Jess is newly single and has just ran away from home. But in her late 40’s running away she feels doesn’t quite fit her situation.. It’s more like a rediscovery of herself again. One day she comes across an abandoned home in a Welsh town called Caerwyddon, and decides to stay in this home until someone decides to move into it. A few days later, the owner, a man named Gethin, begins renovations on his new home. But to his surprise, there’s Jess already living in his new home and keeping it quite tidy. Together, Gethin and Jess strike a deal; she helps with the home renovations and can stay until they’re completed. But weeks turn into months, and months will eventually turn into years.

This was my first time reading a romance story where the main characters are in their mid to late forties and it was refreshing! It was interesting to read a story of two main characters who have lived a lot of life, but at the same time are still trying to figure it all out (aren’t we all?)

For the most part I did enjoy the narration of this book. There are a few scenes where I found how Gaith was speaking to be entertaining - almost like he was a teenage boy again and trying to figure out how to flirt with Jess. However, there was a lot of repeated phrases and once I noticed this repetition, I could not stop seeing it.

Overall, I did enjoy the story of Jess and Gaith. I would recommend this book to others who are wanting a slow-burn romance and a calmer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC copy of “The Beginning of Everything”

3/5 stars

Trigger Warnings: Domestic Violence

If you're looking for a sweet, friends to lovers, main characters in their 40's and a slow beautiful story, this one is for you! I liked the journey of their love.

This book is set in England and had great descriptions of the setting, houses and what they were doing. Jess is a sweet character, brave and determined!

I didn't love how unrealistic the premise of their story is. How she was homeless and staying in his house and he let her stay and then their relationship grew. The main trope is miscommunication and not a favorite of mine. I just wish they would have talked about their feelings. Also, the cover is beautiful but doesn't really match the story.

I would read another book by this author and her writing is great for fall!

This book was like a cup of tea on a cold day -- so heartwarming and needed. It was also a bit quirky and I loved that! It immediately made me want to be in Wales and to fall into this house and this life and I didn't want it to end. This author is truly special. You can read my review of The Bookshop of Second Chances, also by this author, HERE.

The Beginning of Everything comes out next week on September 26, 2023, and you can purchase HERE! I loved this author!!

But doing a playlist is fun. I always loved making compilation tapes.

Yeah me, too. Even though it's showing off, isn't it, really.

This beautiful character-driven story about finding the courage to start over in the middle of life caught my interest from the beginning pages and sustained it to the end. The setting in the countryside of West Wales is beautifully evoked, and the main characters, Jess and Gethin, are fully-realized and relatable, flaws and all. They deal with some serious issues from the past, both recent and longer ago: abuse, homelessness, the death of a parent, parental neglect and alcoholism, and infidelity, to name a few. The novel is low action; most of the story deals with the slowly developing, initially fragile friendship between the two, which gradually transforms into love. The relationship between the two roommates is touchingly depicted as kindness and friendship slowly heal their self-doubt, brokenness, and hopelessness. Secondary characters are also deftly drawn, notably Gethin's mother Marian and his sister Abby, his old flame Kate, and Jess's friend Noosha, and Sunnyside, the home they share, renovate, and decorate together, is almost a character in itself. A lovely novel that I will recommend to friends and my book club!

I felt some of the storylines were wrapped up kind of abruptly, but nonetheless there was a lot of emotions being tugged. Starting over is never easy and this book takes it on a emotional ride.

This book had some kind of hold on me that I can't even begin to explain. I was so emotionally connected to the characters that I really did feel sad when they were sad and happy when they were happy.

Both Jess and Gethin are in their forties, which already makes this a kind of unique book. Jess was in an abusive relationship and ends up basically on the streets in order to escape it. She's used to hard times and just accepts that that's her life. Gethin also just got out of a relationship, but his circumstances were totally different--famous girlfriend, ritzy house, etc. They meet when he discovers her squatting in the house he just bought. After seeing how respectful she has been of the place, instead of tossing her out, he invites her to stay in exchange for her help renovating the house.

This was definitely a slow burn, but I don't think the story would have been as touching otherwise. The world needs more Gethin's in it! He was an incredible human being. Him winning the trust of a woman who literally had none left was very special. The growth of their friendship was beautiful. They are mature adults with lots of living and history under their belts and their coming together to share that was heartwarming. I wish their story could have gone on forever!

Thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballantine and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

DNF @ 20%.

Though I was originally intrigued by the storyline and drawn in by the adorable cover, I had a really hard time connecting to the story. It felt jumpy and a bit disjointed. I also found the main character a bit immature and whiny and kept forgetting she was supposed to be past 40. The main thrust- that a woman is found squatting in a man’s newly purchased home and he automatically invites her to stay, no questions asked? Had a bit of a hard time buying into that one.

