When Emily moves to Ireland for love, she is hoping to leave her past behind her. She isn't prepared for a nosy sister-in-law, the complications of marriage, or being entrusted with her father-in-law's biggest secret. But what she least expects is to miss the woman she was trying so hard to get away from, her mother. While this new life is daunting, love and determination push her forward, as she slowly adjusts to the unique beauty that is Ireland.
I was hoping this would be fairly good, since the storyline sounded interesting. The writing was just so-so and as others have mentioned it had grammatical errors, which always drops a book rating down a star or two right off the start for me. I have been to Ireland for a 2 week holiday before and she did a fairly good job describing the setting. The interactions between the characters was fairly good, but nothing much really happened in the book. The few areas that did progress were predictable, and mostly unbelievable. At least it was a really fast read.
Having just moved to Ireland with my husband, I was really looking forward to reading this book. While I laughed at Emily's frustrations with the washing machine, that was where the enjoyment ended. The characters had no depth. There was no real descriptions of what they looked like, except for Brendan. Emily and Collin are childish and self absorbed. Completely unlikable. Both treat each other pretty poorly. I could not understand why they even got married. Emily is constantly in the midst of a pity party. Collin is condescending. The fact that Emily calls him out on his drinking is a joke. Pot calling kettle I'd say. Except for the few times the author mentions where the characters are living, there's nothing to tell us about the location, again no depth. The basic storyline isn't bad, the writing isn't bad, but much more could have been done with the material.
What really sucks is that I liked this book, but not for the story itself. Emily has just moved across the seas from her life in Chicago to a new married life with her husband Collin. And there you have it. That's the base of the story. Emily gets married to Collin, but you never really find out why. It seemed like the first person that shown a liking to her and asked her to marry them on a drunken whim, she went with. You never really understand why they are really married. It seems more like their dating than in an actual marriage. Yes I understand that she comes from a broken home, and yes, I get it, she has many demons and being in unknown territory doesn't help the situation. But guess what? It was all of her own accord. Every character here could have used a little more grit and backstory. My actual rating comes from Emily being a real person with a real story. Her life just felt more like something that would be a day to day even than an actual story, because I'm pretty positive a life of PTSD does not get fixed in a month.
I cannot even figure out what to say about this poorly written novel. It is replete with grammatical and punctuation errors. The story takes three times as long as was needed to tell. Virtually nothing happens in a way that is even remotely believable.
Spoilers ahead.
Emily was raised without a father by her mother, her aunt and, oddly, her cousin, Jeremy who speaks to her from the grave. She marries Collin and moves to his home country, Ireland, where nothing goes right and she cannot adapt until, miraculously, she does. She makes up with her mother. Her husband begins doing the work he was meant to do instead of slogging along in the family business. It just goes on and on with Emily fixing everything in just a couple short weeks.
I got this book from Bookbub. It was clearly worth the free download (and what can you expect from a free download?), but while it was an enjoyable and quick read, I have to admit that if I paid money for it I’d have been disappointed. There were noticeable grammatical errors (something I can’t stand) and I really wasn’t sure what the point of the book was. The book was almost over before I discovered any sort of conflict and MAYBE a purpose. All that said, it was an easy and enjoyable read. I liked the characters and I could relate to Emily easily. If you can get this book for free, go for it.
Takes guts to write about a book especially about an American who marries an Irishman and the high jinks start! Please as the author re-read your work there are some spelling and grammatical errors. With such a sweet story , this book is your baby and I don't want to offend you but I thought you should know! Thank you for the free book and I really enjoyed reading it! Being Irish American I know the emotional code and you got that down pat! Kudos ! Will read your books again!
I didnt know if i would like this book when i read the first few pages because of the main character, Emily',relationship with her cousins ghost. However, i quickly became engrossed into the story of Emily's new marriage to Collin, her new life in Ireland, and her budding relationship with her new Irish family. Not to mention Emily's rebuildingof her relationship with her mother and letting go of her unhealthy relationship with her dead cousin. I couldn't put this book down and I wish there was a sequel!
I expected the usual rosy (if weirdly different) picture of Ireland with a happy ending but this was somehow largely depressing, revolving around Emily’s shitty childhood and making peace with her mother.
In the end, it became more about the writer’s insistence on repeating the wrong word, despite footnotes indicating she knew it was probably wrong but she was embracing the wrongness anyway. For the record, you BUTT in, like a goat. You don’t “bud” in like… a flower? Whilst I’m whinging, there are no racks involved when you WRACK your brain. *Sigh*
Romantic, wholesome, entertaining.....all of this in one rainy afternoon read. I have a soft spot in my heart for Emily as I was once an American transplanted to Ireland. The weather, the people, the town's, the differences in culture all fade in the glow of a new marriage and new life. Emily and I both adjusted very well.
This story was exceptionally well written and the plot was just a big WOW! Crafton pens an unbelievably engaging story and such real characters. I will definitely look for more from this author.
I love Ireland and love to read books that are set in Ireland. While this was okay, it was not Mave Binchy, which is unfair for me to say, because there will never be another Mave Binc.
Thoroughly enjoyed everything about this story. Great cast of characters. I kind of forgot that they were fictional. Perfect bedtime read but has enough substance to be a book club selection. Truly thought provoking in a totally enjoyable and engrossing way.
This was a well written tale about family, secrets and unspoken feelings. Emily is great character as well as her newly found in laws. I loved the bits of Irish culture.
I felt a few scenes were rushed, but otherwise good. Additionally, “budded” was substituted for “butted.” One butts into a conversations, one does not “bud” into a conversation. The editor should have caught it, especially since it appeared more than once.
A lesson in respect, comunication, honesty and love. Relationships are two way. To make or it break depends on the actions of both parties. To do nothing twists perceptions and brings a fog that is hard to clear away and see the problem.
She marries a man from Ireland and they settle in Cork. He’s not happy with his job and she’s stuck in the past. Her anger at her Mom threatens to ruin her marriage but she finally finds that her new family can heal her old family.
This book starts out a little slow,but it soon gathers speed. As newly married Emily learns more about Collin's family secrets, she begins to understand famiky dynamics. This in turn makes her understand her own relationship with her mom. Light and easy to read.
A family learning to accept each other, the ways of other countries and the ways within their own family. Tender and caring yet sometimes harsh and hostile.
A cute story about family, love, and grief. I relate so much to Emily that I realized I could be nosey in the same way. Perfect blend of wit and romance too.
Love the story. Love the location, I've been in cork n recognized places she talked about, clean straight forward nice story, would love a sequel..thanks Suzanne