Retreat to the Spanish Sun
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-18 06:53:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jo Thomas
- ISBN：0552178667
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Eliza has a full house！ When her three children grew up and moved out， she downsized to a smaller property。。。 but now they're all back。 Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself sharing her bed with her eldest daughter and her daughter's pug。 Combined with the online course she's trying to finish， plus her job to fit in， there just isn't the peace and quiet that Eliza needs。
So when an ad pops up on her laptop saying 'house-sitters wanted'， Eliza can't resist the chance to escape。 She ends up moving to a rural finca in southern Spain， looking after the owner's Iberico pigs， learning about secret gastronomic societies。。。 and finding a new zest for life and love along the way。
So when an ad pops up on her laptop saying 'house-sitters wanted'， Eliza can't resist the chance to escape。 She ends up moving to a rural finca in southern Spain， looking after the owner's Iberico pigs， learning about secret gastronomic societies。。。 and finding a new zest for life and love along the way。
Reviews
Carolann
，
Oh what a super story！Jo Thomas never lets you down！'Retreat to the Spanish Sun' was/is exactly that！ I was there， or so I thought until I became aware of my surroundings！Eliza is a mother of three grown up children/adults， who have moved back in with her， for one reason or another。 She decides， that she needs peace & quiet to do her final college essay， so she applies to 'house-sit' in Spain on a farm， and that's when things start to happen！！Such a super story， I couldn't or didn't want to put Oh what a super story！Jo Thomas never lets you down！'Retreat to the Spanish Sun' was/is exactly that！ I was there， or so I thought until I became aware of my surroundings！Eliza is a mother of three grown up children/adults， who have moved back in with her， for one reason or another。 She decides， that she needs peace & quiet to do her final college essay， so she applies to 'house-sit' in Spain on a farm， and that's when things start to happen！！Such a super story， I couldn't or didn't want to put it down！！ Loved it！！ 。。。more
suzie
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should've been called "retreat to the spanish ham" should've been called "retreat to the spanish ham" 。。。more
Stacey Bennett
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Really did not enjoy this one， started okay but then sorry to say I got bored
Abby Welker
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I loved this book for a quick， summertime read！ I loved Eliza， I was tired for her， and her trip to Spain sounded dreamy！ To really enjoy this book， expectations of reality and common sense have to be set aside and allowance made for the author to take you along for a fun getaway。 It's not deep， it's a little predictable， but it's a fun story to enjoy if you don't mind any of that。 I loved this book for a quick， summertime read！ I loved Eliza， I was tired for her， and her trip to Spain sounded dreamy！ To really enjoy this book， expectations of reality and common sense have to be set aside and allowance made for the author to take you along for a fun getaway。 It's not deep， it's a little predictable， but it's a fun story to enjoy if you don't mind any of that。 。。。more
Nicola Smith
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It's a happy day when there's a new Jo Thomas to pick up。 This latest release， Retreat to the Spanish Sun， is an absolute joy。Eliza's three grown up kids have returned to the nest but she lives in a small flat and there's just no room for them all。 Struggling to find space to do her work as an estate agency receptionist alongside college work， she takes a short term position as a house-sitter in southern Spain to give her the time to breathe and finish her essay。 However， it's not long until she It's a happy day when there's a new Jo Thomas to pick up。 This latest release， Retreat to the Spanish Sun， is an absolute joy。Eliza's three grown up kids have returned to the nest but she lives in a small flat and there's just no room for them all。 Struggling to find space to do her work as an estate agency receptionist alongside college work， she takes a short term position as a house-sitter in southern Spain to give her the time to breathe and finish her essay。 However， it's not long until she's fully immersed in Spanish life and the pig farm where she's staying。I found this such an evocative read and could totally imagine the house and the swimming pool and the pigs， especially Banderas， the lovesick boar。 There's warmth in abundance， from imagining the feel of the sun on Eliza's face to the feelings that she gets when she meets new friends， and the gorgeous pig farmer， Josep。 I loved Josep and may have had a little swoon over him myself！I've never read a book with so much excitement and intrigue over ham！ I really liked the way that food and taste played such a huge part of the story - the sherry， the tapas and yes， the melt in the mouth ham。 It's that unique Thomas blend of food and travel that makes her books so appealing。Eliza has a big adventure in this story and I was so pleased for how things turned out for her。 I think this is one of my favourite Jo Thomas books - the romance， the cuisine and the camaraderie made it really special。 I loved it。 Bring on the next one now！ 。。。more
Katie
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A heartwarming， wholesome summer read！ Another hit from Jo Thomas that will have you wanting to jet off to Spain and leave it all behind。 I was hooked from the beginning and it only took me a few hours to finish it！My only negative is that I left it sitting on my net galley shelf for far too long！
