Rachel O'Brien is desperate to leave her current mess of a life behind when she fills a position for a job for school teacher in the fishing village of Little Cove, Newfoundland.
... a charming book, steeped in the beautiful vernacular of Newfoundlanders. Their lyrical Celtic-based speech patterns and diction are at the heart of this fish-out-of-water story ... Sense of place is strong in New Girl and you'll learn about the geography, the fishing industry, and the culture of Newfoundland. But best of all, you'll learn a raft of new words and phrases — luh and scut and sleeveen and scuff, and the wonderful origin question, 'Who knit you?'
A good old fashioned novel about trying to acclimate oneself to a new, tiny town and an entirely new situation ... it’s warm and charming without being saccharine, funny and emotional without being maudlin. It does give in to a few moments of cliché, with an ending line that’s a bit of a groaner, but the book’s general charm manages to win out in the end ... Rachel herself is what makes the story interesting. I liked her sense of humor and her ability to see her own flaws combined with the way she triumphs over the sticks and stones thrown at her. Her romance with the much more traditional Doug has to overcome some setbacks before they can finally allow themselves to love. Though the author’s handling of the school-set material isn’t anything new, it’s still charming. Which sums up the book at large – the entire process is sweet and well-written, though not especially exceptional in the field. Nevertheless, if you’re in the mood for a cozy novel and you really want to bed down in the early spring with something that’s not too light hearted but not too serious, New Girl in Little Cove will please you.
Monaghan paints a full picture of a mysterious little town, giving supporting characters compelling backstories without resorting to caricature. Fans of Richard Russo’s That Old Cape Magic , Emily St. John Mandel’s The Glass Hotel , and Patricia Harman’s The Runaway Midwife will enjoy Rachel’s fish-out-of-water journey to acceptance and understanding.
