Review: 'The House of New Beginnings' by Lucy Diamond (2017)

Number 11, Dukes Square, looks just like the other houses on the Brighton seafront: a Regency terrace with elegant sash windows, a winding staircase, and post piled up in the hall for its tenants. It might be part of the city's history, but it's also a place of brand new beginnings.
Georgie has followed her childhood sweetheart to Brighton but is determined to carve out a career for herself in journalism. Throwing herself into the city's delights is fun and exciting, but before she knows it, she's sliding into all kinds of trouble . . .
Charlotte's in the city for a new start, hoping to keep her head down and somehow get over the heartbreaking loss she's suffered in the past. But Margot, the stylish old lady on the top floor, has other ideas. Like it or not, Charlotte must confront the outside world, and the possibilities it still holds.
A terrible revelation sent Rosa running from London to start again as a sous chef. The work is gruelling and thankless but it's a distraction at least . . . until she comes up against the stroppy teenager next door who challenges her on her lifestyle choices. What if Rosa's passion for food could lead her to more interesting places?
As the three tenants find each other, it's as if a whole new chapter of their lives has begun.
One of the very first review copies I received when I started as a book blogger several years ago was Lucy Diamond's 'Me and Mr. Jones.' I still remember the soft yellow cover and how incredibly excited I was to have received an actual book from a UK publisher to review on my blog. Since then, this author has been kind of special to me, and it helps that I also always thoroughly enjoy her stories. For that reason I am both thankful and excited to be able to share my review of her sparkling new release, 'The House of New Beginnings', with all of you today! I received a review copy of the book and couldn't wait to get started on it. Over the years, Lucy's stories have only gotten better and better and I had good hopes this one wouldn't be any different...!
Georgie, Charlotte and Rosa at first sight appear to have just one thing in common; they are all living in the same Regency terrace on the seafront of Brighton, but all three of them have been dealing with big changes in their lives and are trying their best to start over. Georgie has followed her boyfriend to Brighton but decides it is also a good time for her to work on her ambitions of becoming a journalist. This new job gets her into a few tricky situations, though... Rosa has left her London life behind to start over working as a sous chef in Brighton, but is she really able to move on with her life and what is it she really wants? Charlotte is also running away from her past, but her attempts to stay alone go unnoticed by her elderly upstairs neighbour Margot, who decides Charlotte needs some more excitement in her life. Brighton has quite a bit in store for Georgie, Charlotte and Rosa, whether they're ready for it or not...
I really enjoyed Lucy Diamond's previous novel, 'The Year of Taking Chances', and had my fingers crossed I'd enjoy this new book of hers, 'The House of New Beginnings', just as much, and I'm glad to say I definitely did! 'The House of New Beginnings' is filled with three great storylines featuring three different but just as interesting female characters in the form of Rosa, Georgie and Charlotte. All three of them have been through quite a lot and are now rebuilding their lives at the Brighton seaside. As tenants in the same Regency building, they soon get in touch with one another and face their problems together. I really loved the friendship and courage that's present in this book, and how the story both made me want to cry and smile, sometimes even at the same time!
While I usually prefer to read novels with a lot of dialogue, I really didn't mind the sometimes lengthy descriptions in this novel. Somehow the author just managed to make it all work and I wasn't bored by the story at any time. I just loved warming to and getting to know the characters, following them during this period in their lives and seeing what would eventually happen to all of them. I definitely recommend this novel to any chick lit/rom com/women's fiction fans out there, especially if you're not yet familiar with Lucy Diamond. All in all, 'The House of New Beginnings' is a wonderfully warm and captivating read with fantastic female characters at its core; a read that has made me an even bigger fan of this author (if that was possible...)!

Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.