What do you think?
Rate this book
Rosalee Station
Return to Rosalee Station
Best-selling Australian author Mandy Magro returns to the world of her debut novel, Rosalee Station, with a new tragic and harrowing story of love and second chances, set deep in the heart of the Australian outback.
Can they find the path to forgiveness and healing, or will grief keep them apart forever?
After eight years of marriage, Sarah Walsh had thought she and Matt would be together forever. But when a fatal accident serves up the cruellest punishment any mother could face, their relationship falters. Sarah is helpless as Matt flies off the rails—she braves one last-ditch attempt to try and make him see they need to work together to get through the heartache. But will it be enough? And what about her—how does she go on alone?
Reeling from devastation and guilt, Matt gets the wake-up call he needs to save his marriage before it's too late. But the way forward is littered with obstacles, and he can see it's only by returning to the outback beauty and isolation of Rosalee Station that he has any chance to reclaim the man he once was. But will this separation end up costing him everything?
Can they find the path to forgiveness and healing, or will grief keep them apart forever?
After eight years of marriage, Sarah Walsh had thought she and Matt would be together forever. But when a fatal accident serves up the cruellest punishment any mother could face, their relationship falters. Sarah is helpless as Matt flies off the rails—she braves one last-ditch attempt to try and make him see they need to work together to get through the heartache. But will it be enough? And what about her—how does she go on alone?
Reeling from devastation and guilt, Matt gets the wake-up call he needs to save his marriage before it's too late. But the way forward is littered with obstacles, and he can see it's only by returning to the outback beauty and isolation of Rosalee Station that he has any chance to reclaim the man he once was. But will this separation end up costing him everything?
Audible Audio
Published March 26, 2019
20 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Mandy Magro
39 books331 followersMandy Magro lives in Cairns, Far North Queensland, with her daughter, Chloe Rose. With pristine aqua-blue coastline in one direction, and sweeping rural landscapes in the other, she describes her home as heaven on earth. A passionate woman, and a romantic at heart, she loves writing about soul-deep love, the Australian rural way of life, and all the wonderful characters that live there.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 13, 2018
Matt and Sarah Walsh had been married for eight years and had been as happy as they’d been when they first married for the first seven. Then disaster struck and for the past year, their marriage was coming apart at the seams. Both were overcome by grief – both handled it in different ways. Matt took to the bottle and shut Sarah out, not there for her in her grief, or letting her be there for him.
Matt returned to Rosalee Station, the home of his family and where he’d grown up – also the place he’d first met Sarah – to work on finding the old Matt. He left Sarah at their home on the coast – they both knew they needed time apart, but would it make or break them?
Return to Rosalee Station is a follow up to Aussie author Mandy Magro’s debut novel, Rosalee Station, which I enjoyed. I was a little disappointed by this one though – it was very repetitious, going over and over the grief, the reasons for it and the blame on both sides. I also felt there were way too many “ockerisms” throughout the book. Set in the vast Queensland outback, where red dust and intense heat are normal, where properties are huge and mustering the cattle takes at least a week, Return to Rosalee Station is a book many will enjoy.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Matt returned to Rosalee Station, the home of his family and where he’d grown up – also the place he’d first met Sarah – to work on finding the old Matt. He left Sarah at their home on the coast – they both knew they needed time apart, but would it make or break them?
Return to Rosalee Station is a follow up to Aussie author Mandy Magro’s debut novel, Rosalee Station, which I enjoyed. I was a little disappointed by this one though – it was very repetitious, going over and over the grief, the reasons for it and the blame on both sides. I also felt there were way too many “ockerisms” throughout the book. Set in the vast Queensland outback, where red dust and intense heat are normal, where properties are huge and mustering the cattle takes at least a week, Return to Rosalee Station is a book many will enjoy.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2019
Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one as much as I was anticipating. Granted, I haven't read the first one in this duo, Rosalee Station. Perhaps if I had I may be a bit more invested in the characters. Ultimately though, this one wasn't for me.
A tragic accident occurs and Sarah and Matt's world is thrown into chaos. Turning to alcohol, Matt finds his solace in the bottom of the bottle. Their marriage is failing. In an attempt to reconnect to himself, he goes back to Rosalee Station.
I hate to say it, but I just didn't like Matt. I struggled with his decisions and his relationship with Sarah. This is why I really wish that I had read the first one. Maybe it would have helped me see him in a different light. I appreciate what he was going through, his guilt and grief. But I just didn't warm to him.
I found it to drag on and it took me a long time to get through it even though it was not a long book. I found some of the characters to be unrealistic and over the top and the some of the dialogue got on my nerves a bit.
However, I liked that she tackled some very emotive topics. Alcoholism is far more common in our country than I think a lot of people realise. And I enjoyed the rural setting of Rosalee Station.
Would I recommend Return to Rosalee Station?
I think a lot of people will enjoy this one. I would definitely recommend reading the previous one first so that you have a better feel for the characters than I did.
Thanks to Harlequin for a copy of Return to Rosalee Station for me to review.
