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A Brave Start
"A story of how a 5,000 mile, cross Atlantic trip taught a woman about fate, love, and self discovery.” When life hands you lemons, you’re supposed to make lemonade, right? What do you do when you don’t like lemonade? For Eleanor Gordon, nothing seemed to work out as expected. Instead of lemonade, she opts for a lovely tea, just not in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona but with a big leap across the pond to London, England. What happens next seems to be a lovely dream when she finds herself accepted to a prestigious writing program and living in a posh Central London flat. Eleanor encounters new friends and new places around London, meets a handsome and wealthy friend of her cousin and literally bumps into her movie star crush. Is London a dream come true? Or the start of another round of happy times leading to sad endings? Her journey doesn’t just come with London sightseeing, she’s on the road to understanding not only who to love, but how to finally put to rest trauma from the past and learn to trust herself again.
- GenresRomance
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 26, 2019
30 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 21, 2026
A Brave Start is the first book in Across the Pond romance series and I really enjoyed it. It is a nice book. I like its setting in London, England. It was interesting to follow Eleanor, who moved from Arizona, USA to London in order to study in a writing program. And to see how her life and relationships develop in London. The book is very well written and engaging. I am looking forward to the next book in this serie.
May 27, 2020
A breath of fresh air
This book was exactly what I needed. I absolutely loved following Ellie’s story within the magical city of London. The author did a great job of creatively showcasing the London lifestyle. I love that Ellie was strong and brave and not afraid to stand up for herself and go after what she wanted. We’re all afraid of the unknown and this this story helps to inspire those to find the courage for a brand new start!
This book was exactly what I needed. I absolutely loved following Ellie’s story within the magical city of London. The author did a great job of creatively showcasing the London lifestyle. I love that Ellie was strong and brave and not afraid to stand up for herself and go after what she wanted. We’re all afraid of the unknown and this this story helps to inspire those to find the courage for a brand new start!
August 23, 2024
LOVED this! Finally, a book where the author focuses on actual romance and a healthy relationship instead of just s*x all the time. I've already started book 2 and will buy all this author's books. I'm so excited to find another new favorite author.
I will note the character's love story happens over the course of 3 books instead of the standard 1 which makes the pace feel a lot more relaxed than other stories. I've been able to spend more time with the characters than I usually get to and nothing feels too rushed. The effect for me is more relaxing, relatable, and enjoyable.
I can see picking this book (and series) up for an annual re-read--something I enjoy doing with stories I truly adore.
Thank you to this author for doing what so many other authors refuse to do: write a book that makes me smile and feel the need to just hug it.
I've just added this to my "favorites" shelf.
I will note the character's love story happens over the course of 3 books instead of the standard 1 which makes the pace feel a lot more relaxed than other stories. I've been able to spend more time with the characters than I usually get to and nothing feels too rushed. The effect for me is more relaxing, relatable, and enjoyable.
I can see picking this book (and series) up for an annual re-read--something I enjoy doing with stories I truly adore.
Thank you to this author for doing what so many other authors refuse to do: write a book that makes me smile and feel the need to just hug it.
I've just added this to my "favorites" shelf.
February 13, 2026
I've been wanting to read this book for a while and I wasn't disappointed!
The story introduces us to Eleanor who is kind of at a dead end in her life. She's desperate for change but clearly doesn't know how... until her mum and aunt step in, offering her a life changing option: to study for a year in London.
As a reader, I really identified with Eleanor - it was almost as if my life was being played out on the page! Ellie is a likeable character, even though at times, I wanted to shake her tell her make a decision LOL! As the book progresses, she goes through so much change and finds the strength to stand on her own and pursue her own dreams on her own terms. I will say that, at times, her relationship with Mark got a little repetitive and I just couldn't see why she kept trying with him.
As someone who lives in the UK, it was good to see London through someone else's eyes and the level of detail in the description of the places Ellie saw and visited was impressive (the author really picked out the most interesting parts of the city to share with the reader).
Ellie and Patrick's relationship was a delightful slow burn and Patrick was lovely, showing his respect for Ellie in so many ways (a total contrast to Mark in my opinion). I liked that this relationship wasn't rushed and the ending was ending for this book.
Great start to a series!
