Author: Janice Horton
Publisher: 10th July 2020 by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter
Pages: 300 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary, romance
My Rating: 2.5 crowns
Synopsis:
When her walk up the aisle leads to disaster Maya Thomas must forge a new path…
Saying ‘I Do’ was meant to be the start of her greatest adventure, but when Maya’s fiancé drops dead just moments before he’s set to kiss the bride, her life is spent spinning out of control.
Now, as Maya travels a path she never expected to take, setting off on the mystery honeymoon her fiancé had planned for them, she finds that there is life after loss, that fate has its own way of helping you heal and that those with the courage to grasp love will never go lonely…
My Thoughts
‘I’ve decided I’m going to take one day and one adventure at a time and seize every moment.’
The Backpacking Bride by Janice Horton provided some enjoyable armchair travel with descriptive passages on locations and traditions from India to Hong Kong to Singapore. This is the story of Maya (see Synopsis) and the journey - both literally and figuratively - she goes through after the death of her fiance. Not the happy, light book I had originally imagined.
‘I’ve quickly come to the realisation that everyone who comes here must be searching for something. Nobody in their right mind comes here just for a holiday.’
This book is very much in the ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ theme but apart from the descriptions of locations and a few reflective gems, this was a book that skimmed along the surface, never really diving deeply into anything. The parts in India were drawn out, often providing nothing more than what sequentially occurred in her day. Yes, Maya’s lesson was to struggle in a lifestyle so foreign but it never really reached the mark. It falls flat with character interactions and relationships, too many convenient coincidences and a rushed ending. The timeline was confusing from grief to love in such a seemingly short time period with me holding grave reservations of her need for a partner to be happy.
If you are after a light, simple journey of growth and the chance to travel to some interesting destinations then this could be the quick read you are after.
‘What lessons had I learned here and what was it that I was taking away with me?’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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