This Changes Everything by Helen McGinn. #BlogTour

This Changes Everything

Should first love be left in the past, or is first love, forever love…

Sisters Annie and Jess are used to their mother Julia being spontaneous. But when Julia announces she’s flying off to Rome to meet her first love Patrick, whom she hasn’t seen for fifty years, it’s an adventure too far. So, her daughters decide the only way to keep Julia safe, is to go too – without actually telling their mother she has chaperones!

Julia and Patrick’s love story was everything – epic, once-in-a-lifetime, with a tragic ending and life-long consequences.  First love is hard to forget, but sometimes, just sometimes, life delivers a chance to rewrite your story. 

As the eternal city of Rome works its magic, old secrets, old friends and old loves become new possibilities and new dreams. And when the four travellers return home, nothing will ever be the same again.

Join Helen McGinn for a timeless, joyous, unforgettable journey through love, family, and long-forgotten dreams.  A novel to hold to your heart and treasure, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Noble, Cathy Kelly and JoJo Moyes

My Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐⭐

As it looks more likely as every day passes us by that we won’t be getting away on holiday any time soon, we all need a little escapism in the form of reading more than ever, and this book certainly takes us on a journey.

As this story begins and we meet Annie, James and their children, they appear to be a family that has everything figured out perfectly. Annie’s sister Jess has also got a comfortable life with a career she loves, so everyone seems happy and content, apart from their mother Julia that is. Although Julia declares that she is happy, she then announces something that truly shocks her family – that she plans to reunite with her first love Patrick as they are taking a trip to Rome together.

This is such a wonderful debut by Helen McGinn. Her writing style is truly beautiful and really makes you feel fully invested in the story right from the start. The characters are so perfectly crafted, each of them having their own personalities and depths that come to light throughout the story. The setting is stunning and is brought to life through the authors fantastic, descriptive writing – so much so you can certainly picture walking through Rome yourself.

I loved how we got a view of Julia and Patricks current happiness, alongside flashbacks to their somewhat turbulent past. It really allowed me to connect with Julia on a new level, and understand her character much better. The love story that you uncover as you delve in to the past is quite simply breath taking as well as heart breaking.

And then of course we are treated with a twist in the plot, something which I must admit I had anticipated as the title so suggests. However, the twist itself I had not anticipated at all, and it really was a brilliant addition to this already wonderful book.

This book really did have me hooked from the start. I truly felt as though I had been taken on an emotional rollercoaster as this story progressed, and I would certainly recommend it to everyone.

You can purchase a copy of this delightful book here – https://amzn.to/3eR441O

* Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources, Boldwood Books and of course Helen McGinn for my ARC of this book in return for my honest review.*