Okay hands down this book is now one of my favorites ever! This was the first book i read from Liz Arncliff but for sure not my last. The book is so well written with so many feelings. Closed of teacher Sloane lost her wife, ever since she feels numb and she got a trauma where she only sees shades of gray. To get away and heal she desides to travel to Australia and work as a teacher there fore a year. Thanks to some contacts oft he exchange program she can move into a guesthouse. She realized soon is the guesthouse oft he hot woman she had a one night stand with in Sydney.
Ava is an actress, not wildly famous but known enought, she loves more of a simple life away from glitter and glamour with her cute daughter.

They both meet again and after some trouble start a friendship and so much more. We follow along their path of healing their past of discovering a life after what happend tot hem. A life together.

This story is so beautifully written, so many feels, i felt right transported into the story. Grief and guilt are two very strong feelings that are difficult to overcome and we see how both oft he main ladies work trough it.

I really couldnt put away the book and read it in just one night.

Southern Lights by Liz Arncliffe is a beautiful story of two women who find their way to each other, learning how to move on from the ghosts of the past.

There was no longer color in the world seen in Sloane’s eyes. After her wife’s death, everything changed and she was struggling to cope with the aftermath. Trying to escape from the pain that haunts her, she goes to Australia. There, she meets Ava, a reclusive artist and her daughter Grace, the family of the woman who was renting out her guest house to her. Despite the colorless world she saw, Sloane could not keep Ava out of her mind. And the cheeky four-year-old had also wormed into her heart. However, could this relationship work out when Sloane herself still feels Julia’s ghost with her? Can she give Ava what she deserves when everything she sees is gray silence?

This book is one of the best books I have read this year. The attraction between Ava and Sloane is instant and undeniable. However, Sloane is torn between loyalty and love for her dead wife and the love she has for Ava. As the two inch forward, Sloane’s gray world shatters into a world of color, but the shards of gray remain. And now it is Sloane’s decision and choice what to do from now. It is her fight. The book is no simple ‘My heart is broken but you mended it’ trope. It delves deeply into the grief and guilt of someone who has lost someone. Instead of using the view of an observer, the author describes Sloane's mind in detail, conveying her emotions to the reader so that the readers can see her world of grey and silence.

And the second question. What if you were not the one coping, but your significant other? What would you want for them? It wasn’t a dangerous time as it was in the book, but I remember my ex-girlfriend and me talking about this subject (not that the relationship ended well though). What would we do if the other was dead? My answer was simple. ‘Live on and be happy. Think of me as someone who gave you happiness. If you have to erase me to be happy, that would be fine. One day when you realize that the pain is no more, then just remember that you were happy.’ Death is a friend that could be closer than one thinks. With both viewpoints of how one would cope after losing someone, and what the one who left would want for the one who was left behind, Liz Arncliffe creates a perfect piece that shows the beauty of grief and healing. Absolutely 5 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

Sloane moved to Australia for change as she copes with grief. She meets Ava who is dealing with her own issues. This book was full of emotions. The author did a great job highlighting grief (a very difficult topic). Thank you NetGalley and YLVA publishing for the ARC.

Typically I enjoy these types of books. I was about 25% done and I realized that I do not care about these characters, nor do I care about the story.
The story may have gotten better if I had hung in there, but I don't have the time to do that anymore.

This book tells the story of two people finding love through their journeys with grief and guilt. A light and spicy read, "Southern Lights" was a treat!

Ava James was one of those actresses who moved to HollyWood hoping to make her a household name. She unfortunately didn’t ‘make it’, but while there she did have a short relationship with another young woman. For some reason Ava blamed herself for the breakup. Now, years later she’s back in Australia, with her young daughter, Grace, living with her mom. Over the years she has made a name for herself in her home country. Along the way she’d got married and divorced. Now she shared custody with her ex. Paul.
Ava would like to have someone in her life but it’s a big chance to take, especially with Grace.
Sloane Sullivan, might have survived COVID, her wife Julia didn’t. They had a good marriage, loved each other, with many family and friends but then Julia never made it home. Like many she died alone and Sloane wasn’t sure she’d be able to go on. So when she got the chance to swap teachers for a year she took the chance and here she was, living in the cottage on the farm where Ava’s Mother Ellen, welcomed her with open arms.
That is the set up for one of the most interesting, fun reads, with main character you can’t help but like. Supporting cast just adds another layer of fun. Wonderful read. Very, very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley/ YLVA

This was book with a lot of deep emotions and sometimes difficult to read. Following how American Sloane so deep in grief over her dead wife is relocating to Australia to try to see some colour in life again. She meets the actor Ava that also have a lot of baggage to get over. Together they work towards a new different way to continue living a happy life.

