What do you think?
Rate this book
Fine-Tuning Hanna
Would saying the magic words ‘I love you’ in time have stopped it all going so wrong for Hanna? Or was some other power at play?Finnish piano-tuner Hanna Suvanto loves her new life and friends in Dublin. And the icing on the cake is meeting Ireland’s premium bachelor, the personal development guru, Sebastian O’Reilly. But their whirlwind romance hits a serious obstacle when Hanna’s stay is unexpectedly cut short. Sebastian seems strangely unconcerned about her departure – and then Hanna makes a shocking discovery about the man she thought she knew. Heartbroken and disillusioned with love, she returns to Finland, resolving to rebuild her life.Back in Ireland, Sebastian can’t get Hanna out of his mind. Surely there is more to her abrupt departure than meets the eye?
284 pages, Paperback
First published August 17, 2013
3 people are currently reading
903 people want to read
About the author
Tiina Walsh
4,302 books26 followersTiina Walsh, originally from Finland, lives in Ireland, and she is married to an Irishman.
Tiina is the author of the English language children's personalised book series "What's my name?", which is based on her Finnish language book series (translated & adapted by the author).
WHAT'S MY NAME? - the story is based on the letters of the child's own name! (All books are different from one another) Check out our Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/whatsmynamest...
The child wakes up but can't remember his/her name.
Magic Mouse takes him/her on a wonderful adventure in his Magic Bus!
Looking for a namebook "What's my name?" but couldn't find the right name for your child? Please don't hesitate to contact me with your name request!
-Tiina Walsh
Author
fb.me/whatsmynamestorybooks
Tiina has published two adult novels, "Fine-Tuning Hanna" and "Twinplay".
Tiina is the author of Finnish language Top-Seller children's personalised book series "Tyttö/Poika, joka unohti nimensä". She's also published "Hikka-Hiiren ABC-kirja" and "Hikka-Hiiren ABC-puuhakirja", www.kirjasiskot.fi). The wonderful illustrations in the children's storybooks are by a Finnish artist Anni Virta.
Connect with me:
Facebook: fb.me/whatsmynamestorybooks
Twitter: @Tiina Walsh
Website: www.kirjasiskot.fi (In Finnish)
Tiina is the author of the English language children's personalised book series "What's my name?", which is based on her Finnish language book series (translated & adapted by the author).
WHAT'S MY NAME? - the story is based on the letters of the child's own name! (All books are different from one another) Check out our Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/whatsmynamest...
The child wakes up but can't remember his/her name.
Magic Mouse takes him/her on a wonderful adventure in his Magic Bus!
Looking for a namebook "What's my name?" but couldn't find the right name for your child? Please don't hesitate to contact me with your name request!
-Tiina Walsh
Author
fb.me/whatsmynamestorybooks
Tiina has published two adult novels, "Fine-Tuning Hanna" and "Twinplay".
Tiina is the author of Finnish language Top-Seller children's personalised book series "Tyttö/Poika, joka unohti nimensä". She's also published "Hikka-Hiiren ABC-kirja" and "Hikka-Hiiren ABC-puuhakirja", www.kirjasiskot.fi). The wonderful illustrations in the children's storybooks are by a Finnish artist Anni Virta.
Connect with me:
Facebook: fb.me/whatsmynamestorybooks
Twitter: @Tiina Walsh
Website: www.kirjasiskot.fi (In Finnish)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 14, 2014
Finland and Ireland- the perfect blend of these two countries' culture, language and traditions, is what makes the book called, Fine-Tuning Hanna by Tiina Walsh more and more delectable. Two countries that we have hardly any idea about, but Fine-Tuning Hanna promises us with a love story between the two countries and makes us well aware about their culture and traditions. A love-story, which is set between Dublin and Finland, is neither too cheesy nor too corny, but impeccably sweet.
Trust and self-discovery are the two important topics that have been focused upon, and it is important to know their roles in a relationship and how they affect the relationship. The book not only gives insights into Finnish and Irish culture, but also speaks about how two people perfect people can even face problems in their fairy-tale romance due to trust issues.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the author, in return for an honest review.
Hanna, a piano tuner from Finland, is working as a job exchange in Dublin. But her contract is soon ending up, and within these few months left for her to leave for her hometown, she falls for the most eligible bachelor of Ireland, Sebastian, who is a personal development guru. They are like the two opposite poles of the magnet and according to Newton's law; they too are attracted to each other inevitably. From character wise to job wise, they were really opposite and it seems more like a match made in heaven. What Hanna lacked in her relationship is trust, a little misunderstanding and few old secrets about Sebastian, made Hanna change her mind, and return back to her hometown full and finally. But opposites do attract each other, by the law of nature, so can they really change that law for once and all? All I can say is that climax is perfect and bit touchy and it made me love the book more.
This is not like any of your typical chick-lit novels, instead it falls more into the mainstream romance category. From self-realization to self-awareness, from being in love to feeling hate, the emotions run deep and rich along with this tale. The protagonist, Hanna and her character is not like any of typical heroine of romantic novels, instead she's all crotchety almost all the time and a girl like her falling for the most charming man in Ireland. The dialogues are kept very interesting and the way the story unfolded in a very perceptive way. The novel is not a serious one; instead it has the right elements of being hilarious and amusing at times. Hanna’s friends, Tim and Michael and the rest of the characters in the books too are very refreshing, unique and well developed. The cross-country cultural differences seen from the eyes of Hanna are something very informative as well as interesting. The book's pace is good, and keeps us engaged till it’s very climax.
And going through by the author, Sophie Kinsella's words that
“In the end, you have to choose whether or not to trust someone.”
Similarly, Hanna too has to find herself and realize what she really wants and that she should completely trust her heart in the end!
So here's a promising love story between two little countries that we know very less about, which will certainly make you fall in love for one more time.
Trust and self-discovery are the two important topics that have been focused upon, and it is important to know their roles in a relationship and how they affect the relationship. The book not only gives insights into Finnish and Irish culture, but also speaks about how two people perfect people can even face problems in their fairy-tale romance due to trust issues.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the author, in return for an honest review.
Hanna, a piano tuner from Finland, is working as a job exchange in Dublin. But her contract is soon ending up, and within these few months left for her to leave for her hometown, she falls for the most eligible bachelor of Ireland, Sebastian, who is a personal development guru. They are like the two opposite poles of the magnet and according to Newton's law; they too are attracted to each other inevitably. From character wise to job wise, they were really opposite and it seems more like a match made in heaven. What Hanna lacked in her relationship is trust, a little misunderstanding and few old secrets about Sebastian, made Hanna change her mind, and return back to her hometown full and finally. But opposites do attract each other, by the law of nature, so can they really change that law for once and all? All I can say is that climax is perfect and bit touchy and it made me love the book more.
This is not like any of your typical chick-lit novels, instead it falls more into the mainstream romance category. From self-realization to self-awareness, from being in love to feeling hate, the emotions run deep and rich along with this tale. The protagonist, Hanna and her character is not like any of typical heroine of romantic novels, instead she's all crotchety almost all the time and a girl like her falling for the most charming man in Ireland. The dialogues are kept very interesting and the way the story unfolded in a very perceptive way. The novel is not a serious one; instead it has the right elements of being hilarious and amusing at times. Hanna’s friends, Tim and Michael and the rest of the characters in the books too are very refreshing, unique and well developed. The cross-country cultural differences seen from the eyes of Hanna are something very informative as well as interesting. The book's pace is good, and keeps us engaged till it’s very climax.
And going through by the author, Sophie Kinsella's words that
“In the end, you have to choose whether or not to trust someone.”
Similarly, Hanna too has to find herself and realize what she really wants and that she should completely trust her heart in the end!
So here's a promising love story between two little countries that we know very less about, which will certainly make you fall in love for one more time.
February 9, 2014
I ran out of luck with winning this book as a giveaway, but the author was super kind to give me a copy as a Valentines gift of sorts. I'm really glad for this opportunity because I rarely read outside of Young Adult and this book did not disappoint me.
I'll just dive straight into the things that I'm crazy about this book. First off, it's not your run of the mill romance chick lit. Our main character, Hanna, is a successful piano-tuner of Finnish descent who's life path somehow crosses with the dashing Sebastian O'Reilly. When I say it's not your run of the mill chick lit, I really do mean it. The dimensions of the characters, their conversations and thought processes aren't in any way predictable or traditional. Even some of the issues that the book delves into weren't just highly-glossed realities but actual cases that people go through. I am really impressed with the multitude of issues I have been subjected to while reading this book, and to think that these are all possible realities many women go through every day is a feeling that I rarely encounter.
