My #Bookreview of #RomCom The Year Of Surprising Acts Of Kindness by @laurajanekemp @orionbooks

The Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness by Laura Kemp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Year Of Surprising Acts Of Kindness is a romantic comedy.

Ceri Price is grieving for her mother who recently died. When her sister takes steps to empty the family home and make it ready to sell, Ceri finds it hard to let go. She heads to Wales where her mother asked to have her ashes spread.

The sleepy seaside village of Dwynwen has little appeal; it’s no longer a tourist hotspot, so Ceri won’t be staying long. The lack of internet cuts her off from her old life, but soon the location and the villagers appeal more than returning to work. Can a village named after an ancient goddess of love still work magic against the odds of a modern world?

When I read the title of this book, I envisioned a story dominated by a year-long challenge of kind acts. This tale is quite different to my expectations; its main storyline revolves around Ceri and her journey through loss and grief and her hopes of finding love. The acts of kindness become part of the storyline, some obvious, others less so. Some seep from characters who care, while others evolve as the story moves forward.

This was a light read and fits the genre well, not quite what I was expecting but I was still keen to see how Ceri’s story evolved. Recommended for those who enjoy a contemporary style romance and Welsh seaside setting.

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Ceri Price only means to stay in her mother’s childhood village in West Wales for a few nights. But when a case of mistaken identity lands her a job as a barmaid in the local pub, she unexpectedly finds friendship, and perhaps a chance at love.

Then mysterious acts of kindness – strings of bunting, a new signpost, pots of paint to spruce up the seafront houses – start bringing new life to the village. But who is behind these surprising gifts, and can a little kindness change all their lives?

Laura Kemp writes tender but hilarious romantic comedies which are unashamed love letters to the everywoman.
Her uplifting message – based on the notion that everything is research apart from the rude bits – is ‘You Don’t Know How Brilliant You Are!’.
A journalist who has written for The Guardian, The Daily Mail and The Sun amongst others, she is married with a son in Cardiff, where she pretends to be a domestic revolutionary so she doesn’t have to do the ironing. Runs to eat crisps and drink wine, adores her mates and loves her dog, Lego and sweary cross-stitch.

Laura Kemp