The story is set in beautiful Magnolia Park in Fuengirola on the Spanish Costa del Sol. Amy and her partner Sam arrive at Magnolia Park for a much-needed holiday. Amy has been unhappy with the relationship and hopes that the holiday will change things. Sam, however, has other priorities apart from Amy. In the complex they meet Betty, who has been married for more than 30 years but has spent the majority of that time living apart from her husband. She meets Nigel and she too has to deal with changes in her relationship. Betty's son Josh, who was heartbroken when his last relationship ended, comes to stay with her and a chance encounter changes his life too. Although somewhat predictable, I found the characters to be memorable and felt like they were old friends by the end of the book. It's a great story with a wonderful feel-good ending. (BS)
This chronicles the friendship of Maddy, Rosie and Sophie. Firm friends since their schooldays, the three girls promise each other over their regular drinks in the Pink Parrot bar that they'll always remain friends, no matter what. The novel begins in the 1980s, with Maddy working as an estate agent in the competitive and male-dominated property business. She proves to be so good at her job that it's not long before she builds up her own property portfolio, and Rosie and Sophie move into one of her houses with her. Things get even better for Maddy when she falls in love with Greg Delaney. Her life appears to be perfect - but all is not as it
seems. Are her friendships as strong as she thinks they are? Is her
relationship with Greg the real thing? And is her success at work making her enemies who will stop at nothing to pull the rug from under
her feet? As for Rosie and Sophie, they begin to despair of ever meeting a man like Greg. Can the girls' friendship survive Maddy's success? And as the years roll by and the women celebrate their 50th birthdays in a joint celebration, has the Forever Friends mantra of their youth rung true? While this was an easy book to roll along with, I found that I never felt an emotional connection with any of the characters. The author did a good job of depicting each character's personality clearly, but it wasn't enough to make me feel anything for them, or remember them when I'd finished the book. Nonetheless, it was an easy read that kept me turning the pages, even if the ending was far too predictable. (SBB)
