Vivienne’s husband informs her that he’s leaving her for another woman on the way to dropping her off for a flight. The bestselling author is off to Antibes alone, to work on her next book.
She is picked up at the airport by real estate agent Maxine and arrives in a rather grumpy mood at the villa owned by florist Olivia.
Despite the rocky start, the three women get the opportunity to know one another better over the coming months - Vivienne still adjusting to her looming divorce, Maxine moving on after the death of her beloved husband, and Olivia who is trying to avoid attention on her love life.
Set in the South of France, this was a charming tale of new beginnings and flourishing friendships, with a couple of secret missions to keep things interesting.
After her husband leaves her for another woman, Jessica takes off to have her own Shirley Valentine moment. But instead of heading to Greece, she rents a place in the south of France. And she's certainly not averse to meeting her very own French version of Costas during her gap year. Trouble is she doesn't speak the language and her 20-year-old daughter Katie is mad that she's left her to deal with her father's pregnant girlfriend. After befriending her older neighbour Eliosa, Jessica meets her nephew Nico. He's a rather suave captain of a yacht but he's also married and off-limits. Or is he? Written diary style over the course of the year, the story follows Jessica as she finds herself again outside her role as wife and mother. The book was way too short for my tastes, not allowing the plot to twist and turn and really challenge the reader. And all the relationships wrapped up far too neatly. But for someone looking for a light and quick holiday read, this one will definitely go down as smooth as a delightful French drop.
