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Southern Lights
A found-family, opposites attract lesbian romance about making peace with the past, the power of resilience, and the ultimate comeback.
Closed-off teacher Sloane Sullivan sees only shades of gray since she lost her wife. Desperate for escape and healing, she travels from the US to Australia to find color. Instead, she finds an unexpected home with a reclusive, prickly actress and her cheeky daughter.
Actress Ava James chooses her flings the way she chooses her roles: safe, fleeting, and short-lived. Better not to try than to risk humiliating failure—again. Her ordered life is upended when an American she had one sexy morning with only days earlier turns out to be staying in her mother’s guest house—for a whole year!
After an awkward beginning, a tentative friendship forms promising the start of something much deeper…if only they can let go of their ghosts.
Closed-off teacher Sloane Sullivan sees only shades of gray since she lost her wife. Desperate for escape and healing, she travels from the US to Australia to find color. Instead, she finds an unexpected home with a reclusive, prickly actress and her cheeky daughter.
Actress Ava James chooses her flings the way she chooses her roles: safe, fleeting, and short-lived. Better not to try than to risk humiliating failure—again. Her ordered life is upended when an American she had one sexy morning with only days earlier turns out to be staying in her mother’s guest house—for a whole year!
After an awkward beginning, a tentative friendship forms promising the start of something much deeper…if only they can let go of their ghosts.
302 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2024
75 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Liz Arncliffe
1 book25 followersLiz Arncliffe has been telling stories big and small since she was a child, spinning yarns about imaginary critters in the Appalachian foothills where she grew up. She’s only ever lived in the southeastern United States, though she constantly threatens her wife and family with packing up and moving to parts far and wide.
Liz has spent much of her adult life either studying or teaching history, religion, and historic theologies. She loves to travel, grow things, read, and write. She watches far too much tennis and spends any remaining time cursing at the woodpeckers in her backyard as they refuse to respect her boundaries.
Liz has spent much of her adult life either studying or teaching history, religion, and historic theologies. She loves to travel, grow things, read, and write. She watches far too much tennis and spends any remaining time cursing at the woodpeckers in her backyard as they refuse to respect her boundaries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
June 19, 2025
**'Writing is like expressing your thoughts/ideas on paper -- while at the same time, not overcrowding your narrative. Just be clear, precise and at times imaginative..'
3.5 stars!
A nicely written and enjoyable memoir-ish story.
3.5 stars!
A nicely written and enjoyable memoir-ish story.
August 24, 2024
5 ⭐️
Grief and guilt are two very strong feelings that are difficult to overcome. Love and forgiveness are probably the only forces that can help to make life worth living again. And that's exactly what Liz Arncliffe's “Southern Light” is about. A heartbreaking but hopeful story about Sloane, an American teacher, who lost her wife to illness almost a year ago. And about the Australian Ava, who still feels guilty about her behavior and her decisions in her early twenties, which cost her the opportunity to get leading roles in the film business, and hold her back to find the person for a happily ever after.
Their chance encounter the first day Sloane was in Australia, was surprisingly light and sexy. But when they meet again, it is everything other than light, and from there the real story begins to unfold.
It’s told mostly from Sloanes POV but about 30% are from Ava’s sight. The author did an amazing job of bringing all these feelings into the book. And there are many feelings, good and sad ones. The dialogues and the intern monologues from both MCs are very well done and helped me not only to understand the two but also to feel them. The readers witness firsthand how Sloane is processing her grief, and especially how confusing it gets when she realizes she has feelings for Ava. How her world turned from all grey and diffused, suddenly to bright and colored again. But is it a betrayal of her late wife? Or is it exactly what she would want for Sloane, that she could be happy again?
Ava has her baggage to carry too. Remorse and guilt prevent her from enjoying life to the full. How can she let go of these negative feelings? The two women help each other to confront their feelings, accept them, and progress, thus getting the chance to live a hopeful, colorful life full of joy and love again. The story is very emotional, it brought tears to my eyes, but also smiles on my face. And not to forget, even the main topic is not easy, there are so many light moments and humor. The story is well-balanced.
The secondary characters, the two- and four-legged ones, are well fleshed out and add depth to the story, I liked them all. But especially Ava's daughter Grace, the little tiny tasseltop, rushed into my heart like a tornado.
Highly recommended. I think it is Liz Arncliffe’s debut novel, congratulations.
ARC received from Ylva Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Grief and guilt are two very strong feelings that are difficult to overcome. Love and forgiveness are probably the only forces that can help to make life worth living again. And that's exactly what Liz Arncliffe's “Southern Light” is about. A heartbreaking but hopeful story about Sloane, an American teacher, who lost her wife to illness almost a year ago. And about the Australian Ava, who still feels guilty about her behavior and her decisions in her early twenties, which cost her the opportunity to get leading roles in the film business, and hold her back to find the person for a happily ever after.
Their chance encounter the first day Sloane was in Australia, was surprisingly light and sexy. But when they meet again, it is everything other than light, and from there the real story begins to unfold.
It’s told mostly from Sloanes POV but about 30% are from Ava’s sight. The author did an amazing job of bringing all these feelings into the book. And there are many feelings, good and sad ones. The dialogues and the intern monologues from both MCs are very well done and helped me not only to understand the two but also to feel them. The readers witness firsthand how Sloane is processing her grief, and especially how confusing it gets when she realizes she has feelings for Ava. How her world turned from all grey and diffused, suddenly to bright and colored again. But is it a betrayal of her late wife? Or is it exactly what she would want for Sloane, that she could be happy again?
Ava has her baggage to carry too. Remorse and guilt prevent her from enjoying life to the full. How can she let go of these negative feelings? The two women help each other to confront their feelings, accept them, and progress, thus getting the chance to live a hopeful, colorful life full of joy and love again. The story is very emotional, it brought tears to my eyes, but also smiles on my face. And not to forget, even the main topic is not easy, there are so many light moments and humor. The story is well-balanced.
The secondary characters, the two- and four-legged ones, are well fleshed out and add depth to the story, I liked them all. But especially Ava's daughter Grace, the little tiny tasseltop, rushed into my heart like a tornado.
Highly recommended. I think it is Liz Arncliffe’s debut novel, congratulations.
ARC received from Ylva Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2024
What a wonderful way to end the year in reading. At the age of 42, Sloane Sullivan finally heads off to see the world, specifically Australia, in a teacher exchange. It’s not so much an adventure but rather an escape from the grief of losing her wife to Covid. Her new boss arranges for her to live in a cottage at a nearby farm owned by a retired educator, Ellen, and her daughter, Ava. At first, Ava and Sloane clash, trying to decide if they can trust each other. Ava has her own past that has been weighing on her for decades. In the present, she is a tv actress, with just enough fame to occasionally get approached by fans. Ava also has a four year old daughter, Grace, who is a charmer and the first to break down Sloane’s walls.
I can’t stop thinking about the characters, the setting, and the depth of the emotions. Sloane’s view literally turned grey since the death of her wife, Julia, and one of the reasons that she chose to move to Australia was to see color again. Nature plays a big part in the book. Sloane delights in running past gum trees and swimming in the ocean, glimpsing at koalas in the wild, and hearing native birdsong. The author shows Sloane’s sense of wonder in these moments of grace, small joys after a long year of despair. There are ups. There are downs. Sloane is on a ferocious journey to right herself, a battle to not forget Julia but also to love Ava in the way she deserves. The book does everything so well. Ava and Sloane have delicious chemistry but fall in love in the most romantic ways. My heart hurt for them. But I also laughed in parts because there is plenty of humor and affection in the story. Sloane’s new Aussie friends, Mo and Leota, Ava’s mother, Ellen, and the scene stealers, Grace and Charlie the dog, make the book a perfect read.
Thank you to GR friends who pushed it to the top of my list. Hoping this one heads to audiobook so I can hear the Aussie and American Appalachian accents.
I can’t stop thinking about the characters, the setting, and the depth of the emotions. Sloane’s view literally turned grey since the death of her wife, Julia, and one of the reasons that she chose to move to Australia was to see color again. Nature plays a big part in the book. Sloane delights in running past gum trees and swimming in the ocean, glimpsing at koalas in the wild, and hearing native birdsong. The author shows Sloane’s sense of wonder in these moments of grace, small joys after a long year of despair. There are ups. There are downs. Sloane is on a ferocious journey to right herself, a battle to not forget Julia but also to love Ava in the way she deserves. The book does everything so well. Ava and Sloane have delicious chemistry but fall in love in the most romantic ways. My heart hurt for them. But I also laughed in parts because there is plenty of humor and affection in the story. Sloane’s new Aussie friends, Mo and Leota, Ava’s mother, Ellen, and the scene stealers, Grace and Charlie the dog, make the book a perfect read.
Thank you to GR friends who pushed it to the top of my list. Hoping this one heads to audiobook so I can hear the Aussie and American Appalachian accents.
November 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 (4.25 stars)
Gosh this was such a huge surprise for me. I didn’t know what I’d get into when staring this book, and I had quite the hard time connecting with the story and characters at first. But once I was able to connect with them, I felt this book so so so much!!! And wow, it’s an understatement to say that this book didn’t make me cry like a hundred times.
Speaking about crying, as much as this book is a love story, the main theme is grief and healing. Grief in particular is kinda like its own character and it’s portrayed phenomenal. I could relate to Sloane’s grief for her late wife so, so much and there were so many times I wanted to take her into my arms and tell her it’s gonna be okay someday. The book really included this theme so well just as it did for the theme of healing (particularly ‘healing’ from grief).
Besides, the relationship between Sloane and Ava felt so good and so very real too. It felt both exciting and tragic in a way especially during the middle of the story. I definitely had moments where I wanted to shout at them or just kinda squish them together but knew, at the same time, that they’d need their time. Their chemistry felt great too, I loved their communication and the spicy scenes were really well written too hehe.
Additionally, I also liked the side characters, especially how Liz Arncliffe wrote little Grace and also Ellen. They were genuinely my favorite characters in the whole book.
Overall, the writing and the pacing, the story building and the character building - as one might have guessed from this review so far - are so so good!! I really enjoyed reading this story and I would definitely recommend it!!
Gosh this was such a huge surprise for me. I didn’t know what I’d get into when staring this book, and I had quite the hard time connecting with the story and characters at first. But once I was able to connect with them, I felt this book so so so much!!! And wow, it’s an understatement to say that this book didn’t make me cry like a hundred times.
Speaking about crying, as much as this book is a love story, the main theme is grief and healing. Grief in particular is kinda like its own character and it’s portrayed phenomenal. I could relate to Sloane’s grief for her late wife so, so much and there were so many times I wanted to take her into my arms and tell her it’s gonna be okay someday. The book really included this theme so well just as it did for the theme of healing (particularly ‘healing’ from grief).
Besides, the relationship between Sloane and Ava felt so good and so very real too. It felt both exciting and tragic in a way especially during the middle of the story. I definitely had moments where I wanted to shout at them or just kinda squish them together but knew, at the same time, that they’d need their time. Their chemistry felt great too, I loved their communication and the spicy scenes were really well written too hehe.
Additionally, I also liked the side characters, especially how Liz Arncliffe wrote little Grace and also Ellen. They were genuinely my favorite characters in the whole book.
Overall, the writing and the pacing, the story building and the character building - as one might have guessed from this review so far - are so so good!! I really enjoyed reading this story and I would definitely recommend it!!
