At times this tale is heartbreaking and sad... And I had hoped for easy and romantic. I both did and did not get what I was hoping for.

With a lovely bookshop setting--in Scotland, no less--and likeable characters whose charm leapt off the pages, I could almost forgive myself for being a little mislead in regard to the plot of this book.

Mystery, intrigue, and a tad bit of romance carried this story to a satisfying end. I was very impressed with this story all-in-all.

Abby is a single mother trying to do the best for her daughter while running her own bookstore. When she receives a letter from man, Cameron, looking for an obscure title that Abby was also a huge fan of, they begin an email correspondence. She develops feelings for him and eventually her leaves his little island of Kinlossay to come and meet her and her daughter. Shortly after this meeting, he stops writing and Abby reaches out to find out what happens. She is told that he has died and she is devastated. Feeling alone, she begins to send emails to the old account. It is during this time that she finds out that her sweet daughter, Beth, is being bullied by the other girls at school. When she gets a response to her emails, she is stunned and decides to take her daughter to Kinlossy during summer break. She wants to know more about Cameron and whoever is now writing to her, as well as getting her daughter away from the bullies. Beth loves the island and makes friends, Abby meets Cameron's best friend and family and feels a wonderful connection. Will the secrets for the island help Abby find happiness or leave her feeling even more bereft and upset than when she arrived?

The Little Island Secret is a sweet story with some emotional highs and lows, but I didn't find it heartbreaking. Abby and Beth were dealing with things that a vacation might help, but heading to Kinlossy, where the man they had both cared about had lived, seemed a bit risky to me. I liked that their relationship blossomed through emails, and when they finally meet, it was what they had hoped it would be. What Abby finds out about Cameron has her emotions all over the place feeling betrayed and lied to. I liked meeting Cameron's friends and family, they were so welcoming to Abby and Beth, even more so when they found out she was Cameron's Abby. Watching Abby deal with her feelings of grief, and loss along with her anger, I felt empathy for her. The island is a lovely setting, and helps to heal Beth and she wants to stay. I was caught up in their lives and wanted a happily ever after, whatever that looks like. A sweet story that I enjoyed.

Such a fun read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

Such a beautiful but slightly sad story. I really couldn't tell in what direction the story was going. Totally absorbed in the characters and the island location. Just beautiful. And the narrators were spot on too

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I loved the premise of this book! A little romance. A little mystery. What I got however wad a slow and boring slog through a book that unfortunately took me over a year to finish. Abby is a character that I just couldn't connect with and the writing style just wasn't for me.. I always hate saying this but this just wasn't the book for me.

I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Emma Davies. 🩷

This book was a mixed bag for me. I liked the ending but I found the rest of it to be slow and boring. It was just such a downer. Not much happened and Abby seemed immature at times.

This was a complex story where Abby fell in love with Cam over their messages and his own visit to meet her. But suddenly those emails stopped and on further attempts, she received a devastating news. Her daughter Beth too was being bullied in school.

The mother daughter duo decided to take a break from old life and go on a vacation in an island in the middle of nowhere, one Cam had mentioned about.

But author Emma Davies didn’t make life simple for Abby. A complication occurred when Abby saw someone who shouldn’t have been there. And the entire bundle of secrets unraveled.

Hope and forgiveness being the core of this book, I liked how Emma mixed it with delightful islanders, a place and an idea of business for Abby, along with friends and bundle of fur for Beth. Now it was all up to Abby to let go of her old angst, see the opportunities, then leap to catch hope before it flew away.

I liked the book, a sweet read that carried me forward during the day. A tiny niggle, Abby could have been etched better. There was something which felt incomplete to me—others have loved her—that rubbed me raw.

One who has seen life would try to see it from the other person’s POV. Ideals are sometimes difficult in an impossible situation. I found her angry or sad most times, never seemed to be really happy from her core.

Overall, the book symbolized hope. And all who were lost found their way back home. All’s well that ended well. Happy Saturday!!

This is a good story of a woman who makes friends via letters about books. Abby runs a used book store and receives a note about a hard to find book. This is the beginning of a correspondence that ends with the death of Cameron. When Abby and her daughter visit his home on the island of Kinlossay she finds he has left her some news about her past. Abby and her daughter think about moving permanently as they find the town delightful but will the local secrets make her happy or not. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The storyline is a bit out there but I loved the setting of this book as well as the characters.

Having spent time of a few small Scottish islands, the descriptions of people and places really take me back to my travels.

Great story of love, friendship and grief.

**Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review**

Romance and mystery combined. This book was hard for me. A lot of it was unrealistic.
I had a hard time getting into the storyline, but I appreciated the twist at the end of the book.

A book which stays with you !
Abby owns a bookshop and lives above it with her daughter Beth. She starts corresponding with Cam over-a book enquiry, which over time becomes a friendship and then he disappears .
Cam lives on an island in the highlands of Scotland and Abby and Beth take a trip to Cams island to try and find out what happened.
There are many twists to the plot, locations are beautifully described and the characters are well developed
Loved it .
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookoutre, and Emma for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thought and opinions are my own.

So when I saw the beautiful cover and realised part of the book was set on the little Island of Kinlossay, I was dying to get my hands on a copy. I love books that at set in places that feature a small community feel.

Abby is a single parent to Beth and runs a bookshop and starts a correspondence with Cam when enquires about a book he would like to purchase. A friendship is born through emails and then a visit in person and both Abby and Beth realise that they are falling for Cam and would like to have him in their lives. Abby then sadly finds out that Cam has passed away after an illness he kept secret from her. Need to mourn his loss and feel closer to him somehow the pair embark on a trip to Kinlossay and discover who Cam really was from his friends and his cousin Alfie, who looks remarkably like Cam.

This is a book about family and friendship and is a really well written book, set in the most beautiful location. All the characters in the book are likeable, although I have to say Abby did get on my nerves slightly as times. But I will definitely look out for other books by the author.

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Abby has a bookshop and up above is the apartment she lives with her daughter. Abby will send books to customers and put a little note in the book. Abby starts corresponding with Cam that lives on an island off of Scotland They correspond so much that they becomes friends.
This is the cutest romance that I have read in quite a long time. You will be hooked!

When Abby starts up a friendship by email with Cam who is looking for a book from her shop he seems perfect and when he comes to visit her in Cambridge he is definitely the man of her dreams so why do the emails suddenly stop, believing he is dead Abby takes her daughter Beth to Kinlossy island for a holiday to see his homeland and for herself where she gets the shock of her life!

A lovely warmhearted story with great characters, all of Cam's family are lovely, and the setting is beautiful, with a few shocks and surprises along the way. A perfect book to curl up with and a real page turner

The Little Island Secret by Emma Davies

Abby owns a bookshop in Cambridge and lives above it with her 11 year old daughter Beth. She receives an email enquiry about a book from Cam who lives on the Scottish island of Kinlossay and they strike up a friendship, emailing back and to. Cam comes to Cambridge to visit Abby and despite getting on like a house on fire she doesn't hear from him again when he returns home. The story follows Abbey and Beth's lives in Cambridge and their visit Kinlossay where they uncover all manner of secrets!

I loved this book - the characters, the settings, the storyline, the mystery.... I raced through it! And it made me want to run Abby's bookshop and/or move to Kinlossay! Very highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Wow, I wasn't expecting such a twist at the start of the book. I have to admit I was taken aback and wondered what journey I was going on, but not to worry as I was in safe hands. I went on holiday with Abby and Beth and thoroughly enjoyed visiting the island and wished I was there too to see the spectacular scenery that was described. I loved the close knit community that Abby found and the advice from her friend Gwen was perfect. The grief that was depicted was spot on with the anger shown, something that is not written about often. I am never let down by Emma Davies and each of her books spirit me away. Thank you for letting me read this.

What an amazing book. I have just finished it and to say I feel emotional is an understatement. I feel like I've been on the journey alongside Abby and her daughter Beth. They feel like friends.
Everything about this book is just perfect. Its packed full of all the emotions and I couldn't read it fast enough to find out how it would end, yet at the same time I didn't want it to come to an end as I was enjoying it so much.
I loved the friendships, the characters , the romance, the twist!!!, the settings, just everything.
Having both a bookshop and a remote Scottish island was a winner for me before I'd even started, so I'm extremely happy that it was such a good book too, one that will stay with me for a while. It was the perfect escape, just what I needed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc (sorry it took me a little longer to read and review than it should have).

The Little Island Secret by Emma Davies is filled with all the emotions: love, grief, deception, and regret before it brings new friendships and purpose! Emma Davis has written another book that had me turning the pages without stopping to try and find answers to questions when Abby and Beth make a journey to Kinlossay, Scotland.
Abby decides to take her daughter away for a holiday to help her cope with bullying from schoolmates. Abby also needs this break from her mother who is pushing her to marry Patrick.
Abby is grieving the unexpected death of Cameron, a friend she made through e-mail and then later met for a weekend. Her heart is broken, and she decides to visit the little island Cameron had written so much about in the letters he sent. Imagine her shock when she and Beth are walking in Kinlossay and she sees...Cameron! It can't be Cam or did he lie to her? Keep reading The Little Island Secret to find out what is going on and if Abby and Beth are safe so far away from home!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this book.