Genre: Fiction, coming-of-age, romance

Stars: 4

Links: Amazon UK and Amazon US

 

The Blurb:

A startling revelation – the long-time friend you never viewed romantically is actually the person with whom you want to spend the rest of your life.

But what do you do about it?

For Derek, a laid-back graduate camping with college friends on Ireland’s west coast in the summer of 1996, the answer is … absolutely nothing.

Never the proactive one of the group – he’s more than happy to watch his friends surf, canoe and scuba-dive from the shore – Derek adopts a wait and see attitude. Acting on his emotional discovery is further hindered by the fact he’s currently seeing someone else – and she’s coming to join him for the weekend.

As their five days on the beach pass, and there are more revelations, Derek soon realises that to get what he desires, he’ll have to take it. Events conspire to push him to the forefront of the group, and, as unexpected sorrow begins to surround him and his friends, Derek grasps his chance at happiness. After all, isn’t life too short to just wait and see?

 

My review:

Part light, witty love story, part hard-hitting coming-of-age, Five Days at Ballyboy Beach manages to be both a heart-warming and heart-wrenching read.

Derek, on holiday on a beautiful Irish beach with his old university friends, realises he’s in love… but not with his girlfriend. Over the course of five days, Derek’s life is irrevocably changed as friendships are tested and reality bites.

The characterisation was brilliantly done, the dialogue realistically teasing and probing, and the plot emotional, packing quite a punch. A great little read.

*I received a free copy from the author, via Rosie’s Book Review Team, in exchange for my honest review.