“Fiona and the Whale” by Hannah Lynn, review + giveaway

Dear all,

Today I am presenting you a a non-JAFF book which is so worth it to read. However, before talking about Fiona and the Whale, I would like to apologise to Hannah, the author, and to Rachel, the organiser of the tour, because I have not been able to post this review on time. Work has been pretty intense and time caught up with me.

Back to the book… Who is not going to like this book if the full title is: Fiona and The Whale: an uplifting romance with a whale sized heart? The subtitle is just perfect! Moreover, the cover is vibrant and beautiful.

Let me (re)introduce you the author, an amazing person as well as an awesome writer. You may remember that I did a giveaway for her birthday this year celebrating also her novels.

Hannah Lynn is an award-winning novelist. Publishing her first book, Amendments – a dark, dystopian speculative fiction novel, in 2015, she has since gone on to write The Afterlife of Walter Augustus, a contemporary fiction novel with a supernatural twist – which won the 2018 Kindle Storyteller Award and the Gold Medal for Best Adult Fiction ebook at this year’s IPPY Awards – and the delightfully funny and poignant Peas and Carrots series.

While she freely moves between genres, her novels are recognisable for their character driven stories and wonderfully vivid description.

She is currently working on a YA Vampire series and a reimaging of a classic Greek myth.

Born in 1984, Hannah grew up in the Cotswolds, UK. After graduating from university, she spent ten years as a teacher of physics, first in the UK and then around Asia. It was during this time, inspired by the imaginations of the young people she taught, she began writing short stories for children, and later adult fiction. Now she is a teacher, writer, wife and mother.

For up-to-date news and access to exclusive promotions follow her on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/HannahLynnAuthor/

Twitter @HMLynnauthor

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13830772.Hannah_M_Lynn

Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/hannah-lynn

Check her other book on her Amazon Author’s page here.

 

What is the book about, you ask? Let me show you the blurb and let’s see what you think.

With her personal life on the rocks, it’s going to take a whale sized miracle to keep her afloat.

Event planner Fiona Reeves did not have her husband’s sudden departure on her schedule. However, she’s certain that it’s only a hiccup and he’ll be back in no time, begging for forgiveness. Fortunately, there’s a distraction of mammoth proportions swimming in the River Thames. 

Absorbed by the story of Martha the sperm whale, Fiona attempts to carry on life as usual as she awaits her husband’s return. However, nothing can prepare her for the dramatic turn of events that throws her life into ever greater turmoil. The road ahead has many paths and for Fiona it’s time to sink or swim.

Fiona and the Whale is a poignant and often hilarious contemporary fiction novel. If you enjoy topical tales, second chances and a little bit of romance, you’ll love this new book from the Kindle Storyteller Award Winner, Hannah Lynn.

What do you think? If you live in the UK, you may think that this sounds familiar, and, unfortunately, it is familiar. Just last week a humpback whale was spotted swimming in River Thames. The story does not end well, unfortunately.

I will tell you more below about Fiona and Martha on my review below.

Ready to buy the book?

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Review

What can I say about Fiona and the Whale? I have simply loved it. It is not the “classic” romance, at all! The ones who follow the blog know that I adore romance but Fiona and the Whale is something else. The romance its not just the centre of the book, the centre of the book is… well, I will try to explain.

As you have read on the blurb, Fiona was not expecting to be dumped by her husband. However, he is back in the novel, how he is back!! Fiona feels left alone, her son is gone to uni and her husband is gone too. Fiona does what she knows how to do best, work. Work, work and more work is what occupies her but, then… Martha appears, the sperm whale, the lovely but lonely whale, away from her family, like Fiona. Fiona feels a bond between them and everything else does not matter as much. From following Martha’s story, Fiona will never be exactly the same. No, I am not saying that she is going to the sea to save whales or she is going to sell everything to give money to charities that protect the environment. Although, there is like a catharsis, maybe Fiona does not understand it like that but I would say that the events going on on her life are directly related to that bond. There are other characters, all of them have a key part on Fiona’s life even if what we know about them is that Fiona has met them during an afternoon and that’s it, an afternoon… Some characters are much more relevant: the husband, the best friend Holly, Ben, Rory, etc. Who are they, you ask me? I am not telling you. I highly recommend you to read the book.

Hannah’s writing is beautiful, her descriptions are like a breeze, they take you with them. Her characters are so complex but at the same time so close, there is no characteristic of a character that it is not well-planned or with a purpose. Even if that characteristic is not being a good cook 😉 Moreover, there is a key message in the book, do not forget that!

Regarding the author’s notes: I was not sure at the beginning of the book but then, I enjoyed them immensely.

Blog Tour

There are so many stops in this blog that I do not know where to recommend you to start! Go and check them, you are going to learn so much about Fiona and the Whale that you will not be able to stop yourself from buying the book now!

As I mentioned before, I am writing the post later than expected, therefore, the giveaway Hannah was doing is over. Therefore, I am doing a giveaway myself to celebrate this new novel by Hannah Lynn.

I am giving away two paperbacks of Fiona and the Whale by Hannah Lynn to two lucky winners.

Conditions: comment on this blog with your opinions and feelings about the book. Extra points if you share it on social media and you let me know in a comment. Please, write your email address for me to contact you in case you are the winner.

Giveaway open from today, 15th of October, until Saturday 19th of October at 11:59 CEST. I will publish the winners on Sunday, 20th of October.

I will be using Amazon to buy the book so eventually I will email you to ask you for your post address. I will not share your address with anyone apart from the amazon website that I will use to buy the paperbacks.