A woman leaves her home and finds refuge in an empty house until it is sold and the new owner shows up. She runs away but returns later to get her stuff and finds a note telling her to stay. She helps him fix up the house.

DNF

The Beginning of Everything by Jackie Fraser is a romance that follows Gethin Thomas and Jess Cavendish from friends to lovers.

This book was definitely not for me. After reading the premise and seeing that the individuals were just trying to start over, I expected a sweet friends-to-lovers romance, but all I got was confusion.

This novel got off to a strange start. As if a tenant in a house he just acquired would happily let a stranger who broke into his house live there rent-free? Also, the writing in this was not it, since it was difficult to get into. By the 30% mark, there was little connection between the characters, and there were far too many superfluous scenes.

*Thank you to Random House Publishing and to the author, Jackie Frazier, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

Jess Cavendish is running away from a bad relationship, carrying just a few treasured things on her back. She finds an unoccupied house and stays there for a bit so she can save up and get her own safe place.

Gethin Thomas just purchased a fixer-upper, he's just out of a long-term relationships, and is surprised to find a strange woman squatting in his new home. He's staying with his sister until the house is fixed up. He surprises both of them by letting her stay there in exchange for helping him fix the place up.

The two become friends, slowly learning to trust each other, as they fix up the house. When Gethin is ready to move in, he offers her the option of staying as a paid roommate. This is a beautiful story of second chances, starting over, and learning to trust again. I loved watching the evolution of their relationship. Tentative at first, but growing slowly. First into trust and friendship, and then blossoming into something more.

I love second chance stories. This one is well-written with heartfelt characters who work together to work on themselves first. Only after they work on themselves can they have the relationships they desire and deserve. Beautiful! ❤️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

"The Beginning of Everything" has a unique plot. Jess has escaped an abusive relationship and run off to Wales, where she has been living rough in the town of Caerwyddon, first in the cemetery and then in an abandoned house called Sunnyside. She knows she cannot stay in the house forever, for numerous reasons, including that it has been bought and the new owner will eventually be moving in. However, the new owner shows up sooner than expected, scaring Jess, who flees the house, leaving much of her (limited) belongings behind. When she returns later to hopefully claim her belongings, she finds a note from the owner, Gethin, who tells her she can collect her stuff, but also would like to talk to her. When they meet, and Jess shares the limited amount of information about her recent life with this stranger, Gethin surprises her by suggesting that she stay in the house until he moves in. Jess is surprised and confused by the offer, but also likes the house and likes the idea of having a stable place to live temporarily. They make arrangements that she will help with the house renovations in exchange for staying there.

Jess has had an eclectic life, and interior decorating is an area where she happens to be quite knowledgeable. While Gethin's situation is much different from Jess's, especially as he is financially well off, he is also coping with the loss of a relationship -- in his case, one that lasted over a decade, and which had become unhealthy. Jess and Gethin will form a friendship as they work together to renovate Sunnyside, and their lives will both be better for having met. Of course, over time, their feelings for each other will change, and this will cause tension, especially as Jess does not believe that she has anything to offer someone like Gethin. How he convinces her otherwise is one of the beautiful aspects of the story.

There’s a huge issue of trust these days and Jackie Fraser identifies it with a one-of-a-kind love story.

It’s narrated by Jessica who keeps a daily journal at 45 years old. She describes the past three weeks of sleeping at night in a dreadful cemetery in the present time period. She’s homeless, cold and has escaped from a bad relationship.

Right at the beginning, she finds a vacant house. How I wish she didn’t break into it. There was a sold sign but she figured that she had a little time before the buyer would be moving in.

She was fooled. The door opened. She panicked, grabbed her purse and quickly ran out of the back door. He yelled for her but she was gone. She realized she left behind her tent, clothes and essentials. She went back to check and found a note from the owner, Gethin. It was a rather friendly one. He said she could stay there another night before he actually moved in. Seriously?

Back to the word: trust. Would she dare stay? She didn’t know who he was. And he didn’t have a clue about her.

I was curious. That was the beauty of this book. The author dropped in pieces of information that kept me wanting to know more about this woman and man in their 40s. Both had hurt feelings from the past. It kept my attention.

I loved that it took place in Wales with beautiful gardens where everyone knew each other and the locals were pleasant. Everything felt like it was at a slow pace from big city life to small town folks with easy-going characters. Image was also a focus which I found to be interesting.

My thanks to Dell Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected released date of September 26, 2023.

