This sounded very promising (strangers to friends to more, with MCs in their 40s), but ultimately, I was kind of bored with the story.

Jess and Gethin, in my opinion, didn’t really act their age, and while I did like how their friendship developed, the situation of their forced proximity felt a little awkward.

The biggest thing that held up my enjoyment was the writing style. Lots of short sentences and ellipses, telling instead of showing. If it were just one character who thought and spoke in this way, it might have been easier to get into.

Ultimately, I never found myself invested in the characters or story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Age Level: Adult
Content: some language, fade-to-black

Holy Crow, I was not prepared for the emotional journey Jackie took me on! The Beginning of Everything IMMEDIATLEY grabbed my attention. This was a one sitting, cannot put down, cry into my sherpa blanket read. Gethin and Jess' love story is unique and beautiful, but I think Jess falling in love with herself after everything she had been through impacted me even more. Jess is such a bright, well written character. I am absolutely buying a trophy copy for my collection!

The Beginning of Everything, by Jackie Fraser, is a slow burn romance story about two characters in their forties, which is unusual and refreshing. It’s a story of second chances, starting over and offers a unique look at romance.

Jess has escaped an abusive situation and finds shelter in a vacant house. Gethin is rehabbing and renovating the home and is startled to find an inhabitant he hadn’t expected. He offers to allow Jess to stay in the house throughout the renovations and though she is reluctant to receive the help, she agrees on the condition that she help with the project. The two build an easy camaraderie, then a friendship, and eventually something more, though admittedly, it feels a bit more one-sided, than not.

Jess is actually a fairly difficult person to like in this story. Trust is definitely an issue, at times she acts quite immature, assumes way too much, and her communication with Gethin clearly needs practice. I also wasn’t a fan of the cheating, but the setting in Whales is quite interesting and adds to the story and the conclusion is satisfying. The lessons gleaned are of import and worthwhile and all-in-all, The Beginning of Everything is an enjoyable, quick-reading story.

This one just wasn't for me. It was pretty emotionally heavy and felt rather depressing just to listen to. Added to that, I didn't find the two MCs had much chemistry at all and I really wasn't invested in their story in the slightest. Rather disappointing since I did enjoy the author's last book. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I enjoyed this book -- it's very good -- but I think it's ultimately not to my taste.

This is a slow, ponderous book about love, trust, and time well spent. It's about running away and staying to fight. It's about Jess finding herself. About beginning to thrive, not just survive, at any age because it's never too late.

Gethin is great and so sweet. Jess is clearly working through a lot and trying to find her way back to herself. It's a lovely story but it didn't pull me in the way I was hoping it would. Jess is our narrator and her reserved nature keeps the readers at an emotional distance. (At least that's how I felt). I cared for them and I wanted to see how it all worked out but I didn't care deeply.

I don't have anything bad to say but I don't think it would be my first choice of books to recommend.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this, but it was still a cozy read and I would recommend it to others, so I'd say that's not too bad! I loved the concept of this book a lot, so woohoo!!! i would love to try out other books by this author tho, i feel I could really like their work.

The main characters in the book are Jess and Gethin —who are both in a place where they feel the need to start over.

Jess Cavendish has spent her entire life moving on and trying out new adventures.But her latest boyfriend made choices that affected Jess’s ability to stay. She left with nothing but a backpack containing a few essentials. She made up her mind to leave, chose a place to move and was camping out in a cemetery when she discovered an unoccupied house. She lives there while working hoping to save up enough for her own place.

Gethin has decided to move back to his hometown to start again. In anticipation of the move, Gethin bought a house that needs work. Meanwhile he has been staying with his sisters until the new job starts. He was more than a little surprised to find Jess there. And Jess was shocked to be found out, running out. When she returns for her supplies, she finds a note asking her to stay, but Jess is not taking charity. Gethin and Jess were able to come up with an understanding and she helped him redo the house. Slowly they became friends and eventually roommates. The book is really about giving yourself - and others- the opportunity for second chances. A good read!

