I have become a massive fan of Jo’s books and have read everything since the start of her Cornish Country Cottage series, including her emotional standalone books. On social media, she is a joy, engaging regularly with her readers and sharing glimpses of her life as an author. If you would like to read a couple of my previous reviews, you can follow these links: Finding Friends at the Cornish Country Hospital and Mending Hearts at the Cornish Country Hospital.
My thanks to Boldwood Books for sending me a NetGalley widget for a digital advance reading copy of this book. You can read my thoughts below
Synopsis
When midwife Hope Masterson arrives in Cornwall to start her dream job by the sea, she’s ready for a fresh start and a chance to make a real difference to the lives of the women and babies she cares for.
Working between St Piran’s hospital and the community midwifery unit of Port Agnes, Hope quickly finds herself drawn into the lives of her patients and colleagues. From dramatic deliveries and joyous newborns to heartbreaking struggles with infertility, she is on hand to share in all the hopes, worries and incredible love that motherhood can bring.
But Hope is carrying a secret that could change everything – and she faces an impossible dilemma.
Should she reveal the truth and shatter the lives of those around her, or protect the fragile happiness of the family she’s only just found?
As friendships deepen, romance blooms and emotions run high, Hope must decide whether some secrets are better left untold… and what it truly means to belong.
A gorgeously heartfelt, uplifting and unputdownable story of love, family and the many different paths to motherhood, by Top Ten bestselling author Jo Bartlett.
Review
The Midwife by the Sea is another fabulous addition to Jo Bartlett’s books set at Cornwall’s St Piran’s Hospital. Heartfelt, moving and sensitively told, this is a story of the challenges wrapped up with the joy of found family.
Hope Masterson is a new and younger addition to the team at St Piran’s, and I immediately warmed to her. She wanted nothing more than to do the proverbial right thing, even to the detriment of her own interests. Finding that level of kindness among the current younger generations was heartwarming, as the media leads us to believe that self-absorbency and callousness are becoming the new normal.
There are a few threads in this book that could be difficult to follow if Jo Bartlett weren’t the author. Yes, the themes are sensitive, but they are handled with such care that I felt confident in continuing to read. That said, Jo doesn’t cushion the emotional blows, so I would definitely recommend keeping the tissues close by.
As I have come to expect, there is a strong cast of characters, many of whom have featured previously in the series, but if this is your first book, you wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. The gentle storytelling guides the reader through who’s who without rehashing the entire series.
Set across two locations, Tenby and Port Agnes, I could tell that each site had been thoroughly researched and immediately felt that all-important sense of place.
Despite the challenges faced by the characters, the story arcs were expertly handled and created relatable themes. The result is a beautifully satisfying, uplifting read. I loved it.
Author Bio
Jo Bartlett is the bestselling author of over nineteen women’s fiction titles. She fits her writing in between her two day jobs as an educational consultant and university lecturer and lives with her family and three dogs on the Kent coast.
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