The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts by Alison Sherlock #blogtour

I’m thrilled to share my review for this uplifting new book by Alison Sherlock on my book review blog today. Thank you to Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the digital proof copy – my thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift.

Synopsis:

After losing her job in New York, Amber Green isn’t looking forward to visiting her godmother in the sleepy village of Cranbridge. With its empty lanes and rundown shops, it’s hardly a place to mend her lonely heart.

But when Amber discovers that Cranbridge Stores, owned by her godmother Cathy and son Josh, is under threat of financial ruin, she realises that her skills as a window dresser might just be able to help save the struggling shop.

When disaster strikes, Amber and Josh must unite to save both the shop and the village from flooding.

Can Cranbridge Stores become the heart of the village once more?

And as the village begins to come back to life, perhaps Amber will discover a reason to stay…

My thoughts:

This is the first book I’ve read by Alison Sherlock and it won’t be the last. This is a book about finding the right place to be, which may not be the one you originally planned.

I live near to the Cotswolds, where the book is set and this book was a lovely escape from the current anxious world that we live in. Amber and Josh are both looking at their lives to see why their intended career paths have changed so much. As they work together to modernise the shop and to help out the local community during a flood, they start to discover that they may have more in common than they expected.

This was an uplifting read during the global pandemic – a book to curl up with for a ‘virtual hug’. I enjoyed the community spirit of the book and the gentle humour of the characters. I hope we will be able to visit Cranbridge again in future books.

Alison Sherlock:

Alison Sherlock is the author of the bestselling Willow Tree Hall books. Alison enjoyed reading and writing stories from an early age and gave up office life to follow her dream. Her new series for Boldwood is set in a fictional Cotswold Village and the first title will be published in July 2020.