Thank you to Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read The Forever Place written by Michelle Montebello.
This is a wonderful story. Once you start reading you can not put it down!
Marley Kincaid is a criminal lawyer. She is beautiful, intelligent and successful. She appears to have it all.
Everyone is entitled to a defence, and as a criminal lawyer, she has defended her share of horrific cases.
Austin, her boyfriend is also a lawyer. The two of them party hard, spending most nights in the bars of inner-city Melbourne. They need to unwind after their highly stressful jobs – and isn’t alcohol and drugs the way everybody gets over a hard day at work? Well, at least all her friends do.
Recklessly, after a long drinking session, Marley drives the few streets to her St Kilda townhouse. Marley walks away from an accident with minor injuries. The occupants of the other car, a heavily pregnant woman and her husband are lucky to survive. The accident could have been so much worse for everyone.
Being lawyers, they are familiar with ways to exploit the legal system. The problem for Marley is she needs a character reference to assist with a more favourable sentence.
The one person she can ask is her sister Anna. The sisters are vastly different. Anna lives in the Dandenong Ranges with her husband Tom and three children. They are expecting their fourth child. Tom and Anna are not drinkers and are supporters of a healthy lifestyle.
Anna confronts Marely hoping to make her realise that she needs help and that she is an alcoholic.
The deal is, Anna will write a reference if Marely goes into rehab. Not just any rehab, but to spend two weeks on White Cedar Island, east of the Canadian mainland and in the North Atlantic Ocean. The island is considered one of the healthiest places on Earth. A Blue Zone.
Island life is so different to her Melbourne one. Marley meets some amazing people.
But not everyone on the Island is welcoming to Marley.
In this tranquil place, Marley has a chance to deal with her problems and face the trauma of her past. For any relationship to work, there must be truthfulness. If you can’t be truthful to yourself, how can you be truthful to the people who care about you?
The story is about Marley’s journey to recovery. Her highs and lows and a chance to love and to be loved.
The book is easy to read with wonderful characters in an exquisite setting. Marley’s story is told with empathy and an understanding of all that she is going through. You so want things to work out for her.
Five stars.
ISBN: 978-0987641687
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Forever Place by Michelle Montebello. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
Marley is so likeable that I fell for her character immediately. Her strengths and weaknesses were a main element in this truly heart wrenching story! A criminal lawyer, with a huge future ahead of her as she is one of the best, but whose lifestyle is one to read to believe. Her boyfriend is also a lawyer with a similar lifestyle. Can Marley overcome her demons? Her sister forces her hand and Marley finds herself agreeing to “clean up her act” or face a future without seeing her family.
The new lifestyle is initially hard but she has a village of helpers to support her! A couple of slips along the way but you must read her journey! It’s challenging and tough but achievable.
A wonderful read but likeable characters and a book hard to put down until the end.
Well done Michelle Montebello.
Thank you for your lovely words Denise. I’m so glad you enjoyed Marley and Forever xx
Thank-you Beauty & Lace for giving me the chance to read & review ‘The Forever Place’ an e-book by Michelle Montebello.
Marley seems to have it all, a terrific and challenging job as a criminal defence lawyer, a boyfriend who is also a lawyer who understands the need to be relax when not working and an exciting social life with friends, fuelled by alcohol and drugs. It is not until a tragic near miss in her car, the intervention of a loving sister and the threat of damage to her career does the rose-coloured glasses come off and we get to see the real Marley and how her lifestyle is really hiding an underlying deep pain.
Marley’s sister Anne will only write a character reference for the defence if Marley goes to a remote island east of the Canadian mainland for a two-week period. Here Marley learns to face her demons head on, fortunately with the support of many islanders. Her battles are not so easily won with many ups and downs to go through, it kept me enthralled, wanting to know what happens. I really like how the book finished, it gave hope but also an acceptance that the journey would not be easy and that relapses into temptation will still happen, the stability would always be a fragile balancing act – more realistic than just the happy ever after.
This was a great read with Marley being full of flaws but also having an underlying persona that made me hope that the flaws could be overcome. Thank-you ‘Beauty & Lace Bookclub’ for the opportunity to read ‘The Forever Place’ an e-book by Michelle Montebello.
Hello Donna,
Thank you for your wonderful review of The Forever Place. I’m thrilled you enjoyed it 🙂
Michelle x
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Michelle Montebello for the opportunity to read this ebook.
Marley (from Melbourne) is a criminal defence lawyer who excels at her job but what toll does this lifestlye bring personally to her?
An accident leaves her in a situation where she needs to look at her life and figure out who she is and what she values.
A beautifully written story with believable and flawed characters, it was a pleasure to read. I was able to immerse myself in the beauty of the remote Canadian island and learn more qbout blue zone living.
5 stars and will definitely look out for more written by Michelle.
Thank you for your beautiful words Krystyna. So glad you enjoyed Marley (from Melbourne)’s story! 🙂
Michelle x
The Forever Place Michelle Montebello is a profound and heartfelt novel. I was hooked on Michelle’s clever writing style from the first page and couldn’t put this book down.
Marley Kincaid a criminal defence lawyer, she is good at hiding her feelings with alcohol, it is her liquid security blanket; the substance that muffles emptiness and anger like a shield. Her life seemed perfect from the outside with a successful career, boyfriend Austin who is also a lawyer, friends and family but when a change of circumstance happens and rocks her world she spirals.
Austin is not a great support; I felt the relationship was rooted in deep co-dependency and he enabled her. They had wild nights out to unravel from the stresses of work but drinking and doing drugs, they were too cloudy to step back. Marley could not see clearly, and certainly could not see her choices in how to deal with people and how to negotiate relationships.
Luckily for Marley her sister Anna steps in and encourages her to go to a recovery centre; White Cedar, situated on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean. Here she learns about sobriety and subjects herself to change, although there is inevitable ups and downs, fears and feelings, victories and failures that she faces in her growth to being clean.
Marley made me clench my teeth at her self-indulgence and self-destructiveness, but I found myself wanting her to unravel the weirdness and find some peace. I did empathise with her character and her struggles to deal with her mental health, sense of identity and relationships with family and Austin. Sometimes to heal you have to go through pain, and the lifestyle she was leading cheated her of that opportunity.
I loved how the story developed with the mix of characters and the way the story came together at the end. But beware: there is a lot of alcohol, drug use and abuse in this book. I’ve suffered abuse and have self-harmed but did not find this book confronting as I have healed. I would recommend this for those who are questioning their drinking, have come to decide they are willing to give up, for friends and relatives of someone they are worried about, for those newly sober, and for those merely curious. There is an answer, there is another way. I highly recommend.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review.
Thank you for your wonderful review, Melissa. You’ve given such thought to this review and have captured the essence of the story perfectly. All my love to your healing and am so glad you enjoyed the story.
Michelle xx
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Michelle Montebello for the chance to read an advanced copy of Michelle’s new book The Forever Place.
It was an amazing read. It had me wanting to strangle Marley for her selfishness but also barracking for her to heal and put her life together.
It made me feel like there is always help and another answer to the crap things that happen in your life. Never give up we are all stronger than we think.
Hello Jodie,
Many thanks for your wonderful words! I’m glad you enjoyed Marley’s story.
Michelle xx
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Michelle Montebello for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Michelle’s new book The Forever Place. This was the first of Michelle’s books I have read and I am now searching for the rest!
The story of Marley was captivating. Like others I wanted to slap sense into her but I was always rooting for her. I was so addicted to the book I stole moments to sit and enjoy it wherever I could.
10 out of 10 in my opinion!
Dear Becc,
Thank you for your lovely words for The Forever Place. Apologies for stealing so much of your time, although just quietly, I’m pretty thrilled you loved it that much 🙂 🙂
Michelle xx
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Michelle Montebello for the chance to read The Forever Place.
The leas character in this story is Marley- a criminal lawyer who has taken to drinking daily to block out the demons of the job. After a car accident she gets a much needed wake up call from her sister and goes off to a distant remote island for some rehab.
Marley’s character is likeable and easy to relate to. Michelle’s story telling is fantastic yet again and you will have a hard time putting this book down! Highly recommend!!
Thank you for your lovely review Sarah! I’m so glad you enjoyed The Forever Place 🙂
Michelle xx
Another great book by Michelle Montebello!
I first discovered Michelle through Beauty and Lace in reading The Lost Letters of Playfair Street and have since gone on to read The Quarantine Station – which I also loved! So I jumped at this chance when I saw she had a new book coming out!
From page one I was immediately pulled into the story. I found it such a easy book to read but also really, really enjoyable! I devoured it within two days.
The setting, through Michelle’s fantastic storytelling, is so vivid and clear and the characters so likeable, well maybe not Austin! Haha
I highly recommend this book along with any of Michelle’s others, you will not be disappointed!
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Michelle Montebello for the chance to read and review this great book!
Thanks Kate for your lovely review of The Forever Place. Your Austin comment made me laugh out loud 🙂
I’m so glad you are enjoying my books!
Michelle xx
Thank you for the opportunity to read this fabulous book. It gave a great insight into alcoholism and how addictive it is. It also made me want to runaway to live in such a wonderful island!
This is the first book I’ve read from Michelle Montebello and now I am going to read all her other books!
Highly recommend this novel1
Thank you Caroline for your beautiful review. I’d love to run away to an island like White Cedar too. Aren’t blue zones wonderful?
Glad you loved The Forever Place.
Michelle xx
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Michelle Montebello for the chance to read The Forever Place.
This is an engaging modern story that resonates with the stresses of modern life and the simple pleasures that bring a real quality. Marleys issues and stress from her life as a criminal lawyer and the beauty of Wide Cedar Island rings so true.
The story the characters and the thought of a place as magical as White Cedar engaged me from the start. The Forever Place is a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.
Thanks again!
Thank you for your kind words Deborah. I’m thrilled you enjoyed The Forever Place.
Michelle xx