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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
I loved the concept and style that this book was written in and it's fast paced nature
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was a lovely, fast-paced and heart-warming read. It almost felt like a selection of short stores with the different characters and plots that pop in and out. I have never read a book written in a similar way and I found it so fun and refreshing!
Where to start?!
This book was just fantastic. I haven’t seen such a unique and well executed idea in this genre for a very long time. The aptly titled, The Guestbook, is made to read like a holiday cottage guestbook, full of different guests thoughts, feelings and comments about the gorgeous Willow Cottage.
Willow Cottage is situated in a gorgeous seaside village and is owned by the widowed Annie Butterworth. A multitude of eclectic guests walk through the front door of Willow Cottage and whether they stay for one night or seven, they all make an entry in the guestbook. Without any kind of formal narrative, we are able to learn about each of the characters through their interactions with the others in the guestbook. Annie’s brother in law, Oliver, is a regular visitor and we see his and Annie’s friendship strengthen and blossom over the course of the novel. We are also privy to the thoughts of the cleaning lady, Sophia. The majority of the guests who stay in Willow Cottage are using it as an escape from their problems and we get to find out all about the lives that they lead, whether they are ill, pregnant, on the verge of divorce and everything in-between!
The range of emotions I went through whilst reading this book was vast. I laughed, I smiled, I gasped and at points I even felt sad but the overall feeling of this book was one of joy. As I turned the last page, I grinned widely and felt everything was just perfect!
The main character Annie developed beautifully over the novel; she went from a seemingly lonely widow to a woman who didn’t want to waste another moment of her life living in the past which was a really fantastic thing to see. I loved Olly, Annie’s brother in law; he provided some fantastic comical moments and was also really protective over Annie and her cottage.
The one thing I particularly loved about this book was the plethora of fonts used throughout. It made it instantly clear who was writing in the guest book because each character had their individual font. This also meant I didn’t have to keep flicking to the end of each guestbook entry to see who was talking. It gave it a very realistic feel. I felt quite naughty sitting there reading through all these entries as if I’d sneakily stolen the guest book and was reading through it all: that was a really great feeling. I love books than can make you feel like you’re really sneaky for reading it!
Holly is a really fantastic writer and she managed to give rich descriptions of the location and characters without breaking the theme of the book. There were no added descriptions between entries; everything you learn about the location and characters is gathered through the guestbook entries. It is so very clever!
This book would be the perfect holiday read and beware of reading it when you’re not on holiday because it will make you want to pack a bag and head off to your very own holiday cottage!
A beautifully clever book exploring the complexities of human relationships set against a backdrop of a holiday cottage, a three legged goat and a blackcurrant stain underneath the rug in the spare bedroom.
This book was just fantastic. I haven’t seen such a unique and well executed idea in this genre for a very long time. The aptly titled, The Guestbook, is made to read like a holiday cottage guestbook, full of different guests thoughts, feelings and comments about the gorgeous Willow Cottage.
Willow Cottage is situated in a gorgeous seaside village and is owned by the widowed Annie Butterworth. A multitude of eclectic guests walk through the front door of Willow Cottage and whether they stay for one night or seven, they all make an entry in the guestbook. Without any kind of formal narrative, we are able to learn about each of the characters through their interactions with the others in the guestbook. Annie’s brother in law, Oliver, is a regular visitor and we see his and Annie’s friendship strengthen and blossom over the course of the novel. We are also privy to the thoughts of the cleaning lady, Sophia. The majority of the guests who stay in Willow Cottage are using it as an escape from their problems and we get to find out all about the lives that they lead, whether they are ill, pregnant, on the verge of divorce and everything in-between!
The range of emotions I went through whilst reading this book was vast. I laughed, I smiled, I gasped and at points I even felt sad but the overall feeling of this book was one of joy. As I turned the last page, I grinned widely and felt everything was just perfect!
The main character Annie developed beautifully over the novel; she went from a seemingly lonely widow to a woman who didn’t want to waste another moment of her life living in the past which was a really fantastic thing to see. I loved Olly, Annie’s brother in law; he provided some fantastic comical moments and was also really protective over Annie and her cottage.
