‘Charming and totally absorbing … I could not put this down!’ Holly Martin.
Buying a thatched cottage in the country may not be the usual cure for a broken heart. But after Clara Maxwell finds out her boyfriend and best friend have been sneaking around behind her back, packing her bags and leaving everything in London behind feels like it’s the only way forward.
Clara knew Acorn Cottage …
Clara knew Acorn Cottage would be a fixer-upper… Yet in person, the cottage is less charmingly ramshackle and more a real health and safety concern. When Henry Garnett, her (rather handsome) new contractor, turns up with his little daughter Pansy and a van shaped like a cottage in tow, she isn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. What on earth has she gotten herself into?!
Still, there is something strangely lovable about the people in the little village of Merryknowe, from Rachel Brown, the quiet, lonely girl who bakes magical confections for the tearooms, to Tassie McIver, a little old lady with a lot of wisdom and a penchant for reading tea leaves. And Clara can’t deny that Henry and Pansy are quickly worming their way into her heart…
With all the heartbreak of the year behind her, could Acorn Cottage be the fresh start Clara so desperately wants?
A heartwarming, uplifting village romance for fans of Holly Martin, Tilly Tennant and Cathy Bramley.
What people are saying about Kate Forster:
‘This beautifully descriptive and touching story about love and hope is fabulous sunshine reading’ Closer
‘A lovely get-away-from-it-all read’ Red
‘LOVED this book. From the cover you might assume it’s a light read but this was so much more. Such meaningful characters surrounding a story of life, love, and starting over. Definitely a keeper!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This is a keeper and I wish I could give it 10 stars’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘An uplifting, delightful story, this one is emotional, it’ll have you laughing and crying, but the overall theme for me was hope, self forgiveness and love, you will be smiling at the end’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I didn’t want the story to come to an end, because it was just so lovely. This is the perfect antidote to the world outside right now’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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When I picked up Starting Over at Acorn Cottage, I had no idea of what type of book it was, I naïvely looked at the cover and scanned over the synopsis, and assumed that it was going to be some light-hearted romance, but boy was I wrong!
Clara Maxwell has had enough, after finding out that her now ex-boyfriend had been cheating on her with her so-called best friend, unsatisfied in her job as a bank manager, because of the bank’s shady dealings, she quits her job and buys Acorn cottage, a little fixer-upper in the country, or so the estate agent told her, but nothing prepared her for what she saw when she got there.
Henry Garnett was a man of many talents, but he couldn’t fix his wife Naomi of cancer that she died from, but he could give their daughter Pansy everything Naomi wished for their daughter.
Rachel Brown was the sweetest young woman but horribly oppressed by her mother. Rachel just wants to cook and bring joy to others in the tearoom that she had always dreamed of, but unfortunately nothing good ever happened to Rachel.
Our final main character is Tassie McIver, being 89 years old has not slowed her mind down at all! Sharpe as a tack and even though her body is letting her down. Thankfully Tassie was granted the ability to know what was going to happen, which was a very good thing.
Starting Over at Acorn Cottage is the story of what happens when fate intervenes and boy! There were SO many surprises!it kept you hooked. Overall I found it a great book to read, the author kept you on your toes and kept you gripped to the story!
When Clara Maxwell finds out about her boyfriend’s secret she’s devastated. Feeling hurt and betrayed she makes the rash decision to buy and move into a little country cottage, sight unseen, in the village of Merryknowe. when it turns out to be a dilapidated mess and she needs help to get the cottage in habitable condition, she recruits Henry Barnett, a widow and handyman, who lives in a converted van with his six-year-old daughter, Pansy. Henry is still clinging to the memory of his dead wife and he won’t let Pansy out of his sight, not even to start school. He’s got many issues of his own to work through.
