All she wanted was a lovely family Christmas with perfect turkey and luxury crackers. Instead, daughter Sara announces she’s getting divorced…and where is the fizz? And son, John and perfect wife Vanessa announce they are leaving for New York… and are the vegetables organic? And not one of them has made her a cup of tea!
So Joy decides she’s going to leave them all to it and head to France to visit her younger sister Isobel – a break from it all is just what she needs!
Isabel’s potato farm in France might be rustic, but Joy is hoping to find a bit of the old her again. Do her family really only think she’s their dogs body? Where has Joy’s joy gone?
Being with Isobel is loud and chaotic and being together brings out both sisters’ mischievous side! And being in France adds a welcome touch of ooh la la to Joy’s life again. Soon, she has a new job, a new man and maybe even, a second chance at living!
After being ditched at the altar, Emmy Shaw’s heart, like her dented food truck, is definitely not open for business. Deeply in debt to her parents and evicted from her apartment, she takes a friend’s drunken dare and fills out an application for a new dating-adventure reality show. She never expects to be chosen—or to get a chance at the show’s huge cash prize, which could put her life back on track.
But when she’s abandoned in the middle of the jungle two months later wearing only a bathing suit and a backpack, she questions if being on the show might be even worse than the #emmytrashtruck hate brigade she left back home. Then she meets her fellow cast members—including sexy, inscrutable Wes—and starts to reconsider, wondering if maybe money’s not all she stands to gain from this experience.
After a year of abysmal failures, this summer of cave treks, jungle hikes, impromptu talent shows, and a sexy flirtmance turns out to be just the thing to help Emmy rebuild her shattered confidence. She signed up for the show to hide from the mess her life had become, but this escape from reality might be just what she needs to find herself.
The story follows Emmy, a talented baker left at the altar less than a year ago, struggling to keep her small business afloat. Her assistant suggests that money is the key to saving her business and proposes applying for the reality TV show “Big Wild Love Adventure,” which could provide advertising and a cash prize. Despite her skepticism and with some liquid courage, Emmy applies and surprisingly gets accepted. The show offers her not only a chance to win money but also a shot at love.The story is full of entertaining twists and turns, and it includes meaningful character development, particularly Emmy’s journey of self-discovery. The romance is a slow burn, with the focus more on Emmy’s personal growth, making her a relatable and rootable heroine. Overall, the book is an exciting and satisfying summer read with a balance of fun and substance.