A tragic accident occurs and Sarah and Matt's world is thrown into chaos. Turning to alcohol, Matt finds his solace in the bottom of the bottle. Their marriage is failing. In an attempt to reconnect to himself, he goes back to Rosalee Station.
I hate to say it, but I just didn't like Matt. I struggled with his decisions and his relationship with Sarah. This is why I really wish that I had read the first one. Maybe it would have helped me see him in a different light. I appreciate what he was going through, his guilt and grief. But I just didn't warm to him.
I found it to drag on and it took me a long time to get through it even though it was not a long book. I found some of the characters to be unrealistic and over the top and the some of the dialogue got on my nerves a bit.
However, I liked that she tackled some very emotive topics. Alcoholism is far more common in our country than I think a lot of people realise. And I enjoyed the rural setting of Rosalee Station.
Would I recommend Return to Rosalee Station?
I think a lot of people will enjoy this one. I would definitely recommend reading the previous one first so that you have a better feel for the characters than I did.
Thanks to Harlequin for a copy of Return to Rosalee Station for me to review.
November 27, 2018
Normally when I finish a book, I like to post how that book made me feel straight away. But one book I couldn’t do that because of the emotions it stirred in me. Return to Rosalee Station was that book, Mandy Magro’s sequel to Rosalee Station. It tells the story of Matt and Sarah and how after a tragic event their Marriage is falling apart due to Matt’s inability to deal with the ongoing grief and his Alcoholism. This is where the emotions arise for me. Because Matt is me, they are the exact struggles I went through. The inability not to be able to face life without being affected by alcohol or drugs. The inability to be able to share my emotions with others, to be surrounded by so many loving, wonderful people but feeling so alone. Mandy does an absolute brilliant job writing about all of this, that not only did she write a great novel, she also helped me remember the struggles that have got me where I am today and made me the person who I am. So thank you Mandy for such a wonderful story. 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅
December 17, 2018
Another great Mandy Magro read. Must find a copy of Rosalee Station to read now so that I have the whole story.
This is a storyline I can relate to! When you have a death in the family it throws the family dynamics out and is really hard to deal with. It can take a really long time to recover from the shock and loss. Things are never quite the same afterwards and everyone grieves in different ways.
Well done Mandy.
This is a storyline I can relate to! When you have a death in the family it throws the family dynamics out and is really hard to deal with. It can take a really long time to recover from the shock and loss. Things are never quite the same afterwards and everyone grieves in different ways.
Well done Mandy.
December 11, 2018
Return To Rosalee Station is about love, loss, guilt and forgiveness. Matt and Sarah Walsh thought they had everything love, the farm they both love and beautiful little girl. However, a fatal accident on Matt family's farm changed everything Matt and Sarah live forever. The readers of Return To Rosalee Station will continue to follow Matt and Sarah to find out what happened.
Return To Rosalee Station brought back the characters of Matt and Sarah Walsh who I fell in love with in Rosalee Station and allow me to have closure. Return To Rosalee Station was well written and researched by Mandy Magro. I love Mandy Magro portrayal of her characters and the way they interact with each other. The settings of Return To Rosalee Station was described well by Mandy Magro. I like that Mandy Magro always highlight social issues that affect Australian rural communities
The readers of Return To Rosalee Station will learn about the devastation of guilt on a person and how it affects everyone around them. Also, the readers of Return To Rosalee Station will start to understand the hardship that cattlemen go through while mustering cattle in the isolated rural areas of Australia.
I recommend this book.
Return To Rosalee Station brought back the characters of Matt and Sarah Walsh who I fell in love with in Rosalee Station and allow me to have closure. Return To Rosalee Station was well written and researched by Mandy Magro. I love Mandy Magro portrayal of her characters and the way they interact with each other. The settings of Return To Rosalee Station was described well by Mandy Magro. I like that Mandy Magro always highlight social issues that affect Australian rural communities
The readers of Return To Rosalee Station will learn about the devastation of guilt on a person and how it affects everyone around them. Also, the readers of Return To Rosalee Station will start to understand the hardship that cattlemen go through while mustering cattle in the isolated rural areas of Australia.
I recommend this book.
November 18, 2018
Matt and Sarah Walsh have now been married for eight years living on their farm Tranquil Valley Malanda in far North Queensland. A year earlier on a visit back to Rosalee station Matt, Sarah and younger daughter Eve when an accident happens that involves Matt driven his ute to take his daughter fishing with his mate when a bull rams the ute forcing it to overturn killing Matt little girl.
So begins the emotional upheaval for Matt and Sarah how they both deal differently with her death. Matt with the guilt of being driving and Eve of not having her seatbelt on drives him drinking alcohol to get him through the pain. Sarah is also grieving for the daughter they lost but also fears that she may lose Matt as he slowly killing himself with the Alcohol and worries that marriage could be over.
After a year of this Matt finally goes to the doctor for help after Sarah's beautiful heartful letter to him of fears, feelings in which prompts Matt to seek advice. Matt then decides to be the man that Sarah deserves he needs to return to Rosalee Station where it all began to heal so he informs his family before Sarah but when he tells her later she feels hurt about this. So she tells him she will return to her hometown while he way.
Matt returns to Rosalee station goes on a muster with his mate Slim and the other farmhands while there we see Matt as a venerable man, his strength to fight his demons to become the man Sarah deserves as he feels he has failed her and their beautiful daughter Eve. We also see the way Sarah deals with feelings as well but one thing is clear that they both still care for each other deeply.
Sarah visits the church while in Meeraba visiting the Priests words were very moving and uplifting to me.
I will give too much more away of how it ends but I will say this that is the book is one of Mandy Magro finest to date with roar emotions of the main characters bring me to tears at times while reading and as feeling for them both. As we all have struggles in our lives some more most of us that we can read a book don't what it would be like to lose a child but I do know what it is like to lose a sibling at a young age. So Mandy thanks for writing the sequel to Rosalee Station. Will, there be a third book I wonder what can these two go through. I recommend anyone to read this book if that Australian rural romances with quite a bit of Aussie slang in it as wel.
So begins the emotional upheaval for Matt and Sarah how they both deal differently with her death. Matt with the guilt of being driving and Eve of not having her seatbelt on drives him drinking alcohol to get him through the pain. Sarah is also grieving for the daughter they lost but also fears that she may lose Matt as he slowly killing himself with the Alcohol and worries that marriage could be over.
After a year of this Matt finally goes to the doctor for help after Sarah's beautiful heartful letter to him of fears, feelings in which prompts Matt to seek advice. Matt then decides to be the man that Sarah deserves he needs to return to Rosalee Station where it all began to heal so he informs his family before Sarah but when he tells her later she feels hurt about this. So she tells him she will return to her hometown while he way.
Matt returns to Rosalee station goes on a muster with his mate Slim and the other farmhands while there we see Matt as a venerable man, his strength to fight his demons to become the man Sarah deserves as he feels he has failed her and their beautiful daughter Eve. We also see the way Sarah deals with feelings as well but one thing is clear that they both still care for each other deeply.
Sarah visits the church while in Meeraba visiting the Priests words were very moving and uplifting to me.
I will give too much more away of how it ends but I will say this that is the book is one of Mandy Magro finest to date with roar emotions of the main characters bring me to tears at times while reading and as feeling for them both. As we all have struggles in our lives some more most of us that we can read a book don't what it would be like to lose a child but I do know what it is like to lose a sibling at a young age. So Mandy thanks for writing the sequel to Rosalee Station. Will, there be a third book I wonder what can these two go through. I recommend anyone to read this book if that Australian rural romances with quite a bit of Aussie slang in it as wel.
November 5, 2018
I have not had the pleasure of reading a book by Mandy Magro before and I must say it was a wonderful story set in my home state of Queensland Australia. I did not learn that this book was the second book about Rosalee Station the first one being the author's debut novel. So if you are like me you will still able to read this wonderful book and if you are a fan you will get to return to Rosalee Station and learn what has happened since the last book. This is a heartfelt second chance story about a married couple fighting to save their marriage after a tragedy. This book hits on some strong topics Death, alcoholism and marriage breakdowns. This book is a true Australian read with Aussie slang and lingo throughout. I received an ARC copy from NetGalley of this book that I am reviewing honestly and voluntary.
Sarah Walsh is giving her husband one last chance to get his life back on track and to leave the bottle on the shelf. She can no longer keep fighting for the both of them when every day is a struggle to take a step towards a new future, she must learn to cope with the tragedy that happened at Rosalee station.
Matt Walsh cannot go a day without drinking the pain and memories away to make it to the next day. But this is not doing his eight-year marriage any good he can’t do lose her as well. Will a wake-up call give Matt the strength to do what he must not just for Sarah but for himself. Grief, forgiveness and healing seem like a long way away but Matt sets off back to Rosalee Station to try and find the answers and the man he once was. Home is the outback and the beauty and isolation of Rosalee station might just be better than any doctors medication or any therapy session.
Is it too late to say the marriage and love they once had together?
Can healing bring them back together again?
Or will Matt continue to punish himself for the accident?
This is an author I will be looking out for in the future as I really enjoyed this Australian story after reading a lot of books set in the USA of late. Nothing like a homegrown book to have you all warm and fuzzy.
Sarah Walsh is giving her husband one last chance to get his life back on track and to leave the bottle on the shelf. She can no longer keep fighting for the both of them when every day is a struggle to take a step towards a new future, she must learn to cope with the tragedy that happened at Rosalee station.
Matt Walsh cannot go a day without drinking the pain and memories away to make it to the next day. But this is not doing his eight-year marriage any good he can’t do lose her as well. Will a wake-up call give Matt the strength to do what he must not just for Sarah but for himself. Grief, forgiveness and healing seem like a long way away but Matt sets off back to Rosalee Station to try and find the answers and the man he once was. Home is the outback and the beauty and isolation of Rosalee station might just be better than any doctors medication or any therapy session.
