#BookReview (5 Stars) – When it Rains, by Brooke Harris @BrookeHarris_ #WomensFiction #Romance

Blurb:

I’m dying.
I’m not afraid. It’s my time.
I see so much of me in my granddaughter, I know she will help our family once I’m gone. I just hope she can help herself before it’s too late.

My grandmother is dying.
I’m afraid that it’s time.
She has given me a gift. A book.
The story of her past, a lesson to save my future.

Nana always said ”you don’t find true love. It finds you”.

My Review:

When it Rains is an incredibly emotional women’s fiction and romance story that broke my heart into lots of tiny pieces and then started sticking it back together again.

“When it rains look for rainbows. When it’s dark look for stars.”

Wonderful and believable characters, touching relationships between the characters, and beautifully written. When it Rains might actually be my new favourite book by this author, which is rather impressive considering quite how much I LOVED No Kiss Goodbye.

It’s interesting how this month I’ve read two books in entirely different genres that both had a focus on apple trees and how wonderful and full of wisdom grandmas are. My Otley Grandma would always tell me stories of her past. I sat for hours listening to her stories of the years gone by, so I guess I’m a little like Ben in this book in that respect.

August last year I travelled up to Yorkshire to celebrate my Otley Grandma’s 90th birthday. Sadly, she passed away a couple of months later. I can’t help but feel particularly close to her in recent weeks, due to the wonderful books I’ve read that have brought back memories of her. I loved that Holly’s grandmother’s advice in this book was “You can’t save time, Holly. So spend it wisely.” My Otley Grandma’s pearl of wisdom was “Assume makes an ass out of you and me”. This is so programmed into me now, I can’t help but think of her and hear her voice any time a conversation comes up about the topic of assuming things.

This book also reminded me of my childhood dog who passed away when I was seventeen. We’d had her since we rescued her when I was just two years old. I remember the day we picked her up from a farmer who temporarily took her in after she had been thrown out of a car. She was my best friend and I was so heart broken when she was gone. We chose a specific star to remember her by. It was the brightest star in the sky and was directly above her grave in the garden at the time she was buried. It’s called Sirius, and happens to also be known as the Dog Star. Over twenty years on, I still look at that star and think of Sheba.

This beautiful story definitely comes very highly recommended by me, but be warned you may need at least an entire box of tissues, because this is a proper ugly tears kind of a book. You may also require more caffeine than normal, as I found this book almost impossible to put down. If I had the time and energy I would have read it in one sitting. Instead, this book resulted in a few days of very late nights where my heart insisted on reading just one more chapter, and another, and another… I was forced to stop when my brain refused to comply. I even ate a banana in bed on the last night, as there were no way I was putting it down during the last few chapters and needed the energy to keep me awake. I was crying so much, I could hardly see the words, and woke up the following morning with puffy eyes from crying my little heart out.

I believe things happen for a reason, and I truly believe this book came to me at a time when I most needed it. Last week was a particularly emotional week, for reasons I won’t go into, but this book forced me to face the emotions I had locked away inside me and encouraged me to deal with what was to come. It has helped me focus my thoughts and feelings over the last week, and for that I’m truly grateful. It also reminded me that when we lose someone we can still keep them with us. I would like to thank the author for writing this beautiful, emotional and touching story. It will always have a special place in my heart.