Book Review - Storm Clouds Ahead for the Village Midwife by Tilly Tennant

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Title: Storm Clouds Ahead for the Village Midwife

Author: Tilly Tennant

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 15th June 2026

Rating: 4 Stars

As the sun crests the indigo Lake District hills and blossom froths in the trees, midwife Zoe Padbury reaches for her boyfriend’s hand. Her life, at this moment, feels perfect. She has no idea of the storm clouds that lie ahead…

The villagers of Thimblebury know that midwife Zoe Padbury loves babies and now that she’s settled at Hilltop Farm with her boyfriend Alex, they can’t resist wondering when she’s going to start a family of her own. Yet it doesn’t feel like quite the right time. Alex is so busy and Zoe has her hands full with all her new mums to look after. Still, she has hopes for the future…

But what she doesn’t expect is to walk into her cosy kitchen and find Alex’s glamorous ex-girlfriend sitting at the scrubbed pine kitchen table. Virginia claims to be helping Alex with work but as she looks Zoe up and down and offers her a perfectly manicured hand to shake, Zoe can’t ignore a shiver of foreboding. What will this mean for her and Alex?

Zoe tries to quash the pangs of jealousy that wash over her, but with Virginia around what feels like all hours of the day, she and Alex end up in a devastating argument. And when she receives some news that changes everything, she doesn’t know if she can share her troubles… Can they find their way back to each other? Or will these storm clouds break their bond forever?

A completely heartwarming read about trusting the one you love when times get tough. Fans of Jo Bartlett and Jessica Redland will laugh, cry and root for Zoe in Storm Clouds Ahead for the Village Midwife.

It was a welcome delight to be back in Thimblebury, and back with Zoe and her expectant mothers. 

With this being the fourth book I've now read in this series, I felt totally at home instantly with all the characters, and it's probably for that reason I was getting frustrated with Zoe during this book. 

She has her own health issue and she is putting her head in the sand a bit, and then not really being honest and it was just driving me a bit bonkers.  Although equally I could relate as I tend to have ostrich syndrome when it comes to a lot of things too! 

Alex and Zoe are really shaky in this book, both with their own things going on.  Billie on the other hand is really starting to find her feet, and seems to be growing in some confidence as a young mum.  And Maisie I love more with each book, her mother less so. 

It's great to catch up with all the recent births we have seen before, and it was good to see Simon in a new light too. 

I am very glad though that I'm already aware that there is another book coming out in this series, as to me this felt like a book that was setting up for another book.  I wasn't that keen on the way it ended, and it's made me all the more keen to get my hands on the next book so that I can see what will happen next. 

It's another really enjoyable instalment in this series and I can't wait for more. 

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