I was expecting this book to be a lot more of a lighthearted read. It was well written but did seem to drag on it places. I feel it should have had some trigger warning attached to it for its emotional content. Indeed had this of been the case I wouldn’t have chosen to read it.
I had the audio book version which was well read.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. At first I thought it might be a bit depressing but that proved not to be the case. It’s a story of determination, survival and moving forward to a new life. Set by the sea near to a village with lively characters. The romance aspect made it a perfect tale.

The book was narrated very well.

This is a nice easy book to listen to and the narrator had a voice that was nice to listen too.

It was a bit slow in some points and I found it hard to finish. It was well written but the story wasn’t as engaging as I would have hoped

Claire has taken a break from work after a traumatic year, renting a cottage on the Northumberland coast to get away from everything. Here she meets mysterious Ed, from the cottage next door. Will he help Claire or have too many scars of his own?

I reader liked the narrator of this audiobook, she had a smooth voice to listen to and managed accents well. I didn't feel the story matched the blurb too well, there were a lot of potential emotional triggers that were not even suggested in the description, and it was uncomfortable at points. It felt overly long in my opinion, and could have been edited down a bit. Nevertheless, it was an entertaining audiobook with some lovely scenic descriptions.

My Summer of Magic Moments
by Caroline Roberts
Narrated by Hannah Genesius

Bamburgh is an absolutely breathtaking destination, and discovering that much of this story unfolds in this enchanting area made my heart race with excitement, especially since I had recently explored it during my summer getaway. I could easily envision Claire strolling along the sands, weaving through the soft, rolling dunes, as she made her way to the magnificent Bamburgh Castle—an indelible image etched in my memory from my own visit.

Claire has faced immense challenges over the past year, bravely battling cancer and a marriage break-up that has left her with both physical and emotional scars. As she arrives at her quaint cottage retreat on the picturesque Northumberland coast, she silently wishes that three weeks of idyllic tranquillity and warm summer sunshine will wash away the lingering pain of her tumultuous journey.

Her first encounter with Ed is nothing short of unforgettable; she spots him swimming in the ocean during the early morning hours, his bare skin unexpected sight that takes her by surprise. This gruff yet intriguing neighbour may turn out to be far more significant than Claire anticipated during her restful beach holiday.

This book beautifully captures the enchanting moments woven into the fabric of everyday life, leaning into the magic that can be found amidst the challenges. Caroline Roberts thoughtfully explores a range of profound subjects, creating a narrative that is both captivating and deeply resonant, brought to life by a masterful narration that feels utterly believable.

As Clare recovers from breast cancer, she heads to a run down cottage by the sea to spend some time by herself. She meets her grumpy neighbour Ed, secretly watching his naked swims every morning.
As Clare heads home to her job and family, life begins to return to normal and she starts her new blog 'Magic Moments', and is overwhelmed by the response from readers.
Unable to get the seaside town out of her system, she returns for more visits. Her attraction to Ed grows, but they both have demons they need to overcome, will they succeed.
A lovely, emotional and lovely story of loss, love and staying over.

The story was heartwarming and beautifully uplifting that made me smile and cry.

Magic moments in life are the simple things we treasure.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

This was a beautifully written book about Claire that has just recovered from breast cancer, her marriage has fallen apart so she books a 3 week break on the Scottish coast. She loves the little village, she bakes bread in her rental cottage and meets the most charming man Ed. She’s a journalist that is writing about different peoples Magic Moments. It’s a feel good book that leaves you smiling. The story is emotional and the author was good at dealing with a subject that’s hard. Loved the writing style, it’s very descriptive.

I listened to the audio book and the narrator did a great job at bringing this story to life, she was prompt and easy to understand, good at accents and enjoyed listening to her. 4.5 star read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, it was a beautiful story of a survivor when Claire faced a battle of breast cancer she decided it was time to really look after herself more, she had a wake up call.

After treatment, she decides to take herself on a much needed and well-deserved break to a quiet cosy little cottage when her first encounter with Ed is seeing him swim she looks on with admiring looks. However, when she discovers she has an issue with the heating, Claire knocks on his door to ask for assistance in the rented property only to find a man who is cold and stand offish with her.

Well, this isn't going to stop her from enjoying her little list of to-do's... Make a friend in this remote little countryside, bake her own bread, and have a glass wine on the beach who needs a man anyway... So she continues to write her blog of magic moments, sharing with others those magic moments some friends and family have shared with her....

Obviously, being a romantic novel it doesn't end here. This is just the beginning, and Claire follows her heart and goes on a journey she didn't quite expect..

Beautifully narrated, I listened to this so quickly because it was just such an easy light and breezy listen.

With much gratitude to Netgalley & Bolinda Audio for this ARC in return for an open, honest review. With best wishes for publication in February 🎧❤️🙏🏼

The narration was outstanding. Hannah gets the accents in beautifully which really helps to settle you into the northeast corner of England. The pace was a little slow, but I often find that with audiobooks. Speed 1.25x fixed that issue :)


Claire has survived breast cancer and is now starting the next stage in her life. She hires a holiday cottage on the Northumberland coast and begins to assess her life, from there.

There's a quickly dismissed love interest and then she's back to work and finding a new flat - work, family and life in general consume her time until she can revisit the holiday cottage. What's the attraction? Is it the sea? Is the grouchy guy from next door?

As we discover these things,it's not a sappy love story. It's more tangible, more real, utterly believable. Whilst there's probably no more to Claire's story, given the excellent ending, I'd like to read more from Caroline Roberts.

This was such a lovely listen, I really enjoyed it the cute story and loved the magic moments feature through out and really makes you think of your own moments. This was very easy to listen to and finished it in a day or two. I enjoyed Clare's story and was delighted with the ending even though a bit predictable but was well told. Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. Thanks to netgalley & the publisher for this audio arc.

This was really lovely, warm and hopeful. When I realised it was a cancer journey story I was a little bit apprehensive as I’m prone to bouts of tears and snot. While I did cry, I also laugh cried and that’s always a sign of a great piece of work.

Following the all clear after her breast cancer journey Claire rents a little cottage with the plan of relaxing and rebuilding. The cottage is a bit ramshackle to say the least, and Claire finds herself knocking on the door of the very handsome if very surly next door neighbour for some help. The pair hit it off somehow yet Ed disappears after a kiss and Claire heads back home and back to work.

As a journalist, Claire often needs new ideas, and after her break and her little magic moments she opens up a public forum for inspiration. And thus her summer of magic moments is born. I loved the concept of the magic moments column. What would your magic moments be?

When I realised that a lot of the reviews here were quite old. I wondered if this was possibly a re release, however it’s available to pre order now on audible so h can only assume it’s just been audiofied with is fantastic. I really hope publishes continue to convert back catalogues. They’re so important. You’ll definitely want to add this to your tbr audio list.

The narration by Hannah Genesius was perfect, she flipped between the accents with ease and really added a layer of warmth to the story. I found I had to increase my listening speed a little bit to fit my taste.

Huge gratitude to Bolinda Audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧 as always all opinions are my own.