Standing Strong by Fiona McCallum

Standing Strong Reviews

• 
  Brenda

  Jacqueline Havelock was enjoying her new life in Wattle Creek – her position of psychologist was slowly becoming recognised and used by the various country folk who needed a little help, and though the recent terrible bushfires had destroyed her car and Damien McAllister’s farmhouse, things were gradually settling down and being rebuilt.
  
  Damien had decided to devote his time to an animal rescue venture which was widely encouraged and supported – his borrowed caravan that was his current home was comfortable though tight fitting with the menagerie of animals he was acquiring. His beloved dog Squish was always by his side and he felt happier than he had in a long time.
  
  But the happiness wasn’t to last for either Jacqueline or Damien. A situation had arisen which had the slow and tentative relationship between the two having to be put to one side. They wouldn’t be able to see one another for the foreseeable future. Would the support of the community help? Or was that impossible with bureaucracy the way it was? And what was up with Tina, Damien’s mother?
  
  Standing Strong by Aussie author Fiona McCallum is the sequel to
  Wattle Creek which I enjoyed. It was nice to catch up with Jacqueline, Damien, Aunt Ethel (who’s a real character!) and Jacqueline’s parents as well. This novel shows the depth of small country communities; the loyalty of the country folk when people are in trouble, and the spirit of said communities especially the SES and firies when they’re needed. Set in country South Australia, Standing Strong is one I have no hesitation in recommending.
  
• 
  Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews

  I recently read Fiona McCallum’s Wattle Creek, in preparation for reading her latest book and the much awaited sequel to Wattle Creek, titled Standing Strong. It was a great feeling to be given the opportunity to return to a fictional town I love, through the experience of reading Standing Strong.
  
  The action in Standing Strong immediately picks up where it concluded in Wattle Creek. City come country psychologist and Wattle Creek’s newest resident, Jacqueline Havelock, finds herself in a pickle. She has fallen hard for one of her former patient’s, Damien McAllister. Damien also feels the same way about Jacqueline and it seems like love is blossoming, much to the delight of the townsfolk of Wattle Creek. Damien and Jacqueline’s happiness is short lived when Jacqueline discovers she has broken strict rules in her position. These binding rules prevent her from having a relationship with a former patient for a period of 24 months, after the termination of their last session. As much as Damien feels Jacqueline is the woman for him, he realises what an asset she is to the town of Wattle Creek. He makes the extremely hard decision to end their relationship, before it really hits the ground. Jacqueline is devastated but she acknowledges that Damien has saved her from throwing years of study away. While battling a broken heart, Jacqueline is dealt another blow, when an anonymous tip is sent to the Psychology of Board of Australia. An unknown source has informed them of Jacqueline’s relationship with Damien. Jacqueline must gather all the strength she can to fight her way back to credibility. In the meantime, Damien also faces his own personal battle in dealing with his new career path and balancing issues with his family.
  
  Standing Strong is a worthy follow up to an earlier Fiona McCallum release, Wattle Creek. Though it is not entirely essential that you read Wattle Creek to enjoy Standing Strong, reading the two novels back to back enhanced my reading experience. I liked being transported back into the town of Wattle Creek. By the time I reached Standing Strong, these characters began to feel like old friends. McCallum always does a fine job with her characters, creating main protagonists that we can easily draw comparisons from, despite not living in a rural situation. While reading Standing Strong, I enjoyed being provided with the opportunity to get to know both Damien and Jacqueline in more detail. Standing Strong also allows McCallum to explore of her main character’s background, by shining the spotlight on story threads involving their respective families. I liked the introduction of Damien’s sister Lucy and I did feel like she was left with some loose threads at the close of Standing Strong. Perhaps in the future, McCallum will give Lucy her own story and happy ending! The main conflict in Standing Strong was a realistic and emotional one. It did tug at my heartstrings many times. McCallum also uses Standing Strong as a platform to highlight issues that are relevant to country based communities, such as Damien’s venture into wildlife rescue and the lack of mental health care facilities in rural areas. McCallum always works hard at recreating the most realistic country settings as she can in her novels and Standing Strong is no exception. The use of periphery characters such as Aunt Ethel, serves to highlight how strong the community spirit and banding together really is in these rural locations of Australia.
  
  Fans of Fiona McCallum are in for a treat with Standing Strong and new readers to this genre are in safe hands with McCallum’s writing. Standing Strong is a loveable country story that takes the reader on an emotional journey, with characters that will be sure to stay in your heart.
  
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• 
  Renee

  I haven't read Wattle Creek, but I can only assume it would be the story of Jacqueline and Damien falling in love. This is the sequel and picks up where the previous book left off - a very new relationship between Jacqueline and Damien. No smooth sailing from here though. There is enough background information given that I was able to follow and enjoy the story, but if you have the chance, I'd recommend reading Wattle Creek first.
  
  I enjoyed the alternating POV between Jacqueline and Damien, going through the ups and downs of getting their prospective businesses off the ground. I got quite emotionally involved at times and got all choked up more than once. I loved Auntie Ethel and all the animals. It read more like women's fiction than romance, focussing on building friendships and rural life.
  
  I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Gemma

  Tossing up between 2 and 3 stars: ended up with 3 because even though the same issues I had with the previous book were still there, I enjoyed this one a little bit more than Wattle Creek.
  
  It still had the awkward pacing: scene changes weren't heralded by the line break that I'm used to, so that was a bit confusing, and certainly didn't help the flow.
  
  I found myself a bit frustrated at the heroines approach to the "conflict" in the story (to avoid spoilers, I will just say it's the one that concerns her professionally). The solution, based on the official wording, was pointed out to her early on, yet she still dithers. I wanted to give her a big shake!
  
  I would have loved a bit more fleshing out of the auxiliary characters - they were introduced towards the end of the story, and I felt their development was not in proportion to the role they (should have) played or the amount of screen time they had. Given their relationship to the main characters, I was a bit disappointed to see them cast in the role of convenient plot devices.
  
  Again we saw a character introduced for no specific purpose (Paul) that I could determine. What could have been a significant point of conflict to flesh out the story was merely cast as a cameo role. While I felt he could potentially have been an interesting character, the removal of the scenes with him in them wouldn't have made much difference to the overall story.
  
  To summarise: it was an ok read, and I am glad to have read it, however I won't be reading it again.
• 
  Bec

  I 'listened' to this as an audio book which is a first for me (but i cant read. & crochet at the same time) more review when i get decent internet!
• 
  Stacey Houllis

  This is the follow-up to the Fiona McCallum's book Wattle Creek. It is the continuing story of Jacqueline Havelock and Damien McAllister. She is a psychologist who fell Damien a farmer starting up an Animal welfare farm. Jacqueline remembers of the patient client rule by the board that have wait 24 months before you can have a relationship with a client after treating them.
  Damien breaks up with her so she could keep her job. Jacqueline is been investigated by board after a complaint been made. Doctor Squire, Ethel, the community of Wattle Creek all write letters of support including Jacqueline writing a letter in regards to the allegations.
  They spend weeks apart going on with their everyday routine missing each other. Lucy returns home she Damien's sister. They learn who it was that reported her was Damien mother.
  I liked the strength of the characters to stand for each others love for each other and a small town community supporting the people in their town. A great read.
• 
  Tim Arundell

  This was a wonderful sequel to her novel ‘Wattle Creek’ and further explored the lives of Psychologist Jacqueline and a local man Damien she met through her work in the small town she moved to as the first psychologist there. Their relationship was challenged by a family member and supported by others. The supportive relationships of family and community members made this a personally beneficial novel.
• 
  Wendy Forsyth

  I enjoyed ‘Standing Strong’, the sequel to ‘Wattle Creek.’ An editing oversight though in both novels is the cause of some confusion to the reader; incorrectly inserted speech marks makes it difficult at times to know which character is speaking. But the plot and setting certainly held my interest throughout. I look forward to sourcing another book by Fiona McCallum.
• 
  Dianne Sidebottom

  Wattle Creek continues in this story with Damien n Jacqueline along with family n community. The emotional level was prominent with the characters n a mistake that could destroy a career. I think I needed to read this book to enlightened me n help me see differently what's in front of me.
• 
  Trish Wade

  Much better than the earlier title, Wattle Creek, in this pair. Good character and plot development, if a little repetitive.
• 
  Dianne Vandenhurk

  I just couldn't care enough about the characters to read what happened to them. Did not finish (which is something I very rarely do)
• 
  Maddy Smith

  thank god someone finally put tina in her place.
  
  still not the biggest fan of jaquline.
  
  glad we got to meet Lucy, love her! and Ethel.
• 
  Sherryle

  What a brilliant sequel. Loved it Fiona x
• 
  Don

  Wattle Creek - Book 2
  Standing Strong
  Fiona McCallum
  Read by Jennifer Vuletic
  The sequel to the much-loved Wattle Creek.
  ****************************+
  Former city girl Jacqueline Havelock, Wattle Creek’s newly arrived psychologist, has settled in to country life and is slowly coming to terms with the town’s quirky ways. Farmer Damien McAllister’s plans with his animal welfare venture are falling into place nicely and it finally feels like he has a future to look forward to.
  
  But everything can change as quickly as the fickle weather – and it does. A fire challenges the community and soon Damien and Jacqueline find themselves in a situation neither had anticipated. But is their growing relationship also under threat?
  
  Although the town comes out in support of their newest resident, is the Wattle Creek community strong enough to stand together and win this David and Goliath battle? And could happily-ever-after still be possible for Damien and Jacqueline?***********************
• 
  Tamara Martin

  Loved this return to some old friends in Wattle Creek. Fiona McCallum writes characters that become friends so well, she creates world's that are so familiar and draw you in as though you're one of them. I don't think you need to read Wattle Creek to read Standing Strong but you'll enjoy having done so.
  
  I really loved that Damien found his strength in this story and really found his own path. I have to wonder though, where might life lead Lucy now she's found her strength and rid herself of her oppressive mother and the weight of Geoffs misdeeds.
  
  All in all a really wonderful, heartwarming Australian story that shows the true beauty of Australian spirit and all the colours of the Australian country and it's array of fabulous characters.
• 
  Lyn

  I enjoyed this book, but found it difficult to get into it at the start because it had been so long since I read Wattle Creek. I recommend reading this directly after Wattle Creek. Some of the scenarios felt unrealistic to me & unnecessary. Nevertheless, it was a good read.
• 
  Susan

  Adored it & couldn't read fast enough! Realised at end there were NO sex scenes in it and it was such a great read as a result!!!! Very very awesome & super top read & 5 ⭐️ recommendation! Job well done McCallum
• 
  Tracy

  It was ok but a bit lame really. Very light on storyline and an instant love affair which is a bit far fetched. Some pathetic lines and trains of thoughts gave it a very ho hum rating. A quick and easy beach read if you want that