Book Review: The Island Affair by Helena Halme (Blog Tour) #BookReview #BlogTour #TheIslandAffair #GeneralFiction

I am so honoured to participate in The Island Affair blog tour.
I want to say thank you to Anne Carter from Random Things Tour for inviting me.
I enjoyed reading this novel as it reminded me of something that felt like home, even if I’ve never experienced anything similar to characters from this novel.

About the book:

Can one summer mend a broken heart?

After the tragic loss of their 17-year-old son, journalist Alicia and surgeon Liam struggle to keep their marriage afloat. During their usual holiday to Åland, the Nordic islands where Alicia grew up, the rift between the couple deepens.

Enter tall, blonde Patrick, with the most piercing blue eyes Alicia has ever seen. When Patrick confides in Alicia about the near loss of his daughter and the breakdown of his marriage, Alicia is surprised to feel an affinity with the Swedish reporter. He’s the only person who understands Alicia.

But secrets held by people close to Alicia give her life another surprising turn and she finds there is a reason to live – and love – again.

My Review:

The Island Affair is a story about loss and grief, about love and betrayal. It is a story about life.

When I first heard about The Island Affair (thanks to Anne Carter) I had a strong feeling this book would be perfect for me.
It’s been a while since I read good quality general fiction, and I craved for some!
This book came to my life just when I needed it.

I loved many things about this story, but what I liked the most was the setting. I think the author captured Nordic islands perfectly.
Even if I’ve never been there myself, the whole time I was reading The Island Affair I had a feeling I was somewhere else.

This novel felt like home to me, but not because I experienced something similar in my real life, but because it reminded me of a tv show I like to watch: The Affair.
Guys, I think that the same muse who visited creators of that show visited Helena Halme as well!
The similarities are undeniable, even though they are two different stories.
Maybe some readers will not be thrilled with that, but to me it was a plus.

The story is written in third person, following mostly Alicia’s perspective, but we do get rare chapters with other characters’ viewpoints.

The Island Affair has an interesting, unhurried plot, but it is mainly character driven story.
It explores people’s reactions in certain situations, their way to deal with emotions and the progress of healing and letting go.

As I already stated, it’s been a while since I read good story that explores emotions and inside worlds of people, and this novel reminded me why I love this type of stories.

The Island Affair is the first book in the series, and I would like to continue with it if the next book also follow the same characters.