Claire Everett is 35 and struggling. Her husband of fifteen years has left her for another woman, Bella, taking her business too. She now lives in a one-bedroom apartment with a cat who doesn’t like her much and prefers to get stuck up trees. She spends too much time in her PJs and eating comfort food. Then her mother suggests Claire tries Mindfulness, so she joins a course. I won’t write more about the plot, because I think you should read the book and find out for yourself.
I really enjoyed this book, it’s very funny (though plenty of serious parts too!) and there are some brilliant observations in it. The Mindfulness course is also quite enlightening too – how many of us find the bad in good news? “Yes, I won the talent competition, but only because the best dancer was injured.” That section of the novel really made me think about myself too, which was interesting.
Claire is wonderful, so realistic, you just want to give her a hug (but know you’d end up slapping Bella and get in trouble!) and sit with her over tea or wine and moan about her horrible ex.
I loved the cat too, what a beautifully written character, so naughty and hilarious! Isobel Hart captures the disdain our feline friends can feel about their humans perfectly. And Bertie the puppy, hee hee, what a rascal!
I really liked the friendships described in the book as well as Claire’s relationship with her mother. There are also a lot of characters I really couldn’t stand, which shows how well Isobel Hart writes! There are some toe-cringingly embarrassing situations too, that I’m sure we can all relate to. It’s a very visual book, easy to see everything happening and I’m sure it would make a great film or TV series. (Dear Netflix, I’ve just read this book…)
9 out of 10
That Certain Spark
A one-bedroom apartment with creeping damp.
Depressed cat, complete with litter tray.
Neither was part of Claire’s five-year plan.
Nor, for that matter, was divorce.
Left with a comfort eating habit that’s costing her a small fortune in ice-cream, and panic attacks flooring her in front of the supermarket meals-for-one, Claire turns to her mum and Mindfulness in the hope that one of them can help her find real happiness.
She thinks she’s cracked it… but then her past comes creeping back.
Now she has to work out what really makes her happy or risk a life where Ben & Jerry are the only men who matter.
Purchase Link
US Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Y7WKY4R
UK Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08Y7WKY4R
Only 99p for a limited time!
Author Bio –
Born in London, Isobel Hart’s childhood was spent in the Middle East before being sent to boarding school. It meant she had a lot of time to read. Now based in the UK, she writes about what she knows – real women, with flaws.
A romantic at heart, happily married for nearly twenty-five years, her novels focus on relationships – good and bad – and the women at the heart of them. She is ever hopeful others will find their happy-ever-afters or Happy-For-Now’s too.
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/isobelhartbooks
I Heart Books 