From bestselling author Amanda Prowse comes a heartwarming tale of first impressions and lasting love.Thomasina ‘Hitch’ Waycott loves living and working on the remote family farm and B&B. But she also wants more. To see the world. To own her own home. To fall madly in love.But those are fairy tales, and if her life is a fairy tale, then she’s the ugly duckling. Her deformed lip, her crooked … deformed lip, her crooked limbs and her weak heart have kept her from taking chances. But that’s about to change.
When Grayson Potts comes to stay, he’s unlike anyone Thomasina has ever met. He’s aloof, eccentric and exceptionally kind. He’s also totally unconcerned with the physical flaws that have always defined Thomasina.
The two form a bond that neither has had before. It’s possible that it could become something more, but Thomasina also wonders if it’s too good to be true. By putting her heart on the line, Thomasina may open herself to heartbreak. But she may also open herself to so much more.
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This is a sweet story of 2 people who find each other after dealing with adversities in each of their lives. Thomasina (Hitch) Waycott and Grayson Potts meet quite by chance when Grayson is a guest at the Waycott Farm where Thomasina’s family runs a farm and bed & breakfast. Thomasina is a hard worker. She was born with a physical disability. Grayson is a bit different, he thinks different than other people, he reacts to things different from other people. These differences these two young people have is what draws them together, they understand the adversities they have both had to face. This is a sweet story of how Thomasina and Grayson fight through the paths that has been chosen for them and forge a new path to greater independence and self-worth.
The things I know is a great story. Thomasina lives with her parents on a family farm.
Always sheltered due to her birth defects, she wants more. A beautiful book about friendship and love.
A highly reccommend this book.
First time reading Amanda Prowse’s work and it will not be the last time. The story is endearing, and the writing is impeccable. The descriptions make it so, that you feel as if your standing on the farm watching the whole story unfold before your very eyes. The story starts with the birth of a daughter who felt as if the instructions had been upside down when she was made, and maybe they had lost a part when they opened the box. Yes, it is with charm and finesse that will make you fall in love with Thomasina (Hitch) and her journey to find love!
‘I feel like you’re the kind of person who can find the gaps, fill in the missing pieces and solve the puzzle of my happiness.’
Thomasina “Hitch” Waycott lives and works on her parent’s farm, which is also a bed and breakfast, that has been in her family for generations in rural England, across the river from Wales. She’s always been treated as “less than” her younger brother. She was born with a cleft palate that was fixed poorly. She also has other medical problems and has been bullied her whole life. Her parents have been over protective. Meanwhile she’s getting older and wants to experience life.
Her life changes when Grayson Potts stays at the B & B for a couple of nights. Grayson has his own issues. He has Asperger’s Syndrome, has also been bullied his own life.
When this unlikely couple meets for the first time, neither sees the other’s imperfections and a growing attraction starts immediately between them.
I loved this book. I loved Thomasina and Grayson’s characters. Everything about the book was just right and will definitely speak to those people out there that have ever been bullied. I loved the descriptions of the farm, with its chickens, guard pig – just everything. Even the sad pieces, and there are a few, were handled just right.
I highly recommend.
I received this book from Lake Union Publishing (Amazon Publishing) through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
I loved this story of these two being more than their differences. Each had a special challenge that people used to define them. It had always been that way, until they met each other. Meeting gave them someone who saw them as a person not damaged but whole. Each saw love and appreciation not settling for the scraps but standing up and taking the meal. It’s a great story one that I read to the end. I did however feel like it was repetitive, constantly having the same argument or conversation or self-dialogue. That and how long it took but and yes there’s always a but I kinda get the delay. So kinda on the fence there. It is well written and an emotional read although kind of sad and borderline depressing. This isn’t my first read by this author and while she does tend to do subjects that are tough I have enjoyed them because they make you dig deep. This is definitely one of them and like I said a good read just not my favorite.