I really liked the book even if I had some pain in my heart at times getting through it. Sloane and Ava so right for each other and Ava's daughter Grace adorable and so key to making their love story HEA.

I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Lovely emotional read about grieving after the death of a love one. My first thought is that everyone is different and therefore the grieve is different. Sloane Sullivan, American, school teacher decides to travel to a country that her deceased wife wanted to visit and take a position for a year as a teacher. While on the Australian Gold Coast, she meets a wonderful group of people. In particular, she meets Ava James, mother to Grace, actress and dealing with her own issues. Ava's mother Ellen, Charlie the dog, colleague Mo and her wife Leota are fantastic secondary characters that I wanted more of. I enjoyed the story flow as I rode along the heart wrenching rollercoaster with Sloane.

This is a story about Sloane Sullivan who is an American who leaves the US to spend a year in Australia. Sloane has lost her wife and is grieving her death. Ava James is a B actress with a five year old daughter and a mom that she lives with on a horse farm on the Australian Gold Coast. Ava has taken on small acting rolls after a bad experience back in early acting days.

This book is mostly told from Sloane’s POV but we also get to see Ava’s thoughts and emotions. The story is filled with angst and lots of feelings. It also has a lot to say on the meaning of life. I liked the philosophical ideas that Sloane and Ava thought and talked about.

The supporting characters were wonderful. Little tassletop stole the show. My favorite line of hers was “I’m not a porkchop”. And the dog Charlie was another wonderful addition to the story.

I enjoyed this one very much and recommend it to all my book friends.

Thanks to Ylva Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was a really lovely read, I sort of expected a run-of-the-mill romance and that Sloan's grief was going to be more of a plot device than a significant plot point. However, the heart of this book was loving after loss, how we move forward while still honouring those we've lost and I think Arncliffe did a really good job of that. I did find it a little bit long and slow, part of that slowness made sense since it's not like you get over losing your wife in five seconds but I think the front half just dragged quite a bit. It wasn't until Ava found out about Julia that the story felt like it was really getting started and that happened fairly deep into the book (at the 43% mark). But by the end I did really enjoy it (and even shed a few tears!)

I also don't usually like books set in Australia but I actually didn't mind it in this case, it worked quite well.

Thank you to Netgally and Ylva Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The biggest problem I had with this book is also the biggest problem the main characters had. One year seems way too soon to move on after the death of your wife. I couldn't imagine losing a partner and moving on that quickly, so I felt a bit conflicted about the way this book started. However, it becomes so clear throughout the duration of the book that it is in no way easy for Sloane to fall for Ava so soon after her wife's passing either. This book heavily details her grief and both characters' struggles to build a new life around it. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Sloane and Ava and Grace, they all fit together very well. I felt terrible for Sloane losing Julia, but I was glad that she was going through the process of moving on and becoming happy again. Overall, a sweet and emotional read, 4/5 stars.

Southern Lights is an exceptional love story about loss, being lost, guilt and needing forgiveness to love again, yet being afraid to forget about that which had been lost.

Sloane Sullivan tragically lost her wife Julia to Covid, and her whole world went dark. Everything became gray. No light. No color. She couldn’t stay where she was, surrounded in grief, so she escaped to Australia, new surroundings and hope to find light and color again.

She found possible hope with Ava James, a local actress who had her own issues of being a flaky person, something that she’d been burdened with since her 20’s. They had a strong attraction and feelings for each other but the biggest hurdle belonged to Sloane.

That huge issue revolved around her deceased wife, feeling her constant presence and not being able to let go and move on. Her connection to her was so strong that she felt she would be betraying her if she allowed herself to move forward.

I won’t expound on any more of this other than to say this was a very thought provoking story. It was very emotional and almost too dramatic at times. There were many wonderful moments and lots of wonderful Australian slang to learn. There were places highlighted that made me want to visit, such as Vivid Sydney, the festival of light and color at the Sydney Opera House.

The story was enriched by some wonderful side characters. Sloane’s teaching partner, Mo and her wife played an important role, as did Ava’s precocious 5 year old, Grace. Charlie was the adorable family dog. Ava’s mum, Ellen provided guidance to both of our mains.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Arncliff dive head first in the grief theme. Grief is the main character here and it was written with so much delicacy and emotions. Arncliff took time to make Sloane take every step toward healing, with steps forward and steps back. I truly felt for her and understood her. The book being devides in different parts cleverly marked milestones in Sloane's journey. The Grace women really were attaching and made me feel like an anchor in all that whirlwind of feelings. Sloanes's journey toward healing, and the growth of her relationship with Ava were perfect to me. I just wished I saw more of her "previous" life with her sister and step family. Ava's story from the past was less powerful but she had some work to do on her own too. This is a wonderdul debut novel and probably the best book about grief I have read.

