Book Preview: Forty going on Nineteen by Kristina Thornton

ISBN 978-1963483642 | Harpeth Road Press | 296 pages

PUBLISHING 28th JULY

Our heroine, Louise Nightingale is turning forty.

Thanks to her best friend Katie, she's soon embarking on a week of challenges that push her well outside her comfort zone and prompt her to take a long, hard look at her life. Along the way she reconnects with old dreams, rediscovers her confidence, and finds romance (of course).

Kristina Thorton's latest novel, Forty going on Nineteen publishing on 28th July

What I enjoyed most about this book was its warm-hearted optimism. It’s a story about second chances – not just romantic ones – and realising that it's never too late to embrace new experiences and ways of living our unlived lives. The friendship between Louise and Katie is the emotional heart of the novel, and Katie's determination to help her friend rediscover her spark is both touching and uplifting especially as she herself learns something from the experience.

I liked Louise’s twenty year-old son, Jamie, too – doing his best to keep the house on his own while his mother is away. I have kids this age and I found it sweet and true to life. Jamie’s really devoted to his mother (and vice versa, of course) in a way that felt really genuine.

The various challenges Louise undertakes provide plenty of entertaining moments and felt very authentic, particularly the horse-riding and white-water rafting scenes. I also thought it was interesting that Louise was a celebrant who does weddings and funerals and that the book was set in Doncaster. I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance set in ‘Donny’ before, but here we go – and why not? It’s a bit of a love letter to Kristina’s home town and has definitely got me thinking I might go up for a visit so I can spot the places she mentions in the book.

Tom Gardner, Louise’s old high school crush, also makes an appealing romantic hero, even if she doesn’t get him quite right at first, I was pleasantly surprised by how charming he turned out to be.

If you’re looking for a romantic women's fiction book about entering middle age with joy, with themes of friendship, personal growth and fresh beginnings, you will definitely enjoy this sweet, uplifting book.

Kristina, like me was shortlisted for the RNA Debut Romantic Novel Award 2025 and we’re in a group with the other finalists called ‘The Debuts’. Kristina sent me an ARC of Forty going on Nineteen.

Kristina Thornton