Jess meets Gethin. Love and romance begins. Friends first. Jess is homeless. Gethin is rebuilding an empty house. They strike up a deal. She will live there while they work. This talented author has written a quickly moving story of modern day relationships. What will happen next? The characters are likable and realistic. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and author.

This book meant so much to me. I want to start by thanking Jackie Fraser for writing this because I know that I am not the only person who needed it.

From the beginning, I had an instant connection to Jess and was immediately invested. That is easily one of my favorite parts of this book; the characters are so real and relatable.

The writing is really comforting; I love Fraser's turns of phrase and her dialogue is brilliant! It's like being apart of a real conversation, stilted with unfinished sentences. Brilliant!

This premise- starting over after living rough and being abused is not unique, but Fraser turned it into the most beautiful love story; not just between Jess and Gethin, but Jess and herself. While you're invested in Jess and are curious about her past, Fraser poses the story so that you are more concerned with her new life and her fresh start rather than dragging through her past. I appreciated that.

This book was a really beautiful story, such an unexpected gem, and I feel so thankful to have read it. This will be added to my very short list of Favorites 💖

Thank you Jackie Fraser, Netgalley, and Dell for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

What a lovely lovely read. It was sucky a surprise, too. I never expected to be transported to Wales and then to learn so very much about that area of the world. I didn’t expect to encounter homelessness as a story line. I was especially delighted to have learned to temper my judgment about what and who we each “deserve” based on our choices for our lives. It was unsettling to find that I felt this way…to learn that about myself. Ouch. But I feel like this book helped. Oh, and I ADORE the fact that the MCs are both approaching 50!!! I love that so much. It’s a lovely book, y’all. So so lovely. 💜💜📚

I really enjoyed this book. I feel I need to include a disclaimer to that since I read romcoms 95% of the time… please know this is not a romcom. I’d categorize it more as women’s fiction or emotional fiction. Yes, romance is involved, but it’s more about Jess’s journey. Told from Jess’s point of view, there are some heavier topics. Also of note, the main characters are in their mid-40s, which is a nice change since I am too, but most of the books I read focus on characters in their 20s and 30s.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Beginning of Everything to come out September 26, 2023.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read The Beginning of Everything by Jackie Fraser. What a refreshing story this is! I enjoyed getting to know the characters as they were getting to know one another. I enjoyed the whole process - the meals, the shopping, the house renovation, their conversations ( and later evidence that they both were listening closely), and their journey. This was all quite lovely, i thought.

This book gave me all the feels! Loved that the MC was a bit older than I usually read about in most rom coms. Definitely recommend!

The character development in The Beginning of Everything is incredible Jess and Gethin have both been damaged in prior relationships. On paper, they are nothing alike and, under normal circumstances, would not ever meet each other. Their unlikely meeting is an interesting premise and starting point for a book. Over time, they develop a friendship, and that friendship helps them both heal. These are characters that will stick with me for quite a while.

The Beginning of Everything is a heartwarming and engaging read with well-developed characters and a satisfying ending. The story moves at a good pace, and the writing style is enjoyable and easy to follow. It's a perfect book for anyone looking for a sweet and uplifting romance novel. I would give it 4 stars.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. About 1/3 through I just could not get into the story, it seemed to drag on without me being able to connect with the characters or the plot.

This was a truly heartwarming read. One that I connected to immediately, holding me right to the end. I loved Jess and felt for her. This was very authentic. Jackie Fraser has written an incredibly captivating book and I loved it! Hope you will too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group & Penguin Random House for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a unique women's fiction/contemporary romance. Jess is in her 40s and squatting in a vacant house after running away from an abusive boyfriend. The new owner-Gethin-catches her there. Instead of being angry he wants to help. He offers her a room and in exchange she helps renovate the property. Gethin is also recovering from a recent breakup. A friendship is established.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy an advance copy. It will publish on September 26, 2003 and I recommend it.

This was a nice story of finding yourself again and learning to be in a healthy environment, love the story and the plot , very nicely written. Definitely will recommend

This was a sad story of overcoming obstacles to be happy in love again. It's about fighting fir what you believe because your in love. This book was approved by netgalley and the publisher for me to read and review

I loved the setting, the idea, and that it focused on characters in their 40’s. Unfortunately it fell a little flat for me and I had a hard time really connecting with the characters. It was a quick, easy read but a bit forgettable

This book made me feel melancholy in the best way. Jess has had a tough go of it in life so far, and while that is significant to her story, when we open, she is finally perhaps going to get what she needs. I loved the quaint backdrop in Wales, although I personally don’t know enough about Welsh geography to understand how far she went from her previous home. I do wish that Jess had made more contact with her sister, more than just the promise of a future visit. My most favorite part though was Jess and Gethin’s age. These are two people who have lived and loved and are finally at a place where they can understand themselves in context. If these characters had been 20, their connection would have felt misplaced.

