Coming Home to Winter Island by Jo Thomas

This is your fairly standard chic lit novel.  Heroine (in this case Ruby MacQuarrie) suffers a drastic blow (this one is a singer who loses her voice) and moves far from home (to arrange for her elderly, estranged Grandfather's house to be sold off so he can go in to care) but finds herself and a little romance along the way.  Yes, it's one of "those" stories but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  There is something comforting about knowing when you pick up a book that everything will work out just wonderfully in the end before you have even read the first page.

My real problem was this one was that I couldn't really warm to Ruby.  The character just felt superficial throughout the story, especially when compared to Lachlan and Hector who despite how little depth they really had (being rather predictably brooding and enigmatic in the former case and just a collection of dementia systems in the latter) were far more interesting and intriguing.  The real star of the story is the eponymous Winter Island and it's abundant flora and fauna - even if it does all get more than a bit "Whisky Galore" at times.

The plot does tend to circle itself several times with Ruby's monologue repeating itself; especially her worries about her voice, her worries about her boyfriend Joe and the problems of trying to resurrect the Gin distillery.  I did find myself skim reading some sections as they brought nothing new to the story, just rehashed what the reader already knew for a page or two.  Even worse was how long it took them to figure out the fifth and final special ingredient for the gin, I was all but screeching it by the time Ruby figured it out.

The least said about the Tea Party and the descending helicopter the better.  Completely out of character with the rest of the book and broke what little credibility the story had clung to by this point.

A decent enough read for when you have an hour or so to curl up with a brew and a biccie and want a light, unchallenging read.  It certainly won't keep you from watching your favourite TV show or staying up past your normal bedtime.

THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER.