Digital Reads Reviews

My review

I absolutely loved, loved this book. It was clean, passionate, and filled with characters who were delightful, both good and bad.

Fran gets a letter from a distant far-off relative, Ms. Amy Flowers, with a stipulation that if she makes a go of the Hill Top Farm for a year, she would inherit it, after Aunt Amy has passed on.

Now the problems — Fran is asked not to socialise with her neighbor Anthony, she has 1000 pounds along with her savings to make a go of it, there is a bank loan which has to be repaid ASAP, there is another relative Roy who stands to inherit and who is not above using flattery as his weapon to inherit, and lastly but not least, Fran is scared of the cows on the farm.

My first book by Katie Fforde, and I have long last fulfilled my wish to read her book. And I can see why readers all over the world are big fans of her writing. I absolutely adored the determination with which Fran makes a go of it, finding ways to make the farm survive. It was nice to see her finding her place with the people of the town and the love of her life.

The characters are delightful, each one is so well developed. Fran has her hardworking, honest, and ethical nature, her best friend Issi has her supportive nature. Anthony is kind, generous, and enigmatic. Tig is the strong, silent types. Aunt Amy is the old, crotchety types but with a keen sense of intuition and intelligence. Roy was hateful, money-minded, who couldn’t wait for Amy to die. And I loved hating him; he raised my blood pressure and my indignation almost in every scene that he appears. I loved all these characters.

The making of cheese is so well incorporated in the story, that I was almost egging Fran to make more and describe the heavenly flavor (I don’t like or eat cheese). I loved the way I was so immersed in the story and invested in the life of Fran, I was her biggest cheerleader in all her ventures.

This is a feel-good holiday book, where you just have to go with the flow of the characters and their lives. And that is why this book was perfect to read over the weekend, for me.

Just. Simply. Loved. It.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Random House UK, Cornerstone, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating : 5 stars

About the Author

Katie Fforde lives in the beautiful Cotswold countryside with her family, and is a true country girl at heart. Each of her books explores a different profession or background and her research has helped her bring these to life. She loves being a writer; to her there isn’t a more satisfying and pleasing thing to do. She particularly enjoys writing love stories. She believes falling in love is the best thing in the world, and she wants all her characters to experience it, and her readers to share their stories

Book blurb

Fran has always wanted to be a farmer. And now it looks as if her childhood dream is about to come true.

She has just moved in to a beautiful but very run-down farm in the Cotswolds, currently owned by an old aunt who has told Fran that if she manages to turn the place around in a year, the farm will be hers.

But Fran knows nothing about farming. She might even be afraid of cows.

She’s going to need a lot of help from her best friend Issi, and also from her wealthy and very eligible neighbour – who might just have his own reasons for being so supportive.

Is it the farm he is interested in? Or Fran herself?

Product Details

Publication date : 22nd February, 2018

Publisher : Random House UK, Cornerstone

Language : English

Available on Amazon

A fabulous read to escape into