Speaking of writing, the emotions were captured really well with carefully-crafted words that I couldn't help but just feel for Hanna and her plight. The considerable about of jargon used (both for the piano-tuning and the motivational aspects) were enough to let me know this is one author who knows what she's writing about. The use of Finnish and Celtic language and culture in some parts were spot-on, and did not give off any cloud of pretentiousness. If anything, it added a new layer of authenticity to the book.
Lastly, what attracted me the most was the cover. It's not tacky as I would've expected many chick lit titles to have, and really captured Hanna's personality to the tee. All in all, this is one great book I wouldn't mind keeping at the top of the re-read stack.
I'll just dive straight into the things that I'm crazy about this book. First off, it's not your run of the mill romance chick lit. Our main character, Hanna, is a successful piano-tuner of Finnish descent who's life path somehow crosses with the dashing Sebastian O'Reilly. When I say it's not your run of the mill chick lit, I really do mean it. The dimensions of the characters, their conversations and thought processes aren't in any way predictable or traditional. Even some of the issues that the book delves into weren't just highly-glossed realities but actual cases that people go through. I am really impressed with the multitude of issues I have been subjected to while reading this book, and to think that these are all possible realities many women go through every day is a feeling that I rarely encounter.
Speaking of writing, the emotions were captured really well with carefully-crafted words that I couldn't help but just feel for Hanna and her plight. The considerable about of jargon used (both for the piano-tuning and the motivational aspects) were enough to let me know this is one author who knows what she's writing about. The use of Finnish and Celtic language and culture in some parts were spot-on, and did not give off any cloud of pretentiousness. If anything, it added a new layer of authenticity to the book.
Lastly, what attracted me the most was the cover. It's not tacky as I would've expected many chick lit titles to have, and really captured Hanna's personality to the tee. All in all, this is one great book I wouldn't mind keeping at the top of the re-read stack.
August 19, 2015
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review.*
Review also posted on Let’s Say It’s A Blog.
So, Tiina Walsh is kind enough to give me the e-copy of this book since I didn’t win the paperback one through Goodreads First Reads.
Prettily cute cover, unique title, and intriguing blurb were three main things that made me interested in reading Fine-Tuning Hanna . Oh and also the little words etched in the upper side of the book cover seemed promising a good romance book. That’s why I felt more than welcome to read this book and give my review here.
When Hanna Suvanto first arrived in Dublin, Ireland through a two-year work exchange program as a piano-tuner with an Irishman, she couldn’t help but comparing the said country with her own, Finland. So many differences between these two countries were listed from language, its people’s personality, until the smallest thing like how buses work in each country. Despite the very well-known cold personality Finnish usually had, Hanna was actually a sociable and willing-to-learn kind of woman. She tried her best to socialize with the whole different culture of Irish people even though sometimes it didn’t go really well like what she expected it to be. No problem, though. Because she loved working here in Ireland and she had the best friend a girl could ever have, Micheál.
Seeing how people easily judged her from her outer cold demeanor, she never thought of looking at any Irishman romantically moreover dating one of them. When Micheál dragged her to a personal development seminar, she saw the first thing that totally blew her mind ever since she came to Ireland a bit over a year ago, Sebastian O’Reilly.
Sebastian O’Reilly was an Irish successful personal development speaker. He went from place to place, country from country to deliver the positive message about developing one’s self through interactive seminar. He was just the picture of perfect man any girl could ever dream of having. But everything that perfect from the outside was not always perfect from the inside. Sebastian could never get over the fact that he was just a lonely grown-up man with a father that resented him in every aspect of his life. And then he met Hanna, a beautiful, independent, and determined Finnish woman. He didn’t think twice and asked her phone number on the first meeting. He’d never been so sure about things in his life until now.
After the first date, Hanna and Sebastian couldn’t deny any attractions going on between them both. Knowing Hanna had a very limited time staying in Ireland, Sebastian did everything he could to give her unforgettable six months she ever had in life. Things were great and everything ran so ever smoothly together. But when an unexpected thing happened and coerced her to return back to Finland so suddenly, they both were faced with the unclear direction of their future relationship. That’s when they realized none of them ever said those three magic words to each other. And when one’s trust was ruined completely and insecurities kept coming and darkened their circumstances, it’s all up to Hanna and Sebastian whether or not to take their further steps to a fuzzy relationship. Or was it even worth to risk everything they had at the moment? Even leaving their beloved country?
I had a fun time writing this down. It was one thing about writing a brief synopsis of the story before jotting down what I felt about the book itself. I sometimes found myself loving the book after writing the synopsis even though I felt indifferent after reading it. Or often I found myself loving the book even more than when I fell in love with the book during reading. And Fine-Tuning Hanna belonged to the latter here.
I was not quite familiar with the author’s writing style so sometimes I was surprised by certain scenes I found in this book. I never thought of finding a very detailed description of the countries here. And I surely didn’t think of getting rather descriptive side-stories about the other characters on the book. This was new.
While people said that they don’t quite familiar with Ireland and Finland, I’ve known these countries pretty well since I was in high school. Dublin is actually one of my favorite countries in the world. It started with my loving the band The Script. And I just really love Irish accent so much. I knew Finland because I was a big fan of F1 when I was still in high school. I never missed a race that was shown on television. My favorite of course, that cutie ‘Iceman’ Kimi Räikkönen and he’s from Espoo, Finland. And you know how crazy teenagers when they idolize someone to the extent that they’re so willing to learn everything about him, and that included their country and all the things related to it. That’s why I was excited to find this would be a cross country romance book between Ireland and Finland!
(And yes, I pretty much aware that my loving a country always started with hotties. I know this very well, thank you.).
.
.
Seems like I wander off of the topic…
Okay. When I found that the author loved to give many details into everything on the book, I loved that she put a lot of trivia about the countries. The things she wrote about piano-tuning and personal development were great. Tiina Walsh really knows what she’s writing about.
The book is fast-paced which is fine with me. The instant love between Hanna and Sebastian is not impossible. It actually is really possible for two people to fall for each other hard after only one date. Lots of proofs of that in real life. Ms. Walsh chooses a unique plot about cross-country romance. She shows us that cross-country romance is not any different than those of same country as long as the couple’s savvies for each other are on the table. It was just like any other relationships that trust issue and insecurity is always the hurdle for two people to get on the same track.
(Isn’t this so cute? >.<)
Sebastian’s character reminds me on a true gentleman. He didn’t hesitate of swallowing his pride for the woman he loves. His constant understanding for Hanna is endearing. He is the man who thinks thoroughly first before taking an act. I really loved it whenever Ms. Walsh put the characters to have a self-reflection upon their prior actions before confronting the others. Sebastian’s realization upon his father’s demeanor just made me love him more. And I love Hanna’s personality. She’s one fierce and brave woman. I am actually a bit envious of how she’s not afraid of showing what she truly feels inside.
Despite the appearance of lots of personal development speeches and fine-tuning piano business which most of us not familiar with, Fine-Tuning Hanna is actually a light and enjoyable read. The problem issued here was considerably soft-core. It was pretty funny too. Sometimes I found Hanna was a bit comical when she’s all giddy about Sebastian.
Generally the whole story is good. It’s just that I was hoping the side-story of the other characters wasn’t written in details because this was a book about Hanna and Sebastian. It might be best to not getting into all details about the other couple. Well, maybe it was because I couldn’t relate well with the other characters. I think it might be better to put a glimpse of their storyand give them their own spin-stories in separate books, maybe.
Oh, and the ending was simple yet so cute (well, this sounds like a spoiler…)! Thanks to Ms. Tiina Walsh for introducing this Sebastian-Hanna couple to me :)
Review also posted on Let’s Say It’s A Blog.
So, Tiina Walsh is kind enough to give me the e-copy of this book since I didn’t win the paperback one through Goodreads First Reads.
Prettily cute cover, unique title, and intriguing blurb were three main things that made me interested in reading Fine-Tuning Hanna . Oh and also the little words etched in the upper side of the book cover seemed promising a good romance book. That’s why I felt more than welcome to read this book and give my review here.
“Would saying the magic words ‘I love you’ in time have stopped it all going so wrong?”
When Hanna Suvanto first arrived in Dublin, Ireland through a two-year work exchange program as a piano-tuner with an Irishman, she couldn’t help but comparing the said country with her own, Finland. So many differences between these two countries were listed from language, its people’s personality, until the smallest thing like how buses work in each country. Despite the very well-known cold personality Finnish usually had, Hanna was actually a sociable and willing-to-learn kind of woman. She tried her best to socialize with the whole different culture of Irish people even though sometimes it didn’t go really well like what she expected it to be. No problem, though. Because she loved working here in Ireland and she had the best friend a girl could ever have, Micheál.
