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A review by judeinthestars
Lost in Paradise by Rachel Lacey
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Edit: December 14th, 2023, audiobook review
Lost in Paradise is one of the first books I read by Rachel Lacey and my first 5⭐️. I have a signed copy on my bookshelf, of which I’m very proud. It’s a very Rachel Lacey book in that it’s impossible not to fall in love with the MCs. In this one, there aren’t a lot of secondary characters—the one that do exist are very secondary yet important to the story—and for good reason: for a large part of the book, the MCs, Nicole, an American, and Fiona, a British expat living in France, are stranded at sea then on an island. It should be tragic, and at times it is, but it’s also full of hope and instead of being dreadful, it becomes the beginning of something beautiful.
I first read this book during lockdown, after loving Don’t Cry for Me. Then as now, I loved the way the characters’ personalities are unveiled progressively, Fiona appearing as strong and laid-back at first then revealing her vulnerability, and Nicole, freshly divorced, growing from confused and scared at the beginning to self-assured and confident in what she wants. And all along the attraction between the two women keeps the tone rather light. I don’t know anything about cruise ships, pirates, and being lost at sea, but I’m pretty sure the situation Nicole and Fiona find themselves in would be terrifying. The MCs aren’t nonchalant about it, but the author keeps the overall mood uplifting, a Lacey trademark.
A word about the narration: Ellie Gossage is a new to me narrator and I hope I’ll have the opportunity to listen to her work often. The voices fit the characters flawlessly, the pace is right, everything is as should be.
This book isn’t perfect, there are a few bumps here and there but it’s so heart-warming that while I know my original 5⭐️ are probably slightly excessive (I don’t believe in star ratings anyway, they’re never fair), I’ll stick to them for the pure enjoyment it brought me twice.
------------------------------------------------
It seems fitting that in my fourth week of self-isolation / lockdown, I’d read a story about two women stranded on a desert island. I didn’t do it on purpose, I was looking for a book to take my mind off my growing anxiety last night, and since I had enjoyed Don't Cry for Me so much not long ago and my friend Gaby, over at LezReviewBooks, had told me this one was really good too (here’s her review to prove it), it sounded like a good choice. I didn’t read the blurb beforehand, so everything came as a surprise.
When she treated herself to a cruise on the Mediterranean sea after her divorce, Nicole Morella never expected pirates to take over the ship, much less to meet the love of her life and escape with her on a lifeboat. From the moment she got her first glimpse of Fiona Boone at the bar, attraction flared. Nicole has known for a long time that she’s bisexual but she’s never gone any further with a woman than a few kisses with a girlfriend in college. Fiona, a British expat on the French Riviera, was supposed to be spending the cruise with a casual lover but he stood her up. Unlike Nicole, Fiona identifies as gay but finds men more open to no-strings affairs, the only kind of relationship she’s into. She’s no more ready for Nicole than Nicole is for her, but life has a way to not let you decide the timing of such things.
I loved both MCs, loved them more and more as the book progressed and their complexity came to light. In the first pages, Fiona appears as extremely confident, the rescuer when the ship is highjacked, the one who knows how to react in desperate situations. On the lifeboat, then on the island, she shows a much more vulnerable side of herself, a side that comes to the forefront after she and Nicole come back to their “normal” life. She’s a survivor in many ways, not just from what happened on the cruise, and her strategy to survive has been to close herself off. Nicole is less damaged but just as layered and her strength comes out a little more with every plot twist.
There aren’t a lot of secondary characters, since a big part of the novel is about the two women being stranded on a desert Greek island, but the few that pass by – Nicole’s parents, Fiona’s father – feel real enough. I’m not sure how much of the story itself is plausible but it really doesn’t matter.
I think I’ve found another author whose writing simply works for me. This is my second Rachel Lacey book and I am so looking forward to many more. The two I have read evoke the same kind of feelings as one of my favourite authors’ books, Lise Gold. Life isn’t always pretty (duh) but some people, some connections make it worthwhile, and this is what those books are about.