I enjoyed reading this book. It felt very realistic with two people getting to know each other and figuring out who they were.

The Beginning of Everything was a charming read. I became a Jackie Fraser fan after reading The Bookshop of Second Chances and this novel is just as great. One of the things I like about Fraser’s work is her ability to a write a book where a man and woman fall in love, but the romance is secondary to the characters’ growth as individuals.

When we meet Jess Cavendish, she is in a rough situation. She’s fled a bad relationship and is squatting in an empty house. Gethin Thomas is also reeling from a broken relationship. He planned to pick himself up and throw himself into renovating the house he recently bought, but there is a woman sleeping there. He allows her to stay and it’s obvious that these two are going to be good for each other. Jess and Gethin are interesting, nuanced characters on their own and even more intriguing together.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the novel for review.

This one was super sweet and just really reflective of how it's never too late to get a fresh start. I really appreciated the journey that both Gethin and Jess went on. The development of their friendship was just really natural to watch as they progressed.

I did feel like Gethin was trying to "save" Jess for awhile, and I know he was in the state to do so but it felt very privileged and a little reckless, though I did like that he just felt in his gut he could trust her.

Overall, this was a sweet slow burn with a happy ending :)

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I started THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING by Jackie Fraser twice. The first time, I bailed after a few pages because the protagonist Jillian was such a haunted and miserable person I couldn't stand her. The second time, I stuck with Jillian and her landlord Gethin all the way to the end, This time, I understood more of the miserable and more of the genuine, beautiful gifts of a traumatized and defeated woman who slowly, gradually, and wonderfully opens up to the possibility of a new beginning for her. I deeply appreciated her hard-won life experience, being 45 and fully cognizant of her mistakes and regrets -- and the fact that she did not give up on life as much as she might have been justified in doing so. The settings were lush and so well-described I felt I was in that house and home, that countryside studded with castles. The supporting characters were as fully drawn and dimensional as the amazing dialogue and encounters that occurred throughout the story. It's the words that kept me going even as not very much at all was happening within the story, perhaps because the deepest and most meaningful, fundamental changes can be glacial slow. That would be my major caution to a prospective reader: not much happens in this tory and yet by the end, everything is transformed into a new, beautiful reality. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Jess Cavendish has little more than the clothes on back when she leaves the abusive relationship she has been trapped in for years. With nowhere else to turn and the weather getting colder, she decides to temporarily stay in an empty home. Gethin Thomas purchases a home to renovate in the town he grew up in. When he arrives at his fixer upper he finds it being occupied by Jess. Gethin offers to let Jess stay, while the house is being worked on, in exchange for her help with some of the repairs.

The Beginning of Everything is a contemporary romance. The storyline follows the MCs in their journey from strangers to friends to more along with their individual journeys to overcome past relationships.

While the plot may seem a bit far fetched, the slow progression of the MCs romance gives it a more realistic feel. There is a unique depth to the storyline that builds into such a lovely, cozy read.

This is the first book that I have read from author Jackie Fraser but I would love to read more of her work in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine (Dell)!

4.5/5
This was a very unusual but delightful and charming book. After getting out of a terrible relationship, Jess had trust issues even after Gethin trusted her by allowing her to stay in the new home he purchased, one in which she was squatting. Slowly, she begins to trust Gethin and he asks and welcomes her input in his remodeling. I loved Jess and Gethin and the friendship that developed between them. This was a beautifully written story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

This was a beautiful story about starting over and finding happiness.

Initially, Jess doesn’t reveal much about her terrible relationship with her previous boyfriend, but its effects are apparent throughout the story. She hesitates to receive help from anyone, constantly worries about being a burden, and finds it hard to trust others.

Gethin was amazing with his endless patience. It was like he had a sixth sense for Jess and knew not to push her into discussing anything that made her feel uncomfortable. He supported her in every possible way and was an all-around great character.