Seeing how people easily judged her from her outer cold demeanor, she never thought of looking at any Irishman romantically moreover dating one of them. When Micheál dragged her to a personal development seminar, she saw the first thing that totally blew her mind ever since she came to Ireland a bit over a year ago, Sebastian O’Reilly.
Sebastian O’Reilly was an Irish successful personal development speaker. He went from place to place, country from country to deliver the positive message about developing one’s self through interactive seminar. He was just the picture of perfect man any girl could ever dream of having. But everything that perfect from the outside was not always perfect from the inside. Sebastian could never get over the fact that he was just a lonely grown-up man with a father that resented him in every aspect of his life. And then he met Hanna, a beautiful, independent, and determined Finnish woman. He didn’t think twice and asked her phone number on the first meeting. He’d never been so sure about things in his life until now.
After the first date, Hanna and Sebastian couldn’t deny any attractions going on between them both. Knowing Hanna had a very limited time staying in Ireland, Sebastian did everything he could to give her unforgettable six months she ever had in life. Things were great and everything ran so ever smoothly together. But when an unexpected thing happened and coerced her to return back to Finland so suddenly, they both were faced with the unclear direction of their future relationship. That’s when they realized none of them ever said those three magic words to each other. And when one’s trust was ruined completely and insecurities kept coming and darkened their circumstances, it’s all up to Hanna and Sebastian whether or not to take their further steps to a fuzzy relationship. Or was it even worth to risk everything they had at the moment? Even leaving their beloved country?
I had a fun time writing this down. It was one thing about writing a brief synopsis of the story before jotting down what I felt about the book itself. I sometimes found myself loving the book after writing the synopsis even though I felt indifferent after reading it. Or often I found myself loving the book even more than when I fell in love with the book during reading. And Fine-Tuning Hanna belonged to the latter here.
I was not quite familiar with the author’s writing style so sometimes I was surprised by certain scenes I found in this book. I never thought of finding a very detailed description of the countries here. And I surely didn’t think of getting rather descriptive side-stories about the other characters on the book. This was new.
While people said that they don’t quite familiar with Ireland and Finland, I’ve known these countries pretty well since I was in high school. Dublin is actually one of my favorite countries in the world. It started with my loving the band The Script. And I just really love Irish accent so much. I knew Finland because I was a big fan of F1 when I was still in high school. I never missed a race that was shown on television. My favorite of course, that cutie ‘Iceman’ Kimi Räikkönen and he’s from Espoo, Finland. And you know how crazy teenagers when they idolize someone to the extent that they’re so willing to learn everything about him, and that included their country and all the things related to it. That’s why I was excited to find this would be a cross country romance book between Ireland and Finland!
(And yes, I pretty much aware that my loving a country always started with hotties. I know this very well, thank you.).
.
.
Seems like I wander off of the topic…
Okay. When I found that the author loved to give many details into everything on the book, I loved that she put a lot of trivia about the countries. The things she wrote about piano-tuning and personal development were great. Tiina Walsh really knows what she’s writing about.
The book is fast-paced which is fine with me. The instant love between Hanna and Sebastian is not impossible. It actually is really possible for two people to fall for each other hard after only one date. Lots of proofs of that in real life. Ms. Walsh chooses a unique plot about cross-country romance. She shows us that cross-country romance is not any different than those of same country as long as the couple’s savvies for each other are on the table. It was just like any other relationships that trust issue and insecurity is always the hurdle for two people to get on the same track.
“Our beliefs also have to be fine-tuned in such a fashion, to allow them to play in perfect harmony with each other”
-Sebastian O’Reilly-
(Isn’t this so cute? >.<)
Sebastian’s character reminds me on a true gentleman. He didn’t hesitate of swallowing his pride for the woman he loves. His constant understanding for Hanna is endearing. He is the man who thinks thoroughly first before taking an act. I really loved it whenever Ms. Walsh put the characters to have a self-reflection upon their prior actions before confronting the others. Sebastian’s realization upon his father’s demeanor just made me love him more. And I love Hanna’s personality. She’s one fierce and brave woman. I am actually a bit envious of how she’s not afraid of showing what she truly feels inside.
Despite the appearance of lots of personal development speeches and fine-tuning piano business which most of us not familiar with, Fine-Tuning Hanna is actually a light and enjoyable read. The problem issued here was considerably soft-core. It was pretty funny too. Sometimes I found Hanna was a bit comical when she’s all giddy about Sebastian.
Generally the whole story is good. It’s just that I was hoping the side-story of the other characters wasn’t written in details because this was a book about Hanna and Sebastian. It might be best to not getting into all details about the other couple. Well, maybe it was because I couldn’t relate well with the other characters. I think it might be better to put a glimpse of their story
Oh, and the ending was simple yet so cute (well, this sounds like a spoiler…)! Thanks to Ms. Tiina Walsh for introducing this Sebastian-Hanna couple to me :)
February 20, 2014
Opposites Attract
Hannah is a grumpy lady with an always-stone-faced-expression, like an old dying barren wood meets a very charming and divine-like guy, Sebastian. They are literally negative and positive poles that attracted each other in the instance of their first meeting. A lady who earns her living by listening and a guy who lives by speaking.
I can well visualize the hilarity of their first meet up. Imagine a handsome and divine being (with all the spotlights on him and maybe a halo and some feathery wing props on his back) appearing (from heaven) right in-front of a sour-faced lady whose reaction to joy, sorrow and anger is pretty much the same, stuns her and leaves her breathless. The imperfect lady meets the perfect guy.
Cathy’s love for Sebastian is the exact scenario where we can say that two positive poles are repulsive. Two perfect people can never be a perfect match. And after being blinded with her so-called unrequited love for so long, she suddenly wakes up with her affection for this imperfect guy. Cathy the perfect PA (when I say perfect: efficient, always well groomed, a prim and proper type of a lady) meets her match: the clumsy and always jolly guitarist/camera man in their company – Tim.
Hannah as grumpy and silent as she was found comfort in her ever so jolly, so boisterous and so gay friend – Micheal. He is a little fairy godmother that sprinkles joy, love and laughter to our rigid little Finn girl Hannah and if he wasn’t as gay as that, one would suspect that he loves her more than just as a BFF.
Sofia, as cold as the weather in Finland found sunshine through this Aussie guy, Aaron.
What I love in this book is that the story is of a modern approach yet has a lot of traditional and cultural touches. I am always fond of observing and learning people of different cultures and it was well indicated throughout the story. And being able to meet and work with colleagues of different nationalities, I can very well hear when Micheal is speaking in a very soft Irish tone or when he is imitating a hollywoodish type of voice at some point of the story and same goes with the strong Finnish accent of Hannah.
This romantic comedy revolved around the love stories of different people with cultural differences and the changes and self discoveries that revealed themselves right before the very eyes of each character as the love story progressed, and that everyone found the perfect love through their own little imperfections. All of them have their own turning points in their lives and yes, that was when they found their one true love.
I am not much of a romantic person but I found this novel very sweet.
*****
Thank you Miss Tiina Walsh for sending a signed copy of the book (and with a little note too). This is the first time that I won a book on goodreads and the first time to receive a book sent directly by the author. Thank you very much.
Hannah is a grumpy lady with an always-stone-faced-expression, like an old dying barren wood meets a very charming and divine-like guy, Sebastian. They are literally negative and positive poles that attracted each other in the instance of their first meeting. A lady who earns her living by listening and a guy who lives by speaking.
I can well visualize the hilarity of their first meet up. Imagine a handsome and divine being (with all the spotlights on him and maybe a halo and some feathery wing props on his back) appearing (from heaven) right in-front of a sour-faced lady whose reaction to joy, sorrow and anger is pretty much the same, stuns her and leaves her breathless. The imperfect lady meets the perfect guy.
Cathy’s love for Sebastian is the exact scenario where we can say that two positive poles are repulsive. Two perfect people can never be a perfect match. And after being blinded with her so-called unrequited love for so long, she suddenly wakes up with her affection for this imperfect guy. Cathy the perfect PA (when I say perfect: efficient, always well groomed, a prim and proper type of a lady) meets her match: the clumsy and always jolly guitarist/camera man in their company – Tim.
Hannah as grumpy and silent as she was found comfort in her ever so jolly, so boisterous and so gay friend – Micheal. He is a little fairy godmother that sprinkles joy, love and laughter to our rigid little Finn girl Hannah and if he wasn’t as gay as that, one would suspect that he loves her more than just as a BFF.