This is beatiful written story that will pull on your heartstrings. It is a heartwarming story that is filled with hope and happiness, sadness. I truly enjoyed reading about Grayson and Thomasina. The characters are two people who don’t quite fit in and who are different. It was a page turner and kept my interest through out the story.
I vouluntairy read and reviewed an Advanced Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Lake Union publishing for letting me read this story.
Sometimes you just stumble across a book. That was the case for me and I am so glad I did. I thought that this was an absolutely wonderful read. This book is filled with rural charm, harsh reality and an overall feeling of sweetness. Thomasina ‘Hitch’ has a story that will touch your heart. Thomasina has been different since birth. Her challenges may slow her down but they certainly do not stop her. I thought she was very smart, incredibly kind, loving and a hard worker. The book gives you a look into her life, hopes, dreams and fears. I felt it was incredibly eye-opening. So often, people are labeled and fenced in by expectations (or a lack of). This is even worse for those with differences. My heart simply ached for Thomasina. Her loneliness, the desire for more and her yearning to truly live were almost tangible as you read through the book. The book is very well written and read easily. Thomasina’s world was so well developed that I felt I could feel the heat from the stove, feel the crunch of the frosted grass under my feet and smell the wonderful meals that Thomasina cooked. This emotional read will put your own emotions through their paces as the story unfolds, and what a beautiful story it is.
This is the first book that I have read by Amanda Prowse and I am happy to be able to say that I really enjoyed the book and will be reading more by her.
I used to live on a farm so I can relate to having animals and chores every day and dreaming of being in other places. We used to have chickens and named each and everyone of the animals so I had to smile when I read that Thomasina (Hitch) did the same thing.
This was a really touching story that shows that you may be a little different but you want and enjoy the same things as everyone else. We all have our quirks but we are all alike in so many ways.
A must read
4.5 stars
What a wonderful story and couple.
I loved this book and story about life, differences between us all but the reminder that we are much more than the eye can see and some people deserve much more than they get.
We take a journey with a girl that becomes a woman, Thomasina, that her life isn’t easy at all, she has to go through so many bad times since childhood but she still finds the power to stand up for her and be happy with her animal friends and her family. She dreams to travel and see the world, misses her brother that went to New York to change his life, and she only wants to live her life happy and be wanted,
Grayson was a great addition to the story, another soul that was hurt by the world and was looking for a few days of forgetting about his life and their time together was what exactly each one of them deserved.
It was my first read by the author but won’t be the last for sure.
1/2 stars!
Born a little bit different “like someone held the instructions upside down or lost a part when they opened the box”, Thomasina “Hitch” Waycott just wants to find love and be loved. Born with a cleft lip among other deformities, she learns at a very early age that words hurt. She lives on a farm/B&B with her parents and brother, who gets to experience things Hitch can only dream of. Until she meets a handsome stranger, just a little bit different.
You will fall in love with Thomasina as you see her struggle and grow. Your heart will break with her as you see kids and adults can be cruel. You will watch this caterpillar grow into a butterfly as she opens her eyes and finally sees the people around her. But, all the while, you will cheer for her to get what she wants. This book is full of wonderful characters, realistic situations, transformations all the way around. I hope this book makes you look at people who are different in a whole new light.
For me, this book is reminiscent of “Eleanor Oliphant” with its quirky characters. But this book was so much more relatable for me. Thoroughly enjoyed this read, my first by this author, and look forward to reading more of her books.
I received an ARC of this book. Opinion is mine alone.
I fell in love with this story! It’s a story about Thomasina (Hitch) Waycott and her struggle in life to be accepted. She has been made fun of and ridiculed her whole because of the way she looks. Different from all the other “normal” people but her heart is tender. All she wants is to be loved and cared for unconditionally.
