How to Mend a Broken Heart in Aussie Readers

May 04, 2021 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-authors, 2021-release, net-galley, contemporary-fiction, read-on-kindle, own-read, arc, romance, 5000-2021

Felicity (Flick) Bell was in an unhappy frame of mind when she found an ad online for a taxidermist to fill in for a few months in New Orleans. She might have even had too much to drink. But the upshot was that she was travelling to New Orleans on her own to help old Harvey out as he spent time with his dying sister. The French Quarter in NO was a fascinating place to Flick; she knew there would be so much to see and do – but first she needed rest.

Flick’s daughter Zoe was desperate to start a f ...more

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May 05, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-netgalley

Thank you, thank you, thank you Rachael Johns for the perfect story for Felicity Bell, I have been waiting for this story since I read The Art of Keeping Secrets and it rocked, I loved it so much from page one the setting is awesome, New Orleans was the best and the emotion and feelings that flowed throughout made everything come to life, this is a story that is a must read even if you haven’t read The Art of keeping secrets.

It has been four tears since Flick’s life changed, her ex has found som Thank you, thank you, thank you Rachael Johns for the perfect story for Felicity Bell, I have been waiting for this story since I read The Art of Keeping Secrets and it rocked, I loved it so much from page one the setting is awesome, New Orleans was the best and the emotion and feelings that flowed throughout made everything come to life, this is a story that is a must read even if you haven’t read The Art of keeping secrets.

It has been four tears since Flick’s life changed, her ex has found someone else her children, Zoe and Toby are settled and now is the time for Flick to find herself and do something for her future, she loves her job as a taxidermist and when an opportunity arises for her to go to New Orleans for three months on a working holiday she jumps at it although very excited she is also worried but it is time for a new start, life in New Orleans will open up a whole new world for her and see her stepping up and finding herself.

Zoe has been married for four years now and is more than ready to start a family but when her husband Beau shatters her dreams and her life, she needs her mother and a trip to New Orleans is a must to see her, Zoe throws herself into the life in The French Quarter but is it the right thing for her.

Flick and Zoe have both been hurt in love and neither are looking for it again but when Flick meets her neighbour Theo the bar owner and jazz singer and gets to know him she feels herself opening up to him, she feels so good with him, is a holiday fling what she wants or will it be something more and for Zoe her meeting with ghost hunter Jack sees her emotions running wild. When they meet Aurelia Harranibar an artist Zoe becomes an instant friend but what do these three woman have in common, can they leave their pasts behind and look to the future?

I loved this story so much, Flick is so caring and loving and seeing her find that love and happiness for herself in such a gorgeous city was an awesome journey, Zoe opened up and matured in a way that had me cheering her on and Aurelia was so very different but I loved her. Rachael Johns has taken me on a fabulous journey to New Orleans I felt like I was there with the descriptions of the city and the food and the drinks and the fabulous people who live there, it is a story to immerse yourself in and feel everything the characters are feeling, a must read in my opinion, it truly is fabulous, thank you Rachael Johns this one is a keeper and is going to stay with me for a long time to come.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
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May 08, 2021 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-author, netgalley-reviews, arc-are

“Sometimes what you think is going to be the most painful time of your life, simply turns out to be the storm before the rainbow.”

Readers familiar with The Art of Keeping Secrets will recognise How To Mend a Broken Heart’s main protagonist, Felicity Bell. It’s been four years since her divorce after Felicity found she couldn’t reconcile the changes in their relationship wrought by her husband’s gender transition. Though the two have remained friends, and Flick is supportive of Sofia, she struggl “Sometimes what you think is going to be the most painful time of your life, simply turns out to be the storm before the rainbow.”

Readers familiar with The Art of Keeping Secrets will recognise How To Mend a Broken Heart’s main protagonist, Felicity Bell. It’s been four years since her divorce after Felicity found she couldn’t reconcile the changes in their relationship wrought by her husband’s gender transition. Though the two have remained friends, and Flick is supportive of Sofia, she struggles with the continual reminders of the life she has lost. When an unexpected opportunity arises for taxidermist Felicity to take three month position at Bourbon Street Taxidermy Art, a small store in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans, she seizes the chance, hoping to spend some time focusing on herself.

How To Mend A Broken Heart explores the themes of heartbreak, self discovery and moving on as Felicity learns to let go of the past and explore new possibilities. I thought Johns portrayal of the complicated relationship Flick has with her ex to be sensitive and honest. Johns portrayal of Flick’s struggle to trust in love again is sincere and poignant as the protagonist’s romantic relationship blooms with Theo, the handsome owner of the bar that neighbours the taxidermy store.

Felicity is just beginning to find her feet in New Orleans when her daughter unexpectedly appears on her doorstep. Zoe’s husband of four years has left her after confessing to an affair and, and she is devastated by her childhood sweetheart’s betrayal. Zoe too is now confronted with the challenge of recovering from heartbreak and forging a new life for herself. It’s easy to sympathise with Zoe whose faith in love, and herself, is shattered. She makes a mistake or two in her effort to forget the anguish, taking advantage of the French Quarter’s nightlife, but at least one turns out to be quite serendipitous.

Johns introduces the elderly Aurelia Harranibar, a cantankerous, reclusive local artist whose own life has been marred by her inability to move on from the loss of her sweetheart. Modelled on the Charles Dickens character Miss Havisham, Miss H lives alone in a decaying mansion in the New Orleans Garden District. When she is accidentally injured during a visit to the taxidermy store, Zoe, an aspiring artist herself, volunteers to assist Miss H at home and forges a sweet relationship with the eccentric old woman. Miss H becomes a key figure in the story, not only serving as an example of what failing to accept the demise of a relationship and move on could look like, but her past also introduces a thread of mystery as Zoe tries to determine what really happened to the artist’s lover.

It’s New Orleans, arguably America’s most haunted locale, so there is no surprise that Johns includes a tiny hint of the supernatural in the story. Zoe believes Miss H’s house is haunted by more than the artist’s sadness. I enjoyed accompanying the characters on a ghost tour of the city, and learning of the tragedy of ‘The Casket Girls’. Felicity’s unusual occupation also plays well into the mystique of the city, which the author describes vividly, and with obvious affection for all of its atmosphere and eccentricities, despite its darker side.

How To Mend a Broken Heart is a heartfelt and entertaining novel set in a vibrant location, sure to have wide appeal. ...more

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Mar 27, 2021 Nicola Marsh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, contemporary-romance, women-s-fiction, read-in-2021

Was lucky enough to get an ARC of this from my publisher and despite my heavy deadlines, I devoured it.
One of those wonderful books you don't want to put down.
It's a lovely tale of self-discovery for mother and daughter, Flick and Zoe, in the vibrant city of New Orleans.
Rachael Johns brings the magical city alive, immersing the reader.
The romance between Flick and Theo is lovely.
We need Zoe's story next please!

A thoroughly enjoyable read. ...more

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Jul 24, 2021 Tanya rated it it was amazing

How to Mend a Broken Heart finds us 4 years after The Art of Keeping Secrets. Zoe and Beau are married. Seb has become Sofia and is dating. And Flick? Flick finds herself in a holding pattern - unable to move forward because of the ties to the past. When the opportunity to work in New Orleans for three months comes along, she jumps at the chance. Whilst she's away Zoe encounters her own marriage crisis, and so she hops on a plane, desperately in need of her mother.

Look, I absolutely love Flick. ...more

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Apr 07, 2021 Nikki Sims-Chilton rated it it was amazing

What another great book - Rachael Johns continues to be up there as one of my favourite authors. I find her books so easy to read and feel so connected to her stories when I am reading them. How to Mend a Broken Heart led me to New Orleans, a place I have never been, but after reading this story, makes me want to visit! When I started reading the book the characters (ie a taxidermist) felt so familiar – it was then that I realised this book is a ‘sequel’ or follow on story to ‘The Art of Keeping ...more

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May 16, 2021 Marg rated it really liked it

What about the book itself?

I am a big fan of Rachael Johns. Even when I wasn't really reading, I would still read her books and thoroughly enjoy them. This book is not really a sequel to The Art of Keeping Secrets but it is linked to that book. Where the former was a book about a group of friends, who tell each other everything, travelling together to New York and finding out that actually they do keep lots of really big secrets from each other.

The central characters of How to Mend a Broken Hear

What about the book itself?

I am a big fan of Rachael Johns. Even when I wasn't really reading, I would still read her books and thoroughly enjoy them. This book is not really a sequel to The Art of Keeping Secrets but it is linked to that book. Where the former was a book about a group of friends, who tell each other everything, travelling together to New York and finding out that actually they do keep lots of really big secrets from each other.

The central characters of How to Mend a Broken Heart are taxidermist Felicity Bell and her daughter Zoe. Felicity, known as Flick, has been divorced for four years. Her loved up friends are trying to convince her to start dating again but she isn't ready. She has tried to stay friends with her ex, supporting her through gender transition, but when she finds out that Sofia is seeing someone new, it is the straw that breaks the camels back.

She answers a cry for help from a taxidermist in New Orleans who needs sometone to look after his shop in the French Quarter. Flick is not normally impulsive, but this is just the chance she needs. It will give her a couple of months away and the space that she needs. And when she meets the delicious barowner next door, she realises that maybe, just maybe, it is time for her to move on from her ex.

What she doesn't expect is that her daughter Zoe will end up joining her after her marriage to her childhood sweetheart breaks down. Zoe is devastated, quits her job in an art gallery, flees to New Orleans and starts out by trying to drink herself into oblivion. And she is a little oblivious to the fact that she is cramping her mother's style.

When Zoe does get back on her feet it is thanks in no small part to her developing relationship with Aurelia Harranibar, an eccentric artist that Zoe literally knocks off her feet. In the end, Miss H, who is clearly inspired by Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, provides Zoe with the opportunities that she needs both to develop personally and in her art.

Head to my blog to read more including memories of my time visiting New Orleans.

http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2021... ...more

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Jan 31, 2024 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: canning-vale-social-book-club, 2024-books

We read this for our Book Club and not really being a fan of romance I wondered whether I would enjoy it and whether it would spark good conversation. I needent have worried on both counts! It was a really easy, enjoyable read, lots to keep you entertained throughout. The highlight for me was the descriptions of New Orleans, I literally felt that I was there walking the streets and listening to Jazz music (and I hate Jazz). It just made me want to jump on a plane and visit. All the members of ou ...more

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Jun 19, 2021 Janine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great story about Flick and Zoe and their adventures in New Orleans! Loved the local history and characters and a good plot too! Really enjoyed the narration by Casey Withoos, first book of Rachael’s that I have listened to rather than read! She did a fab job of switching between the characters with the New Orleans accents 👍😊

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