Mother Tongue by Julie Mayhew

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 368

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 25th of August 2016 

Darya is a young woman trying to recover her life after a brutal terrorist attack shakes her rural Russian hometown, killing her young sister. Her father wants her married off to one of his factory employees and her mother has resurfaced as the matriarch of their family, displacing Darya and even blaming her for Nika's death. But the attack has drawn foreigners to their community, reporters and aid workers who open Darya's eyes to the world. When she falls for a older man, a journalist from New York, could he be her ticket out of her hometown, her old life and her grief?

What I Have to Say 

This book was beautiful, touching and absolutely heart-breaking. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every second of reading it, but I really want to warn you quite how sad the start of it is. The grief that is shown from Darya and the community that surrounds her is very well done and had me weeping to myself in the middle of the night when I shouldn't have really been reading. 

I have to admit, not that much really happens in this book. It's the kind of story that is more about the character's journey than about what happens. Normally I'm not so keen on this type of book, but the beautiful writing and character's in Mother Tongue kept my attention through to the very last page. 

I adore Julie Mayhew's writing and would strongly urge any of you who have never read her books to pick one up. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review.