A Letter From Ireland is a poignant and heartwarming exploration of friendship, loss, and the hidden secrets that bind people together. Against the backdrop of Scarty Island, Casey uncovers Rosie’s hidden life in the novel.

Casey’s world is shaken when her friend Rosie dies, leaving a letter suggesting a secret life on an Irish island. Casey heads to Scarty Island to uncover Rosie’s hidden past.

Scarty Island, with its rugged beauty and tight-knit community, comes alive through O’Loughlin’s evocative writing, enhancing Casey’s self-discovery. The author adeptly portrays the difference between Casey’s hectic city life and the tranquil island lifestyle, providing solace for both the protagonist and reader.

At the heart of the novel is Casey’s relationship with Shay, a hardworking pub owner with his own hidden burdens. Their romance is filled with authentic and tender moments of connection. O’Loughlin is amazing at building their chemistry, making readers root for them even as secrets threaten to tear them apart.

Rosie’s letters are woven into the story, showing a tragic love story and a heartbreaking event that shaped her life. These letters keep the plot going, slowly unveiling secrets and adding emotional depth to Casey’s search for answers. The novel gets more intense when a forbidden love affair and a tragic shipwreck occur, creating an intriguing contrast with the tranquil island setting.

One of the novel’s strengths lies in its ability to delve into the depths of grief and depict the journey of healing. Casey’s journey isn’t just about finding out Rosie’s secrets, but also dealing with her own messed-up life - her failing marriage, her dead-end job, and the emptiness in her heart after Rosie died. O’Loughlin tackles these themes with sensitivity and grace, creating a character arc that feels real and easy to relate to.

The final letter from Rosie brings a powerful climax to the story, filling Casey with a mix of emotions as she is forced to face not only Rosie’s life but also her own. The resolution presents a bittersweet choice for Casey - embrace a new chapter or return to her altered old life.

Overall, A Letter from Ireland is a beautifully crafted novel with romance, mystery, and emotional depth. Ann O’Loughlin’s skillful storytelling and vivid depiction of island life make this a must-read for women’s fiction fans. Casey’s healing journey and the hidden secrets will stay with you well beyond the end of the book.

This book really captured my imagination. I loved reading about a private island off the coast of Ireland and all the heartache and romance that occurred there.
Ann O’Loughlin seems to get the balance right between not too mushy and not too heartbreaking. I am happy to recommend her books to anyone who will listen to me.

I loved this story of friendship
Will recommend to others.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Another great read from Ann. Casey Georgie and Debbie are requested by their dead friend Rosie to leave the USA for two months and go to live on an Island off the west coast of Ireland. Having spent some summer holidays in Clare I could relate to the wildness of the surroundings. The girls realise that Rosie had a good few secrets which are revealed to them slowly. I really enjoyed this one and hope for a sequel.

Would you go to a remote island for 8 weeks if it was in your friend's will?

This is what Casey and Debbie have done for their friend Rosie, who's passed away. I have really enjoyed the theme of friendship and rediscovery in this book, and how both ladies rediscover their friendships while on this island. Also, the letter from Rosie really made it for me as they made me smile and think about her talking to them even though she was no longer around. Although the book is slow in places once the story gets going the pace is much better. In two months, a significant shift occurs as Irish Dan, May, and Shay help Americans Casey, Debbie, and Georgie adapt to the landscape and seascape. Through sharing Rosie's tales, they uncover hidden truths about her journey, influences, and relationships..


#Friendship #Rediscovery #RemoteIsland #Memories #Heartwarming #BookLovers #FriendshipGoals #EternalBond #CherishedMemories

I loved the story line in this book. I loved how friends that were separated came together and rekindled their friendship. It is so real how when one person dies we tend to finally make time for each other. I did feel like this book dragged and there were unnecessary scenes and I started to struggle but I pushed through because I knew there was going to be a good part. The ending did not disappoint. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy!

I just fell into this book! A group of friends who have drifted apart are called together to carry out the wishes of good friend Rosie. It is Rosie’s wish that associate lawyer & peace-keeper Casey, interior designer, mother & organiser, lastly artist & head in the clouds Georgie all travel to Ireland where they will stay in a farmhouse on Scarty island for three months. This request is met with differing reactions!
After a stop-over at Kennedy’s guesthouse where they meet owner Dan and son Shay who seems to be your go to man for anything, They set sail for scarty, which it’s only fair to say comes as a great shock, firstly why did there friend seclude herself there, followed by why has Rosie gotten them all the way from America to live on a secluded island? It gives insight to each character, Rosie included with great twists along the way.

