The Transatlantic Book Club (Finfarran Peninsula #5)

Loved it. Didnt want it to end.

The Transatlantic Book Club is actually the latest book in Felicity Hayes-McCoy’s ‘Finfarran Peninsula’ series. It’s the first I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t feel out of step at all from not reading the ones before – if anything, I just found some new titles to add to my list!

After the death of her Irish grandfather, Cassie Fitzgerald decides to travel from Canada to Ireland to stay with her grandmother Pat. Cassie easily settles into life in Lissberg, working as a hairdresser and driving the mobile library van. Well, that cemented things for me – a mobile library would be my dream job! The bricks and mortar library also starts an online book group with the US town of Resolve. Most of the members have roots in Finfarran. I thought this was fantastic idea – and discovered in the author’s notes that it indeed had its roots in reality.

Hayes-McCoy explores love, loss, grief, hope, friendship and more in this multi-generational tale. I really liked Cassie as a lead character. She’s one of those bright moments in a book – not perfect, but giving it her best. She comes off as quite real. I was also drawn to the enigmatic Fury O’Shea, who seems to turn up at the right time and know what is, or isn’t needed. But the character who stole the show for me is The Divil – Fury’s dog. Loved him! I didn’t love Frankie – he’s definitely the ‘villain’ in the book.

I appreciated the descriptions of the Irish countryside. Hayes-McCoy has a cottage of her own in Ireland and the setting details benefitted from this first hand knowledge. And I think I would love to live in Pat’s wee flat above the store – it sounds so cosy.

The Transatlantic Book Club was a perfect feel-good read for me . Fans of Jenny Colgan would enjoy this book.

The title of this latest in a series of novels set in Finfarren Ireland (perfectly readable as a standalone btw) is a bit deceptive. It’s not really about a book club but rather about Pat, whose husband Gerry has just died, and her granddaughter Cassie who has come from Canada (well, really from her roaming) to stay for a bit. While it’s largely set in the present, it does flash back to 1962, when Pat traveled to Resolve, in the US for a consequential summer and where, in the present, she and Cassie visit again. While there, Cassie meets Jack and falls for him. Back in Finfarren, however, she also meets Bradley, who works on a cruise ship. She’s cobbled together two jobs – at the library and at the local spa-and she most enjoys driving the library van. Pat, meanwhile, is struggling to deal with her oldest son Frankie (a snot). This is very much about village life- there’s scenes at the pub, at a bake sale, and there are fun characters such as Fury and his dog the Divil. It’s a tad sharper than a Colgan but with the same sense of small town community. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. It’s a good read and no spoilers from me!

Cassie Fitzgerald decides to follow her recently widowed grandmother home to Ireland. Cassie hopes to find a way to cheer her grandmother over her recent loss. She decided to persuades her friend, Hanna, at the local library to set up a book club. The book club will allow readers from Ireland’s Finfarran Peninsula and the US town of Resolve, to connect with each other.

After much back and forth between the club members, they finally decide to read a detective novel. However, the book club pick ends up exposing buried secrets, old conflicts, and hidden love affairs to light. As the secrets are being exposed, Cassie worries that she might have caused more harm than intended.

I had a hard time following some portions of this book when I initially started reading it. I wasn’t used to the writing style and the way the characters spoke. I found that I had to re-read the same sentences a few times. I am not sure why the book is named after the book club when it seems that the book club was more of an after note. I felt like the novel moved very slowly. However, if you are a fan of cozy reads, then you might enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed The Transatlantic Bookclub by Felicity Hayes-McCoy! I read and loved the earlier Finfarran Peninsula books and was again transported to this wonderful Irish village.

After persuading her recently widowed Gran to visit family in the US, Cassie returns to Ireland to spend more time with her. She gets involved in the community and suggests setting up a book club between the Lissbeg Library and the Shamrock Club in Resolve, where generations have emigrated. What Cassie wasn’t expecting was for some past secrets to come to light and a little bit of family drama.

While transatlantic bookclub is in the title the book isn’t necessarily about the book club, it is about Cassie and her relationship with her Gran and maybe a romantic relationship of her own. I wished the book club was a little more prominent in the book, but loved the usual characters of Lissbeg. It was lovely to curl up with Remy and a mug of tea to read this book. I just love this series so much!

This book can be read as a standalone but there are 3 other books in the US if you want to fall in love with the Finfarran Peninsula as much as I have.

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