Believe in yourself and dare to take a chance!

Synopsis

Molly Hopkins has happily watched all of her friends’ dreams come true on Riverside Lane.

Deciding to follow her passion for baking, Molly with the help of her friends takes the plunge and opens a Tea Garden in the village hoping to make it a summer to remember!

Meanwhile, after a rather public end of his marriage, Logan Armstrong trusts no one but his beloved Grandad. He just wants his brief stay in Cranbridge to be as quiet as possible. But his Grandad has other ideas; he dreams of seeing the old watermill working again which might just mean Logan has to ask the village for help.

Can Molly finally overcome her lack of confidence and believe in her abilities to make the tea garden a success?

Will Logan discover that Molly might just be the one to mend his broken heart? And will both of them realise that life is for living and loving?

Over a long hot summer in Cranbridge, perhaps everyone’s dreams of a happy-ever-after can finally

My review

Molly Hopkins is happy that all her friends have found their happy ever afters. Only now she feels like the odd one out, still dreaming of her own happy after.
And one of her dreams is also opening a Tea Garden in the village of Cranbridge. With the help, and not able to say ‘no’ to anyone, she is able to realize her dream, even if it’s only for the summer.
While Molly is trying to make a success out of her dream, Logan Armstrong would nothing more than hide away after the public end of his marriage.
And is there any place better than Cranbridge? He doesn’t want to make new friends, ask for help (as it will end with always wanting something back in return) or just trust anyone in general.
But with his grandfather and his wish to see the old watermill working again, Logan has no other option to ask for help…
However, when Molly and Logan become business neighbours, it’s obvious that they can learn so much from each other, and maybe they are exactly what they need to believe that dreams can come true?

It’s not a secret how much I love the stories of Cranbridge and Riverside Lanes. So obviously I was very eager to reading this new chapter! And I knew beforehand that I would love this, just like the previous parts, but I didn’t expect that I could fall even more in love!

Was it because I could so easy relate with Molly? She has a kind heart, but also finds it very difficult to refuse to do something. And makes her being in situations she really doesn’t want to be (e.g. Easter Bunny…).
She has big dreams, but doesn’t believe in herself. She loves baking, but cannot believe that someone would want to pay for ‘just her cakes’.
And while I felt sorry for her, because we KNOW how amazing she is, I could understand her. Especially in her situation, with a mother having her own problems, brothers to look after and ex – boyfriend and ex – best friend who made her feel so small… Of course any person would not have a great self – esteem. Luckily, she has the best kind of friends now, believing in her and maybe pushing her to do things she rather wouldn’t do, but deep down wants to do.
But how little she thinks of herself, that won’t stop her to help out wherever or whenever she can, even if her help is not always initially wanted. And that shows us again how amazing Molly truly is!

And then Logan enters the scene… At first glimpse, you would think he is the total opposite of Molly. He keeps to himself, doesn’t engage with anyone in the village, and just refuses any kind of help, because he believes it will always come back to him!
So you would think it would easy to dislike him, right? But no, it’s obvious he is heartbroken, and who wouldn’t be? The end of a marriage is never something to be happy about, but the way his ended, was just so terrible!
Of course I understood why he wanted to escape for a while.
Quickly it’s clear how nice Logan really is, despite his initial beliefs of just being invisible. The way he wants his grandfather Stanley’s dream make come true, warmed my heart.
But also once he met Molly, and helps her out when she is being taken advantage of, and makes her believe in herself again… Heart – melting!!!

Obviously, seeing ‘my’ old friends again was wonderful, and reading how they had Molly’s back made me realize again how amazing life is when you have such friends in your life. The unconditional love and belief they have for Molly… can I be part of this group too? Pretty please????
The lovely thing of this book is not only how both characters show each other that it’s not wrong to chase your dreams, to believe in yourself and ask help. But also that when a community works together, any problem can be solved.
From fixing a watermill, making a Tea Garden, but also getting slowly out of a depression, finding something you love doing and in several cases, find love.

I had so many laughs, smiles of contentment, moments that my heart just melted but also a few gasps.
When I finished this book, I felt sad (as a bookaholic, it always breaks my heart when I finish a marvellous book…) but I also had to take a moment, looking straight ahead of me, and realize and digest that I have read an amazing book, showing us that chasing a dream can be scary, but that shouldn’t hold us back, because Yes We Can! And that believing in ourselves and in love is never the wrong thing to do!