Sofia, as cold as the weather in Finland found sunshine through this Aussie guy, Aaron.
What I love in this book is that the story is of a modern approach yet has a lot of traditional and cultural touches. I am always fond of observing and learning people of different cultures and it was well indicated throughout the story. And being able to meet and work with colleagues of different nationalities, I can very well hear when Micheal is speaking in a very soft Irish tone or when he is imitating a hollywoodish type of voice at some point of the story and same goes with the strong Finnish accent of Hannah.
This romantic comedy revolved around the love stories of different people with cultural differences and the changes and self discoveries that revealed themselves right before the very eyes of each character as the love story progressed, and that everyone found the perfect love through their own little imperfections. All of them have their own turning points in their lives and yes, that was when they found their one true love.
I am not much of a romantic person but I found this novel very sweet.
*****
Thank you Miss Tiina Walsh for sending a signed copy of the book (and with a little note too). This is the first time that I won a book on goodreads and the first time to receive a book sent directly by the author. Thank you very much.
December 28, 2013
A very fine first novel!
I received a free copy of this book from the author for an honest review. This was a cosy, feel-good read and I've really enjoyed it. The book is set in Dublin and Finland. The main character, Hanna, is a piano tuner from Finland who is working for a couple of years in Dublin and one of her colleagues is working in Finland also tuning pianos, sort of like a job exchange. Being a pianist myself, this was really interesting to me as I hadn't read anything before about a piano tuner and I didn't really know much about it. I personally would have liked a bit more technical details about tuning but I realise non-musicians might find this unnecessary. Tiina Walsh's husband is actually a piano tuner so she has all this information first hand. I loved the writing where Hanna spent some months back in Finland. Christmas coincided with her spell over there and it was lovely to read about their different customs and traditions and the foods and drinks. I have never read a book with scenes in Finland before so this was something really refreshing and you even learn a few Finnish words along the way. There are many ingredients in this novel; romance, complications and conniving characters, traditions, skiing, music. It's a lovely story with some powerful chapters, some cosy and happy scenes and some which tug at your heartstrings. I wasn't keen on the character Sebastian at the beginning until I had got into the book but later it really started to flow and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. The book cover is really enticing, this is just right-I love the pink colour. It's a good design with all the musical notes cascading around it. Lovely presentation and a great read, really different to what I have read before and I really felt I had learned something at the end of it. It was quite an accurate offering. Just a couple of possible errors: location 367 'base' should be 'bass' location 2996 'violin quartet'? I think this should be 'string quartet'. Where the characters are at a concert and Tiina writes that a Chopin piece was being played, I personally would have liked an actual name of a work, just to really get the full atmosphere, same with the string quartet music. This might be just me and obviously some people wouldn't care what music was played. I would love to read more by this author, I hope she writes more. I would like to see Hanna's character pop up again, certainly more about a piano tuner character anyway. I have had my ebook 'virtually signed' as the author has put her book on authorgraph. The author obviously cares about her fans so much so that she did my authorgraph request on Boxing Day! I wasn't expecting this-I did expect to have to wait while she 'got around to it' but she did it so quickly, she really does deserve to do well. Congratulations on a great book.
I received a free copy of this book from the author for an honest review. This was a cosy, feel-good read and I've really enjoyed it. The book is set in Dublin and Finland. The main character, Hanna, is a piano tuner from Finland who is working for a couple of years in Dublin and one of her colleagues is working in Finland also tuning pianos, sort of like a job exchange. Being a pianist myself, this was really interesting to me as I hadn't read anything before about a piano tuner and I didn't really know much about it. I personally would have liked a bit more technical details about tuning but I realise non-musicians might find this unnecessary. Tiina Walsh's husband is actually a piano tuner so she has all this information first hand. I loved the writing where Hanna spent some months back in Finland. Christmas coincided with her spell over there and it was lovely to read about their different customs and traditions and the foods and drinks. I have never read a book with scenes in Finland before so this was something really refreshing and you even learn a few Finnish words along the way. There are many ingredients in this novel; romance, complications and conniving characters, traditions, skiing, music. It's a lovely story with some powerful chapters, some cosy and happy scenes and some which tug at your heartstrings. I wasn't keen on the character Sebastian at the beginning until I had got into the book but later it really started to flow and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. The book cover is really enticing, this is just right-I love the pink colour. It's a good design with all the musical notes cascading around it. Lovely presentation and a great read, really different to what I have read before and I really felt I had learned something at the end of it. It was quite an accurate offering. Just a couple of possible errors: location 367 'base' should be 'bass' location 2996 'violin quartet'? I think this should be 'string quartet'. Where the characters are at a concert and Tiina writes that a Chopin piece was being played, I personally would have liked an actual name of a work, just to really get the full atmosphere, same with the string quartet music. This might be just me and obviously some people wouldn't care what music was played. I would love to read more by this author, I hope she writes more. I would like to see Hanna's character pop up again, certainly more about a piano tuner character anyway. I have had my ebook 'virtually signed' as the author has put her book on authorgraph. The author obviously cares about her fans so much so that she did my authorgraph request on Boxing Day! I wasn't expecting this-I did expect to have to wait while she 'got around to it' but she did it so quickly, she really does deserve to do well. Congratulations on a great book.
April 2, 2014
I tried to win this book from the Goodreads book giveaway. I didn't win, but Tiina Walsh sent me an email with the chance to download the book for free as a Valentine's Day present. I may not officially have won. Still, it felt like a win to me! Thanks, Tiina Walsh! :-)
This book is different than the stereotypical chic-lit books. I actually liked the characters. It made me happy to read about characters with true depth and an attraction so intense I could almost feel it, as if it were somehow tangible and electric.
Hanna is a reserved sort of woman who loves her job of tuning pianos. She's a little grumpy, but definitely likable. Sebastian is the opposite - he is radiant and full of charm. Unlike Hanna who listens to make a living, he speaks for his job. They balance each other out as they explore their chemistry, and what beautiful chemistry they have!
That is, until something happens that makes Hanna see Sebastian in a different way which ultimately changes the course of their passionate relationship.
Many misunderstandings and unfortunate circumstances lead to life lessons for both Hanna and Sebastian. This encourages them to learn more about themselves and their own shortcomings. In doing so, they actually end up understanding each other better, all the while addressing their own issues.
You'll have to read the book to see if the soul searching was enough to get them back together or if two people who seemed destined to be together ended up on different paths.
This was an enjoyable read. I loved learning about Finland and Ireland through Hanna's eyes and it was especially neat to glimpse the customs and the vocabulary as Hanna went about her daily life. I thought this gave the book even more depth. Honestly, I feel guilty shelving this book on my goodreads shelf as "chic-lit" because it's on an entirely different level, however, if you like chic-lit, you'll probably like this book regardless.
I was refreshed by the characters and each journey of self discovery. If you're looking for brainless and vapid characters, there wasn't any of those here, and thank goodness for that. I was empathizing with each person and rooting for them to find their way.
Tiina Walsh did an awesome job and I can't wait to read another book by her!
This book is different than the stereotypical chic-lit books. I actually liked the characters. It made me happy to read about characters with true depth and an attraction so intense I could almost feel it, as if it were somehow tangible and electric.
Hanna is a reserved sort of woman who loves her job of tuning pianos. She's a little grumpy, but definitely likable. Sebastian is the opposite - he is radiant and full of charm. Unlike Hanna who listens to make a living, he speaks for his job. They balance each other out as they explore their chemistry, and what beautiful chemistry they have!
That is, until something happens that makes Hanna see Sebastian in a different way which ultimately changes the course of their passionate relationship.
Many misunderstandings and unfortunate circumstances lead to life lessons for both Hanna and Sebastian. This encourages them to learn more about themselves and their own shortcomings. In doing so, they actually end up understanding each other better, all the while addressing their own issues.
You'll have to read the book to see if the soul searching was enough to get them back together or if two people who seemed destined to be together ended up on different paths.
This was an enjoyable read. I loved learning about Finland and Ireland through Hanna's eyes and it was especially neat to glimpse the customs and the vocabulary as Hanna went about her daily life. I thought this gave the book even more depth. Honestly, I feel guilty shelving this book on my goodreads shelf as "chic-lit" because it's on an entirely different level, however, if you like chic-lit, you'll probably like this book regardless.
I was refreshed by the characters and each journey of self discovery. If you're looking for brainless and vapid characters, there wasn't any of those here, and thank goodness for that. I was empathizing with each person and rooting for them to find their way.
