling the world. Her best friend from school, Shelley, and a best friend from work, Marco, make up her little group, and with her boyfriend of the past year, Josh, things are moving nicely. Coming back from a Miami assignment, she’s ready for the next trip and heads into work.

Discovering that the “adventure” travel writer has quit without real notice and the boss has decided that she needs to fill in on his next assignment sends this city girl into a panic – bicycling the North Coast 500 – a 500 mile trip that traverses the Scottish Highlands in a giant circle with Inverness Castle at the start and end. While she bikes to work and around the park occasionally, a five hundred mile trip that includes camping is NOT on her wish list, but the boss is undeterred. Fortunately, her boyfriend Josh manages an outdoor adventure shop, so she’s able to use the company card to outfit herself for the journey, and get in some unexpected flirting time with the boyfriend, one who her friends don’t like. They have reason, as Josh turns out to, after a year of dating, have a ten year old child that he’d never mentioned, and the baby mama and child are arriving in days… days in which Zara is expected to ‘accept’ this information all while dreading her next assignment. Of course, Josh, who seems from the jump to be incredibly self-centered, is ‘caught’ cheating – and Zara leaves for her trip with what she believes is a broken heart and plenty of angst.

This was SO wonderfully readable – and Zara alternated between being adorably funny, snarky and occasionally far too naïve for her own good. From renaming her hire bicycle to discovering the Highlands, illegally camping on a crofter’s land, only to crash the bike and land at his feet (almost literally) in a re-enactment where she thought she “did a Claire”, it’s clear that discouraged and snarky really aren’t who she is, and the time away from both the office and her friends give her a brief glimpse at new options, and time to work on her novel contained on her pink flash drive as she waits for a new bike from the hire company after killing the first. Connecting with Lachlan and finding options that she never thought plausible, but discounting the connection because of distance, her dream of writing is just that, until he makes some moves. Zara is desperately trying to find things her friends have: relationships that are becoming more permanent, finding fulfillment in work, homes and their life in the city – and her dreams of becoming an author are merely that. Until Lachlan, crofter and attorney, uses his connections and a belief in her story to push her and her book forward, and grab for a chance for their own happy ever after. Adorable, romantic and compelling – Zara is the girl you want to know, Lachlan is the Scot you want to meet and the story is just how it should be – including fangirl moments, awards, hope and heart.

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-ak5 /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Mixed up emotions, a dreaded work assignment, the beauty of Scotland, and a chance meet flow into an engaging story. I loved the ups and downs successions that happen to Zara Bailey as her life takes a turn away from her ordinary life into something beautiful.

I recieved this book via Netgalley and give it my honest review.
A beautifully written, romantic,heart warming read. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book! It left me feeling hopeful that one day I will visit the gorgeous seaside towns of Scotland, although not on a bicycle or in a tent! A perfect way for Zara to heal a broken heart, it put a spring in my step and a warm feeling in my heart. Well done Lisa Hobman it was a great read!

OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK. It's summery, it's feel-good and it's a perfect way to spend an afternoon! I really enjoyed the characters - particularly main character Zara (I LOVE her job!) but the other secondary characters were all really lovely too. The setting was picturesque and it was just overall a really enjoyable novel.

I want to be Zara. I'm not going to say why, because of spoilers, but if someone can arrange for me and the main character to swap lives, I would be ever so grateful.

Aside from all the romance (and there's a fair amount of that!) I adored the descriptions of Scotland, and the biking and camping bits seem like fun too. 

A gloriously uplifting read - with a fair degree of envy on my part!

Absolutely loved this. There were a few annoying things that I am willing to overlook such as the character of Josh needing an overhaul (Josh from the beginning doesn’t match Josh from the end of the book, too weird) and a few other small things but not dealbreakers. Honestly I have to say that I think the working title of 500 Miles would have fit nicer here.

This was a cosy romantic read and I thoroughly enjoyed going along on Zara’s adventure. Loved how all the characters became tangled up with some part of Scotland. Just so entertaining.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Perfect easy read for the dark winter nights. I would really like Zara's job.

