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The Next Chapter: Your epic adventure of summer 2025 with this witty novel from the author of MY (EXTRA)ORDINARY LIFE
Not yet published
Expected 16 Jun 26336 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 5, 2025
A great little palate cleanser of a book. Based on loveable characters. Lily is getting over the death of her beloved dad and mum, who died several years earlier. She is adopted, and as part of a letter, her dad left her she goes off to meet her birth mother, who is not the spoilt rock star she expected. Lily loves structure, routine, and organisation in her life. Her best friend Seb owns a memoir writing company,and she is asked to write the memoir of her pop punk birth mother. There's romance as well in the form of adventure seeking travel writer Noah. It's not overly sweet, which I loved. Ultimately, it's about love, friendships, found family, relationships, and grief beautifully written. Set on the Isle of Skye, this becomes another beautiful character. The characters are well rounded and you root for them to be in a good place. The ending of the book is neatly brought together, although not contrived. A thoroughly charming, engaging, heartfelt, enjoyable read.
August 19, 2025
Ghost writer Lily Brown has a new assignment.
I feel I ought to write a thank you letter to Rebecca Ryan rather than a review of The Next Chapter. Occasionally, a reader needs a particular type of book at a particular moment and so it was with The Next Chapter. I loved it. I had not been able to settle to reading, but Rebecca Ryan’s perfect blend of wit, warmth and wonderful storytelling had me entranced and reignited my love of books and my ability to focus. It also provided me with the most uplifting sense of the possibilities of life in the future. That’s a sensational effect from a book.
The story is smashing, especially being set predominantly on the Isle of Skye where the environment, the hotel and the activities play a vital and engaging part of the story (though I won’t be skydiving any time soon!). There’s a real sense of quest and identity underpinning The Next Chapter with a finely balanced exploration of the search for truth and the deceptions we tell – particularly to ourselves. It is Lily’s development through these themes that makes The Next Chapter incredibly entertaining.
Lily Brown is a triumph of a character. She’s so realistic that her personality thrums with vibrancy. Filled with self-doubt, addicted to lists and the ultimate people pleaser, Lily is highly relatable. I adored how her relationships are displayed across the narrative. Her friendship with Seb provides much of the humour in the novel and he helps the reader discover Lily’s true personality. Her attraction to Noah adds a warmly romantic aspect that is delightful and I was quite in love with Noah myself. But it is when Lily discovers more about Lola that we get a true understanding of the complexities of Lily’s character because Lily’s perceptions about herself and her previous life shift and realign in a kind of literary kaleidoscope. Rebecca Ryan has a highly perceptive insight into humanity that is spot on, so that it’s impossible not to feel you’re on the same journey as her characters. I absolutely adored this aspect of the story.
Even those with more minor roles are realistic and appealing, from the truculent Harper to the indolent Clementine. Every person here adds colour, development and contrast to Lily’s personality. The relatively small cast split between Manchester and Skye makes the writing feel intimate and all the more convincing. Indeed, the whole story has quite a traditional dramatic unity of time (six weeks) and place (Skye) that adds depth and engagement.
It’s quite challenging to convey how much I enjoyed The Next Chapter. It’s definitely fun, emotional, escapist and romantic, and is just perfect for a holiday read, but somehow it manages to be greater than the sum of its parts so that it leaves a surprising mark on the reader. Rebecca Ryan is fast becoming my ‘go to’ author of uplifting, engaging and thoroughly entertaining stories. don’t miss The Next Chapter. It’s an absolute cracker!
I feel I ought to write a thank you letter to Rebecca Ryan rather than a review of The Next Chapter. Occasionally, a reader needs a particular type of book at a particular moment and so it was with The Next Chapter. I loved it. I had not been able to settle to reading, but Rebecca Ryan’s perfect blend of wit, warmth and wonderful storytelling had me entranced and reignited my love of books and my ability to focus. It also provided me with the most uplifting sense of the possibilities of life in the future. That’s a sensational effect from a book.
The story is smashing, especially being set predominantly on the Isle of Skye where the environment, the hotel and the activities play a vital and engaging part of the story (though I won’t be skydiving any time soon!). There’s a real sense of quest and identity underpinning The Next Chapter with a finely balanced exploration of the search for truth and the deceptions we tell – particularly to ourselves. It is Lily’s development through these themes that makes The Next Chapter incredibly entertaining.
Lily Brown is a triumph of a character. She’s so realistic that her personality thrums with vibrancy. Filled with self-doubt, addicted to lists and the ultimate people pleaser, Lily is highly relatable. I adored how her relationships are displayed across the narrative. Her friendship with Seb provides much of the humour in the novel and he helps the reader discover Lily’s true personality. Her attraction to Noah adds a warmly romantic aspect that is delightful and I was quite in love with Noah myself. But it is when Lily discovers more about Lola that we get a true understanding of the complexities of Lily’s character because Lily’s perceptions about herself and her previous life shift and realign in a kind of literary kaleidoscope. Rebecca Ryan has a highly perceptive insight into humanity that is spot on, so that it’s impossible not to feel you’re on the same journey as her characters. I absolutely adored this aspect of the story.
Even those with more minor roles are realistic and appealing, from the truculent Harper to the indolent Clementine. Every person here adds colour, development and contrast to Lily’s personality. The relatively small cast split between Manchester and Skye makes the writing feel intimate and all the more convincing. Indeed, the whole story has quite a traditional dramatic unity of time (six weeks) and place (Skye) that adds depth and engagement.
It’s quite challenging to convey how much I enjoyed The Next Chapter. It’s definitely fun, emotional, escapist and romantic, and is just perfect for a holiday read, but somehow it manages to be greater than the sum of its parts so that it leaves a surprising mark on the reader. Rebecca Ryan is fast becoming my ‘go to’ author of uplifting, engaging and thoroughly entertaining stories. don’t miss The Next Chapter. It’s an absolute cracker!
August 7, 2025
Moving, had me close to tears a few times. Lily is as organised as I wish I could be, though perhaps takes it a little ott some times, though I get her need to be in control.
Her relationship with Noah is pure, yes there is some UST to start with, but they soon move beyond that, and despite some initial misunderstandings, it's not messy. I like the fact that there is no predictable third-act twist (seriously, those frustrate me).
This is a story of found families, but also of missed opportunities, emotional strains and life. And I really loved it.
Her relationship with Noah is pure, yes there is some UST to start with, but they soon move beyond that, and despite some initial misunderstandings, it's not messy. I like the fact that there is no predictable third-act twist (seriously, those frustrate me).
This is a story of found families, but also of missed opportunities, emotional strains and life. And I really loved it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews