What I Learned - The Good Friend by Jo Baldwin
The lovely people at Red Door Publishing sent me the brilliant The Good Friend by Jo Baldwin recently and I was not disappointed. This publisher brings out the most amazing and thought provoking reads and I am always excited when one hits my doormat!
What I Learned:
I've sat and re-read this 3 times - and how true? And sad? I'll put my hands up and admit this is me...I like my bubble...I like the people I keep in my bubble with me...I feel safe and secure and loved and content in my wee bubble...but what do I miss my staying in my bubble? What great adventures and people and amazing things are out there that I'm missing if only I took the chance? I need to remember to burst the bubble every now and then!
YES!!!! I LOVE this analogy! Everyone should remember that they are fierce just like that female pirate - no matter what storms come their way! After all - maybe the storms just make your sea-legs stronger and make you appreciate the calm all the more when it comes!
Unselfconsciousness is such a difficult, vulnerable state. And difficult to let others see. Maybe that's just me though. It's so difficult to let your guard and barriers down and have the courage to let other people see the real you.
I am one of those lucky people in life who seem to make others comfortable enough to tell their stories pretty quickly - and I love the stories. Stories are what make people, they are what ties us to the past and give us hope for the future. We are nothing without our stories.
...and lets face it, shared history is sometimes not enough. Go out there and keep making stories together to ensure a shared future as well as a shared history. And if you can't see this other person in your future stories then maybe, just maybe, it is time to cut the dead wood and give yourself the chance of an epically amazing future story!
...otherwise referred to in my world as "Meercatting". That fear that if you don't keep your eyes open and keep looking you will miss something incredible. I was at the most beautiful building in the centre of Glasgow recently and was talking to someone about the fact that I always have a tendency to look up in cities in particular. It's amazing what people miss. There is always something beautiful to see if only you just keep looking. There were people who had worked in that building for ages who simply hadn't noticed the beautiful details. What a waste!
Bliss, complete and utter peaceful perfection. These moments are incredible, and always memorable. I am so lucky to live where I live in the relative remotes of Scotland...there is never a disserted beach or mountain top or river side very far away so these moments aren't hard to chase down and make the most of.
I said to someone the other day that you can go through 100 "what ifs" in your head and it'll still be the 101st thing that you didn't think of that happens. Maybe that's what makes life exciting and interesting and heart-breaking and incredible? Don't get lost down the rabbit hole of "what ifs". Try so hard to pay attention to everything that's happening now and just deal with the curve balls as they come up. Nothing is ever irretrievable...everything can be fixed and overcome and the "what ifs" just steal arguably the most precious of all our commodities - time.
This is just a beautiful and visual passage. I personally love my snow globe of happy memories...this is especially personal to me because my beautiful daughter loves snow globes and has quite a collection now! These memories can almost be like some kind of "mental" reboot. I was in hospital overnight last week and in all kinds of pain and found myself sitting with my eyes closed reliving one of these moments from my precious snow globe - driving along my favourite long single track road in the wilds of Scotland to my favourite unspoiled, deserted and secluded beach. The nurse looking after me couldn't believe how I'd managed to bring my own pulse rate down! Be mindful of the moments and store them to your snow globe at every opportunity!
My Goodreads Review:
The Good Friend by Jo BaldwinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
An amazing page-turner set in beautiful rural France which descriptions that will instantly transport you, so much so you will almost be able to smell the Lavender, and a gut-wrenching ending I guarantee you will not see coming. This book literally left me breathless and with the most epic of book-hangovers. I was sat staring out of the window in complete and utter disbelief. Just a brilliant read.
Find Jo Baldwin online at:
My copy was published by the brilliant Red Door Publishing. Find them online at:
Thank you so much for checking out this review - if you enjoyed it please have a look at my complete list of What I Learned reviews.
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
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