A delightful, if somewhat far fetched but predictable cosy romance to curl up with. The characters were, on the whole, likeable and easily identifiable in real life. The main character, Zara, was a little annoying at times but also had underlying guts beneath her rather indulged exterior., I just wished that she'd listened a little more without jumping to conclusions. How she managed to achieve the ride with minimal training undertaken in the time who knows but then that's part of the charm of the story.

I had a bit of a chuckle when fibre broadband was miraculously connected in remote Scotland when, as I write this review, it's being prepared for outside my house in a fairly populated part of England with no connection for some months!! That aside, the descriptions of the 500 miles coast road in Scotland inspiring to maybe visit the area but I won't be on a bike and I'll be looking for the wonderful little hot chocolate and scone stops Zara made I just hope they're there!

I loved everything about this book. I liked the setting, the storyline, and the characters. I was glad to see that Zara figured out Lachlan was a good guy and honest. Of course the ending was sweet and I was happy to see how things worked out. I would most definitely recommend this book to fellow readers.

* I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I read (and really enjoyed) A Seaside Escape, so I was so excited to receive this ARC! I am a big fan of LIsa Hobman's writing style and think she creates believable and likeable lead characters. Zara is an easy character to care for because she could be someone you meet in real life. She speaks up for herself and accepts challenges with grace and humor. She really really doesn't want to do this trip, but she is not so stubborn as to not be able to admit that it was not just better than expected, but something that changed her life. I loved getting glimpses into the people she meets along the way and the scenery that surrounds her. I like Lachey and even though I'm not a big fan of the 'love at first sight' relationship I think I would have fallen in love with him a little bit myself if he were real. My only real problems with the book were the parts involving Josh. At the beginning I was thinking the cause of their breakup was actually the plot of other romance novels (how many out there are about childhood sweethearts reuniting and finding they're still in love?), and that would have worked better than having him cheat on her. Having him reappear toward the end wasn't necessary - it didn't make a lot of sense, especially since Zara never has him explain what happened to end things with Katie. Having him be a total jerk later just seemed out of character for him and was only there to create more drama. The added problems for her and Lachy could have just been the whole situation with Saskia (although I really don't get 1) how he was ever with her and 2) why in the world he would attend a party with her and allow her to tell her family they were engaged). I was so happy at the end when Zara points out that it doesn't always have to be the man who makes the big move and actually goes out herself to make things right.

3.5 stars.

I was just over a third of the way through A Summer Of New Beginnings when I had to put it aside and start looking up sleeper trains and the North Coast 500.
One of the best things about this book is that Lisa Hobman’s love for Scotland, and the Highlands in particular, shines through her words.
It’s infectious - although I’m still not sold on riding 500 miles by bicycle.
To be honest, getting there from Norwich with a five-year-old without having to remortgage the house seems enough of a challenge.
This story has more ups and downs than Zara’s bike ride - and that’s saying something. For me, I think there was one too many.
The book really came alive when she arrived in Scotland. The words sparkled on the page like the water in the lochs she stood before.
I was really impatient to meet, Lachy, and a little frustrated it took so long to get to him - although I appreciate why.
Heartbreaker Josh went from someone quite nice to someone really, really nasty. I always got a sense that there was something not quite right in their relationship but it felt a bit too much of a change to me.
Some points of the story require you to suspend reality to a level that even I struggled with (no spoilers).
Having said that, it is a fun read and worth it alone for the descriptions of the Hghlands and its people.
Also, be aware that the Proclaimers I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) will get stuck in your head, which isn’t a problem if you love the song as I do.

I originally chose to read this book because it was set in Scotland, given i'm Scottish myself and totally in love with the highlands. But this author has completely won me over. The plot takes unexpected twists and I definitely felt I was on Zara's journey with her. The author has described the highlands and the Scottish people perfectly, the countrie's beauty and friendliness has been brought to life throughout the pages but I also enjoyed the authors writing style. I will definitely be reading her other titles. Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.