Tiina Walsh did an awesome job and I can't wait to read another book by her!
February 22, 2015
I couldn't have been happier after having received an e-book copy as a Valentine's gift from the author herself.
What a true delight it was to read this book!
What I particularly enjoyed about Fine-Tuning Hanna was the cultural difference between Hanna and Sebastian/Michael. There were times where I sat there giggling out loud due to the high recognition factor of being a Scandinavian myself and I could relate to some of Hanna's characteristics. At the same time I could also share her profound interest and love for the Irish customs.
Fine-Tuning Hanna is not an ordinary chic-lit novel, it's most definitely not corny or silly, it's sweet, heart wrenching(as if you're riding a roller coaster of emotions) and quite often very inspirational. The thing about this book is that apart from the element of love, heartbreak and friendship, our charming Sebastian provides us with fascinating and life-long lessons that will teach us or remind us once more of the importance of self-esteem, self-discovery and the process of thinking when dealing with negative thoughts.
It was impossible for me to put down this book. Not only was Hanna's and Sebastian's love passionate and fascinating, but the other characters and their own individual stories in this book were refreshing. If you hesitate to read Fine-Tuning Hanna, don't! You won't be disappointed, instead you will be filled with a warm, fuzzy and content feeling by the end of the book.
February 16, 2015
[ I received this book free from the author . I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising]
Finnish Hanna, one of the finest piano technitions in all of Finland, has a two year work swap with a similarly educated counterpart in Ireland. She has enjoyed the time in Dublin, and has worked very hard and made friends and has admirers all around the City. Then her friend Michael introduces her to Sebastian, a motivational speaker and they both fall hard for each other, much to his personal assistant's chagrin.
An unexpected twist begins a speeded up ending to her stay in Eire. Sebastian's assistant, highly infatuated with her boss, outright lies to Hanna, who, with little chance to say goodbye, simply dissapears back to Helsinki. She's able to barely function, she feels so bereft. As she begins to heal, her friend Michael moves to Finland to be with her. And as her life becomes more "peaceful", changes begin to happen....
In another life, Tiina Walsh could have written screenplays. Her turn of phrase and her descriptive sense paint pictures. She also teaches the reader about Finland; about "fine tuning" a piano, and about self esteem.
I thank Ms. Walsh for this book and look forward to her next
Finnish Hanna, one of the finest piano technitions in all of Finland, has a two year work swap with a similarly educated counterpart in Ireland. She has enjoyed the time in Dublin, and has worked very hard and made friends and has admirers all around the City. Then her friend Michael introduces her to Sebastian, a motivational speaker and they both fall hard for each other, much to his personal assistant's chagrin.
An unexpected twist begins a speeded up ending to her stay in Eire. Sebastian's assistant, highly infatuated with her boss, outright lies to Hanna, who, with little chance to say goodbye, simply dissapears back to Helsinki. She's able to barely function, she feels so bereft. As she begins to heal, her friend Michael moves to Finland to be with her. And as her life becomes more "peaceful", changes begin to happen....
In another life, Tiina Walsh could have written screenplays. Her turn of phrase and her descriptive sense paint pictures. She also teaches the reader about Finland; about "fine tuning" a piano, and about self esteem.
I thank Ms. Walsh for this book and look forward to her next
February 11, 2014
Unfortunately I didn't win a copy from First Reads. However the author gave me a free ebook copy.
This was a very well written first novel from Tiina Walsh.
Hanna is a piano tuner from Finland who does a job exchange with a fellow piano tuner in Ireland. Hanna meets personal development guru Sebastian. They begin a whirlwind romance until suddenly Hannas job exchange is cut short. Hanna discovers something very unseemly about Sebastian and flees back to Finland to mend a broken heart. Sebastian can't figure out what happened to cause Hannas very sudden departure. Can these two find their way back to each other and mend their broken relationship.
I really enjoyed this book especially since I got the opportunity to read about two countries. I love reading books based in countries that I have limited knowledge about. It gives a nice glimpse into the places, the cultures and the people.
I felt that not only did we get great insight into the main characters, but also the background ones. You got to know not only Hanna and Sebastian, but also Cathy, Tim, Michael, Sofia. I liked that you got to see a little into their lives as well.
This was a very good novel with a little self help thrown in along the way. Really enjoyed reading this. Thank you Tiina Walsh for the free ebook. I would actually give this 4.5 stars.
This was a very well written first novel from Tiina Walsh.
Hanna is a piano tuner from Finland who does a job exchange with a fellow piano tuner in Ireland. Hanna meets personal development guru Sebastian. They begin a whirlwind romance until suddenly Hannas job exchange is cut short. Hanna discovers something very unseemly about Sebastian and flees back to Finland to mend a broken heart. Sebastian can't figure out what happened to cause Hannas very sudden departure. Can these two find their way back to each other and mend their broken relationship.
I really enjoyed this book especially since I got the opportunity to read about two countries. I love reading books based in countries that I have limited knowledge about. It gives a nice glimpse into the places, the cultures and the people.
I felt that not only did we get great insight into the main characters, but also the background ones. You got to know not only Hanna and Sebastian, but also Cathy, Tim, Michael, Sofia. I liked that you got to see a little into their lives as well.
This was a very good novel with a little self help thrown in along the way. Really enjoyed reading this. Thank you Tiina Walsh for the free ebook. I would actually give this 4.5 stars.
September 23, 2014
Light, funny, quirky romance Editorial Review
This romantic comedy takes all the pleasurable turns a regular romance reader would want, building suspense and gradually paying it off. The main characters, as well as the satellite characters that help shape the plot, are well drawn from the start, becoming a clear and developed - avoiding the stereotypes that often populate romance fiction - with their own quirks that set them apart.
Hanna, a Finnish piano tuner has been taken in hand by her social butterfly friend Michael, and, though cynical, agrees to go with him to a motivational concert by a life coach creating a buzz on the self-help scene. This set up is markedly different enough from most quick-read romances that the settings and situations themselves create a lot of the story’s initial intrigue. The main characters’ unusual occupations allow the author to fill the book with fun details, like the way Hanna goes about tuning the instruments in a concert hall under pressure, and the speech that Sebastian gives to the crowd in Dublin and his unusual fame (Sebastian later finds himself distracted from his own spiel by thoughts of Hanna, which is a nice touch too)...
Read the full review at Towerbabel here: http://www.towerbabel.com/library/125...
This romantic comedy takes all the pleasurable turns a regular romance reader would want, building suspense and gradually paying it off. The main characters, as well as the satellite characters that help shape the plot, are well drawn from the start, becoming a clear and developed - avoiding the stereotypes that often populate romance fiction - with their own quirks that set them apart.
Hanna, a Finnish piano tuner has been taken in hand by her social butterfly friend Michael, and, though cynical, agrees to go with him to a motivational concert by a life coach creating a buzz on the self-help scene. This set up is markedly different enough from most quick-read romances that the settings and situations themselves create a lot of the story’s initial intrigue. The main characters’ unusual occupations allow the author to fill the book with fun details, like the way Hanna goes about tuning the instruments in a concert hall under pressure, and the speech that Sebastian gives to the crowd in Dublin and his unusual fame (Sebastian later finds himself distracted from his own spiel by thoughts of Hanna, which is a nice touch too)...
Read the full review at Towerbabel here: http://www.towerbabel.com/library/125...
March 6, 2014
Well about almost month ago because I wasn't lucky enough to win this book from a goodreads giveaways, Tinna Walsh was an awesome individual to give me an e-book copy of her novel as a Valentine's present. She made my week, thank you so much.
While I love and adore reading but the whole writing camp isn't my jazz. So for a first published novel the author did an amazing job with her writing style. Koodos to you Ms. Walsh.
The plot for me didn't have a wow factor (romance novels no longer do these days anyways) but the sweetness and cuteness of the story had me smiling.
The men in this book were oh so (sighs!) both the straight and non-straight, I'd want both for myself in real life.
I had a little bit of beef with Hanna and Cathy, the first I found at times immature and the latter I have no patience for her type. I believe Cathy got off way to easily for what she did.
I have a little infatuation with a bi-cultured ( bi anything really), so people (me) who love reading about two different individuals falling in love, this story is the one for you.
The cover is so so so adorable just like the story.
I hope Ms. Walsh keeps giving us more and more heartwarming stories. Looking forward to it.
While I love and adore reading but the whole writing camp isn't my jazz. So for a first published novel the author did an amazing job with her writing style. Koodos to you Ms. Walsh.
The plot for me didn't have a wow factor (romance novels no longer do these days anyways) but the sweetness and cuteness of the story had me smiling.
