Nat’s husband has just said the six words no one wants to hear – ‘I don’t love you any more’.
Caroline’s estranged mother has to move into her house turning her perfectly ordered world upside down.
Living on the same street these two women couldn’t be more different. Until the beloved local community centre is threatened with closure. And when the only way to save it is to form a community choir – none of the Hope Street residents, least of all Nat and Caroline, expect the results…
This spring, hope is coming!
What does TWG think?
I’ve got to admit, whilst I was looking forward to Annie Lyon’s new novel, the cover had me thinking that the storyline was going to be a lot tamer than what it actually was. Don’t get me wrong, the storyline wasn’t all harsh and completely serious but the cover was rather simple for such a rollercoaster ride of a book. It really was a pleasant surprise.
One of the main characters, Nat, has just been told five words that no wife (or husband), really want to hear; ‘I don’t love you anymore’. As far as Nat was concerned, everything was fine and their family life with their son was a happy one. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The other main character, Caroline, has a life where anything she requires, she gets. Is her life like the ‘Jones’s’, a way of over compensating for many years of resentment? Both ladies are like chalk and cheese yet they come together to support a community building’s closure by starting their very own choir. A contender for the number one spot in the music charts, you think?
Nat’s family situation was quite heart wrenching to read as everything she had ever known to be real, now had a big, red question mark looming over its head. Would she have to move out of the family home with her son? How would she explain the split to their son? Rather her than me, I’ll be honest. Despite all of that, her attitude to life in general was fantastic. The way she tried to solve her problems with humour had me in hysterics. Yes, sometimes she went over the top but who am I to judge? People deal with things in a different way; her included.
I found Caroline a little bit hit and miss as her personality and attitude drove me up the wall to begin with. However, when the storyline began to unfold a little bit more and we got to see a different side to Caroline, I found myself becoming a little more lenient to the way she came across. You’ll need to read the book yourself to find out what I’m meaning!!
To look at Annie Lyons’ novel at first, you may assume that all it contains is a choir, when in actual fact, the community starting their own choir just seemed to be the key to unlock a whole chest of drama, secrets and hidden agendas. There is A LOT more to this novel than ‘just a choir’, and whilst the change in direction caught me by surprise, I found myself respecting the author even more as she was able to completely change my views.
Overall, ‘The Choir on Hope Street’ is a fabulous, fun and surprising read which covers a lot of topics from serious family matters, to hilarious personal dramas. If you’re after a storyline to tickle every single one of your literary taste buds, then my friends, this book is most definitely one to buy. As long as you have support from good friends and family, and your very own choir, what more could you possibly want? After all, it is Hope Street, right?
A heart-warming, cosy read from the wonderful Annie Lyons and The Choir on Hope Street. I wonder if they did get their number one chart position….
Thank you HQ & Netgalley.
The Choir on Hope Street by Annie Lyons, published by HQ (HarperCollins), will be published on the 6th April 2017 in e-book and paperback. It is currently available to pre-order right now from: Amazon UK (go, go, GO!)
