Book Review - The Country Village Allotment by Cathy Lake

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: The Country Village Allotment

Author: Cathy Lake

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Zaffre

Publication Date: 8th June 2023 

Rating: 5 Stars

A heartwarming and uplifting summer read for fans of Heidi Swain and Phillipa Ashley, by the author of The Country Village Christmas Show, The Country Village Summer Fete and The Country Village Winter Wedding.

At eighty-two years old Zelda Grey is tired. Tired of how much slower she is physically and mentally. Tired of technology. Tired of being alone since her beloved cat, Flint, died just before Christmas. And tired of life. The only thing that brings Zelda joy these days is her allotment in the gorgeous village of Little Bramble, where she has lived her whole life, and her three cranky goats.

Widow Mia Holmes always loved visiting Little Bramble Allotment with her husband, Gideon. But since his death she can't motivate herself. Despite putting on a brave face for her three sons and four grandchildren, she's reached breaking point, and isn't sure she can carry on.

And history teacher Liz Carter thought she had it all. The perfect job, perfect boyfriend in Rhodri and the perfect wedding to plan. Until she found Rhodri in bed with the neighbour. Holed up in her sister's box room she wonders how it all went so wrong. As she wallows in her misery, her sister takes her in hand and drags her to Little Bramble Allotment and suddenly she discovers the wonders of planting, growing and getting her hands dirty.

In an increasingly lonely world, these three women strike up an unlikely friendship and find that community, female friendship and the wonders of nature can truly be powerful healers.

This is fast becoming a favourite series, I couldn't get enough of this book.  From the first few pages, and especially once we were in Little Bramble, I felt right at home. 

There is something about this community that I really feel at home in, and I loved meeting out three new heroines - Zelda, Mia and Liz. 

Well technically it took a couple of chapters to get used to the fact that the character focus and viewpoint would change multiple times in a chapter, but once I got my head around that, and more importantly started to identify and remember the three characters, it was a joy. 

Three generations of women, who find each other when they are at their lowest ebbs, and form an instant friendship. It was beautiful to see, and I loved getting to know all of them.  Especially Zelda, our octogenarian, who is full of life, but clearly has secrets in her past. 

Also loved Liz, well once she stopped pining over her ex fiancee, and started trying to get involved in life in Little Bramble. I also enjoyed seeing how she reconnected with her sister and nieces. 

This has such a gentle feel to the book, but it suits the content. It's a relaxing sort of a book to read, and it's incredibly enjoyable.  I loved my time spent between these pages, and I just hope there will be more to this series which is getting even better with each book. 

Thank you to Zaffre and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.