Chances by Freya North

I have just finished the new book by Freya North. I have read books by Freya North before and I have enjoyed them but they have never really stuck in my mind and so it is not an author I usually keep my eye open for. Her recent book which she has released is called Chances. With the front cover of this book though it is hard to just walk by. If you are looking for a real summer looking book this one is going to grab you.

Plot

Vita is heartbroken after she leaves her cheating partner Tim. Things would be much easier for Vita if she could just walk away and never see Tim again but there is a problem, they are joint partners at That Shop. Vita spends her days working in That Shop and is usually found with her nose in a book. Vita soon starts to wonder if she will ever manage to settle down and have children and would it be better to just give Tim another chance as she is not getting any younger.

Oliver has lost the love of his life DeeDee. He works as a Arboricultural Consultant ( or as Vita puts it a Tree Man!) Oliver is left to look after his son Jonty. Oliver is hesitant to start dating again as he is unsure how his son will feel about it and will he find anyone to love the way he loved his wife.

Vita and Oliver’s paths cross when a pear tree in Vita’s garden is causing problems and Oliver is called into help but things do not get off to a great start between them! Will they both take a chance and be happy or is it easier to stick with what you know?

My Opinion

Vita is our main character in this book and I found I enjoyed her character pretty much from the start. She seemed quite familiar which gave a girl next door feel to her. Freya has a wonderful way of writing which lets us as the reader really feel what Vita is feeling and you just hope that this caring woman can find her way to the happiness she deserves.

Oliver has to be one of my favourite male characters I have read in a long time. I usually find when I read these kinds of books that the character of the females are brought to us in great detail and yet the male characters are only skimmed across, this is not the case in Chances, Oliver’s character is warm and loving if a little fragile as anyone would be after loosing their partner and left alone to look after a teenage son. The way Freya North worte about his grieving and his needs felt so true to form I actually found it quite touching to read which made me like Oliver even more.

After the meeting between the two I did have a feeling that I knew how the book was going to end but this did not ruin the book in any way for me as it was great watching both Vita and Oliver’s journey. I was surprised how indepth the detail of the trees were Freya North had obviously been doing her homework here!

I loved that the book started off slowly while we got to know our characters and then the remainder of the book stayed at an even pace. The ending was finished nicely it did not feel rushed but yet it gave us all the answers we need without leaving us on a cliff hanger.

I enjoyed this book on a whole but I have got one little niggle. Vita’s character was warm, quirky, gentle and is often in a dreamworld which is why I liked her character so much, but she did swear which just didn’t seem to fit her character, I just couldn’t imagine her swearing! That is the only thing that I can say I didn’t like about the book.

I loved this book and would defiantly recommend it for anyone looking for a nice summertime read. The front cover defiantly gave the book justice in my opinion. Before reading this book I would have walked over Freya North books but after reading this book I will defiantly be keeping my eyes peeled for any future books released by her.