Lost Luggage by Samantha Tonge {Book tour review}
Good morning, I hope you all have lovely plans for your Sunday ahead. I would like to kick start your day of relaxation with a review of the lovey Lost Luggage by Samantha Tonge. This book should fill you with inspiration to make fabulous plans for the future! A huge Thankyou to Rachels Random Resources for providing me with an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. If my review sparks interest in this book you can purchase it using the following link https://amzn.to/3bgCnBC
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Brand new from the bestselling author of Under One Roof.
One lost suitcase. Two strangers. And a notebook that will change lives.
For almost fifty years, sisters Dolly and Greta have lived together โ getting each other through the good times and the bad.
Except this year, Greta isnโt there and Dolly is feeling lost and alone. In memory of her sister, Dolly heads to the lost luggage auction where she and Greta go each Christmas. But her bid reveals a gift she never imagined.
Amongst the clothes is the notebook of a reclusive woman who has hardly been outside for an entire year, but who isnโt ready to give up on life. The notebookโs contents resonate with Dolly. With the support of her neighbours, retired Leroy and eleven year old Flo, Dolly decides to take on the year of firsts Phoebe had planned.
But, can you have a year of firsts when youโre seventy-two? And is Dolly ready to discover the notebookโs secrets, or are some secrets better left lost at the airport?
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This was such a gorgeously uplifting story full of love, loss, strength, self discovery, grief, and dancing. The whole book kept me smiling from beginning to end, even when I was gasping with surprise! I loved the character of Dolly, she had gone through so much in her life and even though she had given up on a lot of life when she moved in with her sister she hadn't felt like she was lacking. It was right for her at the time. What I loved though was that she found the gumption to change and break herself out of her grief spiral. She saw the value of choosing life (with the help of the notebook and her friends) and took opportunity as it came to carry out her evolving journey of self discovery.
Her supporting cast were just so fabulous, I loved Flo. I find the relationships between children and the older generations in stories just so life affirming. The natural ease with which they conducted their relationship was a joy to read and the innocence and quirky nature of Flo and her love of insects was infectious. I learnt so much about insects that I didn't know, I mean did you know that butterflies taste with their feet and a slug can stretch up to twenty times its length? I kept relaying the facts to my husband as I was reading! ๐คฃ
"๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐; ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ข. ๐ด๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐"
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Leroy encompassed every emotion I think people have gone through when it comes to heartbreak, the devastation and wondering what you did wrong, to the wanting to reinvent yourself to make yourself more worthy in the eyes of the one you lost. I loved his journey too and the choices he made. I think everyone needs a Leroy in their life, to give tight hugs, drink rum and dance the night away with!
I won't say too much more about the other characters as that will give away a key part of the story however needless to say they all play an important role in Dollys journey and there were some great twists throughout. I really did gasp In shock a few times!
This heart warming tale held my attention, I flew through it in a day, eager to find out what was going to happen next. I hope that when I am 72 I am as healthy and positive as Dolly is. I might start my own year of firsts! I shall leave you with a quote from the acknowledgments which I think sums life up....
"๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ซ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง'๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ - ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ . ๐๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ'๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ ๐จ๐๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ - ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ง ๐ซ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ.... ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ณ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฌ"
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Samantha Tonge is the bestselling and award-winning author of over 15 romantic fiction titles published by HQ, and most recently Aria. Her first book for Boldwood, Under One Roof, was published in February 2022 and her move to Boldwood marks a broadening of her writing into multi-generational womanโs fiction. She lives in Manchester with her family.
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