For World Bool Day 2023, I wanted to talk to you about a book that has become very, very special to me. Sanctuary by Eliza-Hope Brown.

 

Published last week on Amazon, this incredible book is available for the Kindle and in paperback format. Full disclosure – I edited the book, but the story belongs to Eliza. Let me tell you why I love it.

The book.

A broken heart, a photographer fixated on his work and a chance meeting in an airport at 4am.

Laura, professional rugby player, strong body, shattered heart, unable to see an end to the pain caused by her former fiancè.

Dan, married to his job and haunted by an image from the past that he just can’t shake.

A story that spans years and cities. Crossed paths and kept promises – does coffee really fix everything?

Find sanctuary in a book you won’t want to put down.

 

 

My thoughts.

This is genuinely the best book I have read in quite some time. I would actually go as far as to say it’s one of my all time top five favourite fiction books. Considering this is a debut novel from someone who has never written fiction previously, I think you will agree, that’s really very special.

Eliza Hope-Brown is a very good friend of mine and when she told me she had “written something”, I was excited to read it. She’s very creative, so I was expecting something good. But let me tell you – I was not ready!

To be fair, the initial writing that she showed me back then, now bears little resemblance to the finished story, save for a few wonderful lines. However through the entire process I have watched her grow and develop as she found her voice and I am in awe of her capabilities as a writer.

The story is a real roller coaster of emotions, I have cried so many times over so many of the chapters. Hard not to because as a reader I found it ridiculously easy to become invested in the characters very quickly. They are all very well-written and so relatable, I could identify with little personality traits from several of the main players.

For me, Eliza’a skill is in her phrasing. It may seem like a cliche to say a writer is good with words, but there is no getting away from it, she really is. Her style is very descriptive, bordering on poetic frequently and there are a whole bunch of phrases and dialogue in this story that just melt my heart again and again.

There are some themes in the story that you won’t ordinarily find in a romantic novel – body image, mental abuse, womens’ rugby, for example. It is a very layered and nuanced tale, one that provides much food for thought, as well as being entertaining in its own right.

This book is incredibly emotive, heartrendingly beautiful and one that will stay with me for a very long time. I have cried many many times over Laura and Dan, their stories and lives are imprinted on me and I know I will regularly come back to this story and it will be like catching up with an old friend.

In summary, buy this book. You won’t regret it. It’s a very unique, unforgettable story, one that you won’t be able to put down.

Footnote – Eliza’s second book is imminent and is even better. I am beyond excited.

 

Body acceptance Body image Books Contemporary Fiction Debut novel Love story Romance Sports photography Women in sport Womens Rugby