Best Crime Books & More
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Eliza is a mum with three grown up children， however Eliza has had enough and needs a break from real life。 She decides on a whim to sign up to be a house-sitter and as luck would have it somebody is in need of a house-sitter for a farmhouse in Spain。 Eliza packs up her things and leaves her adult children to it， determined to make the most of the few weeks of peace enabling her to finish an online course she is currently working on。When she arrives to the house， the owner is somewhat abrupt but Eliza is a mum with three grown up children， however Eliza has had enough and needs a break from real life。 She decides on a whim to sign up to be a house-sitter and as luck would have it somebody is in need of a house-sitter for a farmhouse in Spain。 Eliza packs up her things and leaves her adult children to it， determined to make the most of the few weeks of peace enabling her to finish an online course she is currently working on。When she arrives to the house， the owner is somewhat abrupt but Eliza sees him off and is left in charge of the beautiful house and two dogs。 Eliza is a nice enough character to read about， and I have certainly enjoyed all the Jo Thomas books I have read before this one。 However， for some reason there was an element of disbelief to this story。 Don't get me wrong it didn't make the book any less enjoyable it just didn't quite live up to her other books I have read and thoroughly enjoyed。 There are a few funny moments as Eliza manages to get herself into quite a predicament whilst doing something as simple as house sitting。 Stolen prized hams， ex-pat Spanish language classes and tapas bars make for some amusing scenes and likeable additional characters。 This was still a reasonably enjoyable book that is perfect getaway material， maybe just not quite as enjoyable as some of her other books。 。。。more
Kim
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This was a lovely read。 Eliza has her empty nest refilled with her kids and she needs a bit of space to finish some coursework。 When she spots an ad to housesit in Spain， she's straight on the plane with her laptop。I loved her exploring the surrounding area and finding a local 'Spanish' group at the local cafe。 They tend to meet to chat and eat- but it's a lovely group of people。 She also befriends the owner。Back on the farm she finds herself learning how to look after the pigs and trying to che This was a lovely read。 Eliza has her empty nest refilled with her kids and she needs a bit of space to finish some coursework。 When she spots an ad to housesit in Spain， she's straight on the plane with her laptop。I loved her exploring the surrounding area and finding a local 'Spanish' group at the local cafe。 They tend to meet to chat and eat- but it's a lovely group of people。 She also befriends the owner。Back on the farm she finds herself learning how to look after the pigs and trying to cheer up the male pig， who seems to be depressed。She also encourages the cafe owner to take part in the food festival along with trying to solve a mystery。 A lovely story about friendships， families ， romance and dreams。 Who could ask for more？ 。。。more
Lisa M
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A really easy， summery read。 It was refreshing to have someone middle aged as the MC and I was a fan of Eliza。 You know what you're getting with Jo's novels and she's an auto-buy author for me。 A really easy， summery read。 It was refreshing to have someone middle aged as the MC and I was a fan of Eliza。 You know what you're getting with Jo's novels and she's an auto-buy author for me。 。。。more
Julie
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Rating: 4。5 StarsBest-selling author Jo Thomas is back with an escapist， entertaining and deliciously feel-good charmer: Retreat to the Spanish Sun。When Eliza’s children grew up and moved out， she decided to downsize to a smaller property。 She never in a million years imagined that she would have a full house yet again， but unfortunately， fate had other ideas in store for her and her family because her three kids needed somewhere to stay and ended up taking over her small house！ Poor Eliza doesn Rating: 4。5 StarsBest-selling author Jo Thomas is back with an escapist， entertaining and deliciously feel-good charmer: Retreat to the Spanish Sun。When Eliza’s children grew up and moved out， she decided to downsize to a smaller property。 She never in a million years imagined that she would have a full house yet again， but unfortunately， fate had other ideas in store for her and her family because her three kids needed somewhere to stay and ended up taking over her small house！ Poor Eliza doesn’t have a single corner in her house to call her own – she even has to share her bed with her daughter and her pug。 Eliza cannot get a moment’s peace in her own home and she is desperate for some peace and quiet and a chance to focus on the online course she is currently studying for。 Eliza just want some time for herself unshackled by duties and responsibilities and when an ad pops up online， it looks like her prayers have finally been answered。The owners of a rural finca in Southern Spain need somebody to house-sit for them and Eliza fits the bill perfectly！ Bidding her kids hasta la vista， she packs her bags and heads off to Spain where under the sizzling Mediterranean sun， she finally begins to feel like herself again。 With delicious wine to sample， mouth-watering food to discover and Iberico pigs to look after， Eliza soon finds a new zest for life – and even a new romance…Has Eliza found what she has long been looking for in Spain？ Will her temporary retreat end up becoming more permanent？ Or will she find herself forced to return back to her small overcrowded house and the daily grind？Jo Thomas’s Retreat to the Spanish Sun is a sparkling， witty and wonderfully uplifting treat that cannot fail to brighten up your day and bring a smile to your face。 A brilliantly written and immensely enjoyable page-turner full of lip-smacking descriptions of local food and wine， gorgeously evoked locales， colourful characters， laugh out loud humour and touching romance， Jo Thomas’s Retreat to the Spanish Sun is the perfect summer read。I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