2.5⭐️s
was a difficult read to be honest. The main characters are in their mid forties, which i was unprepared for, but other than comments where the main characters call themselves old, you would not know it. The dialogue was hard to follow for me, and i just couldn’t get behind him letting her stay in his house?? I loved the setting, and was amused by the amount of detail that went into describing the furniture they picked out.
Thank you netgalley, Jackie Fraser, and Random House Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review .
this review will be posted on goodreads and storygraph on 05/05/2023.

This is a very cozy and touching story. Jess is in her mid-40s and is unhoused after leaving a bad relationship. Soon, she discovers an empty house and stays there while she hopes to earn enough money from her job at a restaurant to start over again. Gethin is in his late-40s and has broken up with his long-term girlfriend. When Gethin sees Jess living in the house he recently purchased he wants to help. He suggest she stays there and helps renovate and decorate (which she enjoys and is good at). Jess accepts and soon they embark on a tender friendship.

I enjoyed reading about characters in their 40s, Jess and Gethin are both kind, totally different, and yet so great together. 3.5 stars.

Thank you very much to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Honestly, this was just an okay book. Important topics were discussed here and it had its sweet moments but ultimately, it was very forgettable and I wouldn't pick it up again.

#TheBeginningofEverything is another enchanting read by Jackie Fraser. Told from the first-person POV of the FMC, Jess Cavendish, this is a lovely story of starting over, learning to believe in yourself and to trust others.

At age 45, Jess has run away from an abusive relationship and found temporary shelter in an uninhabited house in a Welsh village several hundred miles from her previous home. After a few weeks, Jess is getting ready to leave for her job as a dishwasher at a local restaurant when the new owner, Gethin Thomas, shows up. Jess runs away and when she returns after her shift to see if she can salvage some of her few belongings, she finds her things in a neat pile, with a note telling her that she is welcome to sleep in the house that night, and that Gethin would like to talk to her when he returns the next morning.

Gethin is sympathetic to Jess’ situation because he had an older brother with substance abuse and mental health issues who had been homeless. He has also just ended a long-term relationship with his TV personality girlfriend and has moved back to his hometown after a long absence.

His generous invitation to Jess leads to them becoming housemates, friends and eventually lovers. In addition to paying rent, Jess helps Gethin to refurbish his house, stripping wallpaper, painting and helping select furnishings. Gethin is an incredibly kind person who is ultimately able to surmount the many barriers that Jess has understandably built up to protect herself.

Although the books deals with a number of serious issues, there is also a lot of humor in it. The pages just fly by as the reader gradually sees Jess and Gethin grows closer and more involved in each other’s lives. Like Fraser’s previous book (#TheBookshopOfSecondChances), this one is also a well told, charming story of resilience and renewal.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseBooks for the ARC!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️

I ended up with mixed feelings about The Beginning of Everything.

On one hand, it was such a sweet story about friendship, helping others, and building yourself back up after life knocks you down. Both Gethin and Jess are at low points in their lives, and watching them navigate a new normal, and finding new purposes in life was heartwarming.

On the other hand, Jess and Gethin were opposites in how they came to be together. One constantly tried to run away from self-introduced poor situations, while the other buried their head in the sand and should have done something a long time ago. I didn't really like either of the characters on their own, but their interactions and dialogue together were cute.

Gethin was so patient with Jess, from their first encounter onward, and he really just wanted her to spread her wings and be happy. He gave her everything she needed to succeed and gave her space to put the pieces together, all while being there for steady companionship. I felt like he was a little too meek at times, happy to go with the flow whether it was in his best interest or not.

Jess, despite everything she experienced in life, had a positive can-do attitude. She was strong, weathering the storm and trying to find out who she was on the other side. Her life was a hectic line of not-so-great choices, and while it was commendable that she is self-reliant, in her mind she was always the victim.

I appreciated the author's mention of Jess feeling like an invisible middle-aged woman, part of the background and less noticeable than she was in her youth. This experience many women have as they age is very real and I loved how it was woven into the story as a plot point.

There were a lot of philosophical questions that emerged from this book. The characters spoke many times about looking back on life, the consequences of small actions, and wishing they made different choices in hindsight. Both of them were good at deflecting hard questions, and it took them a long time to breakdown each other's walls.

I think this book will be a hit for some and a miss for others. I'm somewhere on the fence between those two camps. It was a very slow burn friends-to-lovers story and while the connection between the two main characters was toothachingly sweet, the romance was too one-sided for me to give this more than three stars.


*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity.