Author: Karly Lane
ISBN: 978-1-76029-689-6
RRP: $29.99
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
Someone Like You is the latest release by Karly Lane, an author I have been following for a few years now. I haven’t read all of her books but I have tried to keep up with the ones which have been released since I discovered her.
I have always found Karly Lane novels to be a little quirky, contain more than a hint of humour and often draw inspiration from Australia’s history. In these respects, Someone Like You fits perfectly in the Karly Lane catalogue, but this one has something extra, something deeper and I was completely enthralled.
Hayley Stevens is a Sydney author who is recovering from the breakdown of her marriage and suffering writer’s block with her agent calling to chase the opening chapters of the new book. She decided that a fresh start was in order and ended up buying a house in a small country town basically on impulse. She had stayed in the town as part of a Writer’s Festival and fallen in love with it.
I really liked Hayley as a character but I think one of the things that really drew me to her was she’s an author who has just moved from the city to a small country town. She gave us an insight into the publishing industry and the writing process, and I couldn’t help but draw comparisons in the early chapters. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of Karly Lane found her way into Hayley Stevens, how much they had in common and how much of what frustrates or drives Stevens are issues Lane has. It certainly kept me thinking as I was sinking deeper and deeper into the narrative.
Karly Lane writes beautiful small towns and she loves a small town with history which can be woven into her contemporary storyline. Lochway is a tiny town with a huge history that is explored thoroughly. It is a town in close proximity to St Albans, which Lane discovered and was enchanted by, that was settled around the time of the first settlers.
What we know of history is only what has been recorded and what’s been passed down through the generations. There are no eyewitnesses left to attest to the truth so how do we truly know that recorded history is correct?
There was so much to love about Someone Like You and I really did. The characters are lovable and diverse, there’s some definite quirkiness happening here, and not all of her characters are people.
Hayley is a city girl through and through but she moves to the small town and starts collecting animals, even before she checks out whether she has anywhere secure to keep them. Quirky personalities aren’t limited to the human characters either, the menagerie that Hayley collects is filled with personality and she talks to them all.
The romantic storyline also contained its fair share of humour, and tragic near misses. The chemistry sizzled off the page but Lane reminds us that sometimes chemistry isn’t enough to ensure a happy ever after. Lane writes great steam without gratuitous details and a minimum of questionable language; which is something I wouldn’t usually even notice unless it was excessive but it was brought up as a discussion this week on Facebook.
I am struggling with this review because there is a whole element I don’t want to touch on so I am not quite sure what to say. An element that is a little out there but I really enjoyed and one that has always fascinated me. It was interesting to come across it and I really enjoyed the way that Karly Lane explored it.
Someone Like You has past and present colliding, an exploration of history, a tree change and an amusing and insightful look at the life of a work-at-home-full-time-author. Lane shines a light on small town gossip, PTSD in returned servicemen and reserving judgement to make up your own mind rather than being turned off by gossip.
I love this story, I love these characters and though we have an epilogue I would love to see this town and these people revisited so I could learn about the fallout and all the things that came about after the events of Someone Like You. I would recommend this one to anyone who loves some humour with their romance and doesn’t need a HEA Guarantee.
Someone Like You is book #20 for the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2018.
Karly Lane loves to hear from her readers, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her Website.
Someone Like You is published by Allen & Unwin and available now from Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin 50 of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Someone Like You so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Someone like you is a book I wouldn’t normally read but I want to get out of my comfort zone with reading so I took the plunge and couldn’t be happier!
Hayley is a 30 year old divorcee and authoer in need of change, she feels compelled to buy a little cottage out in the sticks called Abby Cottage after she visits for a stay.
Here she has visions that take her back 200 years but what does it all mean?
Next door to Abby Cottage a handsome man is her neighbour, Luke, rugged and absolutely gorgeous how is Hayley not to have the feels after he helps her with her muddy, stubborn donkey.
I loved the history and supernatural aspects of Someone Like You which made it way more than a love story which personally I would of hated. It gave it quirk and kept it a page turner.
Karly Lane is a thorough and amazing writer whom gives great detail and really makes you feel part of the story,
I give Someone like you 5 stars as I really enjoyed it!
What a wonderful book.. This is a novel in which the main character Hayley ( an author ) comes home and is greeted by her husband and best friend together ( and not just chatting) !
12 months later she has sold up in Sydney for a new adventure in the country where she impulsively buys a little cottage, that she had stayed in once for a weekend. Why did she buy this cottage and why does she have moments of dejavu and flashbacks from 200 years?
What do they have to do with her? And why does she suffer from writer’s block in this gorgeous town?
This book delves into living in a typical small town with all its trials and tribulations where the townspeople know all your business and find it hard to accept a newcomer from the city. She meets her neighbour Luke with his intriguing past. and they both have this immediate attraction to each other but their path never seems to run smoothly.
Hayley settles in to her new home, with all its problems and the menagerie of unwanted animals she seems to inherit.
I loved the book, it was so easy to read it is full of beautiful descriptions of the rural landscape, very funny and all the characters have such a depth that you feel you are part of the story as well.
I have never read a book by Karly Lane. She weaves a beautiful tale that really captures you from the beginning and the past sits right there with the present. I will definitely read more of her books.
Thank you Beauty and lace and Allen and Unwin
This is the first Karly Lane novel I have read, and I really enjoyed it!
Karly’s writing style is easy to read, descriptive and humorous. I love the quirky characters, and the themes introduced through the story, like PTSD, history, past lives and finding romance in rural life.
I found the story totally engrossing and enjoyable!
Thankyou so much to Beauty and Lace, Allen and Unwin and Karly Lane for the opportunity to read this book, from one of my favourite authors!
Someone like you is a bit different to Karlys usual style, with a bit of a historical mystery thrown into the rural romance setting.
I quite enjoyed the different elements that were very unlike Karlys usual writing. It provided a different setting, and made it not as predictable as sometimes rural romance can be.
I liked all the characters in the book, I found them all entertaining in their own ways. Loved that Hayley loved all the animals and adopted lots!
Handyman Jason was a great character, it would be nice to hear more of his story as well as the Main characters in another book?
I loved Pearl too, she was a funny old lady, loved when she made Luke panic and run to her and then she cheekily said that he was out of shape
Thanks again for allowing me to review this book, I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for Karlys next one!
Thank you Beauty and Lace for another fabulous book. From the moment I opened this book I was hooked. It flowed nicely and was written. My very first book by Karly Lane another great Australian author.
I loved that it was a story inside a story. The main character Hayley was very likeable and I love bed reading about her. I enjoyed the past life experiences throughout the book. I love reading romance novels but loved that this wasn’t your normal everyday romance story. I certainly would love to read more in the future
Someone like You by Karly Lane is such a great read with excellent descriptions and an uncomplicated story line.
The story begins a year after Hayley Stevens walks in on her husband in bed with her best friend. Hayley makes the decision of her life and decides to say goodbye to the City and heads to a country village on the Macdonald River where she had purchased a sandstone cottage where she plans to continue with her writing.
As Hayley tries to settle into country life she has a few adventures on the way, and one of them is acquiring a donkey and during which time she meets her new and sexy neighbour Luke Mason, who for some reason seems quite familiar to her. Things in the country are not all that they seem as Hayley experiences what she thinks are visions or flashbacks.
The story is romantic, full of intrigue and humour which goes into past lives and new beginnings with characters who are very likeable.
I have never read a book by Karly Lane previously and would highly recommend this novel as it had me interested in the whole book from start to finish.
Thank you, Beauty and Lace and Allen Unwin.
Congratulations to Karly Lane on another successful book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I fell n love with the two characters and liked how they interacted between past and current lives, This actually impressed me. It was a beautiful love story which was enriched with Australian history.
Thank you so much to Beauty and Lace for allowing me to read this book.
This is a heartwarming novel in which we are introduced to the lovely character, 29 year old Hayley Stevens. Hayley has discovered her husband and best friend have been unfaithful to her and she has chosen to pack up and leave, concentrating all of her efforts on a new life in the country and her career as an author.
On arrival to Lochway, Hayley is soon introduced to her handsome neighbour Luke Mason. From here, Hayley and Luke develop a friendship based on their love of animals and a rural lifestyle.
Ultimately, there are two broken souls who are drawn together through fate and a hefty dose of deja vu. Karly Lane has a natural ability to ensure her readers and wrapped in the warmth, love and friendship that she has transposed onto every page and this makes for a very enjoyable read.
Thank you Beauty and Lace Bookclub and Allen & Unwin Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel. This is the first Karly Lane novel I have read and I adore it, I will happily re-visit this time and time again.
I discovered Karly’s books a few years back and have been working my way through her catalogue and she is now one of my favourite Australian writers and I was eager to read her new one.
I loved “Someone like you”, Karly has the ability to weave a tale that is both comfortable and soothes your soul. The characters are likeable, the locations described perfectly and the pace of the novel is just right. I found it easy to pick up and read a few chapters on the train on the way to work and in the evenings at night. I must admit I was distressed at how quickly the ending came up as I wanted more, there must be more stories to be told by the people of Lochway.
Hayley Stevens is the main character who moves to Lochway after her marriage ends when she walks in on her husband and best friend in bed together. Needing a fresh start she decides to move to Lochway after discovering the beautiful cottage she had stayed in previously was on the market.
From here we meet the locals and follow Hayley as she settles into her new surroundings. I loved the humour of Hayley the city girl ending up with Errol the noisy donkey. We meet Luke Mason the handsome neighbour after Errol escapes and goes on an adventure. The characters were all likeable and complimented the story, I loved the Mason’s especially Grandma Pearl and getting to know Jason the recluse who did not like talking about his past.
A modern tale with a twist I highly recommend “Someone Like You”, Thank you Beauty and Lace Book Club and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read and review it.
What a gorgeous book! Thoroughly enjoyed reading this and am very keen to look up more of Karly Lane’s books now so thank you Beauty & Lace and to Allen & Unwin for letting me discover a new author.
The story was intriguing and very easy to read which kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I really liked the main character Hayley Stevens and felt it was so easy to picture the little cottage and her new way of life so found I could easily empathise and laugh with her ups and downs. Her love of animals touched a soft spot as it was so like my way of thinking I just loved it!
I guess the only part I wanted more of was around Luke’s past and his Grandma Pearl. I felt this was quite integral to the story but that there was not enough written about it which I believe would have enhanced the storyline even more. Perhaps even a little more on the visions and that storyline could have been delved into a bit further as well. Other than that, a truly great read that was fun and even funny at times. Highly recommended.