The story introduces us to Eleanor who is kind of at a dead end in her life. She's desperate for change but clearly doesn't know how... until her mum and aunt step in, offering her a life changing option: to study for a year in London.
As a reader, I really identified with Eleanor - it was almost as if my life was being played out on the page! Ellie is a likeable character, even though at times, I wanted to shake her tell her make a decision LOL! As the book progresses, she goes through so much change and finds the strength to stand on her own and pursue her own dreams on her own terms. I will say that, at times, her relationship with Mark got a little repetitive and I just couldn't see why she kept trying with him.
As someone who lives in the UK, it was good to see London through someone else's eyes and the level of detail in the description of the places Ellie saw and visited was impressive (the author really picked out the most interesting parts of the city to share with the reader).
Ellie and Patrick's relationship was a delightful slow burn and Patrick was lovely, showing his respect for Ellie in so many ways (a total contrast to Mark in my opinion). I liked that this relationship wasn't rushed and the ending was ending for this book.
Great start to a series!
February 16, 2026
Absolutely loved this book! I felt transported to London England instantly. If you like destination literature this is for you.
The book starts out with Eleanor (who lives in Arizona) getting dumped by a real “areshole”. She is doing a job that isn’t fulfilling her dreams and so she needs a change of scenery. Her mom helps her get her to her aunt’s home who lives in London.
The beginning of the book gets us oriented in London. The author pays meticulous attention to detail without being overbearing. Eleanor starts a creative writing program to help her write her novel. She struggles with it in the beginning until about halfway through when some things in her life become clearer and she is able to implicate that into her work.
She makes friends, has “lovers” if you could call 2 out of the 3 of them that. She learns to stand up for herself in hard situations. She bumps into her movie star crush several times. He fancy’s her and the story delves into self exploration on her part after the nasty breakup and baggage she has. She begins to heal and wonders if she can’t have her dream life after all.
This was such a sweet tale. I am definitely drinking more tea now than I was before reading this story. I can’t wait to continue the story and go back to London. If you like a cute chic tale this is the one!
The book starts out with Eleanor (who lives in Arizona) getting dumped by a real “areshole”. She is doing a job that isn’t fulfilling her dreams and so she needs a change of scenery. Her mom helps her get her to her aunt’s home who lives in London.
The beginning of the book gets us oriented in London. The author pays meticulous attention to detail without being overbearing. Eleanor starts a creative writing program to help her write her novel. She struggles with it in the beginning until about halfway through when some things in her life become clearer and she is able to implicate that into her work.
She makes friends, has “lovers” if you could call 2 out of the 3 of them that. She learns to stand up for herself in hard situations. She bumps into her movie star crush several times. He fancy’s her and the story delves into self exploration on her part after the nasty breakup and baggage she has. She begins to heal and wonders if she can’t have her dream life after all.
This was such a sweet tale. I am definitely drinking more tea now than I was before reading this story. I can’t wait to continue the story and go back to London. If you like a cute chic tale this is the one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2025
Blissfully riveting. Andrea's writing wraps you so fully into Eleanor's life that you won't be able to put this book down! The dialogue is sharp and witty, like I can feel myself in the room watching Eleanor's life unfold. Looking forward to digging into the rest of the series!
March 9, 2023
I wanted to love it, but unfortunately, this wasn't for me. I didn't love the story or the writing. There were a few errors with grammar from editing. Overall, it was okay.
August 6, 2025
I think this was a great starting off point. I can see where the progress from here to her most recent books, the improvements (plotting) as well as where she has refined her talents (dialogue).
I’ll continue on with the rest of the Across the Pond series. I’m looking forward to where we go from here.
I’ll continue on with the rest of the Across the Pond series. I’m looking forward to where we go from here.
October 5, 2020
I enjoyed this premiere novel! I have both lived in the Phoenix area and studied in England, so both of the locations felt very familiar to me, and the details were well described and realistic. I think the fact that the setting felt so familiar meant that I wasn't as drawn back to the novel as I would have been with an entirely new setting. I did like the characters, and there were several parts of the plot that have stayed with me!
February 5, 2024
Cute story about finding your own strength and a beautiful love story. Made me cry, which is always a good sign.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews