Book Review - The Best Is Yet To Come by Jessica Redland

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Title: The Best Is Yet To Come

Author: Jessica Redland

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 3rd September 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Emma is having a fresh start.

After a successful teaching career, an exciting new chapter awaits Emma – helping her fiancé Grayson run one of Beatrix Potter's farms. While imagining days spent supporting Grayson with his dream, working the land and helping with the animals, Emma harvests a dream of her own – to set up an alpaca-walking business around the farm.

But working together isn’t as easy as Emma expected. Soon her dreams are in tatters and, broken-hearted, she must start over yet again.

When Oliver, Rosie and the team at Willowdale Hall welcome Emma with open arms, she can't believe her luck. But starting a new business in a new place is a daunting prospect, especially when it comes with unexpected obstacles. With a reserved, prickly groundskeeper as a partner, rapidly changing family dynamics to contend with, and time running out to get her new career off the ground, Emma may have bitten off more than she can chew.

But even though things are not going to plan just yet, the best is yet to come for Emma, if she can just take a leap of faith and follow her heart...

Escape to the Lake District with million-copy bestseller Jessica Redland, for an uplifting story of family, friendship and love.

If like me you read the cliffhanger at the end of the previous book, and then jumped straight into this, you will be glad to know the resolution to that is given within the prologue. 

What then threw me for a bit was we are then introduced to Emma and it takes a while to understand how the two books connect, and they do in a really heartwarming way. 

Because I don't want to give any spoilers for either book, as I've read them so close together, it's hard for me to remember they are actually separate (and possibly the reason I don't often binge series to this extent), it's going to be very hard for me to say too much. 

But Emma is a fabulous new character, and her new dream, after it is clear to her, what as a reader I realised very quickly that Grayson is s nightmare, is all to do with Alpacas and being able to set up an Alpaca walking business. 

Along with new friends, rejuvenated family relationships and some daring rescues, we get to meet the Magnificent 7 as Emma's new herd is called. It is amazing how much research has clearly gone into this book, as I felt as though I had a beginners guide to caring for Alpacas, and we also learn the difference between them and llamas!   And I think I'm inclined to agree with Emma that Alpacas are best. 

In fact I'd like my own herd of them now, but since I'm less a fan of walking and the outdoors, I won't even remotely look into that!  But I really would love to meet some real alpaca! 

I enjoyed hearing Emma's backstory, as well as seeing plenty of familiar faces from the previous books of the series. 

This feels like it is a series about families as much as it is about animals so far, and I'm loving how Willowdale seems central to everything. I look forward to seeing how that expands and develops as this series continues. 

Now three books in I can easily say this is a new auto read, must stay on top of series, I am loving each book more and more, and I think a piece of my heart is already in the Lake District.  Bring on the next one! 

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