When life throws you lemons, alpacas are the answer!

Synopsis

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.

My review

Emma always loved being a teacher. But together with her fiancé Grayson, she is ready to start a brand new chapter in her life. As they finally managed to get their hands on one of Beatrix Potter’s farms, Emma cannot wait to help Grayson running the farm. And perhaps she can also have her own dream coming true, set up an alpaca – walking business.
However, life with Grayson on the farm is not as she expected it to go, and quickly she finds herself heartbroken, dreamless and even homeless.
Luckily, a recent revelation brought Oliver and Rosie, and a whole team at Willowdale Hall in her life, and Emma can now start her own business.
But it isn’t easy on her own, especially so many changes all at once. And working together with a prickly groundskeeper doesn’t make it any easier at all.
Yet Emma always believes that the best it yet to come, so she truly hopes that it will also be in this case.

My dearest Jessica,

You made me fall in love with hedgehogs with your wonderful series. Please don’t let me fall in love with alpacas too, my bank account cannot handle a new passion! 😊

But just wow, what a wonderful, amazing story this was, once again. And why am I even surprised??? I know that Jessica and her tales touch my heart, make me weep like a baby, engulf me in a warm embrace, so why would this book be the exception?

If there is one emotion that I felt throughout the whole book for Emma, it for sure was ‘admiration’. Because she dares to step out of her comfort zone as a teacher and is ready to start fresh with her fiancé on a farm, she leaves what she knows behind. And it’s not only because of Grayson that she ‘gives up’ everything, she is actually looking forward herself to her new life.
But also when everything goes awry, and she has to have another fresh start, after some wallowing (which is only natural), she picks up the pieces again and is ready to have her dream coming true.

Admiration also of how she accepts the revelation of her father. What happened in the past cannot be changed, and she is looking forward to meet the new people in her life. Once again, this is with some logical trepidation, but if you are just like me and have read/devoured the previous books of this series, you know just how delightful Oliver and Rosie are.

But I have to say, I also felt sorry for Emma in several occasions. In the past she already got her heart broken once, and I have to say that I couldn’t understand why she was so in love with Grayson. Now, we don’t know how he was when they first met, but the present Grayson, I found him truly selfish, childish, immature and the kind of person that takes advantage of someone with a kind and generous heart (like Emma).

Emma for sure isn’t having an easy time, but she makes the best of everything, and doesn’t give up. No matter what she is struggling with, from making sure her Magnificent Seven alpacas will have a great home, to a strained relationship with her father. She even doesn’t give up on love, despite her history.

Now, I have to say, that the romantic bits in this book were lovely to read. But it didn’t feel like that was at all the focus of the book. Because it’s definitely about Emma’s journey to happiness. Happiness by running her own alpaca-walking business, happiness by being surrounded by her family, happiness by understanding what truly matters for her and happiness by realizing how she wants her future to look like.

To say that I devoured this book would be a real understatement. At some times, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to read as much and as fast possible, absorbing every word of this wonderful story. But on the other hand, I also knew that the more I read, the quicker I would be reaching the end. And that would mean saying a goodbye to all the lovely characters and was I ready for that?

Jessica, I truly don’t understand how you manage each time to write such splendid stories, with captivating characters and amazing animals too! And having some old friends over again, for sure is the cherry on top of the most exquisite cake ever!
Luckily, Belgium has been spared from a shortage of tissues, as I was able to not cry, but on the other hand, I found myself singing all the time a famous Belgian song with the same title, telling us exactly the same message, that the best indeed is yet to come! (and if you want know which song, use our dear friend Google and search for the group Novastar with the same title 😊)