A Page of Fictional Love
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Loved this book so much！ Was an amazing plot to follow。 Eliza kept me company through the UK heatwave， and just as she finds peace so too do I when the temperature started to cool down。 Can't wait to read more of Jo's books now Loved this book so much！ Was an amazing plot to follow。 Eliza kept me company through the UK heatwave， and just as she finds peace so too do I when the temperature started to cool down。 Can't wait to read more of Jo's books now 。。。more
Laura
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Perfect for summer readingSaw this book on BookBub's recommendations and decided to give it a try with a friend。 Despite its slow plot desvelopment， the story ends up being a heart-warming read。 I liked the sensation it left in the end — a woman who found herself and accomplished what she didn't even know she wanted and needed。 Perfect for summer readingSaw this book on BookBub's recommendations and decided to give it a try with a friend。 Despite its slow plot desvelopment， the story ends up being a heart-warming read。 I liked the sensation it left in the end — a woman who found herself and accomplished what she didn't even know she wanted and needed。 。。。more
My Yorkshire Litmosphere
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Set in Southern Spain， there is sunshine， romance and good food。 Sounds perfect really。I read this wanting a chilled fun beach read to have with me on my holidays。 Guaranteed I didnt want anything too heavy or something that needed my full attention but just enough to keep the read interesting。This is one basic bitch。 The plot is entirely predictable， it does get quite repetitive and its so cringey in some places 😂 The main character is ridiculous， naive and quite honestly I’m surprised she has Set in Southern Spain， there is sunshine， romance and good food。 Sounds perfect really。I read this wanting a chilled fun beach read to have with me on my holidays。 Guaranteed I didnt want anything too heavy or something that needed my full attention but just enough to keep the read interesting。This is one basic bitch。 The plot is entirely predictable， it does get quite repetitive and its so cringey in some places 😂 The main character is ridiculous， naive and quite honestly I’m surprised she has reached adulthood with how clueless she is！That being said， its an easy read and therefore ideal for my reading situation。 It will make you want to rent a finca in southern Spain and eat tapas all day long but goddamit it just could have been better。 。。。more
Leanne Moloney
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Another quick romance novel by Jo Thomas。 Eliza children have all grown up and left home she divorced her husband the main trouble is that all。three children， Luke， Ruby。and Edie have all come back to stay with their mother。 They are quite literally filling all over one another and the two bedroom house is "bursting at the seams" 。then the mother， Eliza， spots an advertisement online looking for house sitters， this one is in South West Spain for two weeks。 Just enough time to let Eliza finish he Another quick romance novel by Jo Thomas。 Eliza children have all grown up and left home she divorced her husband the main trouble is that all。three children， Luke， Ruby。and Edie have all come back to stay with their mother。 They are quite literally filling all over one another and the two bedroom house is "bursting at the seams" 。then the mother， Eliza， spots an advertisement online looking for house sitters， this one is in South West Spain for two weeks。 Just enough time to let Eliza finish her work for her foundation course， find out what she wants to do next in life all alone in the peace and quiet sitting by the pool。 Or so she though， until she bumps into a so called Spanish convention group in a bar， where she ends up working。 Also she gets involved in a mystery and a hijacking！ Oh and course there is a particular interest that is easy trot spot from the beginningA very quick easy summer read spread across only two weeks so very fast paced。 If you want a book with more depth look elsewhere。Thanks to Net and the publishers for giving me a free digital copy of he book in exchange for a full， crank and honest review。but 。。。more
Christine Robinson
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I don't normally like books set abroad but Jo Thomas as such a way of writing about the characters， the setting and culture of places that I love her books。 This one did take me a little longer to get into than others but still an enjoyable read。 The story concentrates on Eliza a divorcee， with 3 adult children that need to learn to stand on their own 2 feet。 Looking for a new career， Eliza has returned to education and needs to get her dissertation finished， she just needs some space。 She signs I don't normally like books set abroad but Jo Thomas as such a way of writing about the characters， the setting and culture of places that I love her books。 This one did take me a little longer to get into than others but still an enjoyable read。 The story concentrates on Eliza a divorcee， with 3 adult children that need to learn to stand on their own 2 feet。 Looking for a new career， Eliza has returned to education and needs to get her dissertation finished， she just needs some space。 She signs up to house sit in a beautiful traditional area of Spain。 No-one to look after just some sand， peace and writing。 What can go wrong！ Finding herself joining a Spanish conversation class， helping out in a restaurant and looking after prize pigs， and chasing criminals leaves very little time for her essay。 Lovely book and loved learning about Spanish ham and tapas。 。。。more
