Review: The Valentine's Card by Juliet Ashton

• Publisher: Sphere (17 Jan 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751544272
• ISBN-13: 978-0751544275

The blurb

The Valentine's card was meant to be Orla's fairy tale ending, but really, it was only the beginning . . .


Orla adores her actor boyfriend, Sim, who's away filming a sumptuous costume drama. Although the long-distance relationship means that she can eat toast for dinner and watch as much reality TV as she likes, she misses him like crazy.

But Valentine's Day changes everything . . . The same morning Orla learns that Sim has died, she receives a card from him. As Orla travels from Ireland to London, to live and breathe Sim's final moments, can she bring herself to open the Valentine's card and read his final message?

Orla and Simon are apart with Valentine's Day approaching.  Simon is following his dream in London as an actor and Orla is patiently waiting at home in Dublin for him.
This long distance relationship is working for them, or so Orla would have us believe.

On Valentine's Day everything changes in a second,  just as Orla receives Simon's Valentine's Card, she also receives news that Simon has died suddenly.

In the grieving process Orla holds on tight to the last Valentine's Card from her boyfriend, believing it to be a proposal and not wanting to let go of her last communication with Simon.

She goes to his flat in London to try to discover what his life was like there and to pluck up the courage to read the card.  In London she discovers that the Simon she knew so well in Dublin is not the Simon London knew.

This novel had an unusual start with the male lead dying on the first page of chapter one. It was a shocking start but the story that followed was gripping.

I did not warm to  Orla and could not feel her grief.  I much preferred the supporting cast, friends of Simon and the dearly departed Simon himself.

When Orla did get around to opening the Valentine's Card she became a different person and I did not like her behaviour.  I would have usually put a book down at that point BUT I was compelled to finish the book as I cared about the supporting cast and had to know Simon's story.

I am so glad I did continue to read as once Orla saw the error of her recent behaviour and the story unfolded I began to enjoy the story again.  The twist at the end was superb.

I did enjoy this story in the main but there was a section where I really struggled to keep going.  The author's style of writing is lovely and I would like to read her next novel. 

If you would like a Valentine's read that is not all fluffy this one is for you.  

6 out of 10 for me!

Thank you to Little,Brown for a review copy.  This did not influence my review in any way.