Is it too late to say the marriage and love they once had together?
Can healing bring them back together again?
Or will Matt continue to punish himself for the accident?
This is an author I will be looking out for in the future as I really enjoyed this Australian story after reading a lot of books set in the USA of late. Nothing like a homegrown book to have you all warm and fuzzy.
July 6, 2019
3.5 stars This took me a fair while to really get into, I couldn't really get a feeling for the characters, but that could have been my mood at the time of picking it up the first time. I did put it down for a while and came back to it a couple of months later. These two people, Sarah and Matt, have been through so much, losing a child must be one of the hardest things to get through. We meet Sarah and Matt a year after the loss of their daughter and their relationship is falling apart. Matt has turned to alcohol to get him through the pain and guilt he is struggling with, whilst Sarah is struggling, feeling she has no support from her husband and that she is losing him to the drink. As they part ways so as Matt can take himself off to heal, Sarah struggles with this loss too. This novel helps bring alcoholism to the front of peoples minds and the struggle that the person dealing with the addiction goes through, as well as the toll it places on those who love them. It also focuses on grief and how there isn't a timeline for how people deal with it, nor is there one single way of dealing with it, everyone will require something different to cope and move through this. An enjoyable and heartfelt read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for a digital copy in return for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for a digital copy in return for an honest review.
November 25, 2018
The much awaited sequel to Rosalee Station, this book is wonderful. I re-read Rosalee Station, to refresh the characters and story line but if you haven’t read it, don’t worry. There is enough back story for you know what has gone on. So sit back and enjoy.
Sarah and Matt are the main characters in the story and their marriage starts to falter, after a cruel accident, one which Matt blames on himself. Matt hits the bottle, to dull the pain. Sarah tries to stay strong but feels helpless and he slides further into his guilt.
Matt walks away from Sarah and returns to his families’ property and tries to work through his grief, pain and going cold turkey, from the booze and become the man Sarah fell in love with. Sarah also goes home to her family and makes a decision to ‘stop and smell the roses’, as she tries to sort out her own emotions and her feelings for Matt.
A wonderful supporting cast of characters try and help these two lost and distraught people, see that they are both hurting and need to help each other.
A beautiful read, that had me reaching for the tissues, one minuet, wanting to slap both Matt and Sarah, the next and then wanting to hug them and make them better. Mandy has written a fantastic sequel and it is well worth adding to your Christmas wish list or your To Be Read pile, at the top. (Read Rosalee Station, as well.)
Sarah and Matt are the main characters in the story and their marriage starts to falter, after a cruel accident, one which Matt blames on himself. Matt hits the bottle, to dull the pain. Sarah tries to stay strong but feels helpless and he slides further into his guilt.
Matt walks away from Sarah and returns to his families’ property and tries to work through his grief, pain and going cold turkey, from the booze and become the man Sarah fell in love with. Sarah also goes home to her family and makes a decision to ‘stop and smell the roses’, as she tries to sort out her own emotions and her feelings for Matt.
A wonderful supporting cast of characters try and help these two lost and distraught people, see that they are both hurting and need to help each other.
A beautiful read, that had me reaching for the tissues, one minuet, wanting to slap both Matt and Sarah, the next and then wanting to hug them and make them better. Mandy has written a fantastic sequel and it is well worth adding to your Christmas wish list or your To Be Read pile, at the top. (Read Rosalee Station, as well.)
December 10, 2018
Return to Rosalee Station..... NOT WHAT I EXPECTED
I don’t like to read blurbs before I read a new novel as I like the surprise element, I can assure you what I read within the first handful of chapters is definitely not what I expected at all. I was an utter mess of emotions, my eyes wept and wept.
I don’t want to explain what happened otherwise that ruins the story.
Overall I really liked this novel, however for me I found a small section two thirds in was a little slow. I guess the story started off with such a huge high of emotion, the novel did end on a big high also.
Well done Mandy Magro, this definitely would have been a very hard novel to write, but you did it extremely well.
Thank you beauty and lace for the chance to read and review this book.
I don’t like to read blurbs before I read a new novel as I like the surprise element, I can assure you what I read within the first handful of chapters is definitely not what I expected at all. I was an utter mess of emotions, my eyes wept and wept.
I don’t want to explain what happened otherwise that ruins the story.
Overall I really liked this novel, however for me I found a small section two thirds in was a little slow. I guess the story started off with such a huge high of emotion, the novel did end on a big high also.
Well done Mandy Magro, this definitely would have been a very hard novel to write, but you did it extremely well.
Thank you beauty and lace for the chance to read and review this book.
October 18, 2018
What a beautiful yet heart wrenching story so full of raw emotion that had tears flowing more than once. Death, alcoholism and marriage breakdown, not great but sadly a part of every day life and you felt every sorrow as this story unfolded. You will need a box of tissues for this one!
These are characters we know yet they have changed with time and tragedy. The landscape is still the same and the story is told in true Aussie outback style full of Aussie slang and lingo. You don't need to have read Rosalee Station to read this, it reads well as a standalone.