I was blown away by the writing and imagery in this debut novel from Liz Arncliffe. Sloane Sullivan has lost her beloved wife to Covid during the pandemic and needs to get away to heal and find color again. She comes to Australia to teach high school on a year long contract. At the start of the story she has a one night fling before flying on to her new job. Ava James is a successful working actress. She works on a series a few months at a time and then returns to the horse property owned by her mother where she lives with her precocious daughter Grace who is five. She is startled to see her fling is now living on the cottage on the property.

I love how the two decide to forget their beginning and work on being friends. It is hard to watch as Sloane pushes herself running, biking and swimming trying to get her body to feel again. The guilt of surviving has her pushing her limits. It is Grace who befriends her with the innocence of a child. And she draws Sloane into their family circle. The imagery in words is wonderful. The way Sloane describes the color of Ava's and her mini me daughter's eyes is beautiful. Analogies of home, colors, stones, kites had me slowing my reading so that I enjoyed every word.

But is Sloane ready to move on from her past? Ava likewise has some issues of her own. I love how they talk about the obstacles that block a HEA. And Grace’s phone call near the end broke my heart. The story covers grief in a realistic and loving way. I will look forward to whatever the author writes next.

An incredibly beautiful story of grief and loss but also a story of hope and light and most definitely love. Exceptional love in all the ways it can filter in and set your heart ablaze one more time.

I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sloane Sullivan’s life is depleted of all color. She has been living in a fog of grief since her wife Julia died. A fog that turns everything around her in hues of black and white. A year after Julia’s death, Sloane packs her bags and leaves for a year of teaching in Australia. Hoping a year away will bring back some color in her life. On her first morning in Sydney she meets a woman who propositions her. Sloane indulges but the grief pummels her right into the depth of shame. When she finally arrives at her rented cottage on the Gold Coast, she meets her landlady’s daughter Ava. It’s the woman from her one-morning-stand in Sydney. Alluring as Ava is, Sloane’s battered heart can’t do anything else than struggle with her grief for Julia. As the weeks go by, Sloane is enfolded into the daily lives of Ava and her little family. She has to work her way through the pain of loss and heartbreak but the new small and adult humans in her life make her feel like maybe there is hope.

Ava James is a small time actress. When not working she and her 4 year old daughter Grace are living with her mom Ellen at their ranch in the Gold Coast. The cabin on the property hasn’t been rented out for a long time. Now her mom invited an American teacher to come and stay for a year, as a favor to an old colleague. The American arrives and Ava can’t believe it’s the same woman she spent a morning with between the sheets in Sydney. The woman that fled before Ava woke up. Ava is dealing with her own baggage. Having made mistakes in her twenties that not only ruined her career but also her relationship with a woman who had her whole heart. Shame is holding a death grip on her life, forcing her to make choices so she can keep living a small life instead of enjoying it fully. Sloane is turning out to be a blessing for her family. The charming woman becomes fast friends with Grace and Ava can’t keep ignoring her growing feelings for Sloane.

This story. This story wrangled my heart, stomped on it, cradled it with love and nurtured it back to a steady beat again. It made me cry and laugh and look for hope and color and light. Grief is an unimaginable dark place. For Sloane it means that she literally lost the color in her sight. It is heartbreaking to see her struggle with her love for Julia and the guilt she feels for trying to get back to living life.

The James’ women that live on the ranch are so important in Sloane’s journey. Little Grace instantly falls for Sloane and brings little bright spots back into her life with her exuberance and hilarious costumes. Charlie the dog even becomes a source of warm friendship. Mom Ellen is a steady force in the background giving solid advice to both her daughter and Sloane. And then there is Ava. Beautiful, caring Ava. Somehow by opening her heart to Sloane, even unwillingly at first, Sloane stands no chance against falling for her. The grief that accompanied her to Australia somehow gets even bigger but also different. Ava turns out to be the catalyst to the color returning to Sloane’s life.

The writing in this book is gorgeous. Arncliffe’s use of metaphors to explain feelings, emotions and even color are so well thought out and bring so much feeling into this story. I love the use of a good metaphor to explain myself in daily life but this has been an ultimate lesson in using beautiful comparisons to help illustrate the intricacies of life and living.

I might have to sit with this story for a while before reading something else. Liz Arncliffe really left me reeling, in a very good way. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read Sloane’s journey. As you’ve probably guessed, this is no light entertainment book. It is a story to cherish and hold close to your heart.

