I must admit I finished this book a while ago. But Married at First Sight Australia has been on, and I can’t help myself but I get sucked into watching that too much when it is on. It has finished now, and I am looking forward to getting back into reading, and reviewing, more books! So, then, Swimming For Beginners by Nicola Gill. The blurb for this book says:

Loretta has her life under control. She’s chasing a big promotion, she’s marrying the “perfect man” and she has a flawless five-year plan.

This plan does not include children.

But when a stranger asks her to watch her six-year-old daughter in an airport and never returns, both their lives will be changed forever.

A little human in fairy wings and sparkly cowboy boots will turn Loretta’s world upside down and maybe, just maybe, show her exactly what she’s missing.

Overflowing with humour and heartbreak, Nicola Gill takes us on a relatable journey of self-discovery through the power of a child’s love.

This book has all the right elements to it to make a fantastic Hallmark Movie. And to be clear here I absolutely love a good Hallmark Movie.

Loretta works at an Advertising Agency. She is very good at her job, although she is told regularly that her interpersonal skills are not great and that improving these are vital for securing the big promotion she really, really wants to get. This promotion is part of her very detailed and secure life plan. Loretta knows exactly what she wants to achieve in the next five years, and how her and her fiancé, Robert’s, live will look over that time. She loves order and control in her life.

Sent off to make a presentation to a big client for business her company wants to win, Loretta travels to New York. At the airport Loretta meets a little girl, Phoebe, travelling with her mother Kate. Loretta is not a fan of children, but she finds herself sat next to Kate and Phoebe in the waiting room. Whilst waiting for their flights Kate asks Loretta to watch over Phoebe while she goes to the toilet. Only Kate never comes back. Loretta stays with Phoebe until a relative can be found to look after the little girl and then heads off to New York to make her presentation.

Seemingly that will be the end of her relationship with Phoebe, but while Loretta goes back to her work, her routine, her plan, she just cannot get Phoebe and what happened out of her head, and she finds herself drawn back into the girl’s life. Loretta agrees to take Phoebe to swimming lessons once a week, and from there their relationship develops and deepens and Loretta just cannot let Phoebe go.

Throughout the book we watch Loretta explore both her relationship with Phoebe and Pheobe’s Grandmother, as well as her co-workers, her similarly controlled and routine loving fiancé, and even herself. Phoebe continues to work hard towards fulfilling her goals, and trying to get this promotion that she knows she deserves, but she cannot commit as much of herself to the attempt now that she has Phoebe in her life. Through her relationship with Phoebe, and trying to help Phoebe navigate her new life, not always in the best way maybe, Loretta starts to deal with past traumas of her own. Perhaps Loretta and Phoebe have more in common than they first thought. Loretta’s life is certainly changed completely as a result of this one, chance encounter in the airport and all that followed on afterwards.

This is a very easy read book. It was fairly predictable I think, but I found that predictability very comforting. It is a plot-driven page-turner of a book, and I very much enjoyed it. I wouldn’t say it is a holiday read book as it isn’t a light, easy, pure fun book, but it is one I read on my kindle at night before bed and it is perfect for that as it doesn’t demand too much of the reader.

The characters are likeable, but flawed, which I liked a lot. This isn’t a novel that paints everyone in their best light, and in trying to help Phoebe with friendship problems at school, Loretta gives the girl some rather questionable advice. But that is not surprising when Loretta is someone who needs to plan out everything, including interactions with coworkers. Personal relationships don’t come easy for Loretta, certainly not at the start of the book.

I thought this was a lovely, charming book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it, and would give it 4 out of 5 stars.