I absolutely loved the way and speed the story unfolded. I found some letters really emotional . My favourite character was Casey. My first thought when it ended was “when’s the next one?

I have to be honest, I struggled a bit getting used to this author. The characters felt stiff to me until they got to Scarty Island. My other early gripe was, oh my goodness how many times does the name Scarty need to be said? I searched it on the ebook. The name of the island appears 228 times, that's roughly every 1 3/4 pages, which feels like overkill, especially when it's repeated a bunch in short bursts and then not at all for multiple pages. Rant over.

The message of friendship throughout the book is so beautiful. Friends can be extremely close for a time, lose each other to distance, and still come back to one another. It's not a perfect science, but true friendships last, even when you're holding secrets from one another. Even when life tries to get in the way. Sometimes that distance is important.

Rosie's letters truly make this book. Unraveling Rosie's entire story really made the book for me. The best friends, Georgie, Debbie, and Casey, they definitely make for an interesting group of friends, they remind me of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, or there's a movie cover I'm seeing in my mind, but can't think of the title to. But I could have easily left out their story lines and the Casey-Shay romance for just Rosie's story. Casey was hard for me to relate to, which was unexpected seeing as she is the main character, but I found Debbie very easy to relate to. Despite struggling a bit at the beginning of the book, I look forward to trying more of this author's work in the future, if her other stories are as beautifully crafted as this, I can't wait.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

Read in one sitting on a rainy autumnal Sunday and as always when finishing one of the author’s books I'm feeling bereft to have left the characters and desperate for a sequel so I can catch up with them all again.
Responding to their friend's request following her death three women travel to a small Irish Island where they'll learn not only more about their friend but more about themselves too. Their lives and the lives of those they meet will forever be changed by their summer on Scarty.
Another lovely read by this talented author.

I generally enjoy books that have some connection to Ireland but this one did not draw me in as much as I had hoped. I understand the purpose of being vague with some details in the beginning about why the group drifted apart but considering how much the referenced the incident it was too vague and didn't provide enough to keep me reading and finding out what happened. The story was also a little to slow to develop for me.

I loved it!
I became so involved with the 3 women who travelled to Ireland from New York to fulfil the wishes of their friend Rosie as she was dying.

It was certainly an unusual situation to be I'm, travelling to stay in a remote island in Ireland where there is no WiFi or communication apart from the local bar owner who runs his boat across to bring provisions or take them back to the mainland to take calls etc.

A very different type of read but I had to read into the small hours to get to the end. Then I was sorry it had ended.

A lot of twists and loads of secrets lay underneath the initial plan received by letter but then things change.

Thankyou Ann.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC . This book was super cute. I thought I had the ending all figured out but it kept twisting on me. I was very happy with the end. This is a must read .

I was blown away by all the secrets and twists that kept coming… The ending completely blew me away. I raced through the pages as fast as I could

I wanted to love this book especially as I got an invite to read it but I just couldn't get into it. I was confused between Casey and Georgie, who was talking and doing which scenes in the chapters.

I'm sure for someone else this will be right up their alley just not for me.

Sorry!

Casey, Debbie and Georgie did not know that their friend Rosie was so attached to the small Irish island of Scarty until they received letters after her death. They travel there to scatter her ashes and in doing so, discover so much more about not only Rosie but themselves. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for a rainy day,

Interesting drama featuring a group of four friends,one of whom has passed away. She leaves instructions for the other three and mysteries to solve.

A Letter from Ireland by Ann O’Loughlin is about four best friends who have been in each other’s lives up until a fairly recent falling out. Life took the four women on different paths that ultimately led to one’s death and the three friends are left to discover her mysterious second life on a remote island in Ireland. Each friend leaves the island with something they didn’t have before.

The storyline of the book was great and I truly hope others enjoy it. This wasn’t my favorite unfortunately. I feel that there was an overuse of the location names. Some areas could be fine with just saying the Island or mainland. I also felt that there was an excessive amount of back and forth that the characters went to those places. It seemed like the location was more important than the storyline itself. The FMC Casey was hard to love and I found myself wanting to know more about Georgie. There is also a lot of moments where two characters go off and talk somewhere and I felt that the locations of these places weren’t necessary. With that being said, maybe the book just wasn’t right for me.