These are characters we know yet they have changed with time and tragedy. The landscape is still the same and the story is told in true Aussie outback style full of Aussie slang and lingo. You don't need to have read Rosalee Station to read this, it reads well as a standalone.
November 4, 2018
Another great novel by Mandy.
December 27, 2018
What a wonderful sequel to Matt and Sarah's story. It was beautifully written and it really tugged at my heart strings. Mandy Magro is an amazing author!! I loved it!!
February 7, 2019
hard to get into very emotional too much drama for me and just not as good as I was hoping.
February 20, 2019
Lovely story! Enjoyed it. Nice to read of return to the station. Nice description of the struggle so many suffer.
November 19, 2022
So many tears 😭
Loved their happy ending
Loved their happy ending
July 7, 2019
Mandy Magro writes a great sequel to Rosalee Station. This book is heartbreaking, I feel like the emotions and situations of the characters are real. I really feel like Mandy had a great grasp on the situations in this book.
December 15, 2018
A tearjerker
October 27, 2019
I didn’t want this book to end. Great storyline had me from the beginning of the first book a must read
August 27, 2020
A pleasure to meet up with the loveable characters from Rosalee Station again and follow the life of two favourites. Once again I laughed, cried, was on the edge of my seat and could not put this book down. Heart wrenching, and heartwarming. I thoroughly enjoyed this book Mandy Magro!
September 14, 2019
Lovely story by Mangy Magro as always. Brilliant story, touching, heartwarming, emotional... just brilliant.
April 21, 2021
Was so easy to listen to
May 2, 2022
A sadder story than i was expecting but glad to read it as it now ties a few things up as i read the 3rd book before this. It was good to read
December 2, 2018
In her latest release, Australian rural romance author Mandy Magro revisits a familiar location and couple. Matt and Sarah’s meeting and courtship was detailed in her 2011 release, Rosalee Station. Now I haven’t read Rosalee Station but I honestly don’t think that matters because it skips forward a significant amount of years – Matt and Sarah have now been married for 8 years but 12 months ago the couple suffered a devastating and traumatic loss. Because of this, their marriage is slowly breaking down, exacerbated by Matt’s descent into alcoholism due to guilt because he blames himself for the accident that stole something precious from them.
The thing is, whilst it may have been an accident, the resulting consequences are actually undeniably Matt’s fault. He was careless, probably doing something he’d done a million times as a child and probably even as an adult without thinking twice. And maybe 99.9% of the time you can do such a thing and be fine. But there’s always that chance something will go wrong – and when it does, it turns Matt and Sarah’s lives completely upside down. They are shattered and broken. I don’t know the rules of driving around farms but I honestly couldn’t believe that Matt didn’t face some sort of legal repercussion – he was the driver, he was responsible for his passengers, including a minor who isn’t able to make these decisions for themselves.
Moving on. It’s a year later and Matt and Sarah are in a bad place. Matt drinks every night and Sarah has had to take drastic action in the form of kind of an ultimatum but he finally seeks help. He decides that in order to really make this work, he has to leave Sarah and their own farm and return to his family’s farm, the titular Rosalee Station. Sarah is really upset by this, she wants to be able to help him through it but Matt is adamant he needs to do this without her around.
I commend Mandy Magro for tackling alcoholism and also for examining a couple who have had the heady highs and are now experiencing the worst of the lows. It’s interesting to me, to read about a couple going through a bad time and how they work through it together and come out of it. That kind of didn’t happen here as Matt removes himself from the marital home to deal with his problems and they don’t really part on the best of terms so they don’t even really have much in terms of communication. They are essentially living these two separate lives with the outcome hanging on if Matt can kick the drink. The thing is, I don’t really think Matt does anything to address the reason why he drinks. He refuses counselling and intends to just go cold turkey. His GP convinces him to fill some prescriptions for medicines that will help him with his withdrawal symptoms and at first he even refuses that. Matt’s expectations seem unrealistic and I guess that’s quite true of a lot of people that need to break out of an addiction cycle. The thing is, I don’t think just going “I’m not going to drink anymore” is enough when you are drinking for the reason that Matt is. That reason isn’t just going to magically go away without being actually examined, dealt with and moved past. Or at least moved past enough to function as a human being without using alcohol as a crutch because it’s not something that people just ‘get over’ and move past.
