When running away means the start of something new.

Synopsis

Brand NEW from the bestselling author of The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts.

Scandal hit party girl Lucy Conway needs to leave London fast, so she packs her bags and escapes to the sleepy village of Cranbridge to take care of her beloved Uncle Frank.

But the country village isn’t quite as idyllic as she remembers. To make matters worse, her Uncle’s pride and joy, The Cranbridge Times, is close to going out of business.

Editor-at-Large Tom Addison is having a crisis of confidence and needs help if the newspaper is going to survive. 

With time on her hands, can Lucy work some magic and together save the family newspaper?
Over a long, hot summer, friendships are made and hearts begin to heal. And, with the help of a stray dog, perhaps Lucy and Tom can find their very own new beginning…

My review

When Lucy Conway finds herself in the middle of a scandal written all over the tabloids, she sees no other option than escaping to the village of Cranbridge, to help her beloved Uncle Frank. She hopes to find a little bit of peace so that she can decide what she wants to do with her life.

But the Cranbridge she is staying in, is not the Cranbridge of her youth anymore. A lot has changed and not always for the better. So is her Uncle’s newspaper, The Cranbridge Times, on the verge of going out of business. And the editor of the paper, Tom Addison, is having a crisis of his own. Having a new employee is the last thing he needs, but how can he refuse the niece of the owner?

Lucy makes it her personal mission to save the paper and while figuring out what to do, she starts feeling et home at the little village, making friends, a stray dog lurking behind the corner and growing feelings towards an inhabitant of the village…

I absolutely loved retuning to Cranbridge! This small village is something I would love to live, with the whole community looking out of each other.

When Lucy arrives there, I saw her as a lost puppy, feeling alone in the world, her parents not being the most supportive ones. My heart ached when she felt that her Uncle Frank was more caring and loving than her own parents. Yet I was glad she had a place to go to, knowing that she would be welcomed with open hands.

Lucy is someone trying to find her place in the world. She lacks self-confidence, doubting what she is capable of. And what better place to realize your own worth than Cranbridge?
When she befriends Molly first, and then the other lovely women we already got to know in the first book, slowly she opens up and we see the real Lucy.
She also realizes what the meaning of true friendship is and acts on it, after realizing that her past friendships were nothing compared to the relationships made in Cranbridge.

Also Tom’s story is a sad one… not only is he a divorced man, but after losing his mother, it seems he cannot move on. and also at work he is without inspiration. Realizing that he is going to lose the paper is only making him feel more depressed.

The more time Lucy and Tom spend together, trying to save the paper, the more their friendship shifts into something more beautiful. and because of their time spending together, both Lucy and Tom start to have a more positive look on their current situation.

Cranbridge worked its magic again in this story, and I found it truly beautiful to see how two people that are feeling down, thanks to an amazing community and friends, see their own potential again. And if you don’t fall immediately in love with Keith, the stray dog, I suggest to get yourself checked by your GP, because then there is something wrong!

This story is about finding yourself again, finding a place to call home and a place where you belong, with people that accept you just as your perfect self is.
I found it beautiful, emotional, and each character stole a piece of my heart!