Lovebirds
Amanda Hampson
Reviewed by Helen
This is a gorgeous story, the first one I have read from this author and it won’t be the last, beautifully written it is heart breaking and heart -warming at the same time as we meet Elizabeth Clayton and Ray O’Reilly and journey from their first meeting through ups and downs, a journey that will make you smile and cry.
Lizzy left her small home in Nullaburra at the age of sixteen she left with the love of her life Ray, nothing was going to stop them they had each other and so much love, they found a small flat in Sydney both working and things were going very nicely, that is until the Vietnam War and Ray was conscripted, Lizzy waited for Ray to come home but he returns a different man but Lizzy is nothing but strong in her support of him and they marry and have two lovely boys Tom and Danny, sadly life doesn’t always go the way you want it too and Ray suffers terribly with PTSD and needs to get away by himself and leaves his family.
Lizzy is now in her sixties and lonely the boys have grown and have families of their own she has three grandchildren and her pet budgie Eric the friend she talks too. When her best friend Ginny dies and leaves Lizzy a letter that makes her look at her life, Lizzy decides it is time to find Ray and with her fifteen year old grandson Zach in trouble with the law she steps in to help and her and Zach start off on a road trip up north to find Ray.
This road trip opens up a lot for Lizzy and Zach about the past and helps them look to the future, it is a real adventure with the people they meet along the way there are lots of fun moments, finding Ray opened up even more heartbreak learning about the war and what they went through and how it left him feeling, this is such a moving and emotional story, a compelling and poignant story. I love Lizzy what a woman strong, loving and so caring and I loved that she never gave up on Ray, never stopped loving him she wasn’t perfect but she never stops learning and Ray my heart went out to him and what he went through but he never stopped loving Lizzy, never. I loved this story and highly recommend it.
My thanks to Penguin AU for my copy to read and review
Lizzy left her small home in Nullaburra at the age of sixteen she left with the love of her life Ray, nothing was going to stop them they had each other and so much love, they found a small flat in Sydney both working and things were going very nicely, that is until the Vietnam War and Ray was conscripted, Lizzy waited for Ray to come home but he returns a different man but Lizzy is nothing but strong in her support of him and they marry and have two lovely boys Tom and Danny, sadly life doesn’t always go the way you want it too and Ray suffers terribly with PTSD and needs to get away by himself and leaves his family.
Lizzy is now in her sixties and lonely the boys have grown and have families of their own she has three grandchildren and her pet budgie Eric the friend she talks too. When her best friend Ginny dies and leaves Lizzy a letter that makes her look at her life, Lizzy decides it is time to find Ray and with her fifteen year old grandson Zach in trouble with the law she steps in to help and her and Zach start off on a road trip up north to find Ray.
This road trip opens up a lot for Lizzy and Zach about the past and helps them look to the future, it is a real adventure with the people they meet along the way there are lots of fun moments, finding Ray opened up even more heartbreak learning about the war and what they went through and how it left him feeling, this is such a moving and emotional story, a compelling and poignant story. I love Lizzy what a woman strong, loving and so caring and I loved that she never gave up on Ray, never stopped loving him she wasn’t perfect but she never stops learning and Ray my heart went out to him and what he went through but he never stopped loving Lizzy, never. I loved this story and highly recommend it.
My thanks to Penguin AU for my copy to read and review
5 stars
Published May 5th 2021 by Penguin Random House