The amount of ellipses used throughout the book felt a little over the top. While I understand a majority of it was to help with depicting the flow of conversations, difficult conversations in particular, it broke up the reading flow and sometimes felt unnecessary.

But I loved that the story reads like you were hearing Jess’ thoughts or maybe even reading from her diary. It would start with her mentioning her thoughts and feelings about a particular time or scenario and then place the reader in that time point and conversation. It helped make me feel connected to the main character in a way that Jess didn’t feel comfortable revealing herself to those around her.

Thank you, Jackie Fraser, Random House Publishing - Ballantine, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review!

This is a story that I had a hard time getting into. I feel like it may have just been a “me “problem though. The idea of the story, with the main character,Jess, starting over, was a good story. I like that the main characters were in their 40s, and not in their 20s. It made the story a bit more relatable. However, other aspects of the story were so unrealistic I could not get past them. I couldn’t move past Gethin finding Jess living in his home and being totally fine with it. I enjoyed reading about their relationship growth in the story. But I just wanted to stop reading the story at many different points.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me an eARC of this book.

I started the e-galley but didn't finish. I LOVE the idea of this book but felt it was a bit slow to develop.

Although, the start of the story is completed different, in that Jess is running from a abusive relationship and has been staying at a supposedly vacant house, but it is not vacant and is discovered by the current owner Gethin and is invited stay . I found the beginning of the book, a little like the movie, "Before Sunrise," with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. The beginning of their relationship is a lot of dialouge while they learn about each other and teach each other about what they like and dislike, but as they start to understand each other more they become more than just roommates and become really good friends, and maybe more than just friends, until Jess gets spooked and runs, but not for long.

While I was reading I kept thinking that this wonderful man Gethin wasn't real and that there was going to be a spooky part, but there wasn't and he was just a wonderful person who wanted to help Jess and fell in love with her. It was just a wonderful ending.

I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley for an advance copy of this wonderful story about two people getting to know each other

Overall a very sweet romance. But I really couldn’t get behind how these two characters meet. She’s squatting in an empty house that he has recently bought. And when he catches her he tells her she can stay. This sounds like a terrible idea for both parties involved, and could be the start of a thriller or a dark romance, but it’s actually a sweet romance about moving on from your past traumas.

3.5 stars

I read "The Beginning of Everything" by Jackie Fraser on NetGalley. This is the story of Jess, a middle-aged woman who has run away from a bad relationship. She didn't want to impose on anyone, so she has been staying in a tent, when she finds an empty house and begins staying there. Then one day as she is getting ready for work the new owner, Gethin, appears. They build a friendship, and she ends up staying in the house as the repairs are being done. I really liked this book and am looking forward to reading more from Jackie Fraser.

Jess, 45, has literally run away from home and her abusive relationship with her partner, Mitch. Landing in Wales, she has been camping in a cemetery and doing what she can to take care of herself. When she happens upon a house that appears to be fairly empty, she breaks in and becomes a squatter. With a job as a dishwasher, she’s there for about a month when the owner opens the front door and catches her. Starting to run, he tells her it’s OK and to feel free to stay there as he is renovating the place as his new home. Skeptical, Jess finally agrees and she says she will help with the renovations as well. They become friends as they work together on the house and put their heads together in choosing furniture and decor. Gethin, 47, owns the house and has a good job. He and his wealthy wife just broke up and sold their huge home, splitting the profits.

This is a story of a broken woman who meets a man who has had his heart broken. It’s a lot of work for both of them to begin to trust someone again. They soon become good friends and enjoy their time together in the newly updated and decorated house. But along with their friendship comes the attraction that Jess especially is fighting.

For me, I found this book to be rather depressing and why in the world Jess put up with the treatment she received from Mitch is beyond me. Just get away and carry on with your life. It made me wonder if Jess could ever be a solid and sane person. The ending is, of course, a happy one but when someone like Jess is so damaged, one has to wonder if she will ever be whole again. The dialogue was overdone which was downright boring.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.