Welcome to the School by the Sea - Jenny Colgan

Welcome to the School by the Sea is Jenny Colgan‘s latest release in North America. It’s the first of a planned four part series.

I love Jenny Colgan's writing! Her books are just comforting, feel good, sit back, lose yourself in a story reads. In this latest, Colgan takes us to a boarding school for girls in England. Maggie is the the new, young addition to the teaching staff. She hails from Scotland. And she's about to have all her preconceived dreams of a wonderful new teaching experience challenged. 

Maggie is quite likable - she's not perfect, but has a kind heart and good intentions. I quite liked her inner dialogue. There’s a range of personalities amongst the girls with a social hierarchy you'd (sadly) find in any group setting. One of the girls is especially nasty. My heart was with Simone, a scholarship student who has a very difficult time at Downey Hall. As Maggie circumvents the pitfalls, the joys and the unexpected surprises of her new post, she too is hampered by the girls' attitudes, but sometimes helped as well. Let’s not forget about the teachers - some are some strict disciplinarians, rule followers and some are mired in same age old ways. Colgan gives one of the senior staff an unexpected story line. Now, what about that boys school just over the hill? There’s a rather attractive history professor there - and that presents another dilemma for Maggie. Will she succumb to her feelings or is she loyal to the boyfriend she left back at home? I can’t say I agree with every decision that Maggie meets but that’s what makes her human and relatable.

There are some unanswered questions and I'm keen to see where Colgan takes things. I wonder if the same group of girls will be back, a little bit older and a bit wiser. And I'm very eager to see how the romantic plot line unfolds. It's all about the characters for me in Colgan's writing and this latest is no exception. I can’t wait to see what the second book - Rules at the School by the Sea, due out in August 2022 - brings.

I chose to listen to Welcome to the School by the Sea. Jilly Bond is the narrator and she does an absolutely fantastic job! She’s provides unique and distinctive voices for all of the characters. It's easy to suss out who is speaking. She captures the personalities of all the characters - young, old, male and female with her voice and I easily created vivid mental images of each one. She portrays the emotions of the characters as well. I did end up turning down the speed a notch or two as she is a quick speaker and that was perfect for me. Hear for yourself – listen to an audio expert of Welcome to the School by the Sea.