The men in this book were oh so (sighs!) both the straight and non-straight, I'd want both for myself in real life.
I had a little bit of beef with Hanna and Cathy, the first I found at times immature and the latter I have no patience for her type. I believe Cathy got off way to easily for what she did.
I have a little infatuation with a bi-cultured ( bi anything really), so people (me) who love reading about two different individuals falling in love, this story is the one for you.
The cover is so so so adorable just like the story.
I hope Ms. Walsh keeps giving us more and more heartwarming stories. Looking forward to it.
November 13, 2013
Good Reads Giveaway!
Rating 4 3/4
I am SO happy, that I had the pleasure to get to read this book as a goodreads giveaway. I really wish goodreads had more rating options because a 4 star rating doesn't quite give this book justice. Once I started this book, it was nearly impossible to quit.
Fine-Tuning Hanna, reminds me so much of some of my favorite romantic comedies. It is based on a woman named Hanna while she is completing a 2 year job swap in Ireland. Hanna only has 6 months remaining when her life takes some major turns for the better including meeting the man of her dreams. How will she ever be able to return to Finland? When the man that she had swapped jobs with has to return to Ireland asap due to a family emergency, Hanna finds her world changing in ways you would never see coming.
I can't wait to pass this book to my girlfriends. This book is chick-lit at it's finest!! Can't wait to see what else this author has in store, I will definitely be reading it!
Rating 4 3/4
I am SO happy, that I had the pleasure to get to read this book as a goodreads giveaway. I really wish goodreads had more rating options because a 4 star rating doesn't quite give this book justice. Once I started this book, it was nearly impossible to quit.
Fine-Tuning Hanna, reminds me so much of some of my favorite romantic comedies. It is based on a woman named Hanna while she is completing a 2 year job swap in Ireland. Hanna only has 6 months remaining when her life takes some major turns for the better including meeting the man of her dreams. How will she ever be able to return to Finland? When the man that she had swapped jobs with has to return to Ireland asap due to a family emergency, Hanna finds her world changing in ways you would never see coming.
I can't wait to pass this book to my girlfriends. This book is chick-lit at it's finest!! Can't wait to see what else this author has in store, I will definitely be reading it!
February 12, 2015
A lovely little romance set between Ireland and Finland. I enjoyed learning a little about the Finnish and Irish lifestyle and I enjoyed the piano tuning references. The author wrote about what she knew, which came through well. I felt a little bombarded by all the personal development references, but they were relevant to the story. The story focussed on the two main characters, but there was also some character development of the minor characters. It wrapped everything up nicely and there were happily ever afters for everyone.
I entered the Goodreads First Reads competition, and though I was unsuccessful in winning a copy of this book, the author personally contacted me and gave me a copy.
I entered the Goodreads First Reads competition, and though I was unsuccessful in winning a copy of this book, the author personally contacted me and gave me a copy.
July 2, 2014
I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I had a hard time getting into this book but that might have been because of the cultural differences (this book taking place in Finland and Ireland and me living in America). I did not care for the insta-love between Hanna and Sebastian. It just seemed completely unrealistic to me. Michael's complete adoration of Hanna also seemed very unrealistic. All in all, most of the characters (and their actions) were hard for me to believe. I would have enjoyed the story more if I felt like the characters could be real people and/or their actions the actions of real people.
I had a hard time getting into this book but that might have been because of the cultural differences (this book taking place in Finland and Ireland and me living in America). I did not care for the insta-love between Hanna and Sebastian. It just seemed completely unrealistic to me. Michael's complete adoration of Hanna also seemed very unrealistic. All in all, most of the characters (and their actions) were hard for me to believe. I would have enjoyed the story more if I felt like the characters could be real people and/or their actions the actions of real people.
January 1, 2015
This novel can be enjoyed on two levels. First as a light romanic novel set in Ireland and Finland.If that is all you want you will easily enjoy Fine-tuning Hanna. Secondary to the romance was the philosophical plot line. The central concept being that we are always pursuing pleasure or avoiding pain. It was interesting to see how this played out in the interactions between the characters. It has caused me to stop and think a few times about the choices I am making. Quite intriguing.
I would definitely pick up something else by Walsh in the future. Enjoy!
I would definitely pick up something else by Walsh in the future. Enjoy!
February 18, 2014
The author, Tiina Walsh, sent me this e-book in return for an honest review. This is quite an interesting book with two extremely different cultures involved. I actually Googled Finland to get a better grasp of it. I liked the characters, and I also enjoyed the other romances budding throughout the book. It is well-written and entertaining and at times, bitter-sweet. I could have done with less of the personal improvement speeches but overall a good book to read. This book definitely pricks your curiosity about Finland, a country that we seem to under-appreciate or even acknowledge.
March 2, 2014
Hanna is a piano tuner from Finland who does a job exchange in Ireland. She meets Sebastian O'Reilly and they begin a romance but Hannas job exchange is cut short. Hanna discovers something about Sebastian and flees back to Finland to mend a broken heart. Sebastian can't figure out what happened to cause Hannas very sudden departure. Will these two find their way back to each other and mend their broken relationship.
This was a good novel, I enjoyed this book.
This was a good novel, I enjoyed this book.
July 29, 2016
Hanna traveling from her home in finland to ireland to work for a few months she finds a new best friend the gorgeous michael who ends up matchmaking her with the gorgeous sebastian the man everyone wants hanna has no trouble in saying what she wants the two of them cant seem to get enough of each other until something rips them apart can they ever get back together
November 6, 2017
it was cute. I thought this was going to be a silly romance novel. but it was good. the ending was wrapped up much too quickly and succinctly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2015
The author gently provided me with a free copy of this Ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I do have a soft spot for Finnish people. I tried to learn some Finnish eons ago but since it was just an elective course I couldn't give it all the attention it deserved. My bigger brother is Finnish. Well, not really my blood brother but my soul bigger brother but still... He lives in Germany now and I miss him so much.
Anyway. I was very happy when the author contacted me and gave me a copy of her book to review. I had my eyes on her work for a long time and I finally got the chance to read. Too bad that the timing sucks. I did get heartbroken myself a couple of weeks ago and I'm not over it yet.
The book starts in a weird way. Hanna, the MC, is totally hungover and swears never to drink again. Quite a start. Then enters Micheàl - I really hope I got the spelling right - and the mood suddenly changes. I do like Micheàl: he's fresh, he's always happy and he's ready to do everything to protect his best friend, AKA Hanna. The guy actually moves to Finland and learns the language just to be close to Hanna and help recover. He has my utmost respect. Too bad that it somehow . I mean, in the book their decision seems a bit rushed but I was on their side nonetheless.
Sebastian is Hanna's love interest and his a personal development guru. OK, he was far too perfect and all his monologues about personal development were a bit boring. But he was a good guy in the end. I love the fact that he didn't try to own Hanna. You know, in tons of romance out there the guy is always trying to control every aspect of his girl's life but here Sebastian tries to give Hanna as much space as she needs. I do like reading about that.
Cathy is a bit unbelievable as a character. Already in the first scene she seems way too cruel - and unlikeable - compared to Hanna. In addition, her change in character doesn't seems true as well.
This is a nice readable romance. Nothing new under the sun. What's new, though, is the fact that it shows two different lifestyles - the Finnish and the Irish one - and it make a little fun of their characteristics. Reading about cultural differences between Ireland and Finland was very interesting. For instance, I really appreciated the scene in which Hanna is in the sauna. That was way interesting.
I was glad I had the opportunity to read this novel. It's a nice fluffy thing to read when you just want to relax yourself.
I do have a soft spot for Finnish people. I tried to learn some Finnish eons ago but since it was just an elective course I couldn't give it all the attention it deserved. My bigger brother is Finnish. Well, not really my blood brother but my soul bigger brother but still... He lives in Germany now and I miss him so much.
Anyway. I was very happy when the author contacted me and gave me a copy of her book to review. I had my eyes on her work for a long time and I finally got the chance to read. Too bad that the timing sucks. I did get heartbroken myself a couple of weeks ago and I'm not over it yet.
The book starts in a weird way. Hanna, the MC, is totally hungover and swears never to drink again. Quite a start. Then enters Micheàl - I really hope I got the spelling right - and the mood suddenly changes. I do like Micheàl: he's fresh, he's always happy and he's ready to do everything to protect his best friend, AKA Hanna. The guy actually moves to Finland and learns the language just to be close to Hanna and help recover. He has my utmost respect. Too bad that it somehow . I mean, in the book their decision seems a bit rushed but I was on their side nonetheless.
