The Big Little Festival by Kellie Hailes is book number two in the Rabbit’s Leap series of books, but was actually the first that I’ve read. Having been instantly attracted to this book thanks to a simply adorable and eye-catching cover, I went into this book with high hopes and I’m delighted to say that it did not disappoint me in the slightest. It provided a fabulous introduction to Kellie Hailes’ wonderfully fun and engaging writing style and made for the perfect summer read!
Within this book we meet Jody who is a single parent to twin boys. Having once been helped and supported so much by the village in which she lives, Jody really wants to give something back to Rabbit’s Leap by raising funds to rebuild the local swimming pool. Determined to host a village festival to raise these all important funds, she employs the help of the very handsome Christian, a hugely successful and talented event planner from London. As they start to prepare for the festival, it’s safe to say that Christian makes a pretty big impact on not just the village of Rabbit’s Leap but Jody too - could a village romance on the cards?
Undoubtedly, the characters in this book were what helped to make this book as fabulous as it was. As one of the main people in the story, I have to say that I really loved getting to know Jody and seeing just how devoted and dedicated she was to her children and Rabbit’s Leap. Although her behaviour towards Christian sometimes seemed a little strange, as we got to know Jody more we learned that she had very good reasons for this. The chemistry between them was evident from very early on and I spent so much time desperately hoping that things would turn out well for the pair.
Knowing that The Big Little Festival was the second book in a series, I was a bit worried that I’d feel a bit lost and not know who any of the characters were. However, I can safely say that this was not the case at all thanks to the way in which Kellie really goes the extra mile to set the scene for the reader. One thing I particularly loved about the way in which this book was written was that it was so fun and upbeat, with plenty of community spirit, humour and romance throughout. The more I read, the more I fell in love with the village of Rabbit’s Leap, a place which really did capture and come alive in my imagination.
As a book that can easily be read as a standalone novel, The Big Little Festival was a book that I truly adored from beginning to end. I fell head over heels in love with Kellie’s way of telling her readers a story and am truly looking forward to being reunited with both her writing and Rabbit’s Leap again in the future. If you’re looking for a little bit of sunshine on these dull, dark and rainy autumnal days then I highly recommend The Big Little Festival to you.