A lot of this story is bogged down in the day to day rituals and life – lots of descriptions about showering, breakfast, car drives, farm work, etc which does tend to take away from the more serious topics. Once Matt makes the decision to stop drinking, I thought there would be quite a bit more about that but it’s not as dominant a part of the story as I thought it would be. The thing is, alcoholism is a disease and it’s something someone like Matt will probably fight on and off (ie some days it’ll be easier, others much harder) for the rest of his life. Anytime something bad happens, he will have to control that instinct to drink it away. A lot of this is kind of glossed over because Matt doesn’t really talk about his drinking. I’m also not sure how serious he really was at times, because he stays somewhere he knows there’s a bottle of spirits. There were a few instances of Matt’s behaviour that felt like actual red flags for me – such as his reaction to Sarah going to a rodeo for her birthday as well as his thinking about Sarah when the two of them are separated. At times he seems almost resentful of the fact that she isn’t constantly calling to check on him or praise him or whatever, seemingly forgetting that he told her he could only do this a thousand kilometres away from her. I think Sarah was quite patient and she really did try to show him that she loved him but she also had her limits as well. I think it’s very difficult to know how you’d be in this situation unless you were actually living it but there were times when I felt like Matt seemed quite a lot of work. He was very resentful, full of self-loathing and guilt which is also why I questioned how successful he’d be without some sort of counselling to deal with those feelings and move forward. This could’ve been an opportunity to address men and seeking that sort of help. I actually feel like the book opted out of addressing some of the harder parts of Matt’s journey and it also gave us kind of like a “magic ending” which doesn’t show the ongoing effort.
Whilst I think this was a great idea, for me it did miss with the execution. There are so many things that just didn’t work for me – the dialogue is very over the top – if it’s not excessively flowery declarations of love and the like, everyone sounds like Alf Stewart and Steve Irwin had love children and populated this novel with them. The level of ocker is…..distracting. Very distracting. And I just think I expected a more in depth look at going cold turkey quitting a pretty hardcore drinking habit and addressing the sorts of things that led to that and this book didn’t really deliver on that for me. It was more about the day to day things and even though I knew Matt was going through a very difficult time, I didn’t warm to him as a person. I had sympathy for him, because he made a mistake and was going to have to deal with it for the rest of his life. But I didn’t like him. And some of his behaviour seemed a bit problematic to me, like when Sarah feels bad for saying she’ll go to the rodeo with her sister-in-law because she knows that Matt won’t like it. It felt like a very surface story and didn’t dig anywhere near as deep as I think it should have.
***A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
The thing is, whilst it may have been an accident, the resulting consequences are actually undeniably Matt’s fault. He was careless, probably doing something he’d done a million times as a child and probably even as an adult without thinking twice. And maybe 99.9% of the time you can do such a thing and be fine. But there’s always that chance something will go wrong – and when it does, it turns Matt and Sarah’s lives completely upside down. They are shattered and broken. I don’t know the rules of driving around farms but I honestly couldn’t believe that Matt didn’t face some sort of legal repercussion – he was the driver, he was responsible for his passengers, including a minor who isn’t able to make these decisions for themselves.
Moving on. It’s a year later and Matt and Sarah are in a bad place. Matt drinks every night and Sarah has had to take drastic action in the form of kind of an ultimatum but he finally seeks help. He decides that in order to really make this work, he has to leave Sarah and their own farm and return to his family’s farm, the titular Rosalee Station. Sarah is really upset by this, she wants to be able to help him through it but Matt is adamant he needs to do this without her around.
I commend Mandy Magro for tackling alcoholism and also for examining a couple who have had the heady highs and are now experiencing the worst of the lows. It’s interesting to me, to read about a couple going through a bad time and how they work through it together and come out of it. That kind of didn’t happen here as Matt removes himself from the marital home to deal with his problems and they don’t really part on the best of terms so they don’t even really have much in terms of communication. They are essentially living these two separate lives with the outcome hanging on if Matt can kick the drink. The thing is, I don’t really think Matt does anything to address the reason why he drinks. He refuses counselling and intends to just go cold turkey. His GP convinces him to fill some prescriptions for medicines that will help him with his withdrawal symptoms and at first he even refuses that. Matt’s expectations seem unrealistic and I guess that’s quite true of a lot of people that need to break out of an addiction cycle. The thing is, I don’t think just going “I’m not going to drink anymore” is enough when you are drinking for the reason that Matt is. That reason isn’t just going to magically go away without being actually examined, dealt with and moved past. Or at least moved past enough to function as a human being without using alcohol as a crutch because it’s not something that people just ‘get over’ and move past.
A lot of this story is bogged down in the day to day rituals and life – lots of descriptions about showering, breakfast, car drives, farm work, etc which does tend to take away from the more serious topics. Once Matt makes the decision to stop drinking, I thought there would be quite a bit more about that but it’s not as dominant a part of the story as I thought it would be. The thing is, alcoholism is a disease and it’s something someone like Matt will probably fight on and off (ie some days it’ll be easier, others much harder) for the rest of his life. Anytime something bad happens, he will have to control that instinct to drink it away. A lot of this is kind of glossed over because Matt doesn’t really talk about his drinking. I’m also not sure how serious he really was at times, because he stays somewhere he knows there’s a bottle of spirits. There were a few instances of Matt’s behaviour that felt like actual red flags for me – such as his reaction to Sarah going to a rodeo for her birthday as well as his thinking about Sarah when the two of them are separated. At times he seems almost resentful of the fact that she isn’t constantly calling to check on him or praise him or whatever, seemingly forgetting that he told her he could only do this a thousand kilometres away from her. I think Sarah was quite patient and she really did try to show him that she loved him but she also had her limits as well. I think it’s very difficult to know how you’d be in this situation unless you were actually living it but there were times when I felt like Matt seemed quite a lot of work. He was very resentful, full of self-loathing and guilt which is also why I questioned how successful he’d be without some sort of counselling to deal with those feelings and move forward. This could’ve been an opportunity to address men and seeking that sort of help. I actually feel like the book opted out of addressing some of the harder parts of Matt’s journey and it also gave us kind of like a “magic ending” which doesn’t show the ongoing effort.
