Written by Kendra Smith
My thanks to Victoria Joss of Aria Fiction for inviting me to take part in this Blog Tour.
A new life down under? It’s not as perfect as you’d think.
Katie and Tom’s marriage is in trouble. As is their bank account. So, when Tom tells Katie that they need to talk, she knows it must be about one of two things, and neither are good. But when he blind-sides her saying that his boss is sending him to Australia – permanently – Katie realises it might just be what they need to save their marriage.
Trouble is, she doesn’t like the heat, can’t swim and hates spiders. Not to mention the bouts of homesickness – and Tom’s endless business trips. Katie is finding the hope of saving their marriage slowly slipping through her fingers. But Katie is determined to take the bull by the horns – and her Speedos by the strap – and tackles her new life.
When all is said and done which side of the globe will she decide to call home?
‘An entertaining, fast-moving, page-turner for anyone dreaming of a new life’ Jane Corry, best-selling author of Her Dead Ex
Previously published as Jacaranda Wife
A Good Read! 
I’m not sure this is the book I was expecting to read, but it’s a packed story line with plenty going on.
Katie loves her life in England; with a new extension to the family home she shares with husband Tom, a nanny to help with raising their two boys and a wide social circle she is happy and settled. But Katie’s keeping a secret from Tom – and while she worries about that, her husband blindsides her with a new job in Australia and a move for the whole family. Katie is shocked; she doesn’t like the heat and has a real fear of spiders, but staying isn’t really an option and she finds herself on a flight to Sydney, however reluctantly.
It’s fairly obvious from the beginning that Katie and Tom don’t operate as a team anymore; as he heads off to work almost immediately leaving her in her new and – in her view – unsuitable home, she struggles to settle the kids and deal with the day-to-day reality of living in a new continent. Missing her family and friends doesn’t help and she only wants to go home. When she discovers that Tom has forged her signature on documents, their relationship drops to an all time low and what follows is two people struggling separately with their new life and money worries.
I thought this would be a lighter, fun read but at times it’s quite deep. There are a lot of lows as well as highs and at times I struggled to stay with the story but it’s only fair to say there were other times when I was racing through the book.. Overall, it’s a good read and finishes on a positive note but, for me, it could have done with a little more sparkle. Still worthy of 4 stars though, and a very decent book with a gorgeous cover.
My thanks to publisher Aria for my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.
Tags: women’s fiction
- Format: ebook, paperback
- Size: 429 pages
- Publisher: Aria
- Publication Date: 15 January 2019
- Purchase Links: Google Play
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- iBooks
- amazon
Meet the Author
Kendra Smith has been a journalist, wife, mother, aerobics teacher, qualified diver and very bad cake baker. She started her career in Sydney selling advertising space but quickly made the leap to editorial – and went to work on several women’s magazines in both Sydney and London. With dual Australian-British nationality, she currently lives in Surrey with her husband and three children.
Follow Kendra
Twitter: @KendraAuthor
Facebook: @kendrasmithauthor
Follow Aria
Website: www.ariafiction.com
Twitter: @aria_fiction
Facebook: @ariafiction
Instagram: @ariafiction
Grace J Reviewerlady 