Leith Devine
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I liked this book a lot！ It’s sweet and funny with really memorable characters。 The descriptions of the small town in Spain and it’s inhabitants are great， there are some very quirky personalities！ This is the perfect book to read if you need to get away for a bit。 I recommend this one， 4。5 stars。 Synopsis:Eliza has a full house！ When her three children grew up and moved out， she downsized to a smaller property。。。 but now they're all back。 Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself I liked this book a lot！ It’s sweet and funny with really memorable characters。 The descriptions of the small town in Spain and it’s inhabitants are great， there are some very quirky personalities！ This is the perfect book to read if you need to get away for a bit。 I recommend this one， 4。5 stars。 Synopsis:Eliza has a full house！ When her three children grew up and moved out， she downsized to a smaller property。。。 but now they're all back。 Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself sharing her bed with her eldest daughter and her daughter's pug。 Combined with the online course she's trying to finish， plus her job to fit in， there just isn't the peace and quiet that Eliza needs。So when an ad pops up on her laptop saying 'house-sitters wanted'， Eliza can't resist the chance to escape。 She ends up moving to a rural finca in southern Spain， looking after the owner's Iberico pigs， learning about secret gastronomic societies。。。 and finding a new zest for life and love along the way。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Joanne D'Arcy
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If a book could exude sunshine then this would be the book that would do it – you can feel the warmth， the heat， the brightness from the pages as you read。Eliza needs the sunshine， after her children grew up and left home as well as her husband， she downsized。 Then the children came back in dribs and drabs with their partners， and Eliza finds she doesn’t have any space anymore to do anything that she wants to。A chance advert looking for a housesitter for a month seems like the perfect opportunit If a book could exude sunshine then this would be the book that would do it – you can feel the warmth， the heat， the brightness from the pages as you read。Eliza needs the sunshine， after her children grew up and left home as well as her husband， she downsized。 Then the children came back in dribs and drabs with their partners， and Eliza finds she doesn’t have any space anymore to do anything that she wants to。A chance advert looking for a housesitter for a month seems like the perfect opportunity to catch up， reset and focus on herself for a while away from the crowded house。Eliza finds herself in Spain， housesitting for a rather mysterious man who has left strict instructions about not allowing the dogs on the bed and not having any parties。 Oh and not to worry about the pigs。 The pigs in question are those that produce Iberico and Serrano Ham and I was fascinated by this process which added to the books plot in its own way。Not looking for friends as this is only temporary Eliza finds herself in a Tapas Bar with a load of ex-pats who all have stories of how they come to be in the Spanish Village。 As time goes on and the mystery of the owner of the villa she is staying out deepens as does her love for the pigs as well as the mysterious Gastronomical Society， Eliza finds herself more and more attached to this part of Spain， her new friends and the freedom from her old life。There is something about Jo Thomas books that I am discovering – they are balms for busy lives。 The setting， the food， the scenery， the people and the story that kept me hooked and coming back for more sunshine。Highly recommend for anyone who fancies a summer in the sun without all the airport hassle and the calories from the food！ Buy now and escape。 。。。more
Caroline
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Throughout the novel， our heroine Eliza is struggling to write her end of term paper which is all about wellness and what makes us happy。 This theme runs throughout the novel and it's lovely。 In fact this book made me very happy indeed！It's a very sweet novel about empty nesters （and the return of said nestees） and finding out what truly makes you happy， even if it something out of the norm。 In this case pig-farming。 It's a novel about celebrating life and letting go of past regrets and finding Throughout the novel， our heroine Eliza is struggling to write her end of term paper which is all about wellness and what makes us happy。 This theme runs throughout the novel and it's lovely。 In fact this book made me very happy indeed！It's a very sweet novel about empty nesters （and the return of said nestees） and finding out what truly makes you happy， even if it something out of the norm。 In this case pig-farming。 It's a novel about celebrating life and letting go of past regrets and finding out what truly， truly makes you happy， makes you laugh and makes you fizz with delight。 Eliza is a great character， likeable， capable and struggling to find a role other than 'mum'。 I love the range of people she meets at the Spanish language club。 And I really enjoyed learning about food snobbery and taking great care with animal welfare and food production。 We learn all about how Iberico ham is produced， how the gentle care of the pigs in the most beautiful of environs， ensures the very best tasting meat。 This book feels like a love letter to the lazy， hazy days of a summer spent in Spain， and allowed me to voraciously holiday within its pages。。 （We are struggling to book a holiday at the moment！）。 This is a wonderful summer read， perfect for a holiday or a lazy weekend spent in bed。 。。。more