November 11, 2024
Is this really Arncliffe's debut novel? If so, brilliant! If the first one is this introspective and profound, then we can expect more magnificence from her in her next books. I loved the tapestry of romance, friendship, grief and hope in this book; the colors were so eloquently described by the author, they were poetic. I also specially loved Grace, the small, precocious tasseltop.
August 28, 2024
This is a story about Sloane Sullivan who is an American who leaves the US to spend a year in Australia. Sloane has lost her wife and is grieving her death. Ava James is a B actress with a five year old daughter and a mom that she lives with on a horse farm on the Australian Gold Coast. Ava has taken on small acting rolls after a bad experience back in early acting days.
This book is mostly told from Sloane’s POV but we also get to see Ava’s thoughts and emotions. The story is filled with angst and lots of feelings. It also has a lot to say on the meaning of life. I liked the philosophical ideas that Sloane and Ava thought and talked about.
The supporting characters were wonderful. Little tassletop stole the show. My favorite line of hers was “I’m not a porkchop”. And the dog Charlie was another wonderful addition to the story.
I enjoyed this one very much and recommend it to all my book friends.
Thanks to Ylva Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This book is mostly told from Sloane’s POV but we also get to see Ava’s thoughts and emotions. The story is filled with angst and lots of feelings. It also has a lot to say on the meaning of life. I liked the philosophical ideas that Sloane and Ava thought and talked about.
The supporting characters were wonderful. Little tassletop stole the show. My favorite line of hers was “I’m not a porkchop”. And the dog Charlie was another wonderful addition to the story.
I enjoyed this one very much and recommend it to all my book friends.
Thanks to Ylva Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
August 19, 2024
This story has been a nice surprise for me. I didn't know the author, and I think this is her first novel, but honestly, it hit me with all kinds of feelings.
The two main characters are Sloane, a woman who leaves her city, job, and everything in the US after a traumatic event to completely change her life in Australia. She's really the main character, as the author sensitively and movingly explains the grieving process through her pain and conflicting emotions.
The two main characters are Sloane, a woman who leaves her city, job, and everything in the US after a traumatic event to completely change her life in Australia. She's really the main character, as the author sensitively and movingly explains the grieving process through her pain and conflicting emotions.
The first meeting between them is surprising for the reader—at least it was for me. Their later reunion was more expected, which was good for the story because it set up a perfect foundation for the development of their relationship. From the start, things have been complicated because of how their first meeting went down, but also because of their pasts. Ava has her own regrets about things she's done that weigh on her in this potential new relationship. But mainly, Sloane's situation is what really sets the pace and the possibilities between the two of them.
The story has been awesome for me. I really liked how they handle different issues and tackle sensitive situations. I love how the environment around the main characters supports and wraps around them. I enjoyed it a lot!
Ylva Publishing was kind enough to provide me with an advanced reading copy via Netgalley for an honest review
The two main characters are Sloane, a woman who leaves her city, job, and everything in the US after a traumatic event to completely change her life in Australia. She's really the main character, as the author sensitively and movingly explains the grieving process through her pain and conflicting emotions.
The two main characters are Sloane, a woman who leaves her city, job, and everything in the US after a traumatic event to completely change her life in Australia. She's really the main character, as the author sensitively and movingly explains the grieving process through her pain and conflicting emotions.
The first meeting between them is surprising for the reader—at least it was for me. Their later reunion was more expected, which was good for the story because it set up a perfect foundation for the development of their relationship. From the start, things have been complicated because of how their first meeting went down, but also because of their pasts. Ava has her own regrets about things she's done that weigh on her in this potential new relationship. But mainly, Sloane's situation is what really sets the pace and the possibilities between the two of them.
The story has been awesome for me. I really liked how they handle different issues and tackle sensitive situations. I love how the environment around the main characters supports and wraps around them. I enjoyed it a lot!
Ylva Publishing was kind enough to provide me with an advanced reading copy via Netgalley for an honest review
November 12, 2025
sept 2024
Cured my reading slump and made me want to start over as soon as i was finished! 4.5 stars rounded up
Cured my reading slump and made me want to start over as soon as i was finished! 4.5 stars rounded up
September 16, 2024
Here's another example of me just not clicking with a story. Everyone else seemed to really enjoy this so I'm an outlier here. While it's a sweet romance I just didn't connect with either character really. That made it hard for me to get into it and this took me much longer to read than normal.
August 24, 2024
Set in Australia so fresh! The scene is really well set, detail to make it authentic without being overwhelming. The characters all seem three dimensional. Both mains have back stories that are gradually revealed.
There is a lot of humour in this book, maybe wry smiles rather than lol’s but there was also tears, or at least wet eyes, if not outright ugly crying. The move from the past holding one main back from life, to living again is evocatively written. This is a beautiful book. Grief is described in a real way and the moving to live with it is beautifully described.
After the mains get together there is loads of book left. Seeing them settle in to leaving their past, which for both really means their present, behind has been joyful. No slip of pacing as they are battling internal forces.
Oh gosh! So emotional! Rounded up to 5 cos sniffles!
Two lines I loved….
“I don’t think you’re fragile, and certainly not broken,” Ava said. “I think you’re extraordinarily strong and brilliant and resilient. I am deeply sorry that you’ve had to be those things in the past year.”
Sharing the loss somehow meant sharing Julia, and she wanted what was left of Julia to be hers and hers alone.
There is a lot of humour in this book, maybe wry smiles rather than lol’s but there was also tears, or at least wet eyes, if not outright ugly crying. The move from the past holding one main back from life, to living again is evocatively written. This is a beautiful book. Grief is described in a real way and the moving to live with it is beautifully described.
After the mains get together there is loads of book left. Seeing them settle in to leaving their past, which for both really means their present, behind has been joyful. No slip of pacing as they are battling internal forces.
Oh gosh! So emotional! Rounded up to 5 cos sniffles!
Two lines I loved….
“I don’t think you’re fragile, and certainly not broken,” Ava said. “I think you’re extraordinarily strong and brilliant and resilient. I am deeply sorry that you’ve had to be those things in the past year.”
Sharing the loss somehow meant sharing Julia, and she wanted what was left of Julia to be hers and hers alone.
October 13, 2024
So touching and so actual and real.
I devoured it.
I devoured it.
June 28, 2025
4,5 ⭐️
October 15, 2024
Southern Lights by Liz Arncliffe is a deeply emotional exploration of grief and healing. The story centres on Sloane, whose journey to rebuild her life after losing her wife is portrayed with honesty and tenderness. Divided into distinct parts, the book highlights Sloane’s gradual steps forward—sometimes paired with setbacks—capturing the complexities of processing loss.
The budding relationship between Sloane and Ava is beautifully developed, blending moments of confusion, guilt, and hope. Their connection feels authentic as both women help each other confront past regrets and open themselves to new happiness. Arncliffe skillfully balances these heavy themes with humour and warmth, making the emotional journey both impactful and uplifting.
The secondary characters, especially Ava’s daughter Grace, provide much-needed lightness to the story. Grace’s charm, along with the presence of well-drawn side characters, adds depth to this heartfelt narrative. Southern Lights is a touching debut, offering a sensitive portrayal of grief, love, and rediscovering joy in life.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
The budding relationship between Sloane and Ava is beautifully developed, blending moments of confusion, guilt, and hope. Their connection feels authentic as both women help each other confront past regrets and open themselves to new happiness. Arncliffe skillfully balances these heavy themes with humour and warmth, making the emotional journey both impactful and uplifting.
The secondary characters, especially Ava’s daughter Grace, provide much-needed lightness to the story. Grace’s charm, along with the presence of well-drawn side characters, adds depth to this heartfelt narrative. Southern Lights is a touching debut, offering a sensitive portrayal of grief, love, and rediscovering joy in life.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
December 14, 2024
“hope is the thing with feathers”. Gah! So these are my favorite kind of stories, I don’t know what that says about me but the transition from grief to hope is just always beautiful and I never tire of it. We have Sloane who lost her wife a year prior who takes a job in Australia, about 10k miles from her native Tennessee. This is a sapphic romance so of course she finds a woman but she finds more than that, she finds a whole family and friends too. Some things that irked me though was Ava (other main) and her “shameful” past, I won’t get into but it just didn’t seem to really fit or maybe I just didn’t get it. Also, the 3rd act of this was a little overlong, disjointed and not as tight as the rest of the narrative. That said, this will still end up in the re-read pile and now I kinda want to go to Australia. 🇦🇺
November 3, 2024
A moving and lovely romance.
September 4, 2024
I was going to give this 3 stars. The last 20% was really emotional!
September 23, 2024
Really good book: slow burn or what! Pulled away mid book by West Wing splurge, but picked up easily. Not a lot happens. Recommended if you like that sort of thing!
August 16, 2024
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
covid
found family
love
sloane life was grey and without colour..... after her wife died from covid she thought about ending it and joining her but she knew she needed to do something drastic to find colour again....
so australia beckoned
but what she found there..... was to change her life forever....
what a beautifully written book about grief. love and family....at times it was hard to read about the journey that sloane had to take and for poor ava and her daughter, their own journeys
but its also a book about hope and found family
covid
found family
love
sloane life was grey and without colour..... after her wife died from covid she thought about ending it and joining her but she knew she needed to do something drastic to find colour again....
so australia beckoned
but what she found there..... was to change her life forever....
what a beautifully written book about grief. love and family....at times it was hard to read about the journey that sloane had to take and for poor ava and her daughter, their own journeys
but its also a book about hope and found family
August 24, 2024
An incredibly beautiful story of grief and loss but also a story of hope and light and most definitely love. Exceptional love in all the ways it can filter in and set your heart ablaze one more time.
I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Sloane Sullivan’s life is depleted of all color. She has been living in a fog of grief since her wife Julia died. A fog that turns everything around her in hues of black and white. A year after Julia’s death, Sloane packs her bags and leaves for a year of teaching in Australia. Hoping a year away will bring back some color in her life. On her first morning in Sydney she meets a woman who propositions her. Sloane indulges but the grief pummels her right into the depth of shame. When she finally arrives at her rented cottage on the Gold Coast, she meets her landlady’s daughter Ava. It’s the woman from her one-morning-stand in Sydney. Alluring as Ava is, Sloane’s battered heart can’t do anything else than struggle with her grief for Julia. As the weeks go by, Sloane is enfolded into the daily lives of Ava and her little family. She has to work her way through the pain of loss and heartbreak but the new small and adult humans in her life make her feel like maybe there is hope.
Ava James is a small time actress. When not working she and her 4 year old daughter Grace are living with her mom Ellen at their ranch in the Gold Coast. The cabin on the property hasn’t been rented out for a long time. Now her mom invited an American teacher to come and stay for a year, as a favor to an old colleague. The American arrives and Ava can’t believe it’s the same woman she spent a morning with between the sheets in Sydney. The woman that fled before Ava woke up. Ava is dealing with her own baggage. Having made mistakes in her twenties that not only ruined her career but also her relationship with a woman who had her whole heart. Shame is holding a death grip on her life, forcing her to make choices so she can keep living a small life instead of enjoying it fully. Sloane is turning out to be a blessing for her family. The charming woman becomes fast friends with Grace and Ava can’t keep ignoring her growing feelings for Sloane.