Whilst I think this was a great idea, for me it did miss with the execution. There are so many things that just didn’t work for me – the dialogue is very over the top – if it’s not excessively flowery declarations of love and the like, everyone sounds like Alf Stewart and Steve Irwin had love children and populated this novel with them. The level of ocker is…..distracting. Very distracting. And I just think I expected a more in depth look at going cold turkey quitting a pretty hardcore drinking habit and addressing the sorts of things that led to that and this book didn’t really deliver on that for me. It was more about the day to day things and even though I knew Matt was going through a very difficult time, I didn’t warm to him as a person. I had sympathy for him, because he made a mistake and was going to have to deal with it for the rest of his life. But I didn’t like him. And some of his behaviour seemed a bit problematic to me, like when Sarah feels bad for saying she’ll go to the rodeo with her sister-in-law because she knows that Matt won’t like it. It felt like a very surface story and didn’t dig anywhere near as deep as I think it should have.
***A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
August 21, 2020
Return To Rosalee Station
(Rosalee Station #2)
by
Mandy Magro
Return To Rosalee Station was my third book written by Mandy Magro and possibly the pick of the three.
Return To Rosalee Station is set about eight years after Matt and Sarah elope in Rosalee Station, and in the first twelve months after an accident claimed the life of their young daughter Eve. Matt has taken to substance abuse leaving Sarah to battle her own demons, alone and lonely. Both are considering the future of their marriage. Will it survive the strain of an untimely death?
Eventually Matt decides to return to Rosalee Station on his own believing the isolation will help him in his ‘cold turkey’ bid to overcome his addiction. While he is away Sarah returns to her parents or a few weeks.
Part of my review of Rosalee Station contained negative comments regarding Louise Crawford’s character voices. Based on the fact that throughout my life jackaroos (station hands) have usually been in their twenties, I stated that many of the ‘boys’ sounded like 'old men'. Some of these characters are reprised in Return To Rosalee Station with two of them being aged at nearly seventy and in his sixties, if my memory is correct. My apologies to Ms Crawford for my earlier comments; her character voices sounded more appropriate this time round.
Fortunately rhyming slang was minimal in Return To Rosalee Station and if I was listening properly there only seemed to be one outstanding passage where coarse language was over used.
Overall, I found Return to Rosalee Station more believable than its predecessor Rosalee Station. How, family members managed their grief after a death in the family is totally different for everyone, so much so that it can tear a family apart as Matt and Sarah feared.
I rated Return To Rosalee Station as a three star audiobook.
At the time of writing my review other Goodreads readers had awarded Return To Rosalee Station an average of 4.03 stars from 122 ratings and 25 reviews
(Rosalee Station #2)
by
Mandy Magro
Return To Rosalee Station was my third book written by Mandy Magro and possibly the pick of the three.
Return To Rosalee Station is set about eight years after Matt and Sarah elope in Rosalee Station, and in the first twelve months after an accident claimed the life of their young daughter Eve. Matt has taken to substance abuse leaving Sarah to battle her own demons, alone and lonely. Both are considering the future of their marriage. Will it survive the strain of an untimely death?
Eventually Matt decides to return to Rosalee Station on his own believing the isolation will help him in his ‘cold turkey’ bid to overcome his addiction. While he is away Sarah returns to her parents or a few weeks.
Part of my review of Rosalee Station contained negative comments regarding Louise Crawford’s character voices. Based on the fact that throughout my life jackaroos (station hands) have usually been in their twenties, I stated that many of the ‘boys’ sounded like 'old men'. Some of these characters are reprised in Return To Rosalee Station with two of them being aged at nearly seventy and in his sixties, if my memory is correct. My apologies to Ms Crawford for my earlier comments; her character voices sounded more appropriate this time round.
Fortunately rhyming slang was minimal in Return To Rosalee Station and if I was listening properly there only seemed to be one outstanding passage where coarse language was over used.
Overall, I found Return to Rosalee Station more believable than its predecessor Rosalee Station. How, family members managed their grief after a death in the family is totally different for everyone, so much so that it can tear a family apart as Matt and Sarah feared.
I rated Return To Rosalee Station as a three star audiobook.
At the time of writing my review other Goodreads readers had awarded Return To Rosalee Station an average of 4.03 stars from 122 ratings and 25 reviews
December 14, 2021
If it's predecessor was all about being young and carefree, 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 is a stark contrast. The main characters we got to know have no choice to grow up and face some pretty distressing stuff.