The one thing I particularly loved about this book was the plethora of fonts used throughout. It made it instantly clear who was writing in the guest book because each character had their individual font. This also meant I didn’t have to keep flicking to the end of each guestbook entry to see who was talking. It gave it a very realistic feel. I felt quite naughty sitting there reading through all these entries as if I’d sneakily stolen the guest book and was reading through it all: that was a really great feeling. I love books than can make you feel like you’re really sneaky for reading it!
Holly is a really fantastic writer and she managed to give rich descriptions of the location and characters without breaking the theme of the book. There were no added descriptions between entries; everything you learn about the location and characters is gathered through the guestbook entries. It is so very clever!
This book would be the perfect holiday read and beware of reading it when you’re not on holiday because it will make you want to pack a bag and head off to your very own holiday cottage!
A beautifully clever book exploring the complexities of human relationships set against a backdrop of a holiday cottage, a three legged goat and a blackcurrant stain underneath the rug in the spare bedroom.
I found myself laughing out loud in public. There's no better endorsement of a book for me :)
So this was an HQ Digital title thus I don't understand why they couldn't have used different coloured fonts, or different font faces. Unfortunately, the bold/italics were confusing and I cannot stand reading all caps--it feels like yelling and I can't get past that. This was a sweet gimmick that made for a nice train ride book.
When I spotted The Guestbook by Holly Martin on Netgalley, I had no idea what the book was going to be about. I knew the title, I knew the beautiful cover, but I didn’t know how it was written, which meant that when I dived into the novel it was quite the surprise to find it wasn’t written like a normal novel, but is actually entries into a guestbook (perhaps the title should have warned me of what was to come?). But I actually love books written in varying mediums and so I was quite excited to get stuck into The Guestbook and to meet it’s (very) varying characters, along with owner Annie Butterworth (awesome name).
I actually enjoyed The Guestbook way more than I expected! It was a bit like opening up a random page on the Internet and reading everybody’s comments and opinions, but in the best way possible! Let me tell you, that Annie’s cottage, Willow Cottage, sounds like heaven on Earth. I find myself regularly saying this, as I keep reading books in houses/countries I would die to live in, but Willow Cottage definitely tops that list. I loved the sound of the cottage, and I loved that the community of Wells-By-The-Sea would stick their necks out on the line (or keep schtum) about any kinds of goings on. They’re my kind of people!
As for the actual guests at Willow Cottage, they were such a mixed and varied bunch, but I loved hearing from all of them. My favourite (and most memorable) was probably the lady with all the pets. Not regular pets, oh no! She had a goat, a snake, a tarantula (a tarantula which elicited screams every time it escaped and someone found her, no less!). I enjoyed getting to know Annie, Oliver and Sophie, too, they were the constants in the novel, and I was very much on the will-they-won’t-they see-saw of Annie and Oliver. (I totally wanted them to, obvs.) It was such a thoroughly enjoyable novel, with such a unique concept and one that never fails to make me happy. Holly Martin is a wonderful writer, and I enjoyed every page of The Guestbook, it was so sweet and so lovely and such a fantastic idea! I rather call for a sequel!
I actually enjoyed The Guestbook way more than I expected! It was a bit like opening up a random page on the Internet and reading everybody’s comments and opinions, but in the best way possible! Let me tell you, that Annie’s cottage, Willow Cottage, sounds like heaven on Earth. I find myself regularly saying this, as I keep reading books in houses/countries I would die to live in, but Willow Cottage definitely tops that list. I loved the sound of the cottage, and I loved that the community of Wells-By-The-Sea would stick their necks out on the line (or keep schtum) about any kinds of goings on. They’re my kind of people!
As for the actual guests at Willow Cottage, they were such a mixed and varied bunch, but I loved hearing from all of them. My favourite (and most memorable) was probably the lady with all the pets. Not regular pets, oh no! She had a goat, a snake, a tarantula (a tarantula which elicited screams every time it escaped and someone found her, no less!). I enjoyed getting to know Annie, Oliver and Sophie, too, they were the constants in the novel, and I was very much on the will-they-won’t-they see-saw of Annie and Oliver. (I totally wanted them to, obvs.) It was such a thoroughly enjoyable novel, with such a unique concept and one that never fails to make me happy. Holly Martin is a wonderful writer, and I enjoyed every page of The Guestbook, it was so sweet and so lovely and such a fantastic idea! I rather call for a sequel!