I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars
Lost in Paradise is one of the first books I read by Rachel Lacey and my first 5⭐️. I have a signed copy on my bookshelf, of which I’m very proud. It’s a very Rachel Lacey book in that it’s impossible not to fall in love with the MCs. In this one, there aren’t a lot of secondary characters—the one that do exist are very secondary yet important to the story—and for good reason: for a large part of the book, the MCs, Nicole, an American, and Fiona, a British expat living in France, are stranded at sea then on an island. It should be tragic, and at times it is, but it’s also full of hope and instead of being dreadful, it becomes the beginning of something beautiful.
I first read this book during lockdown, after loving Don’t Cry for Me. Then as now, I loved the way the characters’ personalities are unveiled progressively, Fiona appearing as strong and laid-back at first then revealing her vulnerability, and Nicole, freshly divorced, growing from confused and scared at the beginning to self-assured and confident in what she wants. And all along the attraction between the two women keeps the tone rather light. I don’t know anything about cruise ships, pirates, and being lost at sea, but I’m pretty sure the situation Nicole and Fiona find themselves in would be terrifying. The MCs aren’t nonchalant about it, but the author keeps the overall mood uplifting, a Lacey trademark.
A word about the narration: Ellie Gossage is a new to me narrator and I hope I’ll have the opportunity to listen to her work often. The voices fit the characters flawlessly, the pace is right, everything is as should be.
This book isn’t perfect, there are a few bumps here and there but it’s so heart-warming that while I know my original 5⭐️ are probably slightly excessive (I don’t believe in star ratings anyway, they’re never fair), I’ll stick to them for the pure enjoyment it brought me twice.
------------------------------------------------
It seems fitting that in my fourth week of self-isolation / lockdown, I’d read a story about two women stranded on a desert island. I didn’t do it on purpose, I was looking for a book to take my mind off my growing anxiety last night, and since I had enjoyed Don't Cry for Me so much not long ago and my friend Gaby, over at LezReviewBooks, had told me this one was really good too (here’s her review to prove it), it sounded like a good choice. I didn’t read the blurb beforehand, so everything came as a surprise.
When she treated herself to a cruise on the Mediterranean sea after her divorce, Nicole Morella never expected pirates to take over the ship, much less to meet the love of her life and escape with her on a lifeboat. From the moment she got her first glimpse of Fiona Boone at the bar, attraction flared. Nicole has known for a long time that she’s bisexual but she’s never gone any further with a woman than a few kisses with a girlfriend in college. Fiona, a British expat on the French Riviera, was supposed to be spending the cruise with a casual lover but he stood her up. Unlike Nicole, Fiona identifies as gay but finds men more open to no-strings affairs, the only kind of relationship she’s into. She’s no more ready for Nicole than Nicole is for her, but life has a way to not let you decide the timing of such things.
I loved both MCs, loved them more and more as the book progressed and their complexity came to light. In the first pages, Fiona appears as extremely confident, the rescuer when the ship is highjacked, the one who knows how to react in desperate situations. On the lifeboat, then on the island, she shows a much more vulnerable side of herself, a side that comes to the forefront after she and Nicole come back to their “normal” life. She’s a survivor in many ways, not just from what happened on the cruise, and her strategy to survive has been to close herself off. Nicole is less damaged but just as layered and her strength comes out a little more with every plot twist.
There aren’t a lot of secondary characters, since a big part of the novel is about the two women being stranded on a desert Greek island, but the few that pass by – Nicole’s parents, Fiona’s father – feel real enough. I’m not sure how much of the story itself is plausible but it really doesn’t matter.
I think I’ve found another author whose writing simply works for me. This is my second Rachel Lacey book and I am so looking forward to many more. The two I have read evoke the same kind of feelings as one of my favourite authors’ books, Lise Gold. Life isn’t always pretty (duh) but some people, some connections make it worthwhile, and this is what those books are about.
I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars