I found this book to be enthralling and kept my interest throughout. The characters and their interlinked stories were believable and I enjoyed the factual side of life after the war.

Highly recommended.

The night before her 13th birthday Izzie's Mum walks out of the family home wearing only her nightdress and a thin coat. Izzie and her sister Linda are sent to live with their grandparents until 2 years later her father decides that it is time they moved home. Izzie is now 15 and can leave school and get a job, thus bringing more money into the household. Set in the late 1940s/ early 1950s, life is very different. Will Izzie ever find her mother who she misses so much and what will become of them all.

Thankyou to net galley and Avon books for my advanced reader copy of this book, I will give my unbiased review.

Izzie is only 12 when she witnesses her parents late night argument in the 1940s which lead to her mother running out on the family. According to her father, she was unstable and had to be sectioned and after discharge from the mental hospital, didn’t want anything to do with Izzie or her younger sister Linda.

Izzie had to grow up fast, her father, who had been a prisoner of war, or so the the story goes, had anger issues and now without her mother at home, she was expected to run the household alone, while also leaving school as soon as she was legally allowed, at 15, to contribute to the family income. Whenever she seemed to gather an extra pound, her father found a way to take it off her.

I found this story to be an interesting look into the world post war, while I have ready many (and by many I mean hundreds) of books based during WW2 I have only read a handful during the 1940/1950s. I found it a snapshot of British society at the time, still dealing with rationing, and more importantly the impact of the war on people’s mental well being. This book also highlights the difference between the haves and the have nots, but the biggest take away for me was the attitudes toward women. It was hard to read some of the scenes where Izzies father hit his daughters, but equally as hard to read the lines of the girls discussing icing their faces because they didn’t want their bruises to show. This book would make an interesting book club discussion I feel!

I did feel the book did go at a rather slow pace, maybe the style of writing was suited to the era in this way, it it did feel a little detail heavy in parts.

Again Thankyou for the opportunity to read and review this book @netgalley and @avonbooks.

I was quite mad with Izzy at the beginning. But, then I realised that this was how woman was back in the days.. This would be a good book to share with students as they will be able to see progress woman had made.

I love a good saga and this is a great addition to the genre.
There is every type of character in this book and all of them believable. Poverty breeds cruelty from what I read in stories and it's in abundance here.
Izzie is the main character and I was rooting for her from the start. She had a lot on her shoulders and was treated very badly by her father.
She gets a job in a restaurant and begins to better herself. Then she gets reacquainted with her mother and realises the story she was told about her walking out on them had a lot more to it than her father had led her to believe.

There are numerous twists and turns in the story and to warn people, there is a rape scene. I don't like anything like this in my reading but it was handled very well by the author.
There's a romance but I found it a bit lukewarm. More could have been done with it. Anyone who grew up in want. whether it be want of money or want of love, will empathise with this story.

There's a lovely short story at the end of the kindle version too.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the chance to read this book early.

I love Pam Weaver's books as they are written to draw you into the story and this book is no different with a great story and characters that bring the book alive.5*

A heartwarming and bittersweet story of two young girls, Izzie and Linda, whose life is turned upside down when their father returns after the war and then their mother disappears. As young teenagers there is a lot that is kept from them, but Izzie tries to take care of her little sister (who is not the most pleasant). A look at what England looked like in the late 1940s, and a few twists and turns. When she starts to work and meets Giacomo, sparks fly. He has had a tragedy himself, and they make a good fit. Liked this one, but did skim a bit in the middle. Would recommend.

At Home by the Sea by Pam Weaver proved to be a complex read, with the different stories weaving to link the family together.

Starting when their mother disappears in the night, zzy is left to look after her younger sister Linda, who gets herself into trouble. Eventually Izzy meets a chef who offers her a job, Could this be her ticket out.

I was heavily invested in Izzy from the get go, her drive was amazing to watch and some of the other characters in the book were just pure evil. And sadly very believable.

