At First Sight
At First Sight
By Hannah Sunderland
Full of heart, love & joy. This is an emotional book that will have you crying one minute and laughing the next.
Published: 01/04/21 by Avon (kindle, paperback)
Book review, no spoilers I swear!!
Trigger warnings: Themes of suicide & grief.
Welcome all, today I'll be talking about the beauty that is At First Sight by Hannah Sunderland. A book that will stay with me forever with characters that I never want to say goodbye to. But before I delve into the wonder that is this book, perhaps I should tell you what it is about.
The Blurb:
Two strangers. Two chance meetings. One extraordinary love story…
Nell and Charlie feel a spark when they meet by chance in a cafe. But they don’t trade numbers, or surnames, so there’s no way they’ll meet again.
But the next day, Nell’s phone rings at work. Somehow, impossibly, Charlie is on the other end. And he needs her help.
Nell is about to save a life, fall in love … and risk everything for a perfect stranger.
Tender, thought-provoking and joyful, Charlie and Nell’s unique love story will capture your heart and give you hope. Perfect for fans of The Sight of You by Holly Miller and Love Rosie by Cecelia Ahern.
Thoughts:
Just wow. This is one extraordinary story that took me by utter surprise. I usually tend to avoid emotional books, especially when they have a theme of suicide and mental health. Being someone who has struggled with depression and anxiety in my life, it doesn't tend to help. I've read books with the theme of mental health and suicide before and it's taken me forever to get through them, most of the time I loose interest because there so heavy.
However, this was not the case in reading At First Sight. This book was like medicine to me, it has just the right amount of humour, sadness, heart and hope. The way in which the topic of mental health is talked about in this book is so well done and relatable.
Nell is the kind stranger, the person who is not afraid to talk and listen to your troubles. She to me is like my best friend, she's always there to be a helping hand. In a way she is the Clarence to the George's of the world. I really enjoyed Nell's character, she isn't perfect and has flaws but throughout the story. The impact Nell has on people is the equivalent to what one act of kindness can do to a person's bad day.
Charlie is the perfect stranger from the outside. Nell thinks she has him figured out from the get go but she couldn't be more than wrong. Charlie's exterior reminds us that we never know what's going on in someone's life. It was also really good that Sunderland touched on the subject of mental health in men in particular. The more we learn about Charlie the more we realise he is far more than a charming Irishman.
If there is one thing this book teaches its that everything happens for a reason. This book is brimming with hope that will make your heart melt and make you believe that although you might have dark days, the sun will one day shine again.
I loved this book so much. It's one of those books that leaves you wondering how anything could ever live up to it. It had me crying multiple times, laughing loads and pieced my heart back together. It's a brilliant book that I'm finding hard not to spoil it for you.
If you're a fan of Emma Cooper, Cecelia Ahern or Holly Miller then add this book to your list. You won't regret it one bit.
Rating: 5* out of 5
I'd like to say thank you to Netgalley and Avon publishers for sending me an arc in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
After all tomorrow is another day spent reading.
Till next time,
Phoebe x
At First Sight is available to buy now from Amazon but if you are able to, remember to support your local book store.