This story. This story wrangled my heart, stomped on it, cradled it with love and nurtured it back to a steady beat again. It made me cry and laugh and look for hope and color and light. Grief is an unimaginable dark place. For Sloane it means that she literally lost the color in her sight. It is heartbreaking to see her struggle with her love for Julia and the guilt she feels for trying to get back to living life.
The James’ women that live on the ranch are so important in Sloane’s journey. Little Grace instantly falls for Sloane and brings little bright spots back into her life with her exuberance and hilarious costumes. Charlie the dog even becomes a source of warm friendship. Mom Ellen is a steady force in the background giving solid advice to both her daughter and Sloane. And then there is Ava. Beautiful, caring Ava. Somehow by opening her heart to Sloane, even unwillingly at first, Sloane stands no chance against falling for her. The grief that accompanied her to Australia somehow gets even bigger but also different. Ava turns out to be the catalyst to the color returning to Sloane’s life.
The writing in this book is gorgeous. Arncliffe’s use of metaphors to explain feelings, emotions and even color are so well thought out and bring so much feeling into this story. I love the use of a good metaphor to explain myself in daily life but this has been an ultimate lesson in using beautiful comparisons to help illustrate the intricacies of life and living.
I might have to sit with this story for a while before reading something else. Liz Arncliffe really left me reeling, in a very good way. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read Sloane’s journey. As you’ve probably guessed, this is no light entertainment book. It is a story to cherish and hold close to your heart.
I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Sloane Sullivan’s life is depleted of all color. She has been living in a fog of grief since her wife Julia died. A fog that turns everything around her in hues of black and white. A year after Julia’s death, Sloane packs her bags and leaves for a year of teaching in Australia. Hoping a year away will bring back some color in her life. On her first morning in Sydney she meets a woman who propositions her. Sloane indulges but the grief pummels her right into the depth of shame. When she finally arrives at her rented cottage on the Gold Coast, she meets her landlady’s daughter Ava. It’s the woman from her one-morning-stand in Sydney. Alluring as Ava is, Sloane’s battered heart can’t do anything else than struggle with her grief for Julia. As the weeks go by, Sloane is enfolded into the daily lives of Ava and her little family. She has to work her way through the pain of loss and heartbreak but the new small and adult humans in her life make her feel like maybe there is hope.
Ava James is a small time actress. When not working she and her 4 year old daughter Grace are living with her mom Ellen at their ranch in the Gold Coast. The cabin on the property hasn’t been rented out for a long time. Now her mom invited an American teacher to come and stay for a year, as a favor to an old colleague. The American arrives and Ava can’t believe it’s the same woman she spent a morning with between the sheets in Sydney. The woman that fled before Ava woke up. Ava is dealing with her own baggage. Having made mistakes in her twenties that not only ruined her career but also her relationship with a woman who had her whole heart. Shame is holding a death grip on her life, forcing her to make choices so she can keep living a small life instead of enjoying it fully. Sloane is turning out to be a blessing for her family. The charming woman becomes fast friends with Grace and Ava can’t keep ignoring her growing feelings for Sloane.
This story. This story wrangled my heart, stomped on it, cradled it with love and nurtured it back to a steady beat again. It made me cry and laugh and look for hope and color and light. Grief is an unimaginable dark place. For Sloane it means that she literally lost the color in her sight. It is heartbreaking to see her struggle with her love for Julia and the guilt she feels for trying to get back to living life.
The James’ women that live on the ranch are so important in Sloane’s journey. Little Grace instantly falls for Sloane and brings little bright spots back into her life with her exuberance and hilarious costumes. Charlie the dog even becomes a source of warm friendship. Mom Ellen is a steady force in the background giving solid advice to both her daughter and Sloane. And then there is Ava. Beautiful, caring Ava. Somehow by opening her heart to Sloane, even unwillingly at first, Sloane stands no chance against falling for her. The grief that accompanied her to Australia somehow gets even bigger but also different. Ava turns out to be the catalyst to the color returning to Sloane’s life.
The writing in this book is gorgeous. Arncliffe’s use of metaphors to explain feelings, emotions and even color are so well thought out and bring so much feeling into this story. I love the use of a good metaphor to explain myself in daily life but this has been an ultimate lesson in using beautiful comparisons to help illustrate the intricacies of life and living.
I might have to sit with this story for a while before reading something else. Liz Arncliffe really left me reeling, in a very good way. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read Sloane’s journey. As you’ve probably guessed, this is no light entertainment book. It is a story to cherish and hold close to your heart.
August 26, 2024
Southern Lights is an exceptional love story about loss, being lost, guilt and needing forgiveness to love again, yet being afraid to forget about that which had been lost.
Sloane Sullivan tragically lost her wife Julia to Covid, and her whole world went dark. Everything became gray. No light. No color. She couldn’t stay where she was, surrounded in grief, so she escaped to Australia, new surroundings and hope to find light and color again.
She found possible hope with Ava James, a local actress who had her own issues of being a flaky person, something that she’d been burdened with since her 20’s. They had a strong attraction and feelings for each other but the biggest hurdle belonged to Sloane.
That huge issue revolved around her deceased wife, feeling her constant presence and not being able to let go and move on. Her connection to her was so strong that she felt she would be betraying her if she allowed herself to move forward.
I won’t expound on any more of this other than to say this was a very thought provoking story. It was very emotional and almost too dramatic at times. There were many wonderful moments and lots of wonderful Australian slang to learn. There were places highlighted that made me want to visit, such as Vivid Sydney, the festival of light and color at the Sydney Opera House.
The story was enriched by some wonderful side characters. Sloane’s teaching partner, Mo and her wife played an important role, as did Ava’s precocious 5 year old, Grace. Charlie was the adorable family dog. Ava’s mum, Ellen provided guidance to both of our mains.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
Sloane Sullivan tragically lost her wife Julia to Covid, and her whole world went dark. Everything became gray. No light. No color. She couldn’t stay where she was, surrounded in grief, so she escaped to Australia, new surroundings and hope to find light and color again.
She found possible hope with Ava James, a local actress who had her own issues of being a flaky person, something that she’d been burdened with since her 20’s. They had a strong attraction and feelings for each other but the biggest hurdle belonged to Sloane.
That huge issue revolved around her deceased wife, feeling her constant presence and not being able to let go and move on. Her connection to her was so strong that she felt she would be betraying her if she allowed herself to move forward.
I won’t expound on any more of this other than to say this was a very thought provoking story. It was very emotional and almost too dramatic at times. There were many wonderful moments and lots of wonderful Australian slang to learn. There were places highlighted that made me want to visit, such as Vivid Sydney, the festival of light and color at the Sydney Opera House.
The story was enriched by some wonderful side characters. Sloane’s teaching partner, Mo and her wife played an important role, as did Ava’s precocious 5 year old, Grace. Charlie was the adorable family dog. Ava’s mum, Ellen provided guidance to both of our mains.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
August 12, 2024
The beauty and depth of this book is simply magnificent.
Themes of loss, grief, forgiveness, and home are strong threads throughout the entire journey and oh my what a journey it is.
I adored and truly appreciated that both of the main characters had their own baggage to work out how to carry and hurdles to learn to jump over. It would have been so easy to focus solely on Sloane and her grief. But I love the realistic hold that past mistakes had over Ava.
I fell instantly for Sloane and Grace. I never disliked Ava but it did take me a little longer to fall for her.
As for Mo and Leota. I want more of them … more, more, more.
As for the setting.
I adore being an Aussie and I love the land I live in. Seeing it through the lens of this book was absolutely delicious. If I didn’t love and appreciate Australia before, I certainly would now.
The writing in Southern Lights is enticing and vivid. The way colour is used throughout the entire book enhances the emotional ups and downs both characters face and highlights the growth of both of them.
I can easily see myself reading this book again and have absolutely no doubt I will pick up other moments and details I have missed on this first reading.
And I will undoubtedly bawl my eyes out again.
This book broke me in truly delicious ways before helping out me back together like a rainbow turned into a kaleidoscope. All broken parts that when caught by the light shine with more beautiful patterns they they ever did when whole.
Themes of loss, grief, forgiveness, and home are strong threads throughout the entire journey and oh my what a journey it is.
I adored and truly appreciated that both of the main characters had their own baggage to work out how to carry and hurdles to learn to jump over. It would have been so easy to focus solely on Sloane and her grief. But I love the realistic hold that past mistakes had over Ava.
I fell instantly for Sloane and Grace. I never disliked Ava but it did take me a little longer to fall for her.
As for Mo and Leota. I want more of them … more, more, more.
As for the setting.
I adore being an Aussie and I love the land I live in. Seeing it through the lens of this book was absolutely delicious. If I didn’t love and appreciate Australia before, I certainly would now.
The writing in Southern Lights is enticing and vivid. The way colour is used throughout the entire book enhances the emotional ups and downs both characters face and highlights the growth of both of them.
I can easily see myself reading this book again and have absolutely no doubt I will pick up other moments and details I have missed on this first reading.
And I will undoubtedly bawl my eyes out again.
This book broke me in truly delicious ways before helping out me back together like a rainbow turned into a kaleidoscope. All broken parts that when caught by the light shine with more beautiful patterns they they ever did when whole.
September 6, 2024
Arncliffe dives headfirst into the theme of grief. Grief is the main character here, and it's written with so much delicacy and emotion. Arncliffe takes time to make Sloane take every step toward healing, with steps forward and steps back. I truly felt for her and understood her. The book being divided into different parts cleverly marks milestones in Sloane's journey. The Grace women were truly endearing and made me feel like an anchor in all that whirlwind of feelings. Sloane's journey toward healing and the growth of her relationship with Ava were perfect to me. I just wished I saw more of her "previous" life with her sister and stepfamily. Ava's story from the past was less powerful, but she had some work to do on her own too. This is a wonderful debut novel and probably the best book about grief I have read.
September 25, 2024
A really good debut novel. Very emotive read , exploring the depths of grief and loss. Not an easy subject. However, the journey and the fluctuating waves of guilt and despair involved with moving on, to accepting the ray of light in the future, was very well handled. The characters were all likeable and believable. Very authentic.
August 8, 2024
This is a very sweet romance about two women overcoming their past to find their place together.
Sloane lost her wife and after being unable to deal with her grief she decides to move to Australia, hoping that changing some things in her life will make it easier to move on. In Australia she has a one night stand with a mysterious stranger, only to find out the stranger is the daughter of the woman she's renting a cottage from. Making the one night stand a temporary neighbour, impossible to avoid.
I thought the book was pretty heavy handed with the metaphors, which is not necessarily my thing but in the end it didn't bother me enough to ruin the whole reading experience. The main characters are enjoyable and Sloane trying to deal with losing her wife felt very authentic. My favourite characters were definitely Grace, a precocious 5 year old, and Charlie, a very adorable pup.
It's a good book for some light reading with deeper themes of loss.
Sloane lost her wife and after being unable to deal with her grief she decides to move to Australia, hoping that changing some things in her life will make it easier to move on. In Australia she has a one night stand with a mysterious stranger, only to find out the stranger is the daughter of the woman she's renting a cottage from. Making the one night stand a temporary neighbour, impossible to avoid.
I thought the book was pretty heavy handed with the metaphors, which is not necessarily my thing but in the end it didn't bother me enough to ruin the whole reading experience. The main characters are enjoyable and Sloane trying to deal with losing her wife felt very authentic. My favourite characters were definitely Grace, a precocious 5 year old, and Charlie, a very adorable pup.
It's a good book for some light reading with deeper themes of loss.
September 11, 2024
So sweet!
Sloane escapes to Australia after struggling to find colour in her life following the death of her wife. Upon arriving she meets actress Ava James, whose mother is the owner of the farm she is staying at. At first Ava isn’t keen on having Sloane around, especially after what happened between them when they first met, but when she starts to get to know her, and her daughter Grace takes a shine to their American visitor, the friendship forming quickly has the potential to be more.
I really enjoyed this story about love, life, and healing. Both Sloane and Ava are going through a difficult time, and for different reasons, but they find ways to connect that are small and meaningful to find a harmony that neither of them expected. It really is Grace at first to pushes them to spend more time together without a reluctance on Ava’s part because her excitement to have Sloane around is just precious. And even though Sloane is a teacher and used to children, given how she’d been feeling and everything that had brought her to the decision to go to Australia, I was actually surprised by how quickly she took to having Grace be part of her life.
There were lots of tender and sweet moments, building a slow burn romance between Sloane and Ava, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t drama. I loved how they were sandwiched between it at the beginning, and towards the end when Sloane was having to make decisions about her life as her year in Australia reached its climax. I really did hope she’d make the choices that would make them all happy, but again it couldn’t come without some heartache and dilemma after everything she had to consider.
A really good, enjoyable romance that had great representation for older women. Packed with lots of cute moments and references to melt my heart and make me happy.
Sloane escapes to Australia after struggling to find colour in her life following the death of her wife. Upon arriving she meets actress Ava James, whose mother is the owner of the farm she is staying at. At first Ava isn’t keen on having Sloane around, especially after what happened between them when they first met, but when she starts to get to know her, and her daughter Grace takes a shine to their American visitor, the friendship forming quickly has the potential to be more.
I really enjoyed this story about love, life, and healing. Both Sloane and Ava are going through a difficult time, and for different reasons, but they find ways to connect that are small and meaningful to find a harmony that neither of them expected. It really is Grace at first to pushes them to spend more time together without a reluctance on Ava’s part because her excitement to have Sloane around is just precious. And even though Sloane is a teacher and used to children, given how she’d been feeling and everything that had brought her to the decision to go to Australia, I was actually surprised by how quickly she took to having Grace be part of her life.
There were lots of tender and sweet moments, building a slow burn romance between Sloane and Ava, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t drama. I loved how they were sandwiched between it at the beginning, and towards the end when Sloane was having to make decisions about her life as her year in Australia reached its climax. I really did hope she’d make the choices that would make them all happy, but again it couldn’t come without some heartache and dilemma after everything she had to consider.
A really good, enjoyable romance that had great representation for older women. Packed with lots of cute moments and references to melt my heart and make me happy.
April 20, 2025
It was a nice story, nice setting, nice characters... but all very dull. I just didn't feel anything, unfortunately. the writing is bland and the characters boring. I also really hate 5 year olds that think/talk like grown ups. it's just very unrealistic and annoying.
August 16, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and YLVA publishing for allowing me to read the ARC of Southern Lights! Absolutely beautiful. I cannot praise this book enough. The way Liz Arncliffe writes is thoughtful, artful and full of purpose. I feel like I can feel her intention in every paragraph. The symbolism, continuity, humor, grief and character development the book showcases is beyond amazing. I literally highlighted so many quotes and other things. I will be getting the ebook when it comes out just to be able to add the highlights to my Goodreads account.
It’s a heavy read at times but it’s balanced out well with humor. I will say that if anyone lost someone to COVID, especially in the time of no visitors, you may want to read another book. I never experienced that and reading certain descriptions of Sloane’s wonderings of how her wife felt dying/being alone, etc was a lot.
I’ll always think of this book when I think about sea turtles and stones 😉
Totally unrelated to anything but I loved that Ava had her daughter at 41. I also love how it was pretty nonchalant and nothing more was really said about someone in their mid forties having preschool/kindergarten age kid. It was refreshing.
_____________________________________________________
It was always in these moments that Ava wondered if other people experienced shame in the same way that she did—sometimes it felt as if a void or a hollow had taken up residency in her very being; other times it was more like heavy, wet wool pulling her downward into the earth.
“That was our first star-talk, little one. Maybe not our last,” she said quietly, not entirely sure where the words had come from. <—— this was where I fell in love with their cute little friendship
“We’re lying in the grass below the big fig tree on a clear day, and the sun is almost directly overhead. You look up and see all the shiny, silvery bellies of the thick green leaves, and the sun shines through and in between and around the leaves. A breeze is blowing, and the silver-green leaves begin to dance and sway in the golden sunshine. Do you see?” Sloane steered Grace confidently through the vision in her head. “I do! I do!” “That’s the color of your eyes,” Sloane declared and dropped her hands to her lap.
“If I were looking to swindle a woman out of her life savings, I would not have chosen a high school teacher.”
Lesbians seem to have two speeds: U-Haul or slow burn.
“I brought a stone for you. It’s on the kitchen countertop. Bench. The kitchen bench.” And then there was nothing but the steady, even breaths of a very deep sleep.
This was why Ava had brought her here. Color. The penguins.
“You brought me here for the color,” Sloane said softly. Ava whispered into Sloane’s hair. “I did. After you told me about the penguins, how could I not? I wanted to share this with you. I wanted to surprise you. With color.”
Besides, everyone tries to fix me when I talk about it. I fucking hate vulnerability, and people seem as uncomfortable with my vulnerability as I do. They want to fix the hurt, but no one can fix this. No one. Certainly not Ava. And sometimes I want to feel it. Sometimes I crave the hurt because that’s when I feel closest to her.
She watched as Ava kicked off her heels in the middle of the kitchen and filled a glass with tap water. Finally, Sloane found her voice. “Put them back on,” she said—demanded, actually—and then added, “please.”
“People think they want to know. But to me, it feels like I’m holding something hot, very hot. It burns me and it hurts. There’s nowhere to put it, nowhere to store it. If I hand it off to friends, they’ll be burned by it too. So I just settle into the hurt, settle into the burn, and wait for my hands to numb to the pain because it’s such a terrible thing to share with someone else.”
*There’s more but I don’t want to give anything away.*
It’s a heavy read at times but it’s balanced out well with humor. I will say that if anyone lost someone to COVID, especially in the time of no visitors, you may want to read another book. I never experienced that and reading certain descriptions of Sloane’s wonderings of how her wife felt dying/being alone, etc was a lot.
I’ll always think of this book when I think about sea turtles and stones 😉
Totally unrelated to anything but I loved that Ava had her daughter at 41. I also love how it was pretty nonchalant and nothing more was really said about someone in their mid forties having preschool/kindergarten age kid. It was refreshing.
_____________________________________________________
It was always in these moments that Ava wondered if other people experienced shame in the same way that she did—sometimes it felt as if a void or a hollow had taken up residency in her very being; other times it was more like heavy, wet wool pulling her downward into the earth.
“That was our first star-talk, little one. Maybe not our last,” she said quietly, not entirely sure where the words had come from. <—— this was where I fell in love with their cute little friendship
“We’re lying in the grass below the big fig tree on a clear day, and the sun is almost directly overhead. You look up and see all the shiny, silvery bellies of the thick green leaves, and the sun shines through and in between and around the leaves. A breeze is blowing, and the silver-green leaves begin to dance and sway in the golden sunshine. Do you see?” Sloane steered Grace confidently through the vision in her head. “I do! I do!” “That’s the color of your eyes,” Sloane declared and dropped her hands to her lap.
“If I were looking to swindle a woman out of her life savings, I would not have chosen a high school teacher.”
Lesbians seem to have two speeds: U-Haul or slow burn.
“I brought a stone for you. It’s on the kitchen countertop. Bench. The kitchen bench.” And then there was nothing but the steady, even breaths of a very deep sleep.
This was why Ava had brought her here. Color. The penguins.
“You brought me here for the color,” Sloane said softly. Ava whispered into Sloane’s hair. “I did. After you told me about the penguins, how could I not? I wanted to share this with you. I wanted to surprise you. With color.”
Besides, everyone tries to fix me when I talk about it. I fucking hate vulnerability, and people seem as uncomfortable with my vulnerability as I do. They want to fix the hurt, but no one can fix this. No one. Certainly not Ava. And sometimes I want to feel it. Sometimes I crave the hurt because that’s when I feel closest to her.
She watched as Ava kicked off her heels in the middle of the kitchen and filled a glass with tap water. Finally, Sloane found her voice. “Put them back on,” she said—demanded, actually—and then added, “please.”
“People think they want to know. But to me, it feels like I’m holding something hot, very hot. It burns me and it hurts. There’s nowhere to put it, nowhere to store it. If I hand it off to friends, they’ll be burned by it too. So I just settle into the hurt, settle into the burn, and wait for my hands to numb to the pain because it’s such a terrible thing to share with someone else.”
*There’s more but I don’t want to give anything away.*
September 1, 2025
“Hope is the thing with feathers.”
This is an absolutely beautiful book about loss and grief, guilt and shame and how to find your way through it in order to experience life and all the colours that surround you.
This is an absolutely beautiful book about loss and grief, guilt and shame and how to find your way through it in order to experience life and all the colours that surround you.
August 27, 2024
**3.75**
This was a really lovely read, I sort of expected a run-of-the-mill romance and that Sloan's grief was going to be more of a plot device than a significant plot point. However, the heart of this book was loving after loss, how we move forward while still honouring those we've lost and I think Arncliffe did a really good job of that. I did find it a little bit long and slow, part of that slowness made sense since it's not like you get over losing your wife in five seconds but I think the front half just dragged quite a bit. It wasn't until Ava found out about Julia that the story felt like it was really getting started and that happened fairly deep into the book (at the 43% mark). But by the end I did really enjoy it (and even shed a few tears!)
I also don't usually like books set in Australia but I actually didn't mind it in this case, it worked quite well.
Thank you to Netgally and Ylva Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really lovely read, I sort of expected a run-of-the-mill romance and that Sloan's grief was going to be more of a plot device than a significant plot point. However, the heart of this book was loving after loss, how we move forward while still honouring those we've lost and I think Arncliffe did a really good job of that. I did find it a little bit long and slow, part of that slowness made sense since it's not like you get over losing your wife in five seconds but I think the front half just dragged quite a bit. It wasn't until Ava found out about Julia that the story felt like it was really getting started and that happened fairly deep into the book (at the 43% mark). But by the end I did really enjoy it (and even shed a few tears!)
I also don't usually like books set in Australia but I actually didn't mind it in this case, it worked quite well.
Thank you to Netgally and Ylva Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2024
This is a three hankie beautiful story
I can’t believe that this is the first read of Liz Arncliffe for me! She is one hell of a story teller. The story is amazing the setting beautiful and the characters, yes all of them got under my skin and held on right to the last page. I have experienced profound loss and recognized the pain and tension that have been so eloquently presented here. I am in awe at the ability of Ms Arncliffe’s ability to verbalize what I so clearly endured!
I can’t believe that this is the first read of Liz Arncliffe for me! She is one hell of a story teller. The story is amazing the setting beautiful and the characters, yes all of them got under my skin and held on right to the last page. I have experienced profound loss and recognized the pain and tension that have been so eloquently presented here. I am in awe at the ability of Ms Arncliffe’s ability to verbalize what I so clearly endured!
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