Book Review: Daisy’s Vintage Cornish Camper Van by Ali McNamara

Welcome to the gorgeous Cornish town of St Felix, where there’s magic in the air…

When Ana inherits a broken-down camper van from her best friend, she takes the chance for a quick trip to Cornwall – some sea air and fish and chips on the beach is just the tonic she needs.

But St Felix has bigger plans for Ana. She discovers a series of unsent postcards, dating back to the 1950s, hidden in the upholstery of the van. Ana knows that it’s a sign: she’ll make sure that the messages reach the person that they were meant for. And as the broken-down van is restored to gleaming health, so Ana begins to find her way back to happiness.

When Ana inherits a VW camper van from a friend, she heads to the seaside town of St Felix in Cornwall unsure of what she is going to do with it once she gets back to London.

However, when she arrives at the garage where the van is being stored, she is taken aback at how much work needs to be done to it to even make it road worthy, meaning she will have to stay longer than planned. This is where she meets the handsome Malachi, who promises that he can restore the van to its former glory.

Ana isn’t sure but Malachi seems to be a little flirty.

She also soon meets Noah on her arrival in town along with his shop assistant Jess. When she finds some old postcards hidden in the van, she embarks in a mission to return them to the original owner.

She gradually wonders whether St Felix is going to be better for her than she thought.

I love it when Ali McNamara releases a new novel as I know it is going to give me a chance to really disappear into a novel for a while. I have been a fan of hers since her first book, From Notting Hill with Love Actually. There is always a little bit of magic in her books (I get the same intriguing lovely feeling when I read Cecelia Ahern’s books.)

Ali McNamara

I really liked Ana. She was a very well-developed character. At the beginning of the book, she is a little lost following the death of her friend. I felt that she is simply existing. You know from the moment she arrives in St Felix that things are not going to be the same for her.

Ali has a few plot twists up her sleeve that kept the story moving nicely and surprising me along the way. I wanted to know about the owner of the postcards.
All of the supporting characters are delightful and I especially liked Noah. Like Ana, he was very well rounded and had a few layers to him including a mysterious past. I think if I had to pick, I would be team Noah.

The imagery and descriptions surrounding St Felix reminded me of home and I really wanted to just step into the front cover of this novel. Also, I now want a red and white camper van.

Reading Ali’s novels are the perfect escape. This one was full of warmth, humour and an inspirational message that life will give you the opportunity for adventure. You just have to be willing to jump in with both feet.

Daisy’s Vintage Cornish Camper Van was released by Sphere in June 2018. It’s available in most UK book shops and online. I thank Sphere for the review copy. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.