Reviewed by Kira Slaughter
There are some things in life you just can’t plan for...
Eloise Elliot is one of the youngest newspaper editors in the country. But on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, she’s hit with a sharp pang of loneliness. With dazzling clarity, she realises what she wants- someone to share her life with.
Fast forward three years and she is the adoring mother of a gorgeous little girl, Lily. Juggling a high-powered job with single motherhood is not easy and when Lily starts asking about ‘Daddy’ Eloise begins to panic. What will she tell her?
So Eloise goes on a mission to find Lily’s father. After all, she chose the perfect donor, surely there won’t be any surprises...
When I think of a Claudia Carroll book, I automatically think of being curled up on the sofa with a brew and the fire on. She always manages to create stories that give you a ready-brek like glow, and her last few books have been great.
This book opens on Eloise, the main character, celebrating her thirtieth birthday with a few ‘friends’ from work. It’s a bit of a damp squib, for want of a better phrase, and it causes Eloise to reflect on her life so far. Being one of the youngest newspaper editors in Ireland doesn’t exactly give her life a lot of meaning, so she makes a drastic decision, with dramatic consequences.
Initially, I couldn’t really empathize with Eloise: her character seemed a bit too clinical for me. As the story develops, however, and I was introduced to more characters, such as Eloise’s sister Helen and Jake, I began to see Eloise as an actual person rather than the robot like woman we are introduced to in the beginning.
I found myself second guessing how the story would play out, which to me is always a good sign as I know the book has me gripped. As Eloise goes on a wild goose chase and comes across more than she bargained for, you can’t help but feel every emotion along with her as she tries to find answers to some very important questions.
Overall, this was a very impressive book from Claudia Carroll, with some welcome surprises and brilliant characters.
7/10
