Book Review: Five Days by Zoë Folbigg

I’m so happy to be welcoming Zoë Folbigg to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, Five Days.

When Jesse Lightning meets Minnie Byrne, he is having a bad day.

Reeling from the effects of a very bruised heart, the last thing Jesse wants is a new friend. But Minnie is hard to say no to, and reluctantly Jesse realises that her impetuous playfulness might do him good.

So when Minnie suggests they go on fortnightly platonic dates with no strings, no promises, no expectations beyond good company, Jesse agrees before he has a chance to think too deeply about it.

Two friends.

Five days.

No chance of another broken heart.

Until Jesse reveals a secret that proves Minnie’s heart isn’t as safe as she thought. Thank goodness five days isn’t enough time to fall in love…

Once you meet Jesse and Minnie you’ll never forget them. This is bestseller Zoë Folbigg at her absolute best with a story of friendship, love and taking chances. Perfect for fans of Cathy Kelly, Mike Gayle, JoJo Moyes and David Nicholls.

*****

Jessie is having a bad day when he meets Minnie. There is something about her that draws him in, he just can’t put his finger on it.

When they both decide to have platonic play dates together, it seems like a good chance to spend some time with someone, to do new things. They won’t fall in love…. right? 

I’m such a fan of Zoë Folbigg and I really found the premise of this book interesting and so I jumped at the chance to be part of the blog tour for Five Days. 

The overall story has many wonderful moments. I loved the relationship between Jessie and Minnie. The idea that they have these dates together. That a relationship can develop in a short space of time and still be one of the most important ones of your life. How sometimes you meet the right person when you need them the most. 

Minnie is an empathetic, likeable character. I loved her. Despite all that has happened to her, she has this positivity about her. 

Jessie… can I give you a hug? He’s grieving for not only a parent but a relationship. He is a lovely counterpart to Minnie. 

Themes of infidelity and grief are handled well and with sensitivity. 

I knew how I wanted it to end. How it ends is something I hope you’ll find out for yourself. There were some beautiful moments, some where I laughed and others where I wanted to give one of the characters a talking to. 

Five Days is a life affirming tale full of love, friendship and acceptance. A perfect summer read. If you’re a fan of beautifully written stories and great characters, please add this to your book list. I don’t think you’ll regret it. 

(Thanks to Boldwood Books, Netgalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.)

About Zoë Folbigg–

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 and Amazon Prime’s biggest selling Kindle book of 2018.

Zoë has written for magazines and newspapers in the UK and around the world; she wrote a weekly column in Fabulous magazine documenting her year-long round-the-world trip with ‘Train Man’ – and now lives with him, their sons and their cat Margot in Hertfordshire.

Her seventh book Five Days was released by Boldwood Books on 26th July 2024.

Say hi to Zoë on Facebook, X, Instagram and Bookbub. Click here to sign up to her newsletter. 

Click here to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones

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.