Meanwhile, as Clara becomes familiar with village life in Merryknowe, she takes note of a young woman, Rachel Brown, who’s working in her mother’s bakery and tearooms making delicious cakes and pies. Rachel, only in her mid-twenties, always looks tired, battered and older than her years. Although Rachel is a common sight to others in the village, Clara takes an interest in finding out what’s going on in the young woman’s life. In doing so she makes friends with an elderly acquaintance, Tassi, who lives across the street from the bakery and tearooms and knows about Rachel’s situation. As Clara gets a clearer picture of Rachel’s circumstances she becomes determined to help the young woman.
While Henry works on Clara’s cottage, both begin to realize that pain and loss is a part of each of their narratives, and that with Tassi’s help they might find a way out of their own grief and fear, and into each other’s arms.
Starting Over at Acorn Cottage was an enjoyable story. The book focused on the lives of three of the characters, all of whom needed help to cope with the traumas that were ruining them. Each character had a complex situation which held my interest—I wanted to learn what would become of each one of them. The author delivered in concocting a story that kept me engaged to the very end.
My only niggle was with the ninety-year-old character, Tassi. She was very superstitious in nature and commonly spoke about the future or what different objects or animals meant. I had no interest in hearing her talk of the dead or anything else relevant to it, and I found myself feeling irritated whenever she spoke in the book. All the superstitious rhetoric became tiresome to me. While this was not a predominant element of the book, it was enough to annoy me. I wish she was just a wise old lady possessing practical wisdom that was doled out when necessary to help the other characters with their lives.
Overall, Starting Over at Acorn Cottage was a very good book that I enjoyed reading.
Easy light reading and found myself laughing out loud often. If you want something simple and fun to read, this is the way to go.
Liked it. Good story line and likeable characters
Loved this book!
Enjoyed the book
Very upbeat, happy story. Would love to know what happens next!
Great humor heroine, and great chemistry of couple in their quest to understand and appreciate each other.
I enjoyed this book…the characters were relatable. Each character had a story to tell and issues to resolve. a very enjoyable read
Nice read.
Favorite Quotes:
Clara had found the evidence in Judy’s kitchen while looking for a bowl for nuts, and she had wanted to put Giles nuts in the container there and then.
‘I knew the woman who lived there. Sheila Batt. Like name, like person. She was an old bat. Died in her bed upstairs. I am surprised they didn’t find her hanging from the eves by her toes.’ Clara made a face of horror but Tassie shrugged. ‘We all have to go sometime. Better to be in your bed than on the toilet like Elvis.’
‘I did think something was in the air today, as I had a very itchy left eyebrow.’ Clara peered at Tassie’s eyebrows, which were drawn on with an eye pencil. ‘What if the right one was itchy?’ she asked. ‘Left is a lady visitor, right is a gentleman visitor. I don’t think the right one is even functioning anymore.’
You don’t get to choose if you have a baby or not really. The baby chooses you. Some women aren’t ready to have them and that’s fine and some yearn for them so much they scare them away. I yearned. Still do sometimes, even though my insides are now pickled and George has been dead for thirty years.
My Review:
How have I not read this talented scribe’s work before? I adore her! Goodreads reports twenty-six different books to her credit, where have I been? I am kicking myself for not noticing her stand-out skills sooner as I was an instant fan and an ardent devotee of her clever humor shortly after sinking into page one, and will also confess to savoring every perfectly chosen word and wittily written storyline ALL the way through. I giggle-snorted and gleefully wiggled in my chair with uncontainable delight at the unexpected nuances, captivating characters, and thoughtful little touches and perceptive insights that made this fabulous little tale a sublime and magical read. It was divine.
Delightful and Magical
I love this book. It doesn’t neatly fit into a category but has elements of many. There are some sweet romances, magical happenings, one bit of pretty explicit sex and lots of love and humor. There are several messages in the story, the biggest is to forgive yourself. It left me with smiles and a warm buzz. I am certainly look into this author’s prior work as well as look for her new work to be published. I received this ARC from Net Galley for free and this is my honest review.
This was a nice light breezy feel good book. It was the kind of book you almost don’t want it to end. It had interesting characters. I really enjoyed the story. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy