This book really starts in 1986 and covers the next 40 years..
It is beautifully written and easy to read.

heartwrenching and heart warming also

really enjoyed this

In the prologue Collins gives me a tiny glimpse of Rachel’s disruptive childhood. Fast forward to spring 1986, the year of the Chernobyl disaster. Rachel is living in Oxford and has found her happily ever after, Jonny. True she has what she’s always dreamed of but she also has other dreams for her future like owning her own art gallery. In the midst of her happiness she meets an American Gabe at a party and feels a strange pull at her heart strings. Should she indulge? After all Rachel is content with her near perfect life and it is what she has chosen? But as Gabe and Rachel’s lives cross over the decades she can’t help but ask if she is meant to live it.

A tale of ordinary lives in a typical albeit charming English village. So what kept my attention and the pages turning. Collins exquisite story telling. It kept my heart on tenterhooks. I was totally immersed in the tale desperate to know how it all ended. Though this is mainly Rachel and Gabe’s story, Collins has done a remarkable job of building all the characters in the plot. I got a real feel for who Jonny, Tatiana, the rest of the villagers and their friends were. They were all so real yet flawed and the novel landed straight to my heart. Though not particularly thought provoking it did make me stop and reflect on life. And the pages kept pulling me in.

Rachel’s courage and integrity impressed me. Would Rachel ever give in to the vibe she feels for Gabe? More interestingly, what would persuade Rachel to change her mind, if at all? This is a romantic, moving, engaging, sometimes funny, sometimes infuriating tale. I devoured it in one sitting. It made my heart swell. I fell in love with the characters and grew attached to them.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Us is beautifully written, emotional, compelling, relatable in so many ways and simply a wonderful novel. I warmed to it instantly and enjoyed every heart twisting single page, until the very end. Thank goodness for the ending, an HEA, in my opinion at least. At last I shouted as happy tears streamed down my face and I was grinning from ear to ear. A sublime uplifting read that I could curl into any time.

Spring 1986. Rachel believes she has finally found everything her heart desires, and is looking forward to a long and happy life with her fiancé, aspiring author Jonny, the man who promises the safe and secure life she craves. But her calm assurance that she is on the right path is thrown into disorder when she meets handsome American artist Gabe, and feels a spark between them that she is determined to ignore.

Over time, Rachel doggedly sticks to the path she has mapped out for herself as loving wife, and step-mother to Jonny's trouble daughter Teddy. She takes on the local art gallery and transforms it into a growing enterprise, but somehow her success is always overshadowed by Jonny's burgeoning career.

As the years fly by, bringing trials and tribulations, Rachel and Gabe's lives touch in different seasons, and each time they feel the undeniable pull of an attraction between them. Whenever they meet, Rachel sees the possible other life she could be living, but is the chance of another life worth leaving behind all she has built with Jonny?

I am a massive fan of Collins' previous wonderful book Summer in the City, which is one I frequently recommend far and wide as a story that ticks all those 'in the feels' boxes, so I could not wait to dive into her brand new novel Spring, Summer, Autumn, Us. I was a little apprehensive, since I loved the last book so much, but I really should not have worried because this book is every bit as emotionally rewarding.

Our story begins in the 1986, and is filled with every conceivable spot on popular culture reference that my 80s loving heart could wish for. Against this back drop, Rachel is a young woman with a painful childhood, whose only wish is to be with a man who will offer her a secure future - and she is sure she has found this with the man of her dreams Jonny... but then she meets American visitor Gabe. Gabe is unlike any other man Rachel has met before, and she finds herself opening up to him in a way that surprises her. There is a spark between them that both of them feel, but Rachel is determined to resist his charms and their brief acquaintance ends with many things left unsaid.

Over the next forty years, Rachel's professional success is acknowledged by almost all, but her personal life is not quite as picture perfect as she would like. Fate decrees that Rachel and Gabe meet again, and each time they do they are forced to confront the fact that something magical could happen between them if only they would let it. Each time life intervenes to keep them apart, by accident or design.

This is very much a story about the path not taken, and it is filled with an atmosphere of yearning so thick that you could cut it with a palette knife. Collin's beautifully explores the dilemma Rachel faces in trying to decide where true happiness lies with heart-wrenching poignancy. How do you decide whether it is best to stick with the life you have created, even if it turns out not quite as you expected, or if you should take the plunge into the unknown based on a feeling, however strong? It takes forty years for Rachel to decide, but when she does you know she has finally made the right choice.

Collins touches on lashings of complex themes in this story, focusing on controlling relationships, infidelity and betrayal, and the impact these have on mental health. The way Collins examines how the relationships that surround us in childhood shape our own notions of what makes a healthy romantic partnership is especially striking. I also love the way in which Collins echoes the theme of seasons throughout the story in literal and metaphorical ways.

This is an epic, and somewhat unconventional romance, filled with light and shade, love and destiny. It looks at relationships from many different perspectives, and really makes you think about the myriad little moments that define the directions we take. It is another absolute winner from Fiona Collins, and I loved it from captivating start to sob-fest ending.

Set in dual years and all the seasons, this was a lovely read. Giving 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

I’m a fan of love stories that develop painstakingly over decades - the Before Sunrise trilogy, for instance - and in books that explore regrets and missed opportunities, so I fell in love with Rachel and Gabe’s story. Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

Spanning several decades, and the four seasons, this is a real will they won't they kind of romance. We first meet a young Rachel, engaged to Johnny, starting out as an author and finding his feet. Johnny had a very young marriage to Nancy and at age 19 a daughter, Teddy. Rachel is the stable influence in Teddy's life. Meeting handsome, genuinely nice guy artist Gabe in the local village, Rachel consciously decides her life is in creating a family with Johnny and doesn't respond to her heart. Ten years pass and another chance encounter with Gabe occurs and this time he declares his feelings. Again, by now knowing deep down that Johnny is all about himself, Rachel chooses to stay. We discover when life has moved on another decade what has happened in the intervening years, and each time Rachel almost decides to follow her heart there is some major drama that forces her to stay. You wonder if they will ever get together. It's worth keeping with the story and seeing just how we live our lives can influence others. Things aren't always what they seem. An enjoyable relationship read.

This was such a beautiful, heart-wrenching story and the ending fitted beautifully. Was I screaming at Rachel to leave earlier and start at new life with Gabe - yes, definitely! But it was also lovely to see how she grew as a person and became stronger throughout the novel. An interesting timelapse novel with characters that you really feel for. Very much enjoyed.

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

I did enjoy this book but it really is a slow burner. I was probably expecting something more clandestine and illicit than Rachael. That said, the story is good and the characters well developed.

This is a love story, but it’s complicated. Very complicated.

A young woman, Rachel, suffers a trauma as a child that causes her to value stability and safety above all as an adult.

Luckily, Jonny is there to provide this for her. She marries him for his steady strength and they create a life together that makes her feel secure and loved.

Rachel and Jonny enjoy socializing with neighbors in their Oxfordshire village. Jonny, a writer who is always just about to make it big, is considered to be a local celebrity and is the life of every party. Rachel supports his artistic life by working part time at both a cafe and an art gallery.

But life happens, and things inevitably begin to change. Outside influences affect their relationship. A chance meeting, an overheard truth, an accident, another lie. An unhealthy friendship, a few drinks too many, a choice, a death. A rebellious teenager, a lost parcel, a longtime secret, an impulsive decision. Rachel finds her precious stability shifting beneath her feet.

The love story in this book is irresistible. I was moved by the strong connection the pair felt and by the way they knew each other and supported each other’s dreams. Their chemistry was swoony.

As the title suggests, the four seasons is a theme of this book. Rachel appreciates each season for its unique qualities. She arranges art in the gallery by seasons. And the story captures the seasons of Rachel’s life.

This is well written but moves perhaps a bit too slowly. It’s still an enjoyable read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️, available now.

My thanks to the author, Fiona Collins, to the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, and to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

Unfortunately, overall I found this a frustrating read. It's very long, 400 pages, and the story just didn't hold enough tension to justify that length for me. Our protagonist is caught between two men, one who will offer "stability" and then other "true love". But I just didn't see the appeal of either men! There are plenty of well written background characters, though the village seems rather sterile and the plot twists are well signposted.

Perhaps a better book for a summer holiday than a cold week in spring!

I fell deeply in love with this book and know it's one I will read again and again. The writing was sublime, the characters were astounding and I never wanted it to end even as I devoured it late into the night.

Rachel is happy. Engaged to Jonny and stepmum to Teddy, she is living a safe and quiet life. Yes, she may be in the shadow of Jonny, but it's a place where she feels comfortable. Safety and security are what she's craved all her life.

But when she meets Gabe at a party, she knows he is dangerous and will make her question everything. They meet in spring 1986 and their connection is everything but safe.

They won't meet again until summer of 1997, but their feelings haven't changed. They will meet again in Autumn 2008 and Winter 2019.

Throughout each meeting I was longing for Rachel to put herself first and make a life with Gabe. But Rachel chose duty over her great love and this made the story all the more poignant. It reminded me somewhat of The Bridges of Madison County, the same desperate longing but inability to leave a family behind.

As each live their lives, they find themselves drawn back together each time they meet. The suspense in each scene is exquisite torture, and Rachel is such a believable character, I felt for her so much.

There is sadness in this book, but there is also hope and love. And I loved how their story ended. Perfection.

Rachel has life sorted. She's about to marry Jonny and becomng step-mum to his daughter. Then she meets Gabe whoever from America to visit his Aunt. They immediately have a connection but Rachel stays and marries Jonny.
Over the years they meet every now and again and each time, it's as if they haven't parted. Are they destined to be together or be apart?
A bit of a slow start but then I started to care about Rachel and wanted to know how the story ends

I love that the passage of time in this love story is over decades and that the characters change and mature across those years exactly as real life would dictate, with greying hair, sagging skin, wrinkles and baggage.
Rachel is settled with Jonny and his daughter but Gabe is ever in the back of her mind and reappears at stages through her life to challenge her perception of family and of happiness.
A fantastic set of characters and a beautifully woven tale!

Oh my goodness this book was just wonderful. It made me cry my eyes out which is very rare for me! So beautifully written, the most exquisite love story; I am not usually a romance reader but this book has stolen my heart. Just so gorgeous.

a love story but who is the love of your life? is it that simple?
the story of rachel and the choices she makes to find true love.
a story of what if’s and what could be.

This was a very enjoyable romantic read covering Rachel’s life from when she meets Jonny, her first meeting with Gabe, her quiet American and how their lives interact over the next few decades. It was an easy read although I did wonder about the credibility of some parts of the story….. some parts were just too straightforward and sometimes I wanted to give Rachel a shake.. but I loved the coming and going of the characters and did wonder how it was all going to end.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!

What an enchanting book, easy to read and easy to be able to relate to the characters. It makes you wonder how many people really do lead selfless but unloved lives?

Gabe was portrayed as one very nice person, who struggled to find true love. Continents divided these two people, but their love finally came together even though it was late in life.

A good summer reading book, enjoy with a nice glass of wine.

Rachel is looking for the perfectly safe life. She thinks she has her future sorted in the little town she lives in with the handsome man she is engaged to. Then she meets Gabe. They fall in love, but it's not in her plan, so she stays. They meet four times in their lives, when they realise their love is real and great, but she has committed to her life, so never gives it a chance. This is where the book is a bit frustrating and you get quite frustrated with Rachel. If that was the author's intent, she has done it well! Gabe is wonderful, everyone else is wonderfully flawed, and her great aunt deserves a book of her own.

An enjoyable read. The book was well written and some of the descriptive phrases were delightful to read. The characters were believable and skilfully described.
A will they won't they book where fate keeps us all on our toes