The Night We Met - Zoe Folbigg

 The Night We Met

As a man holds his wife's frail hand, he recounts a journey like no other...

Daniel and Olivia are destined to be together. At least, Daniel thinks this the night he sees Olivia across a sea of people. As he backpacks through Australia, Daniel and Liv continue to cross paths, yet never speak. Until one night, Liv joins Daniel for a drink. And that night everything changes.

Back in London, stuck in a monotonous routine, Daniel finds himself daydreaming of the woman with green eyes and fiery hair. Armed with only a name he vows to find her, yet with every passing moment, Daniel's hopes begin to disappear. What if it wasn't meant to be?

But then fate steps in, and Daniel and Olivia’s story can truly begin...

This is a tale of serendipity, missed chances and the power of love.

My Review:

This is an emotive book, with serious and heart-breaking content that may make some readers feel upset or quite sensitive. The Night We Met is a novel about a woman dying from cancer that asks her husband to write their complete love story for their daughters.

Yes the premise of this book is so sad, heart-breaking when we realise there are children who are losing a parent far too young, but it is a book littered with love and the idea that true love will always find a way.

The book is written in the now but also through varying points in the past from multiple locations. It demonstrates the lives the characters have led and how they were always intertwined before they were even together. I quite enjoyed reading things from different perspectives, I think you really get to understand the character this way. It was easy to follow and so well written, you didn’t feel like you were jumping around too much but more like they were snapshots into the past. As our characters travels we are taken from Australia to New Zealand to Milan, London, Switzerland, it’s like we are on our own armchair travels too.

This is a beautiful read, one of those ultimate love stories that show how time and maturity is all that is needed sometimes. Folbigg gives us a read that shows how love can be “at first sight” even if it takes time to realise this.

I loved the characters, Olivia is a sparky, interesting young girl but matures into a passionate woman; Daniel is full of heart and falls completely for her. I loved him and felt so sorry for what they were going through.

This book will hook you in and take you on an emotional rollercoaster, a special tale of love, friendship and of families and the many ways they can be created. 

About the author: 

Zoë Folbigg is author of Amazon number-one bestseller The Note, based on the true story of how she met her husband on her daily commute. Her second novel, The Distance, was released in 2018 and The Postcard – the sequel to The Note – was released summer 2019. Formerly a magazine journalist and digital editor, Zoë started at Cosmopolitan in 2001, was chief sub editor of its teen sister CosmoGIRL! and has since freelanced for titles including Fabulous, Glamour, Cosmo, Good Housekeeping, i newspaper, Healthy, Top Santé, Mother & Baby, ELLE, Sunday Times Style, ASOS and Style.com. Zoë wrote a weekly column in Fabulous magazine documenting her year-long round-the-world trip with ‘Train Man’ – and now lives with him and their two sons in Hertfordshire.

Follow Zoë:

Facebook: @zoefolbiggauthor
Twitter: @zoefolbigg
Instagram: @zoefolbigg

Buy links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KJZuI0

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2EXzWno

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2GhKnmj

iBooks: https://apple.co/3sQJ0Pc

bookshop.org:https://bit.ly/3qKoNsM

Waterstones: https://bit.ly/366TbWa

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

BLOGTOUR: The Postcard - Zoe Folbigg

Pre-order Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XDiYhJ

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Cg55hG

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2LMMxLs

About the Book

'Heart-warming, wonderful escapism and brimming with charm. I marvelled!' Christie Barlow

'I absolutely LOVED this! The Note was fabulous and this follow-up was a real treat!' Mandy Baggot

The sequel to the bestselling phenomenon The Note – based on the true story of one girl and her 'Train Man'…

A year after the kiss that brought them together in a snowy train-station doorway, Maya and James are embarking on another journey - this time around the world. The trip starts promisingly, with an opulent and romantic Indian wedding. But as their travels continue, Maya fears that ‘love at first sight’ might not survive trains, planes and tuk tuks, especially when she realises that what she really wants is a baby, and James doesn’t feel the same.  Can Maya and James navigate their different hopes and dreams to stay together? Or is love at first sight just a myth after all… Perfect for fans of One Day in December, Our Stop and Marian Keyes. The Postcard continues the once-in-a-lifetime love story that readers so took to their hearts.

My Review:

This is the sequel to Zoe Folbiggs ‘The Note’. We pick up the story as Maya and James plan on taking a year long trip travelling around the world. We are caught up with events from the year between the end of the first book and the start of this – I think you could read this happily as a standalone, but I always recommend reading a series in order (personal preference though).

Overall, I think The Postcard is charming, funny with elements of mystery, intrigue and even danger. I love when a book takes us on travels around the globe and was excited to hear about each destination. I mean, I love India and adore reading books that are set there or characters that travel through the country because I enjoy getting a picture in my mind of the place. I think we had some great glimpses of each place Maya and James enjoyed, but for me, I was left wanting more.

I quite enjoyed that we had the secondary storyline of Nena’s struggles with motherhood as well as the disappearance of backpacker Manon Junot in Thailand threading throughout. I understood the inclusion of Nena’s struggles – it contrasted to where Maya and James were in their relationship, but I admit I didn’t see why the Manon Junot storyline kept popping up at first.

I enjoyed how this books shows how we all put expectations on ourselves, we all compare ourselves to others even when their situations are completely different. It highlights how you should look at what you want from life and go for it, even if you didn’t initially set out with that goal in mind. Life is unexpected and not to be taken for granted.

I enjoyed the positive that exudes from the book, the writing is brilliant and we are given such a fantastic array of characters. Some quirky and funny, some annoying and you’ll want to punch them in their smarmy faces.

A highly enjoyable read for all. Thank you to Aria Fiction for the copy to review in exchange for an honest review. 

About the Author 

Zoë Folbigg is a magazine journalist and digital editor, starting at Cosmopolitan in 2001 and since freelancing for titles including Glamour, Fabulous, Daily Mail, Healthy, LOOK, Top Santé, Mother & Baby, ELLE, Sunday Times Style and Style.com. In 2008 she had a weekly column in Fabulous magazine documenting her year-long round-the-world trip with ‘Train Man’ – a man she had met on her daily commute. She since married Train Man and lives in Hertfordshire with him and their two young sons.

Follow Zoë:

Facebook: @zoefolbiggauthor

Twitter: @zolington

Website: www.zoefolbigg.com