Book Review: The Summer Of Chasing Dreams.

If Holly Martin’s latest book had been a cake, she would have come up with something that looks great, tastes amazing and has people hailing her the next Mary Berry  – it’s that good.

While I’ve long been a fan of hers, I have to say, The Summer Of Chasing Dreams feels different, it feels extra special.

A mixture of brilliant, believable characters, exotic travel, a fantastic story and, of course, beautiful romance at its heart, this is a winning recipe for me.

I’ve got nothing but love for this book.

Here’s the blurb:

Eva is quite content with her life in London. In her job as a cover designer, she works at home, and often in her cosy pyjamas. She’s happy to stay in her safe little world and not explore much outside of it.

She is the opposite of her mum, a free spirit who craved finding adventure and thrills in all corners of the world. But on the day her mum’s will is finalised, Eva finds a list of all the dreams her mum wanted to achieve in her life. Things she never did because she fell pregnant with Eva.

Eva decides these dreams will not go unfulfilled – she is going to be brave and complete them for her mum. As Eva has no experience travelling the world, she hires a guide to go with her on this holiday.

Gorgeous but rude Thor Anderson is not the person she would choose to accompany her on this adventure, but somehow she gets stuck with him. As they discover the world together Eva starts to think he might not be as bad as she first thought. She is swept away by Thor’s kindness and mischievous sense of humour. While Eva wrestles with moving out of her comfort zone, Thor is running from a past heartache. Sparks fly between them, but will a simple holiday romance be enough or can they put aside their pasts to embrace their futures?

You know when you go on holiday but you pack so much in that when you come home you feel like you need another break? I definitely felt like I’d been with Eva every step of the way and needed some time to recover.

Eva is so down to earth and relatable and I loved her initial reaction to Thor (take that devastatingly handsome Viking) and the way their relationship develops.

They say that travel broadens the mind but it also seems to help both Eva and Thor’s hearts grow with every new country they visit.

As for the reader; there’s an energy to this book that makes you feel like you’ve been bathed in golden sunlight.

Had my heart been empty, each page would have filled it up bit by bit until it was overflowing by the end.

There’s a scene in India that actually made me put me hand to my chest and sigh at the beauty of it.

It feels like Holly enjoyed writing this one as much as I enjoyed reading it. My only hope is that she got to experience many of the places she writes about for herself.

Format: Kindle.

Price: £1.99.

Rating: Five stars.

Thank you so much to Holly and her publishers for letting me read a copy of this book early in return for an honest review.