Jess is escaping something ( an abusive relationship?), so with only a few belongings and wanting to escape the dangers of sleeping rough, she finds an abandoned house and uses it as her home base. All goes well (as well as squatting in an unheated, dark house can be) until the owner shows up planning to renovate and move in. Surprisingly he asks Jess to stay, and thus begins a friendship (?), a romance (?), a relationship that no one (even Jess & Gethin) really understands.

I've read a lot of romance novels -- some "bodice rippers", some rom-coms, some too sweet and saccharin, some touching and endearing. This one is not really any of the above. Jess and Gethin are OK characters, their relationship/friendship/romance is OK, but that's really all. There are PAGES of meaningless conversation, no real conflict (unless you count Gethin's sister's animosity toward Jess), and you can see the ending from the very beginning. The writing isn't terrible, the conversations (although interminable) are realistic, but I was just waiting for something more to happen. I expected something more like "Safe Haven" -- when is the abusive boyfriend going to show up? (spoiler -- Never!), but this is just the story of an acquaintance that turns into a friendship that turns into a romance. Not awful, just pretty boring.

The Beginning of Everything by Jackie Fraser is about second chances and trust as two adults, Jess and Gethin, strive to start over from negative relationships. Jess is in hiding from an abusive boyfriend and breaks into a house that Gethin ultimately purchases. Gethin is trying to build a new life after a long term relationship ends and offers support to Jess when he finds her living in his house. From there, the relationship bounces back and forth as both wonder what the other one is feeling, what secrets they should continue hiding, or would a relationship with others help them move on from each other.

I liked the premise, but more points bordered on being unbelievable than entertaining (as when Gethin offered to add Jess to his car insurance.) They weren't romantically involved yet, but simply a landlord and a person he was assisting. Even Jess questions that action -" I can't believe it. Who offers to put a stranger on their car insurance?" Opening his home to Jess and accepting her help with decorating the house and garden were within the realm of this kind character. Jess struggled with how she could trust herself to thrive and accept a healthy relationship. Gethin and Jess had some chemistry, but the story felt disjointed.. until the ending which was a pleasant finish.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Jackie Fraser and NetGalley for this ARC.

"After escaping a bad relationship, Jess Cavendish is running and leaving it all behind, carrying just a few treasured belongings in her knapsack. She needs to start over, but that means sleeping where she can and making the most of her slim savings. Luckily, she comes across a recently sold, unoccupied house. It couldn’t hurt to stay there while she saves up enough to get her own place, right?"

This was a sweet book about second chances, friendships, and romance. It was a beautiful story and I look forward to others from this author.
Thank you Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book in exchange for a honest review!

The Beginning of Everything, by Jackie Fraser, is about second chances, friendships, and romance. This story has a lot of "feels" tied up into a sweet, easy-to-read book. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC ebook to review.

*****Publishing September 26, 2023*****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jess Cavendish, 45, is on the run, leaving her life and Mitch behind because he had anger issues and a drinking problem. She finds a recently sold abandoned house called Sunnyside to live in. Jess notifies friends/family to let them know she is OK. The last thing she needs is to be reported missing. Jess gets a job at a local restaurant as a dishwasher so she can be paid in cash. Gethin, 47, the owner of the house, shows up and she runs away, leaving her belongings behind. Gethin leaves a note saying she can stay at his house as he won’t be moving in until he gets it renovated. Jess helps with fixing the house, while Gethin starts furnishing the house. As they spend more and more time together, they find companionship. Gethin’s sister, Abby, stops by to check on the house and warns Jess that he has been through a lot and doesn’t need anymore trouble. Is this a signal to Jess to move on? Will she be able to get her life in order or will it continue to spiral out of control?

A heartwarming story that has you cheering on Jess from start to finish! I loved how this author chose to write the story of love, loss, friendships, and second chances from Jess’s perspective! This made for an entertaining story!

This author’s writing, characters, and storytelling remind me of Elizabeth Berg and Elizabeth Strout. A great book club pick as this book will spark lots of great discussions!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine (Dell), I was provided an ARC of The Beginning of Everything by Jackie Fraser via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jess has run away to Wales to get away from an abusive boyfriend and to try and figure out what a middle age women should do with her life. She's living rough in a graveyard and working for cash in a small town restaurant. Then she discovers an abandoned house that has been unlocked but looks like someone is getting ready to move in. She decides to stay and get a bit warmer and clean the place as a thank you. Then she meets the owner who improbably asks her to stay and help with the renovation. She does and gradually they learn about one another becoming closer while still dealing with daily difficulties. If readers can suspend their disbelief of a new owner encouraging a squatter to actually move in and help with renovation, then this will make for a fun read.

This book just didn't cut it for me. There's unlikely but almost believable meet-cutes that typical romances have, and then there was this. It could almost be believed if the ages of the characters were younger, but as full grown-adults, I had trouble getting into this book and it's stories. At times the writing was awkward, and I didn't feel enough romance for this to be a romance book. To elaborate, it felt like the main character was so avoidant of her growing feelings that she barely acknowledged them until she was sure, leaving the reader out of the loop and robbing them of the opportunity to feel the character's growth.

The Beginning of Everything was an absolute joy to read. Jackie Fraser has written a lovely, special romance book that shows you're never too old to grow and fall in love.

Jess is a woman on the run from a domestic violence situation. She runs across an empty house with working electricity and decides to squat there, believing the house to be abandoned. At least, until Gethin shows up. Turns out the house she believed to be abandoned actually belongs to Gethin as a reno project. Being maybe the sweetest male love interest I've ever seen, Gethin allows Jess to stay in the house and provides her with food and a bed. In a show of appreciation, Jess chooses to help him renovate the house. Slowly and timidly, Jess and Gethin go from strangers to friends to something more.

I adored this book. The romance was so sweet and tender. Watching Jess and Gethin each work on their own personal growth and slowly learn to open themselves up to a new love was so precious. I loved the setting: a warm and cozy depiction of Wales. Most importantly, I liked that the main characters were both people in their middle age who had past experiences but got to learn that you can change the way you live your life at any age. It was refreshing to read as opposed to a lot of romance novels with characters in their early twenties.

I will be recommending this to anyone who wants to read a beautiful, slower paced, heartwarming love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. Ugh my heart!! What a beautiful story!!! I love when people fall in love after being friends first. Makes for such a great beginning, middle and end!

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”


Beautiful story!!

A remarkable story of strangers to friends to friends with feelings of love. Runaway forty-ish Jess finds shelter in an empty house in Wales. Gethin owns the house and finds her there. For his own reasons, he asks her to stay and help him remodel. There is mystery to Jess as she never truly reveals her recent past. They forge a friendship based on trust, something they both need.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jess has run away from a domestic situation and leaves nearly everything she owns behind. Her journey takes her to Wales, where she takes refuge in her small tent in a cemetery. The elements are harsh, and Jess finds an empty house with electricity still on and she respectfully moves in. All is well, until the owner of the house finds her.
Her discovery, and the kindness of the owner result in Jess finding an unaccountable friendship and happiness, as together they restore the house. Jess and Gethin's friendship is exactly what each needs to heal from their past relationships, and their self-doubt keeps the pages turning. An utterly charming book, though you will find yourself wanting them to get on with it!
The book will be published September 26, 2023, by Random House. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Jess is a woman on the run, constantly starting over after relationships go bad. Gethan is a man who is also starting over, who has purchased a large house that will need fixing up. When the two meet they become good friends, helping each other out in ways no one else can. Will they ever be more than friends or is Jess too damaged to move on? This is a lovely little story about friendship and trust and how to move on when you think your life is just about over.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions expressed are my own. This post contains minor spoilers.

This is certainly the most original introduction between love interests I've ever read. What would you do if you found a random woman squatting in your new house? If you're Gethin, you invite her to stay and fall in love over the next year. Easy, right?

The characters in this novel were all really interesting to me. We have Jess, who's kind of a free spirit finally looking to settle down; Gethin, the golden retriever sweetheart going through a divorce; and an array of side characters ranging from creepy ex-boyfriend to local television star ex-wife. I loved all their backstories and how they interacted with one another.

The romance was obviously my favorite part. It was definitely a slow build, but it was worth it. One thing I really enjoyed about it was how both Jess and Gethin had to work past their past relationships in order to be with each other. Usually only one character has to, but in this case they both had growing to do and they helped each other, which always makes me squeal and giggle into a pillow.

If I was in a book club, I would pick this for my month. I recommend this book to anyone looking for romance with life lessons inside.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.
3.5 stars
The pros-this was a quick read and I actually enjoyed the overall story. Also the setting was nice and a lot of the characters I found to be quite special .
The cons-I’m not sure if the author is from Wales or if it’s just her style of writing but the dialogue was very hard to read. There were countless ellipsis’ (…) and lots of sentences that ended as questions. This being said there was A LOT of dialogue in this book and all the characters spoke this way. I found it took me out of the story a bit, which is unfortunate.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I didn’t love the writing style., which is reflective in my overall rating of this book.