The Beauty of Broken Things is a breath-taking story that grabbed me from the first page. Helen and Orla are online friends both interested in photography and are brought together by Helen’s fascination with Orla’s love of beautiful but broken antiques. They’ve never met and when Helen is killed in an accident her husband Luke discovers a damaged but beautiful vase that Helen had hoped to give to her friend.

Devastated by the loss of his wife, Luke takes time out from his business and tracks down the mysterious woman behind the photos. He discovers that not only does Orla live alone in a vast castle in the magnificent Sussex countryside with only her rescue dog for company, but that she has a tragic past of her own that she is trying to hide from. Luke decides to try and help the reclusive Orla find a way to move on with her life and in doing so is forced to face his own demons.

This is a beautifully written book of heartbreak, learning to trust others and finding strength when all seems lost. Both characters face the devastation of losing the future they had hoped for themselves but through each other discover that although their lives might have changed beyond all recognition that there is still hope for a new life that might be different to the one they imagined but which doesn’t necessarily have to be any less enjoyable than the one that was taken.

The Beauty of Broken Things is a heart-wrenching, hope-filled story and I loved it.

Our thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.