Review from Fairy Tale Ending Book Reviews
Copy received as part of the Gosling Girls Book Tour
Brief synopsis: Welcome to Willow Cottage!
Located on the Norfolk coast, the cottage is ideally situated for long strolls and picnics on the beach plus the odd bit of seal spotting. And if there's anything else you need, landlady Annie Butterworth is always on hand with tea, sympathy or strong Norfolk cider.
So throw open the shutters, let in the sea breeze and make yourself completely at home. Oh, and please do leave a comment in the Guestbook!
Through the pages of the Guestbook, Annie and her guests that struggle with love, loss, mystery, joy, happiness, guilt…and the odd spot of naked rambling!
What I thought: This book is BLOODY BRILLIANT!
I've never read anything like this before - the story is told, not in the traditional novel format, but as the title suggests, through entries in The Guestbook. Some guests use is as a diary during their stay whilst others use it simply to communicate with Annie. But the one thing I'd say they all had in common... they're all a little more open and honest when hiding behind its pages!
Despite Annie being the central character, I really liked that her story didn't seem to take over the book as there were some fantastic guest stories. The guest entries really added a lot of variety into the story; some funny, some a little scary and some really quite sad. The author did such a fantastic job of capturing the voice of each character, it really did feel as though the entries were all written by different people.
There were so many amazing characters but I think my favourite had to be young Megan Meecham for her sweet innocence and wisdom beyond her 6.5/7 years!
I can't wait to see what comes next from this very lovely author.
Favourite quote:
Courtesy of Megan, aged 7 "I SAID THAT MR BUTTERWORTH THE ONE THAT IS STILL ALIVE SHOULD MARRY ANNIE AND MUMMY SAID THAT IT DOESNT WORK LIKE THAT BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET MARRIED BOTH PEOPLE NEED TO LOVE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH. BUT LAST TIME WE WERE HERE MR BUTTERWORTH, THE ALIVE ONE, KEPT GIVING ANNIE LOOKS THE SAME LOOKS THAT DADDY GIVES MUMMY THAT SHOWS THAT DADDY LOVES MUMMY MORE THAN CHOCOLATE. DADDY LOVES CHOCOLATE VERY MUCH."
Copy received as part of the Gosling Girls Book Tour
Brief synopsis: Welcome to Willow Cottage!
Located on the Norfolk coast, the cottage is ideally situated for long strolls and picnics on the beach plus the odd bit of seal spotting. And if there's anything else you need, landlady Annie Butterworth is always on hand with tea, sympathy or strong Norfolk cider.
So throw open the shutters, let in the sea breeze and make yourself completely at home. Oh, and please do leave a comment in the Guestbook!
Through the pages of the Guestbook, Annie and her guests that struggle with love, loss, mystery, joy, happiness, guilt…and the odd spot of naked rambling!
What I thought: This book is BLOODY BRILLIANT!
I've never read anything like this before - the story is told, not in the traditional novel format, but as the title suggests, through entries in The Guestbook. Some guests use is as a diary during their stay whilst others use it simply to communicate with Annie. But the one thing I'd say they all had in common... they're all a little more open and honest when hiding behind its pages!
Despite Annie being the central character, I really liked that her story didn't seem to take over the book as there were some fantastic guest stories. The guest entries really added a lot of variety into the story; some funny, some a little scary and some really quite sad. The author did such a fantastic job of capturing the voice of each character, it really did feel as though the entries were all written by different people.
There were so many amazing characters but I think my favourite had to be young Megan Meecham for her sweet innocence and wisdom beyond her 6.5/7 years!
I can't wait to see what comes next from this very lovely author.
Favourite quote:
Courtesy of Megan, aged 7 "I SAID THAT MR BUTTERWORTH THE ONE THAT IS STILL ALIVE SHOULD MARRY ANNIE AND MUMMY SAID THAT IT DOESNT WORK LIKE THAT BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET MARRIED BOTH PEOPLE NEED TO LOVE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH. BUT LAST TIME WE WERE HERE MR BUTTERWORTH, THE ALIVE ONE, KEPT GIVING ANNIE LOOKS THE SAME LOOKS THAT DADDY GIVES MUMMY THAT SHOWS THAT DADDY LOVES MUMMY MORE THAN CHOCOLATE. DADDY LOVES CHOCOLATE VERY MUCH."