The Staycation by Michele Gorman Blog Tour

Anyone else had a little cry over not being able to jump on an airplane to get away from all their worldly problems?

In a time where many holidays are being postponed/cancelled, the idea of a staycation has never been more appealing.

And that's just what happens in Michele Gorman's latest novel...

Two families. One cancelled flight. And a last minute house swap...

Things get desperate for strangers Harriet and Sophie when they become stranded with their families in Heathrow's Terminal 5. Each woman has her own reason for really really really needing the family holiday they've anticipated for months. But Iceland's volcano has other plans for them. When their flights are cancelled, the families swap houses and discover that sometimes the best things in life happen close to home.

This ash cloud has a silver lining, even if no one can quite see it yet.

I'll admit before being approached to join this blog tour I had never heard of Michele Gorman, let alone read one of her books.

I can tell you now this has been well and truly rectified since reading The Staycation.

What Michele writes are stories that are filled with humour and warmth and something else that has become apparent is her skill to build up some brilliantly quirky characters.

There's no place like someone else's home ...

Harriet and Sophie are both women trying to do the best they can, for themselves (infrequently) and for their families.

When they happen to both be at the same airport, booking in on the same plane and then both having their family holidays to Italy unfortunately cancelled (pesky dust cloud) they embark on a house swap like no other.

Have you ever seen the programme Wife Swap? 

Imagine that in book form.

I immediately warmed to both Harriet and Sophie through their alternating chapters. Completely different in every way possible but as they are enlightened to a few home truths - when in each others houses - an unlikely friendship is formed.

Someone I never warmed to was Dan (Sophie's husband), and he is the only negative thing about both the book and my review. What becomes clear is how overbearing he is in their relationship, in a nutshell he is mentally abusing his wife. 

Now I loved how Sophie overcame these behaviours and over the chapters proves herself to be a strong woman and a fantastic role model to her children. 

The only thing that ruined it for me was that there was no real resolve, by the end of the novel the 'Dan situation' had been brushed over and it appeared that he had suffered no real consequences for his actions in order to achieve that sense of happily ever after.

On to more positive things....

The Staycation has a brilliant mix of emotions wrapped up within it. From stress and heart ache to hilarious laughter filled moments. All cleverly combined to leave you with a wonderful feeling of comfort and hope.

This novel is the perfect Summer read.

Think sitting in the sun, with a glass of something cold in one hand (gin if your asking) and The Staycation in the other hand.

Now if you like the sound of this book but feel like you want to know more about it, do join in with the rest of the blog tour. Look for the hashtag on Twitter.