We rejoin Matt Walsh and Sarah Clarke after eight years. Now married, they have a daughter, six year old Eve. On New Year's Day, Matt takes his cherished little girl out fishing. Tragically, after a horrendous accident, Eve dies.
Matt is unable to cope, blaming himself. Instead of getting the help he desperately needs, instead he turns to the drink. This is a decision that will either make or break his marriage.
Knowing that his marriage is threatened, Matt decides to return to his family station. By himself, to try to kick his addiction. Whilst Sarah doesn't really agree with this, she accepts his decision. A trial seperation is the only way for this usually loved up couple to move ahead.
From here, the story is set on Rosalee Station and the Clarke Fruit farm. Seperated, Matt and Sarah are grieving in their own way for their daughter, and trying to get on with life. It's harrowing to think that they really should be facing their issues together as a couple.
𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 is a very sad read. I really felt for Matt and Sarah. I've got experience with grief and bereavement, and it's written with such raw emotion. Everything seems so real with this outing and it's impossible to not share their grief.
🌟🌟🌟🌟✨/5
We rejoin Matt Walsh and Sarah Clarke after eight years. Now married, they have a daughter, six year old Eve. On New Year's Day, Matt takes his cherished little girl out fishing. Tragically, after a horrendous accident, Eve dies.
Matt is unable to cope, blaming himself. Instead of getting the help he desperately needs, instead he turns to the drink. This is a decision that will either make or break his marriage.
Knowing that his marriage is threatened, Matt decides to return to his family station. By himself, to try to kick his addiction. Whilst Sarah doesn't really agree with this, she accepts his decision. A trial seperation is the only way for this usually loved up couple to move ahead.
From here, the story is set on Rosalee Station and the Clarke Fruit farm. Seperated, Matt and Sarah are grieving in their own way for their daughter, and trying to get on with life. It's harrowing to think that they really should be facing their issues together as a couple.
𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 is a very sad read. I really felt for Matt and Sarah. I've got experience with grief and bereavement, and it's written with such raw emotion. Everything seems so real with this outing and it's impossible to not share their grief.
🌟🌟🌟🌟✨/5
October 22, 2021
This is the second novel set at Rosalee Station, Sarah and Matt have been married for 8 years, but there is an unhappiness in their marriage, a deep loss that they may not come back from.
There was a mixture of emotions in this story, my heart broke for Sarah and Matt who’d come together in the earlier novel “Rosalee Station” they’d married and made a life for themselves. But to say things weren’t all roses is an understatement. A devastating event leads to a breakdown in their relationship and eventually a separation.
I flew through this novel, invested in the future happiness of Sarah and Matt, I was completely hooked and by the end my heart had been healed.
I am very much looking forward to continuing on with this story when Mandy Magro’s new novel “Road to Rosalee” is published in December.
There was a mixture of emotions in this story, my heart broke for Sarah and Matt who’d come together in the earlier novel “Rosalee Station” they’d married and made a life for themselves. But to say things weren’t all roses is an understatement. A devastating event leads to a breakdown in their relationship and eventually a separation.
I flew through this novel, invested in the future happiness of Sarah and Matt, I was completely hooked and by the end my heart had been healed.
I am very much looking forward to continuing on with this story when Mandy Magro’s new novel “Road to Rosalee” is published in December.
February 1, 2022
After eight years of marriage, Sarah Walsh had thought she and Matt would be together forever. But when a fatal accident serves up the cruelest punishment any mother could face, their relationship falters. Sarah is helpless as Matt flies off the rails – she braves one last–ditch attempt to try and make him see they need to work together to get through the heartache. But will it be enough? And what about her – how does she go on alone? Reeling from devastation and guilt, Matt gets the wakeup call he needs to save his marriage before it's too late. But the way forward is littered with obstacles, and he can see it's only by returning to the outback beauty and isolation of Rosalee Station that he has any chance to reclaim the man he once was. But will this separation end up costing him everything?
February 28, 2019
What a load of waffle! I didn’t think it possible but yes this book was even worse than the first one, Rosalee Station.
I’ve only given 2 stars because I stuck it out to the end. Otherwise it would be 1 which I give to the books I dump.
Feelings and thoughts repeated over and over and over.
Stilted conversations, unrealistic expressions, frustrating characters, the pain just goes on.
This narrator, as in the first book, does the worst voices ever.
If I heard the words “in so hungry I could eat the bum out of a low flying duck” or “we have to get up at sparrows fart” or “what’s up girlfriend?” One mire time I was going to scream.
Don’t bother
I’ve only given 2 stars because I stuck it out to the end. Otherwise it would be 1 which I give to the books I dump.
Feelings and thoughts repeated over and over and over.
Stilted conversations, unrealistic expressions, frustrating characters, the pain just goes on.
This narrator, as in the first book, does the worst voices ever.
If I heard the words “in so hungry I could eat the bum out of a low flying duck” or “we have to get up at sparrows fart” or “what’s up girlfriend?” One mire time I was going to scream.
Don’t bother
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews