Poppy Jenkins

Whenever I see a book that has lots of 5 star reviews I always wonder if it is really as good as they all say, will I enjoy it as much as the other reviewers did, or will I be disappointed. Well I can tell you that it is every bit as good as the other reviewers say that it is and anyone who loves wonderful character development, a story so well told that it draws you into the page, should not hesitate to press the buy button. I bought it yesterday and was awake until 3 am in order to finish it. If you have read the other reviews, you will already know what I am about to say, this book is just a complete joy, it made me smile and in many cases actually laugh out loud while cheering on the main character. I don't give many 5 star reviews, it has to be a very special book that makes me give that final star and this book has that in spades. From the deep character development, you get to care about each and every character in the book, each one adds richness to the story and the dialogue is just spot on. Those that have a younger sister will recognise the situations and banter that come alive in the pages of the book. The whole story is just wonderful, and if you don't believe me just buy the book and see for yourself, it is 342 pages of pure enjoyment. If like me, you finish a book where you have connected so well with the characters, you want to know, did they fulfil all their plans?, what about this?, well the author has that covered as well. If you want a book that truly draws you in, where everything stops because you have to know what is going to happen, then this is the book for you. Just one small word of caution, readers have lots of different expectations when it comes to how much sex they want in their romance novels. Some prefer no sex, or rather sex that is implied rather than explicit, others the more explicit the better. If you fall within the latter, rather than the former, then you need to know that this not a book that falls in to the explicit category. That is not to say that there isn't sex because there is, but it isn't the focus of the book. Please don't let that put you off, because as I said, it is a wonderful story and as a person who falls more in the explicit rather than implied category, there was enough to keep me happy.

Everybody in the village adores Poppy Jenkins. And what's not to like? She is through and through lovely and on top of that easy on the eye. One would think that being gay in a small Welsh village can't be easy, but as nobody seems to be able to dislike Poppy they simply get on with it and her family always have stuck together like glue.Things haven't always been that easy for Rosalyn growing up there. She never fit in. Coming from an English well to do family, and being a bit of a rebel at best of times, Rosalyn rubbed up the locals the wrong way from an early age. But her and Poppy became best friends fast and the bond lasted until they where 16. Poppy never really understood what happened, but Rosalyn seemed to have simply lost interest. Once Rosalyn left for university - she never came back. Until one sunny summers day. And Rosalyn is a stunner.The rest of it you can imagine. There are moments or tender romance and misunderstandings, fear of being hurt and difference in personality surface.It's a wonderful read, with well crafted characters, really well written and a great flow to the story. I found it hard to put the book away - it's a real page turner. I enjoyed every moment of the read.

A gentle tale of childhood secrets and adult desires – 4 StarsThis took a while to get going, but it was worth sticking with it. Opening with the unexpected return of Rosalyn Thorn, Poppy Jenkins finds herself having to face-up to the fact she hasn’t outgrown her teenage attraction. Rosalyn is the one person who can disturb Poppy’s equilibrium with just a glance…I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance quite as sweet as this one, and that’s largely down to Poppy Jenkins nicer-than-nice character. However, the extended visit of Rosalyn Thorn has Poppy uncharacteristically out of sorts, and while Poppy desperately tries to fight her attraction, it’s pretty much a lost cause from the outset. There are some deliciously funny moments as Poppy finds herself completely tongue-tied in Rosalyn’s presence and her vicarious responses make themselves evident in some hilarious dialogue.A sweet romance set within a small community, this book has loads of feel-good moments. While I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as ‘That Certain Something’ (my favourite by this author), it was still a very good read.

I am giving this 5 stars, it is a good read but I do have some comments: I feel it would have been more potent if written in the first person, from the viewpoint of Poppy. Also, it is halfway through before the long awaited event happens, following a very long build up, it could have been enhanced by some more peaks throughout, maybe a side affair. I disagree with negative comments about it being predictable since a romance involving two central characters is always going to be predictable to some extent. I was not convinced however, by Rosalyn being the only one in the village with absolutely no knowledge of Poppy's sexuality when everyone else seemed to have known for years and Rosalyn being streetwise to it as it were. I'm not knocking it, it is enjoyable to read.

I really wanted to love this story, I really did. It's warm, lovely and uplifting, and makes for a good 'easy read'. My problem, however, was that it was so achingly predictable- it felt like a Hollywood formulaic rom-com. I'm aware that this is my own opinion, but it just takes me out of the story when the plot devices and narrative direction are that predictable from miles away. Maybe that's okay, I mean, rom-coms are very popular, so obviously they're well liked. Just not by me, I'm afraid.