I really liked the character of Thomasina. My heart went out to her and I really hurt with her when she was taunted so badly. I wanted to be her friend and show her that she has value and is important. I also liked the character of Grayson Potts. He came into Thomasina’s life and changed things for her. The story really was like a fairy tale but there were also huge struggles to overcome. Life isn’t easy and it takes courage to let other people in after being so hurt in life.
This book took me on a journey with a girl who had been dealt a difficult hand when she was born. I hurt with how much she went through. I became emotionally involved with her character and really felt the heartache she suffered because of mean and vindictive bullies. I also felt the happiness and strength when she found the fight in herself to stand up for herself.
I loved that Thomasina had her dog, Buddy, to be with her throughout the book. He was a loyal and devoted companion through everything. This passage expresses how much he loved her:
“Even Buddy, in tune with her emotions, seemed to have lost his playful bounce and had earlier crept by her side across the yard with his head low, ears back, as if able to sense her malaise, so in love with her that her sadness crushed him.” I love that dog and his place in her life.
This book is a tale that drew me in and took me through the gut wrenching life of a young woman just wanting to have what other young women had. It also has the message that each person is valuable and that there is hope and happiness just by being who you are.
I thought the chapter endings were very unique and different. They were the thoughts of Thomasina and the things she knows. Each one was a bit of the chapter before…a kind of summary. It touched my heart as some were enlightening and some were hard truth.
“What I don’t know is how different I am, and I also don’t know how I can find this out.”
“And I know that some days I’m happy and on other days I’m sad, but that’s the same for everyone, isn’t it?”
The Thing I Know is that this book will touch the reader in many ways. It did me, for sure. Thomasina and Grayson are two characters I will think about for a long time.
I want to thank Lake Union, Netgalley and especially Amanda Prowse for the honor of reading such a powerful, inspirational and touching story. It is most definitely 5 stars!
The Things I Know is a refreshingly unique story. At the start of the book our protagonist, Thomasina, copes with the stress of her daily life by writing in a journal. Through her journal Thomasina reveals the truths as she sees them. Some of her truths are absolutely heartbreaking. When she meets Grayson her world begins to shift. She sees life through a different lens and finds her voice.
Amanda Prowse packs a lot of emotion into one sweet story as it explores a variety of relationships including family, friendships and love. I love that this story to challenges some common statements used to excuse poor behavior. I highly recommend this story!
I received the Kindle edition of The Things I Know as an ARC via NetGalley. My goodness, what a lovely love story. As mom to a child who is somewhat like Grayson, I found so much to love in his unassuming honesty., and recognized his struggle to be understood in a world that works so differently than his own thought processes. Thomasina grabbed my heart from the beginning with her humor and free spirit, just waiting to be set free.
This isn’t a story with lots of intense action, yet I was drawn in from the first page. It was a lovely slice of life story centered around what ended up being a significant turning point for Thomasina. I appreciated her struggle to have her heart and intellect valued and seen despite her physical limitations. I loved that she was a dreamer who, with just a little encouragement, became a doer.
This was a tender and sweet story that so easily could have been depressing and sad, given the serious obstacles that are dealt with, including living with disabilities, bullying, alcoholism, depression, and financial struggle. However, Amanda Prowse has woven a beautiful thread of hope, humor, and determination throughout that will leave you feeling like peeking into Thomasina and Grayson’s hearts was a tremendous gift. One you want to share with a friend.
“And I know that some days I’m happy and other day’s I’m sad, but that’s the same for everyone, isn’t it?”
This is a beautiful love story between two young adults.
Their meeting was fate.
Thomasina aka Hitch helps to run her family farm that also has a B&B.
A young quiet, honest man named Grayson Potts comes to stay for two days while at a presentation for his work.
This is their journey. Not all love and beauty, but definitely uplifting, challenging and enlightening.
You will love these two people!
I came away from this novel with the prayer that people who read this book by Amanda Prowse will see people with disabilities as people first.
“I know I need to find the courage to chase the life I deserve.”
Everyone has goals, dreams and desires!
Wonderful story!