Review - Outback Dreams by Rachael Johns

Outback Dreams by Rachael Johns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paperback, 352 pages

Published October 1st 2013 by Harlequin Enterprises Australia 

Source: Publisher Review Copy

Synopsis:

'Faith and Monty are both looking for love...but they’re looking in the wrong direction.

Faith Forrester is at a crossroads. Single, thirty and living on a farm in a small Western Australian town, she’s sick of being treated like a kitchen slave by her brother and father. Ten years ago, her mother died of breast cancer, and Faith has been treading water ever since. She wants to get her hands dirty on the family farm. She wants to prove to herself that she’s done something worthwhile with her life. And she wants to find a man...

For as long as he can remember, Daniel ‘Monty’ Montgomery has been Faith’s best friend. When he was ten, his parents sold the family property and moved to Perth, and ever since, Monty’s dreamed of having his own farm. So for the last ten years, he’s been back on the land, working odd jobs and saving every dollar to put toward his dream. Now he finally has the deposit. But there’s still something missing...

So when Faith embarks on a mission to raise money for a charity close to her heart, and Monty’s dream property comes on the market, things seem like they are falling into place for them both. Until a drunken night out ends with them sleeping together. Suddenly, the best friends are faced with a new load of challenges...

Monty and Faith are both ready to find a life partner and settle down, but have they both been looking in all the wrong places?' 

My Thoughts:
When I first started reading Outback Dreams my initial thoughts were "Great, another 'friends since forever and only just realising they love each other' kind of story". I have read so many other books like this that I was praying this one would have something a little more.

Luckily, it did. Yes, the above theme was definitely a strong part of the plot, but the book did actually contain other elements as well that kept my interest and made it more of an enjoyable read, such as the individual personal journeys that Faith and Monty underwent, the issue of dealing with someone who has autism, and also with losing a loved one just to name a few.

Monty was definitely my favourite character because he was easy to relate to and seemed like your typical Aussie bloke. He is a very determined person, knows exactly what he wants to achieve in life and is willing to work to get it.

Faith on the other hand annoyed me a little. She seemed to just drift along as an extra on her family farm doing nothing more than being the cook and cleaner to a totally oblivious father and brother. When she finally realises that her life has been a bit of a waste and decides to do something about it, she seems to get so defensive about her position which bothered me to no end because it was her decision to live that life in the first place.

I really enjoyed reading an Australian novel for a change (being Aussie myself) as it was so much easier to relate to the language and slang used throughout as well as picture the scenery described.

This is the first time I have ever read a story by Rachael Johns and I liked how realistic her characters were and how easy her style of writing was to read. I'll definitely read another novel by her in the future if the opportunity comes up.

Links:
Amazon