Gemma Jenkinson
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I was kindly gifted this book by @RandomTTours and @Jothomasauthor as part of the Instagram book tour， in exchange for my honest opinion。This was my first book by Jo Thomas and I wasn’t sure what to expect。 The blurb for the book sounded just like what I need。 I’d love to be able to up and leave for a relaxing and peaceful holiday！ And within the first couple of chapters she’s upped and left and is now house sitting in Spain。 But it doesn’t quite turn out to be the relaxing break away she was ho I was kindly gifted this book by @RandomTTours and @Jothomasauthor as part of the Instagram book tour， in exchange for my honest opinion。This was my first book by Jo Thomas and I wasn’t sure what to expect。 The blurb for the book sounded just like what I need。 I’d love to be able to up and leave for a relaxing and peaceful holiday！ And within the first couple of chapters she’s upped and left and is now house sitting in Spain。 But it doesn’t quite turn out to be the relaxing break away she was hoping for。 I found it an easy read。 The book takes you on a journey of self discovery， romance， mystery and drama。 I especially loved the bond between Eliza and her 3 children。 Still don’t know how I feel about the pigs， I know so much about ham than I ought to。 。。。more
Penny
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Loved the book and the settingI so enjoyed the characters in this book。 I loved that they all seemed so real to me。 The setting was just so wonderful as well。I suppose that the last part was a bit farfetched， when dealing with a criminal element but the human part of the story and heart of the book was done so well that it didn't much matter。I would definitely recommend this book。 Loved the book and the settingI so enjoyed the characters in this book。 I loved that they all seemed so real to me。 The setting was just so wonderful as well。I suppose that the last part was a bit farfetched， when dealing with a criminal element but the human part of the story and heart of the book was done so well that it didn't much matter。I would definitely recommend this book。 。。。more
Jodie （JT）
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This was easy to read and I found I really liked Eliza and really enjoyed getting to know her。 If I didn't have so much going on it would have been a quick read。 I also enjoyed learning about pig farming but it was the spainsh conversation group which really added the magic of the book Eliza new friends I loved。 This was easy to read and I found I really liked Eliza and really enjoyed getting to know her。 If I didn't have so much going on it would have been a quick read。 I also enjoyed learning about pig farming but it was the spainsh conversation group which really added the magic of the book Eliza new friends I loved。 。。。more
Karen Cossar
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Trying to refind my love of reading with some comfort reading。 Not sure this was for me， but I finished it in a couple of days so it must be helping！
Lisa
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I liked everything about the book except for the main character。 Eliza was too naive and simple for me。 This book really has me craving Spanish food though， I need to go and find some tapas！
Melanie
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This was an easy book to read with a nice story。 Loved the descriptions of Spanish life and food
AngelaC
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Who knew how delightful it would be to learn about pigs while watching a woman get reacquainted with herself， and experience a little Spanish countryside？？
Connie Mason
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Lovely ，wonderful book。I enjoyed it from the first page。 Great information about Spain and the wonderful hams they produce。 Love it 。
Rachel Quinlan
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Easy read， escapism。 I could feel the warmth of the Spanish sun， the sense of fun， the guilt at Eliza not getting her essay written and then the mystery of the disappearing hams。 The van chase felt all wrong in the book - was it a summer romance， or a mystery with a sense of menace？ I loved the ending， which did redeem the book for me。
Angela Ratcliff
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I love Jo's books。 Always a lovely story and I feel like I'm learning something too。 But I always want food whilst I'm reading。 Pure， all round feel good book。 Finished it in just over a day I love Jo's books。 Always a lovely story and I feel like I'm learning something too。 But I always want food whilst I'm reading。 Pure， all round feel good book。 Finished it in just over a day 。。。more
Jane Anders
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Sunshine，friends and foodA fabulous read proving friends and love are wha everyone needs。 Especially friends who all share their pasts and futures。
Louise
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