This year I’ve been trying to get better at stopping books I’m not enjoying or that I’m not the target audience for, and this book unfortunately fits those categories.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance
Spice Level: Pretty High (sex on the page but not overly detailed & former relationships discussed)
Trauma Level: Low-ish (mentions of abuse, some spelled out but not graphically)

THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING caught me up from the first meeting and second meeting of Jess and Gethin. This book has angst and people trying to figure out their adult lives and so much emotion. I liked both Jess and Gethin immensely. And it might have been a four or five star for me, but I had a hard time with one scene and forgiving the person involved. Yes—I'm being intentionally vague. . . I'll put it this way: when I know I want a delicious meal and dessert at a nice restaurant, why would I dash through McDonalds? Ick, right? So, I just couldn't completely understand the motivation of getting the proverbial Big Mac—except for people being human and making human mistakes.

I REALLY don't want to spoil the story so if that gave too much away, tell me and I'll take it down.

This story had so much to enjoy and I was rooting for the characters.

I'd say it's more women's fiction than any other genre.

Happy reading!

This book is essentially about two broken people. Jess, who has run away from an abusive relationship, and Gethin, who is looking to move forward after the end of a long-term relationship. Jess, having literally ran away from her domestic situation, becomes a squatter in a vacant home that turns out to be owned by Gethin. Once Gethin discovers that Jess is living there, he offers to let her stay. Jess will help renovate the home and in exchange, she will be able to live at the home rent-free. Their relationship changes from stranger, to friends to something more as the book progresses. This is an interesting premise, but it has a questionable believability factor. I often found myself thinking, "really," when I was reading this book. This book also seemed to drag on a bit for me. It was dialogue heavy. Overall, I was left feeling like this book was just meh. It did not leave a lasting impression on me, unfortunately.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy of this book.

Jess is on the run from her abusive boyfriend and decides to hide out in a house that’s for sale but unoccupied. Gethin is soon the new owner of the house and when he comes to walk through to start making plans for his renovations, he comes across Jess squatting there, and as one would expect, is shocked. But instead of being upset or angry, he realizes that she’s down on her luck and invites her to stay and help him fix the house up. After what she’s just been through, Jess has serious trust issues with men, and doesn’t want to let anyone help her, but she does need a place to stay so she agrees to help Gethin with some of the projects in exchange for a room. Why is Gethin so trusting of a person he has never met before? What will his friends and family think of him letting a stranger live in his house with him?
Jess and Gethin slowly build a friendship and their feelings gradually grow into something more. You can see the attraction between them, but will Jess be able to let her guard down and let Gethin into her heart? I enjoyed watching he two of them grow and learn from their past while moving forward together. It was also nice to see characters not in their 20’s for a change as well.
Thanks to Dell Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

What a fun book. I'm looking forward to more of this story, if the author will write a series. Interesting characters. A plot that keeps moving. A community you want to cheer on. Hopes and dreams that are (sometimes) fulfilled. That's pretty much a review of a good novel, right there.

You'll meet people you'd be friends with in plausible situations - well, ok, authors have to make up a lot of stuff to make it mesh. There's a set of questions for book clubs or journal-writers to ponder, too.

I liked this one enough to put a hold on the first book she's written - grab a copy for your lazy evenings or to check off your "just-got-to-escape" list.

This is a compassionate story of two mature people who find each other at the right time in life. Jess is experiencing semi voluntary homelessness when she stumbles upon an empty house. Gethin is starting over after a divorce when he discovers Jess in his new house. Both are scarred from previous relationships and unsure how to proceed to build a new one. It takes many hours of taking and getting some things wrong before they are able to get it right.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for the advanced copy you can also find my review on Goodreads, it was a cute read!
The blurb appealed to me the most and there were parts that made me eager to get back to the book but overall it fell short of what I expected. There was a lot of dialogue and the characters seemed a bit juvenile at times that it became difficult to keep up with. I did appreciate the direction they took with the FMC and her strength as well as her fears. I rooted for her and the MMC, they were cute but all in just not for me, I do appreciate it though!

A slow-moving love story. Take a trip to Wales, you may be glad you did. I had to look up several words. Different meaning in Wales from the United States. It added interest to the tale. Sad situation to find oneself in, but it leads to an even more unusual situation. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Jess has left/escaped an abusive relationship with only what she could carry in her backpack. With no where to go and no one to ask for help she winds up camping out until she discovers an empty house to squat in. A roof over her head even without any of the normal creature comforts is at least safe from the weather and any potential predators. Gethin is ready for both a life and home renovation on his new place only to find a stranger living there. Surprisingly he invites her to stay and help with the renovation as payment for rent. It’s a sweet road to their friendship and eventual romance. It’s a sweet well written read about adults figuring out their lives if somewhat implausible.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for GoodReads.

I was intrigued by the premise of a middle aged woman starting over while working on a home improvement project.

Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. Jess was pretty one dimensional. She has a pattern of drifting from one iffy relationship and dodgy living situation to another. Things happen to her, not because of her. The story is told in Jess' voice. I didn't like how this first person view means the story is made up of all her internal thoughts and every sentence ending in a question or two.

Gethin was the world's most generous person, letting a complete stranger live in his house and help him decorate. Why do these two people trust each other from the get go? They never even have a real conversation. Somehow they are both playing hard to get for most of the book which of course leads to the stupidest misunderstanding in the final chapters.

The pacing of this book is slow and repetitive. I thought maybe after the house was decorated, things would pick up and something would finally happen but that wasn't to be. After chapters and chapters of vague references about Jess' previous relationship, (view spoiler) It also seemed strange that she'd so willingly live with a random guy just because she could help pick out a couch and work in the garden.

Overall, the blurb sounded really great but I had to really force myself to get through the bulk of this book. If it wasn't a NetGalley arc, I probably would have DNF.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by federal law to disclose this.

The Beginning of Everything is not geared for readers looking for a romance full of angst and youthful characters. As a more mature reader, I found it to be a soothing read and appreciated the fact that the characters were middle-aged. The dialogue was a bit hard to follow at times as to which character was speaking. Thanks to NetGalley and Random Books for an advance copy to read and review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing - Dell, for a eARC of The Beginning of Everything in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Based on the synopsis, I was really intrigued and looking forward to this story. The premise was unique and promised a sweet friends to lovers, full of second chances, and finding oneself after hardship. Unfortunately, I found that this story was just not for me.

One thing that surprised me in the beginning, but was a good surprise, was the age of the main characters. I have gotten so used to contemporary romances focusing so heavily on characters in the 20's that getting to meet two new characters in their mid-late 40's was a sweet surprise. There is no age limit on love, and I really love when a story focuses on a relationship (especially a heroine) who is past the age of 29. I think it is also really important to note that while both main characters had been in previous relationships, neither had been marries. This wasn't a case of second-chance or finding new love - it was a simple case of finding love.

The biggest cause of disconnect for me, was the lack of character depth. I felt like there was no development or arc for either character to redeem how little we really know about them. Jess recently ran away from a bad relationship, where bad things happened, is new to Wales and is squatting in a recently purchased home. Gethin just left a long relationship, is moving back to his hometown in Wales and bought a new house. That is about the extent of any background we get from either main character. It wasn't until 90% in that Jess finally talks about her past, and even then it was very vague and felt emotionless. Gethin gives a brief mention in the beginning that he wants to help Jess because of his brother, and we don't get any additional information about that.

My second struggle was the large amount of dialogue that really went nowhere. I felt the story was made up primarily of dialogue scenes...which really made it hard to set the stage or provide depth to the narrative. All of the dialogue, made it hard to follow, and made the story jumpy and disconnected. And despite the amount of dialogue, neither Jess or Gethin could communicate. I give leeway in the beginning; they are strangers, both recovering from unhealthy relationships, but at some point, for any sort of chemistry to form they needed to learn to communicate. I ultimately skipped the last chapter when, about a page into the chapter, after all of the declarations of love have been, they still couldn't talk to each other without going around in circles.

Lastly, there was something about Gethin and Jess's relationship that just didn't sit well with me. There was almost a savior-complex from Gethin. He constantly wants to give, give, give all of these things to Jess. He wants to me helpful and make her life easier, but it was almost to an obsession. So when a relationship started forming between the two of them...it just left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Overall, I just think this was a case of the book was not for me. I am big on character depth and development and given that that was what I found lacking most in the story, I just wasn't able to connect. There was a lot of very English slang/speaking style that I am not familiar with or used to, which is not at all a fault, but just further created a divide for me. As mentioned above, I loved the aspect of a couple finding themselves and love outside of the 20-29 age range - this is definitely a refresh for the genre. There were some very sweet moments between Jess and Gethin, and I really hope this book finds the right readers to love it!

Second chances in life

Jackie Fraser is a new to me author & I found myself really enjoying her narrative.

Jess finds herself in a precarious position. She’s run away from a bad relationship, & has basically gone off the grid in attempt to start over. She’s been camping, but has found a nice vacant house to keep her sheltered, at least until the new owners show up.

Gethin is a man who has spent many years in a lackluster relationship. He’s finally left, and over the last year has been staying with his mom and/or sister. But now he’s found a beautiful home to purchase at a good price. It may need some updating, but he’s not afraid of work.

Upon arrival to his new home, Gethin finds that his newly acquired vacant home isn’t so vacant after all. But his squatter seems to be respectful & clean. He makes an effort to not put out his homeless guest. This brings these two to their meet cute. Jess doesn’t want charity, but Gethin is desperate to help. So he employs her to help with renovations in exchange for room and board.

Gethin trusts very easily, but sometimes you just feel a connection. And sometimes it only takes an act of kindness for someone who has fallen on hard times to be able to pick up & brush themselves off. These two form a very timid friendship, but something about them just works. They are comfortable in each other’s presence & able to easily cohabitate. They both seem to be immature in the relationship department for their age, but sometimes being new to the single scene can seem that way.

There is a lot of lack of communication that leads to a lot of mistakes & wrong assumptions that leads to heartache. Neither seem to be able to verbalize their thoughts or feelings well. But after weeks apart, they finally see each other out with other people. And as absence makes the heart grow fonder, they finally have that conversation.

I was happy with the ending, & happy they were both able to find their calm after their respective storms.

I don't really think this one was for me, it wasn't bad, but it def isn't my style. There was so much dialogue and that was sometimes distracting cause instead of scenes it felt like it jumped from conversation to conversation. The conversations weren't bad, it just isn't normally the type of book that interests me. I thought the characters were engaging although the premise of it was a little wild.