Sebastian is Hanna's love interest and his a personal development guru. OK, he was far too perfect and all his monologues about personal development were a bit boring. But he was a good guy in the end. I love the fact that he didn't try to own Hanna. You know, in tons of romance out there the guy is always trying to control every aspect of his girl's life but here Sebastian tries to give Hanna as much space as she needs. I do like reading about that.
Cathy is a bit unbelievable as a character. Already in the first scene she seems way too cruel - and unlikeable - compared to Hanna. In addition, her change in character doesn't seems true as well.
This is a nice readable romance. Nothing new under the sun. What's new, though, is the fact that it shows two different lifestyles - the Finnish and the Irish one - and it make a little fun of their characteristics. Reading about cultural differences between Ireland and Finland was very interesting. For instance, I really appreciated the scene in which Hanna is in the sauna. That was way interesting.
I was glad I had the opportunity to read this novel. It's a nice fluffy thing to read when you just want to relax yourself.
May 30, 2014
*contains spoilers*
I had a hard time thinking about how to review this book. I liked Hanna and Sebastian's story. However I didn't like the way the book was written. The style was very disjointed almost as if it was written without any proper story planning. The beginning was WAY too fast paced. I felt like I must have been skipping pages or sentences (and I'm a very thorough, word-by-word reader) because it was all so thrown together. The characters weren't well rounded. I couldn't tell if Hanna was supposed to be a slutty ice queen or a fun genuine person. Sebastian seemed to have no negative qualities and Michàel was a wonderful character but with not a lot of depth. Cathy and Tim's story made sense for the plot of the book but could have had more detail. Sophia and Aaron's part in the story really made no sense and shouldn't have been there at all. Everyone seemed to just fall wildly in love within moments of meeting each other in this book. I like it better when there's more detail of how dates go and what made them fall in love. I felt like the whole first half of the story was a long drawn out prologue.
The 2nd half of the book started out really strong and I enjoyed it a lot, until it started becoming the exact opposite of the first half. TOO descriptive and flowery. About 15 times during the last half of the book I thought the end could have been put in and the rest of the story wouldn't have been missed and no part of it lost. There was a lot of long drawn out situations that I didn't think had to do with any real character development.
With all of that being said. I did like the story a lot. My biggest problem was with how the story was told. I would still recommend this to anyone who likes light reads. Especially someone who doesn't have an English and creative writing background like mine that could potentially create the same burdens I felt in the book.
I had a hard time thinking about how to review this book. I liked Hanna and Sebastian's story. However I didn't like the way the book was written. The style was very disjointed almost as if it was written without any proper story planning. The beginning was WAY too fast paced. I felt like I must have been skipping pages or sentences (and I'm a very thorough, word-by-word reader) because it was all so thrown together. The characters weren't well rounded. I couldn't tell if Hanna was supposed to be a slutty ice queen or a fun genuine person. Sebastian seemed to have no negative qualities and Michàel was a wonderful character but with not a lot of depth. Cathy and Tim's story made sense for the plot of the book but could have had more detail. Sophia and Aaron's part in the story really made no sense and shouldn't have been there at all. Everyone seemed to just fall wildly in love within moments of meeting each other in this book. I like it better when there's more detail of how dates go and what made them fall in love. I felt like the whole first half of the story was a long drawn out prologue.
The 2nd half of the book started out really strong and I enjoyed it a lot, until it started becoming the exact opposite of the first half. TOO descriptive and flowery. About 15 times during the last half of the book I thought the end could have been put in and the rest of the story wouldn't have been missed and no part of it lost. There was a lot of long drawn out situations that I didn't think had to do with any real character development.
With all of that being said. I did like the story a lot. My biggest problem was with how the story was told. I would still recommend this to anyone who likes light reads. Especially someone who doesn't have an English and creative writing background like mine that could potentially create the same burdens I felt in the book.
January 23, 2014
Fine Tuning Hanna – by Tiina Walsh
Review by Georgianna Simpson
Fine Tuning Hanna is a 282 page good read! It’s a great love story with many interesting well written secondary characters.
Hanna Suvanto is a pretty Finnish young woman, working in Ireland. She is a piano technician, mostly tuning pianos for concert halls. She meets and falls madly in love (and her with her) with a positive thinking speaker, Sebastian O’Reilly (God, I love that name! – LOL). Our author gives us a wonderful story with great scenery, wonderful scenes of love and friendships, while teaching us about positive thinking theory. Very interesting stuff!
They have a whirlwind wonderful time, while the deadline for her to return to Finland ticks away. Then a spiteful woman brings the thing to a seeming halt…resulting in heartache, confusion for Sebastian, and so much more. Will they reconcile? Will love be thwarted? Ahhh….
Fine Tuning Hanna is an interesting mix of learning cultural differences, positive thinking theory, friendships and love. There are, of course, the elements of heat-break and redemption! An interesting and intriguing rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, betrayal, and ultimate friendship.
I don’t do spoilers, because you need to read the wonderful details as the author unfolds the story to you. I’m not sure if this is the author’s first book, but it’s well done and I thoroughly enjoyed the story, shed a few tears, laughed out loud and found my heart pounding a few times! What else is there?
Get a nice glass of wine or your favorite beverage, cuddle up and enjoy, I did!
Author supplied copy of the book for an honest review
Review by Georgianna Simpson
Fine Tuning Hanna is a 282 page good read! It’s a great love story with many interesting well written secondary characters.
Hanna Suvanto is a pretty Finnish young woman, working in Ireland. She is a piano technician, mostly tuning pianos for concert halls. She meets and falls madly in love (and her with her) with a positive thinking speaker, Sebastian O’Reilly (God, I love that name! – LOL). Our author gives us a wonderful story with great scenery, wonderful scenes of love and friendships, while teaching us about positive thinking theory. Very interesting stuff!
They have a whirlwind wonderful time, while the deadline for her to return to Finland ticks away. Then a spiteful woman brings the thing to a seeming halt…resulting in heartache, confusion for Sebastian, and so much more. Will they reconcile? Will love be thwarted? Ahhh….
Fine Tuning Hanna is an interesting mix of learning cultural differences, positive thinking theory, friendships and love. There are, of course, the elements of heat-break and redemption! An interesting and intriguing rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, betrayal, and ultimate friendship.
I don’t do spoilers, because you need to read the wonderful details as the author unfolds the story to you. I’m not sure if this is the author’s first book, but it’s well done and I thoroughly enjoyed the story, shed a few tears, laughed out loud and found my heart pounding a few times! What else is there?
Get a nice glass of wine or your favorite beverage, cuddle up and enjoy, I did!
Author supplied copy of the book for an honest review
April 20, 2014
**I received a free copy of Fine Tuning Hanna from Tiina Walsh as a Valentine's gift after not winning a copy through the contest on Goodreads. This in no way effected my opinion or review of this book. Thank you again to Tiina Walsh for this opportunity!**
This was a very decent read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot up until the moment that they had a wrench thrown into their budding relationship. The lack of communication between the two characters (Sebastian and Hanna) frustrated me. That is the only complaint I have about the book. The only one...and really it is just knit picking. I myself could not relate to that part. If I was in love with someone and another woman came along and told me such a huge story....I would confront the person I loved to hear what they had to say about it. Not only did the lack of communication at that moment in the book frustrate me....but Hanna also just abandons her "dearest friend" Michael. And proceeds to ignore his phone calls after the fact for months. But like I said, these were minor frustrations. Overall, the story was wonderful and I enjoyed it. It was very entertaining. I enjoyed that the author placed some Finnish and Irish words along in the book. I would have liked to read more too about Sofia's budding relationship and would have loved to see Michael meet someone. This says a lot about the author and her style of writing. She created in me an interest about other characters in the book and I would have loved to hear more about them or see spin off books done for them. :-)
In a nutshell...I enjoyed the book...even the frustrating parts!
This was a very decent read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot up until the moment that they had a wrench thrown into their budding relationship. The lack of communication between the two characters (Sebastian and Hanna) frustrated me. That is the only complaint I have about the book. The only one...and really it is just knit picking. I myself could not relate to that part. If I was in love with someone and another woman came along and told me such a huge story....I would confront the person I loved to hear what they had to say about it. Not only did the lack of communication at that moment in the book frustrate me....but Hanna also just abandons her "dearest friend" Michael. And proceeds to ignore his phone calls after the fact for months. But like I said, these were minor frustrations. Overall, the story was wonderful and I enjoyed it. It was very entertaining. I enjoyed that the author placed some Finnish and Irish words along in the book. I would have liked to read more too about Sofia's budding relationship and would have loved to see Michael meet someone. This says a lot about the author and her style of writing. She created in me an interest about other characters in the book and I would have loved to hear more about them or see spin off books done for them. :-)
In a nutshell...I enjoyed the book...even the frustrating parts!
