Better To Have Loved by Christy Nicholas – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

Better To Have Loved by Christy Nicholas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story begins with Julie Jensen writing to her sister to tell her that she has moved to England with the family of the children that she looks after. It is a surprise to herself that she made the decision to go and that she is looking forward to the challenge of living somewhere completely different to her life in the midwest of America. We join her as she moves into her accommodation in East Grinstead at the Saint Hill mansion which holds the international headquarters of the Church, who the family work for.

She is signed in and told where she will be living, which turns out to be one of the outlying cottages and not the mansion, as she hoped, once she has lugged her enormous suitcase of belongings there, she meets Sheila who she will be living with, Sheila helps her to settle in and takes her on a tour of the grounds.

As Julie settles into her routine of childcare during the day and her artwork for the church at night, she slowly gets used to the changes and differences she is encountering, although, she is enjoying meeting the people who pass through from all around the world and learning about their cultures and personalities, be that during work, where they enjoyed meals, in the old ballrooms where they could enjoy hobbies and leisure time, or at the parties which the Church throw on weekends she makes friends and flirts with some of the men, but only one really catches her eye. She was also enjoying the freedom to walk around the surrounding countryside, villages and scenic areas, as well as exploring the mansion and the surprises it hid.

This is where these relationships all start to develop and other opportunities come Julie’s way, however, not all of these opportunities are equal, some good and some bad, but all are things which turn her life around and as she continues life with the church and the new places she visits because of this, her life changes in ways she could never have imagined.

This is a story which leads you around the world in a flurry of emotions and excitement, where choices are made, relationships develop and break down, love and loss cause disruption and all of these things create a journey worth reading and exploring.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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