This was an emotional read in the aftermath of Covid and how the loss Sloane sustained robbed her world of colour and life.
A story of love lost and love found, we are taken on a journey of how love was came to life and the guilt that came with it.
Ava too has her own issues from a past love affecting her life and how she needs to overcome those.
Then there is the cute Grace and her grandmother Ellen who both have significant and amusing parts to play in this romance.
The story is well written, beautifully descriptive and keeps you reading to find out if the ending is a colourful one filled with love.
Thanks to Ylva and NetGalley for providing the ARC. This is my honest review.

5 ⭐️
Grief and guilt are two powerful feelings that are difficult to overcome. Love and forgiveness are probably the only forces that can help to make life worth living again. And that's exactly what Liz Arncliffe's “Southern Light” is about. A heartbreaking but hopeful story about Sloane, an American teacher, who lost her wife to illness almost a year ago. And about the Australian Ava, who still feels guilty about her behavior and her decisions in her early twenties, which cost her the opportunity to get leading roles in the film business, and hold her back to find the person for a happily ever after.

Their chance encounter the first day Sloane was in Australia, was surprisingly light and sexy. But when they meet again, it is everything other than light, and the real story begins to unfold from there.

It’s told mostly from Sloanes POV but about 30% are from Ava’s sight. The author did an amazing job of bringing all these feelings into the book. And there are many feelings, good and sad ones. The dialogues and the intern monologues from both MCs are very well done and helped me not only to understand the two but also to feel them. The readers witness firsthand how Sloane is processing her grief, and especially how confusing it gets when she realizes she has feelings for Ava. How her world turned from all grey and diffused, suddenly to bright and colored again. But is it a betrayal of her late wife? Or is it exactly what she would want for Sloane, that she could be happy again?

Ava has her baggage to carry too. Remorse and guilt prevent her from enjoying life to the full. How can she let go of these negative feelings? The two women help each other to confront their feelings, accept them, and progress, thus getting the chance to live a hopeful, colorful life full of joy and love again. The story is very emotional, it brought tears to my eyes, but also smiles on my face. And not to forget, even the main topic is not easy, there are so many light moments and humor. The story is well-balanced.

The secondary characters, the two- and four-legged ones, are well fleshed out and add depth to the story, I liked them all. But especially Ava's daughter Grace, the little tiny tasseltop, rushed into my heart like a tornado.

Highly recommended. I think it is Liz Arncliffe’s debut novel, congratulations.
ARC received from Ylva Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in Australia so fresh! The scene is really well set, detail to make it authentic without being overwhelming. The characters all seem three dimensional. Both mains have back stories that are gradually revealed.
There is a lot of humour in this book, maybe wry smiles rather than lol’s but there was also tears, or at least wet eyes, if not outright ugly crying. The move from the past holding one main back from life, to living again is evocatively written. This is a beautiful book. Grief is described in a real way and the moving to live with it is beautifully described.
After the mains get together there is loads of book left. Seeing them settle in to leaving their past, which for both really means their present, behind has been joyful. No slip of pacing as they are battling internal forces.
Oh gosh! So emotional! Rounded up to 5 cos sniffles!
Two, of many lines I loved -
“I don’t think you’re fragile, and certainly not broken,” Ava said. “I think you’re extraordinarily strong and brilliant and resilient. I am deeply sorry that you’ve had to be those things in the past year.”
Sharing the loss somehow meant sharing Julia, and she wanted what was left of Julia to be hers and hers alone.

If you are looking for a light and fluffy romance, this is not your book, but if you want real people struggling with difficult problems, this might be for you.

Sloan Sullivan travels to Australia to teach for a year, because she is overwhelmed by memories of her recently-passed wife. Ava James has sworn off close connections after an obsessive love derailed her Hollywood career chance. The two are thrown together when Sloan rents a cottage on Ava's mother's farm.

The book is somewhat more focused on Sloan as she wrestles with making room for a new love while holding on to her memories of her wife. There is a stretch in the middle where the story gets a little aimless. That normally bugs me, but both women actually are kind of stuck and not making progress, so the story is semi-stuck along with them.

This is the fourth book I've read from Ylva and all of them have been very well-written. Someone is doing something right to nurture authors in the editorial department there.

Ylva was kind enough to provide me with an advanced reading copy via Netgalley for an honest review.

Stories of grief hold a special place in my heart after having lost a loved one. The pain feels familiar and I am pulled back to the early days when life was gray. The author, Arncliffe, was able to take you into Sloane’s grief and Ava’s shame and make you feel what they were feeling.

I enjoyed reading this beautiful sapphic love story, even though seeing COVID in books now is shocking. Has that much time passed since March 2020?