March 23, 2015
Thank you Ms. Walsh for the free e-book copy. :)
So, here it goes... after 2 months of slow reading.
Things I did like:
•the emotions are captivating; I was like oh-my-gosh what should she do that's really a crisis... I found myself pondering over the characters' problems.
•I find it educational in introducing Finnish and Irish culture.
•the plot is unpredictable; one time, I thought the book was another Fifty Shades of Grey themed book, then, somehow, I would find the main character enjoying herself after getting her heartbreak.
•the concept that Sebastian teach and instill in each character is helpful in real life.
•the concept of TwinPlay seems nice.
Things I didn't like:
•what is the purpose of even creating a character named Sofia? She is so detached to EVERYTHING.
•there are a few times which I got lost wondering (hey, come on whose point of view is this?)
•then, there was also a time where.. I am so annoyed that they were ready to move on and forget Sebastian and then Sebastian came and explained himself and Michael was forgotten. Like Tim and Cathy were also forgotten in the end.
•I don't even think that the book was given a proper ending.
So, here it goes... after 2 months of slow reading.
Things I did like:
•the emotions are captivating; I was like oh-my-gosh what should she do that's really a crisis... I found myself pondering over the characters' problems.
•I find it educational in introducing Finnish and Irish culture.
•the plot is unpredictable; one time, I thought the book was another Fifty Shades of Grey themed book, then, somehow, I would find the main character enjoying herself after getting her heartbreak.
•the concept that Sebastian teach and instill in each character is helpful in real life.
•the concept of TwinPlay seems nice.
Things I didn't like:
•what is the purpose of even creating a character named Sofia? She is so detached to EVERYTHING.
•there are a few times which I got lost wondering (hey, come on whose point of view is this?)
•then, there was also a time where.. I am so annoyed that they were ready to move on and forget Sebastian and then Sebastian came and explained himself and Michael was forgotten. Like Tim and Cathy were also forgotten in the end.
•I don't even think that the book was given a proper ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2014
First of all, I want to thank the author for giving me the ebook for free, after I didn't win the book giveaway.
Why three stars? I've liked the characters in general, but I didn't like the way that they reacted to things. Like Hanna and Sebastian, it was all to sudden, the love that they felt, the thoughts that they had, the way things went with both of them.
The plot in general was nice, but sometimes it was too predictable.
I liked the finnish words in the middle, the finnish traditions and to know a little bit more about Finland, it seems a really nice country to visit.
I was hoping to know more about Tim, Cathy, Michel and Sophia. I was hopping that the author develop more this characters because I really liked them. Sophia was very intriguing to me and I wanted to know more about her. I absolutly loved Michel and Tim but like I've said about Sophia I wanted to know about them too. And sometimes the story seems to have a lot of blank spaces, like something it's missing.
Besides all of that I liked the story.
3,5 stars
Why three stars? I've liked the characters in general, but I didn't like the way that they reacted to things. Like Hanna and Sebastian, it was all to sudden, the love that they felt, the thoughts that they had, the way things went with both of them.
The plot in general was nice, but sometimes it was too predictable.
I liked the finnish words in the middle, the finnish traditions and to know a little bit more about Finland, it seems a really nice country to visit.
I was hoping to know more about Tim, Cathy, Michel and Sophia. I was hopping that the author develop more this characters because I really liked them. Sophia was very intriguing to me and I wanted to know more about her. I absolutly loved Michel and Tim but like I've said about Sophia I wanted to know about them too. And sometimes the story seems to have a lot of blank spaces, like something it's missing.
Besides all of that I liked the story.
3,5 stars
May 26, 2015
Originally when I started I thought it was a mellow book. The begining at first was slow but it took off from there.
I do however think that the main character somehow is Sebastian's belief rather than it being just him and Hanna. Sebastian's belief plays a very important role in it, in almost every character.
One suprising thing I found out about this story was that there was nkt just one Happily Ever After. Though,I do believe that this one for me had a almost abrupt ending. I do really want to know if Michael had a Happy Ending too.
Hanna and Sebastian has a somewhat love at first sight quality love story. But written in a way that I believe could make everyone happy. While I think that they have passion and chemistry. I also think that their relationship a lot better and deeply intrepeted, at the begining only.
That being said I loved reading this one. The Author has done a great job in Sebastian's belief and went about mending and making new relationships totally unexpected direction.
I do however think that the main character somehow is Sebastian's belief rather than it being just him and Hanna. Sebastian's belief plays a very important role in it, in almost every character.
One suprising thing I found out about this story was that there was nkt just one Happily Ever After. Though,I do believe that this one for me had a almost abrupt ending. I do really want to know if Michael had a Happy Ending too.
Hanna and Sebastian has a somewhat love at first sight quality love story. But written in a way that I believe could make everyone happy. While I think that they have passion and chemistry. I also think that their relationship a lot better and deeply intrepeted, at the begining only.
That being said I loved reading this one. The Author has done a great job in Sebastian's belief and went about mending and making new relationships totally unexpected direction.
dnf
December 5, 2014I was given a copy of this book for review by the author. This in no way influenced my review/rating. I'm not going to rate this at this time, I'm debating on giving it another try sometime in the future.
I marked this as DNF, because I can't seem to get past the first couple chapters. Right wast you are introduced to Hanna, Barry, Micheal (the gay bestie, of course), Sebastian, Cindy , Tom, and David. There's too much going on all at once with too many people introduced at once.
The author's writing wasn't bad, and the blurb does make this sound promising. I won't recommend this ATM, but I also won't tell people not to read it. Again, I might try to pick this up again at some later date.
I marked this as DNF, because I can't seem to get past the first couple chapters. Right wast you are introduced to Hanna, Barry, Micheal (the gay bestie, of course), Sebastian, Cindy , Tom, and David. There's too much going on all at once with too many people introduced at once.
The author's writing wasn't bad, and the blurb does make this sound promising. I won't recommend this ATM, but I also won't tell people not to read it. Again, I might try to pick this up again at some later date.
March 17, 2014
I received this book as an arc copy from goodreads.
This book surprised me a great deal. I thought to myself oh this is just going to be another cute romance... Blah blah blah" but it turned out to be very enlightening. The man that the heroine, Hanna, becomes involved with is a motivational speaker and parts of his speeches are included throughout the story. The more I read this book the more I found that I was examining my own life trying to relate to his message.
Not only was this a story about love and heartbreak (which I could totally relate to and found myself tearing up over multiple times) it was extremely enlightening for my own life and the relationships I have had and beliefs that have been with me for as long as I can remember.
Definitely a must read!
This book surprised me a great deal. I thought to myself oh this is just going to be another cute romance... Blah blah blah" but it turned out to be very enlightening. The man that the heroine, Hanna, becomes involved with is a motivational speaker and parts of his speeches are included throughout the story. The more I read this book the more I found that I was examining my own life trying to relate to his message.
Not only was this a story about love and heartbreak (which I could totally relate to and found myself tearing up over multiple times) it was extremely enlightening for my own life and the relationships I have had and beliefs that have been with me for as long as I can remember.
Definitely a must read!
April 12, 2016
At last, I have finally read Fine-Tuning Hanna. and I loved it, Hanna is a sweet piano tuning woman, something she does for concert halls . happily and then she meets Sebastian. ( I wanted to call my son that name) O'Reilly. and things are going so well, but Hanna has to return to home in Finland, along with this, and a nasty busybody spiteful woman, sticks her size nines, where they should't be, leaving poor Hanna's world upside down..
Will Hanna and Sebastian, have a happy ever after?
That is for you to find out,
Thanks Goodreads for this sweet and interesting book, and yes I will be reading more of Tina Walsh's books xx
Will Hanna and Sebastian, have a happy ever after?
That is for you to find out,
Thanks Goodreads for this sweet and interesting book, and yes I will be reading more of Tina Walsh's books xx
March 23, 2015
Overall this was a cute romance about a Finnish female piano tuner, Hanna, falling in love with an Irish motivation speaker, Sebastian. I enjoyed the cultural comparisons of the characters. Side stories relating the love lives of minor characters diluted the plot and I was a bit puzzled with what happens with her friend Michael in the end. I also did not like the ramblings related to the positive thinking speeches that seemed to fill many pages.
Thanks Tiina W. for a free copy of this book!
Thanks Tiina W. for a free copy of this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews