BOOK OF THE MONTH- The Cottage at Rosella Cove.

By Andriana Simos.

If you’re after a heartwarming and thought-provoking book this Valentine’s Day, Sandie Docker’s The Cottage at Rosella Cove is exactly what you need! The book follows the story of Nicole as she runs away from her life in Sydney and rents an abandoned cottage in Rosella Cove. But there’s a catch: the rental agreement involves some serious renovation of the cottage and to do that, Nicole needs to let go of the secrets that keep her tied to the past.

As she embarks on this journey, Nicole comes across a pile of letters in the cottage which belonged to the previous owner, Ivy. These letters are the only insight we get into Ivy’s character and it is clear that she is a woman who faced incredible tragedy yet was determined to overcome it with help from the people of Rosella Cove. Interestingly, this narrative parallels Nicole’s life in the present day and Sandie Docker did a great job of interweaving Ivy’s past with Nicole’s future.

In fact, in the same way that Ivy was “saved” by her good friends, Nicole also finds some personal closure through local residents, Mandy and Danny. Both are likeable Australian characters who offer an insight into rural life, such as supporting the local football team and mandatory trivia nights. Including these mundane events might have seemed pointless, but they actually instilled some humour into the book which was initially missing. I mean, how could you not have a little giggle whenever Mandy popped over to Nicole’s cottage with a cake and some new gossip? It really did fit the cliche of a “small-town” village!

Speaking of likeable Australian characters, 80-year-old Charlie’s friendship with Nicole becomes one of the most heartwarming aspects of the novel. Charlie is Nicole’s only living link to Ivy and with time, their shared connection to her brings them even closer. This closeness creates an interesting dynamic as it actually gives Charlie a new lease on life and he begins to open up more about his past.

Although I won’t go into the exact details about Charlie’s past, I will say that it does change the course of Nicole’s life. How much of an impact it has on her only becomes clear at the very end and it is here where I have one criticism – the ending of the novel comes across as though it was neatly tied up and yet, I was left with a few unanswered questions. Besides this though, I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who loves a story of human connection and triumph over hardships.