This novel follows on from Out of Practice, which I read but did not review last year. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to read this one and be taken back to Holly, Taffy, Dan, Julia and a cast of characters in the country town of Larkford.
Holly has settled into the doctor’s practice and also has moved on in her life, now she has embraced change she has welcomed Taffy into her heart, her home and her twin sons lives.
Of course nothing is going to be easy for Holly and her fellow doctors, the surgery is about to be burden with being an NHS model surgery and it is up to all of the doctors to work together, to make sure they do not fail. Of course there are some who want to prove that their model cannot possibly work.
And it might be the case when you have Julia, who is developing her media potential with a documentary crew following everyone’s moves. Grace has decided she will no longer be the woman she was and make some changes that surprise many and her working practices mean that perhaps the surgery can be a shining example to others.
This book packs a lot into the pages and you are swept away with all the characters and their exploits with the surgery as the background, the draw for them all. Whether it be the doctor’s themselves or some of the more eccentric patients who come in. In whatever you job you are in, there is that common humour that draws people together, it is true and is very much reflected here. I loved the introduction of Alice and her assistance dog Coco whose role was fascinating.
An enjoyable read, as good as the first and one that you will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. If you like books where you feel like you are part of the community whilst reading them, then this book is certainly for you.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
I have also spotted a short story featuring the lovely folk in Larkford and so I am off to carrying on catching up. I do hope there will be more novels, there is so much more that I secretly want to see happening to these people.
The Book Jotter 