From the social history point of view. I was fascinated by how life was post WW2 and it all seemed to have been well researched.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone that likes a love story but with a bit of grit.

Warning: there is a distressing rape scene.

This was a usual a* read firom Pam. Loved all the quirky twists and found myself getting annoyed at the way some of the characters were treated. Definitely a great lose yourself book.
Highly recommended

This is the first book by this author and won't be my last. It was riveting from start to finish, i couldn't put it down. The story focuses mainly on 2 sister Izzie and Linda who are being brought up by their dad after their mum walked out on them.Whilst izzie tries to better herself Linda is more like her father, lightfingered and selfish.
Years later she finds and meets up with mum and Izzie at last finds out the truth behind her mum leaving and is shocked.
This book will keep you wanting more. It was well told and will be looking for other books by this author.

A lovely saga the characters drew me right in to the families the story.I read this late into the night hated to put it down.So involving so warm a saga I will be recommending,#netgalley#avonbooksuj,

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC. Pam Weaver is one of my favourite authors. Family saga at its best. Such lovely story lines and you actually feel like you are in the book

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Sometimes all you need is a good old fashioned feel good read. Great storyline and great characters. I really enjoyed it.

A heartwarming read from a favourite of mine Pam Weaver. This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable. A beautiful book to snuggle down with and take you away on a wonderful journey.

This was a really lovely read. The story was well constructed and flowed beautifully. I couldn't put it down it was so captivating. It was very sad at times and also shocking, especially when the Dad threw out his daughters. I could really feel for Izzie who tried her best to keep the family together. Thankfully, after many ups and downs, she got her happy ending.

At Home by the Sea by Pam Weaver is an excellent post-WWII era historical fiction that kept me entertained and engaged from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed the post-war narrative of this book. So many novels take place during the war, the Blitz, or during the “action”. Not as many take readers into the lives, the adaptations, and the remnants of the lives of the British after the war has done its damage. Seeing how the small villages, its inhabitants, and families are scarred, altered, conflicted, and forever changed post-war and how they “carry on”, to me is fascinating. Such huge political, societal, and gender role changes are taking place.

I enjoyed taking an in depth peak into the town of Worthing. The complicated relationships, miscommunications, mysteries, misplaced anger, and nuclear family changes involving Izzie, her sister Linda, her father Bill whom has just returned from the war, and her mother Doris. The abrupt change between it being just the girls, then the return of Bill and departure of their mom leaves questions, misinterpretations, misplaced hurt and anger amongst many. Seeing Izzie struggle with these changes, losses, and her adaptations are at times heartbreaking. Izzie is stronger then she thinks she is. She is smarter, more independent, and she learns these tools through these losses.

But just as she thinks she has it all figured out, a new love interest, visions of a possible change in future, and the return of her mother into her life, throws Izzie into a tailspin. Will she be able to figure it all out and find her place in the world and her purpose in the process? I loved finding out.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Avon Books UK for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

This is a beautiful, heart warming yet sometimes heart wrenching book. The storyline is beautiful, weaving the story of a badly broken family and the possibility of rebuilding your life. The characters are wonderfully created with depth and personality, making them easy to like or dislike. A credit to the author for making characters that are quick to endear themselves to the reader. The setting and time period are both interesting and I liked how this wasn’t a war story as there have been so many of those lately. The small towns sounded lovely as did the idea of a tea shop where you can have a lovely full English tea.

Izzie has experienced so much loss in her life yet she is a strong character that I wanted to sit down and have a chat and cup of tea with. The supporting characters range from spoiled, egotistical, endearing, romantic, hateful and evil people that will all seem real to you, the reader. I enjoy an author that can make a character that I dislike as much as a couple in this book. There is a beautiful love story thrown in that makes you feel hopeful and happy.

This is an all round lovely story that is easy to get caught up in and will sweep you away to a different era in time. I was left with a smile on my face and content. To me that is a sign of a well wrote ex book. Kudos to the author. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC of this delightful book.