When We're Least Expecting It by Dee Fitzwilliam
Genre: Adult Fiction/Contemporary Romance
Spoiler Free Summary:
In 1993, on holiday with her husband in Turkey, Barbara meets the handsome-though-troubled Mehmet. Back home in Oxford, Barbara returns to the stifling routine of her loveless relationship with her sociopathic husband, further foreign travel denied to him due to illness. Mehmet and Barbara exchange letters. One year on, Barbara returns to Istanbul, alone, to discover whether the 'spark' between her and Mehmet is real or imaginary. But her beloved home town has a habit of following her around...
The people and events waiting for her are to have a lasting effect on her life. When We're Least Expecting It weaves together freedom and duty; the exotic and the mundane; an exciting journey through passion, friendship, tragedy, love and loss, in search of lasting contentment.
**Spoiler Free Review**
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I really, really enjoyed this book. It was just what I was wanting to read at this time of year; a heartwarming contemporary novel and the absolute perfect summer read. The book centres around a woman named Barbara and her romantic relationships, her relationships with her friends, and her love of travelling. Although this book does focus on romance, I did really enjoy that that wasn't the only thing the book was about. There was so much about friendships and the lasting relationships you can make by helping people.
Dee Fitwilliam succeeds so well in painting a picture with words of the places Barbara travels to. Whether in Turkey, Oxford, or even Ireland, the descriptions were vivid and you could imagine each setting beautifully. Having never been to Turkey, I thought I would feel slightly alienated about the setting but that was definitely not the case. I could picture absolutely every hotel, café, and the beautiful Turkish architecture as it was described in the book. It's made me really want to go there!
All of the characters in the book were so unique, three-dimensional and realistic. Not one of them fell flat. From their detailed pasts to the present inside jokes with one another, these characters really came to life. and were all incredibly likeable. As well as the main character, I became really attached to Mags and Rosalind and their friendship with Barbara was just so lovely. The shift in dynamics between different characters meant that the book never became boring, especially between Mehmet, Gul, and Sean. I was surprised at how quickly I changed my mind and started rooting for different couples!
I think one of the main things I enjoyed about this book was Barbara herself and the life lessons that are learnt by her throughout the book. I think it really speaks to women and encourages them to make decisions not based on other people if they're not happy. I loved Barbara's confidence and although she does worry at times, she never lets it overwhelm her or stop her from enjoying herself. Even when she occasionally embarrassed herself, she was both able to make the reader laugh, yet not dwell on her mistakes.
The story was incredibly interesting and I just couldn't put it down. I constantly needed to know what was happening next. There were lots of unexpected plot twists that I really didn't see coming and they added so much intrigue to the story. The book was both heartwarming and heartwrenching and I would highly recommend this book to any lover of contemporary romance fiction as it will definitely appeal to you. Also, with the summer coming up, it's the perfect time to pick up a copy of this book and give it a read during a holiday or on the beach!
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