Meet Me at Pebble Beach

Meet Me At Pebble Beach

By Bella Osborne

Full of love, loss, laughter and the perfect summer read.

Published by AVON 2020 in both ebook & paperback.

Book review, no spoilers I swear!!

If you have been following my blog for a while you will know that last year I read my first Osborne novel, A Walk in Wildflower Park which if you haven't read yet I recommend you do. Anyway, after reading that book I fell in love with Osborne's writing so when her newest novel came out I had to read it! And boy is it good. Like so good. Like probably one of Osborne's best. But before I tell you my thoughts on this book perhaps I should give you the blurb, give you an idea of what its about.

The Blurb:

Regan is holding a winning lottery ticket. Goodbye to the boyfriend who never had her back and so long to the job she can't stand! Except it's all a bit too good to be true...

When Regan gets pranked, she finds herself jobless, homeless and boyfriendless in one fell swoop.

Luckily her friendly seaside community provides a beacon of hope, proving to Regan that sometimes you really can rely on the kindness of others - and one local in particular, a handsome fireman called Charlie, helps Regan realise that this could be her chance for a fresh start.

Armed with a list of ways to change her life, Regan decides it's time to step out of her comfort zone. Because - as Charlie knows all too well - life is for the living...

Thoughts:

I knew this was going to be a great book from the very first sentence. "Regan knew it was going to be a bad day when she awoke to find a half-eaten kebab as a pillow." For starters that has to be one of the most relatable opening sentence I have read. It was that very first sentence that I knew I was going to fall in love with Regan and this book and had nothing to do with the fact I have been in a similar situation before...

Regan is like the type of friend that is messy, clumsy, funny who has a heart of gold and you know for a fact that you can't imagine life without her in it. I loved how Regan is this character that doesn't really have a plan. She doesn't know what she wants from life and that in itself is relatable. Who actually knows what they want from life?

Regan's fallen on hard times when we meet her and lives in Brighton, she has basically hit rock-bottom. The story follows Regan as she tries to get her life back on track, a life that she wants, not what she is expected to have. Using a list of what she would do if she won the lottery being the thing that prompts her throughout the book.

Charlie ladies and gents is nothing short of a dream man. That's all I have to say.

Charlie is caring, happy go lucky, supportive and is always on hand to help. He is the force that backs Regan throughout the book and pushes her to pursue her dreams and go after the things she wants. In a way Charlie is the inspiration for Regan, proving to her that you don't need money to be happy, just the right people.

I laughed so much at this book and I can't remember the last time I laughed so much. Osborne's wit and language is full and all too real. This book also uses humour to balance out the other themes within this book, themes of homelessness, sexual identity and death.

The subplots of the other characters brought warmth into the story line with all the side characters having there own importance and influence over Regan's journey. I especially liked how each character was written as they were written with such love that I felt myself caring for the other characters and hoped throughout that they would get there happy endings as well. Cleo, Kevin and Beanstalk (Elvis too) all have a special place in my heart, them being characters that melted my heart. I can't tell you as that would mean spoilers.

If there is one thing Osborne does brilliantly in this book, it is how she writes about the friendships and family relations in her books. There honest, real and everytime you read it, it's like returning to an old friend.

You should know that this book has it all. For me I loved every bit of it and thought the journey of both Regan and Charlie to be one that is full of warmth, love and bittersweet in areas as they both come to face problems that shake there relationship.

Overall I loved this book. I laughed, I cried and I wished I could re-read this for the first time all over again. I just want to pack my bag, write my lottery list and go on an adventure. Because if anything, this book will inspire you to live life the way you want and to spend it with the right people. If you're a fan of Jill Mansell, Carole Matthews, Cathy Bramley and need to escape then this is the book for you. Its pure lovely joy.

Rating: 5* out of 5 (one of my favourites)

After all tomorrow is another day spent reading,

Till next time,

Phoebe x

Meet Me at Pebble Beach is available to buy on Amazon