20.7.15

BOOK REVIEW: The Sun in Her Eyes by Paige Toon

Blinding sunshine...A bend in the road...
What became of the little girl with the sun in her eyes?
Amber was three when a car crash stole her mother's life. She doesn't remember the accident, but a stranger at the scene has been unable to forget. Now, almost thirty years later, she's trying to track Amber down.
Amber, meanwhile, is married to Ned and living on the other side of the world in London. When her father has a stroke, she flies straight home to Australia to be with him. Away from her husband, Amber finds comfort in her oldest friends, but her feelings for Ethan, the gorgeous, green-eyed man she once fell for, have never been platonic.
As Ethan and Amber grow closer, married life in London feels very far away. Then Amber receives a letter that changes everything:
'Before your mother died, she asked me to tell you something...' 

Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 385

I knew I was in for a treat when a review copy of Paige Toon's new book popped through my letterbox. The Sun in Her Eyes (fab title) is a perfect summer read. Obviously I'm glad that I've read it but I would say that this book would be the perfect holiday read as it has a little bit of everything.
Amber's mother was killed in a car crash when Amber was just three. She was in the car at the time but has no memory of it and no real memories of her mother. Nearly thirty years after the accident, a lady who was first on the scene is trying to locate Amber  as she promised her dying mother that she would pass on her message.
Amber has moved continent since then though, she left Australia for London where she is happily married to Ned. However, Amber's father has a stroke so she flies across to the other side of the world to be with him. Whilst back home she catches up with her childhood friends, including Ethan who she once loved. Amber and Ethan spend a lot of time together and she begins to question her marriage to Ned. If Ethan had returned her feelings years ago then would she even have met her loving husband? As Amber battles with her emotions and cares for her father; the lady from the accident is trying to find her, maybe their paths will cross now she is back at her family home.
Paige Toon has written such a good story, she carefully entwines the different elements together to make a book that you won't want to put down. I had so many questions throughout; what would happen with Amber and Ethan; does Amber still love Ned; what were her mother's final words?
I liked Amber, she is no way perfect but I did feel for her when she was torn between Ned and Ethan. It was interesting to think about the people you may have had feelings for as a teenager, how do those feelings translate when you are older? Is the memory actually better than the reality?
The Sun in Her Eyes is a marvellous book, perfect for those summer days we are having.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me a review copy.

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