When you are forced to face your past…

Synopsis

Escape to the countryside with a heart-warming new novel from Katie Ginger, author of Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage.

Amelia loves her life in Paris. But with the surprise inheritance of her childhood home, Meadow Farmhouse, she has no choice but to return to the small village of Meadowbank to restore her great-aunt’s old farmhouse. However returning to Meadowbank means she has to confront her past, including old flame Adam.

When Amelia discovers a locket hidden in the farmhouse, containing the picture of a mysterious World War Two soldier, she starts to uncover the secrets of her great-aunt’s past and is drawn further into village life. Shocked by the warm welcome from the villagers and her own surprising feelings for first love Adam, Amelia is suddenly confused as to where she truly belongs.

Can Amelia finally confront her own past and find where her heart truly calls home?

Fans of Rachael Lucas, Cathy Bramley and Jenny Colgan will fall in love with Katie Ginger!

My review

Amelia is living her life in Paris, but when her great – aunt dies, and Amelia inherits Meadow Farmhouse, she has to go back to the village of Meadowbank. Being back in her childhood home, she is determined to restore the farmhouse to sell it as soon as possible.
But returning back home means facing everything she ran away from many years ago, including her first love Adam.

When one day Amelia discovers a locket with a picture of a World War Two soldier, she wants to figure out who the soldier was and what links him to her great – aunt. That means she has to spend more time in Meadowbank, and the welcoming feeling she received from the inhabitants confuses her even more than ever. Because where does she truly belong? In Paris or in the place that holds more happy memories than remembered?

I have the feeling that each time I read a story of this author, I am saying the same things, because I absolutely loved this story!
However it gave me a lot of sad feelings, it was also a beautiful story.

Getting to know Amelia was not always a pleasure, because of her past. As a young child she has lost her parents and had to stay with her great – aunt Vera. It broke my heart reading how Amelia felt through all her childhood, like a burden to Vera. Vera was not a happy woman, and she was very cold and distant towards her own niece.
But reading how Amelia and Adam went from friendship to that first love was just adorable.

So when she is forced to go back to Meadowbank, I understood her hesitation… not only because of the bad memories, but Amelia is also afraid to face Adam again, as she just left him without any real closure.

The “reunion” is obviously an awkward one and avoiding each other is still the preferred solution. However in time of need, both Adam and his mother show their true caring characters. And no matter what hard feelings there were, they look after Amelia.

I found this not only a sweet story about returning home, but also a story about how one event can break a person. When Amelia finds out what happened to Vera in the past, it was such a sad, unjust event. It opened both Amelia’s and my eyes on the true nature of Vera. And it threw a whole new perspective over Amelia’s growing up. And her feelings of being a burden, belonging nowhere and be easily forgotten are all put in a different light.

I found it bittersweet to see how Amelia had to readjust her opinion over het great – aunt. Because it’s always the sad things we easily remember. But the more Amelia is staying at Meadow Farmhouse, the more forgotten memories resurface. And that makes her question where her true home is. Is it in Paris, with a great career and with friends that I honestly didn’t really like? Or is it in Meadowbank with so many memories, both happy and sad?

Just everything in this story was beautiful, even the sadder parts, but sometimes you need the sadness to appreciate more how an amazing story this truly is. And Katie Ginger showed what a great writer she is, finding the perfect balance between all the events.
I have just one question… can I get somewhere the sculptures Adam made? Because they surely would find a lovely home with me! 😃