Really enjoyed this book, it’s the story of Rosie and her secret life for part of the year on Scarty Island off the coast of Ireland. When Rosie’s friends are contacted by a lawyer to say Rosie has passed away and that she has left instructions for Casey, Debbie and Georgie to travel to Scarty to scatter ashes the story just begins for the 3 friends.
They find renewed friendship, new friends in Dan,Shay, May and a change of life. Excellent read, well written with lovely characters.
My thanks as always to NetGalley and Publisher Bookouture and of course Author Ann O’Loughlin for her lovely story.

I have been trying to think what to say after reading A letter from Ireland by one of my favourite Irish authors Ann O’Loughlin. I am somewhat speechless. This is a deeply complex emotional story that moved me on so many levels. I was onboard from the first page and carried on the waves of Ann’s words across many tumultuous experiences to the very last page with its delightful ‘sunny’ resolution.

The plot is driven by letters written by a friend who has passed away. This woman, Rosie, who lived in New York, has quite a number of secrets she has harboured for many years. Upon her death, after battling cancer, she unveils all of the most important aspects of her life: what made her happy, sad, fulfilled and unfinished. There is a lot to process for the reader when she begins sharing everything bit by bit through her letters. But how much more traumatic it is to the friends she has written to in order to explain her requests and reasons behind them. There are lots of twists and surprises: some unexpected but appreciated.

It all starts with Rosie’s request that her friends Casey, Debbie and Georgie go to this little island Scarty, off Ireland, where they must stay for two months in a very rustic farmhouse (with an outside toilet) and spread her ashes at the close of their stay in her favourite location. Many questions rise in their minds but Rosie answers them all (mostly) through her letters by the close of the novel. But this is not just an information journey. It is one of discovery for the three women who will battle between themselves and others—even with their dead friend. A number of letters will be sent to them about her life: some revelations will shock, upset and even madden them but other acknowledgments will make them weep. They will not only learn unexpected things about their friend but also a lot about themselves. These truths will give them courage, clarity and a desire for completeness in their own lives. So Rosie’s plan works. She wants her friends to achieve real happiness, take stock of their current lives by sending them to an island without conveniences. To force them to get in touch with nature and ultimately with their own inner voices.

On this journey, these three women meet some lovely Irish friends of Rosie’s. Many wonderful but also confronting things happen as they get to know themselves, their late friend and establish new friendships. The two months brings much needed change, connection and realignment. Irish Dan, May and Shay are intriguing characters who help Americans Casey, Debbie and Georgie adjust to the dramatic land and seascape. As they share their own stories of Rosie, they realise they did not know all of her deep secrets, either. Of course, we all learn what those things were that plagued, propelled and changed Rosie: how she came to this island and the people she loved and lost.

I enjoyed immensely the ‘Letters’ that are shared from late Rosie to her friends. These words are the tangible living pieces or the essence of this woman, written in her last days before her breath expired. The island, too, is a physical representation of her. Through these two things, Rosie’s presence or spirit remains. And although all the friends have many dramas swirling around them, Rosie’s life is the fixed focal point of the plot. But she is the source of their change.

I must add that I never tire of stories that share stories through the words of letters. Thoughts written down by late loved ones always move me. Just as I have looked at the handwriting of my own ancestors and imagined the days they lived, seeing their soul experiences, their names, etc. on paper, it always inspires me. Their physical writings are a tangible link to the past.

A Letter from Ireland is a beautiful, heart stirring, thought provoking story about the importance of family and friends, love, healing, connecting, reconnecting, trusting your inner voice and having courage to live your best life. 5 Heart-Felt Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for a review copy.

When Rosie passes away after battling cancer, her dying wish is to reunite her three best friends on her favorite island in Ireland. Through letters she has left behind, she is able to reconnect with them while also unveiling secrets she has long kept buried and what better place to do it than this atmospheric and remote island off the coast of Ireland.

What is it about books that take place in Ireland?! I can't get enough and this one does not disappoint! Ann O'Loughlin does a great job transporting you to the small town of Ballymurphy, Ireland and the remote island of Scarty, just off its coast. I enjoyed the friends and their varying personalities but found their conversations a bit stilted in the first half of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed the storyline and while you are waiting, with the characters to find out what Rosie will unveil after her death, I did not guess or know what was coming.