Blog Tour – Just The Way You Are by Beth Moran

I’ve read and heard so many positive comments about Beth Moran’s writing, that I just had to accept the opportunity to join this Blog Tour. I started reading with high hopes and wasn’t disappointed. I’m grateful to Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood Books for gifting me a digital ARC which I received in exchange for an honest review. You’ll can read my thoughts below.

Synopsis

A novel about friendship, romance and learning to love yourself – just the way you are.

When Olivia Tennyson – or Ollie to her friends – was sixteen, she wrote a Dream List of all the things she wanted for her life, including a happy marriage and a family. But at twenty-nine, Ollie is single, living at home with her over-protective and manipulative mother, and is feeling like her dreams are getting further out of reach.

It’s time for a change.

It’s time to take matters into her own hands.

Without telling her mum, or more importantly, asking her permission, Ollie finds the perfect place to start her new life. End Cottage has a duck-egg blue front door, a garden that leads to acres of forest, and definitely counts as her dream home.

Now all Ollie has to do is complete the rest of her list and find out who she really is, before she can imagine any romance coming into her life. After all, how is she going to find her dream man in the middle of a forest…

Purchase Link

Review

It only took me a single chapter to realise that this is a very special book. Ollie could be any one of us. It’s so easy to be driven by a sense of duty and to lose yourself as you commit to others. This is a story about rediscovering your identity whilst remaining loyal to yourself and others.

As the story opens, Ollie is overwhelmed by her mother’s manipulative ways. She feels like she is forever cancelling dates and has no life of her own. Making the drastic decision to move out, she takes the time to ensure that her mum is in good hands, but that those hands aren’t hers.

Ollie’s best friend, Steph, takes charge of Ollie’s new plans for an independent life. She introduces Ollie’s childhood dream list and tasks her with ticking off all the items before looking for romance; The No-Man Mandate. So, Ollie sets about meeting all the items on the list as she embarks on her new, independent life.

I loved the wide array of characters in this book, and particularly enjoyed the blossoming of Irene from harridan to increasingly popular, Library Lady. Notwithstanding that, it’s Ollie’s friendship with Joan that really captured my imagination. The way that Beth Moran introduced her and then entwined her into Ollie’s life was wonderful. I could almost see her as she grew in confidence with the love and time that was shared with her. As each character found themselves drawn to Ollie’s warmth and kindness, it was obvious that only a very special man could tempt her from breaking her agreement with Steph.

I am so very glad that I read this book, but also frustrated that I haven’t read any of her previous stories. I’ve had the chance, I have a towering to be read pile, which boasts at least one of her other books. I will certainly be bumping her up my list and tucking her into my preferred authors list.

This is a fantastic read which is written with a skilled understanding of how loyalty and duty can manipulate a person. A difficult subject that was a little close to my heart. I laughed, I cried, and I ended with a goofy grin. Absolutely lovely!

Author Bio

Beth Moran is the author of four novels, including the bestselling Christmas Every Day. She regularly features on BBC Radio Nottingham and is a trustee of the national women’s network Free Range Chicks. She lives on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest.