When moving to a new place, can heal your heart

Synopsis

Some places are special enough to heal hearts… Welcome to Little Beaubrook

In a tiny English village hidden away for decades, the mists are parting to reveal a manor which glows gold and tumbledown thatched cottages that have been waiting for the right people to rebuild them.

On moving in day, a diverse group of new neighbours have only two things in common. Their hearts have been broken in some way, and they’ve all signed a contract with some very strange stipulations, including buying one of the cottages for a pound. As Chair of the commonhold association, Albie Curville hopes that by sharing his late wife’s rules for living he can bring these reluctant strangers together to fulfil her dying wish before he runs out of time… and before they discover his secret.

When their newfound community – built on kindness, friendship and a manor with a long history of helping those in need – is threatened by an outside source, can they finally overcome their pasts to save Little Beaubrook and seize the second chances they deserve?

Come and visit this magical lost village for a cosy, feel-good story about love, found family, new beginnings and the healing power of community. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson, Jenny Colgan, Evie Woods and Phaedra Patrick.

My review

Little Beaubrook isn’t the kind of place that you can find easily. Hidden in the English mists, the manor only reveals itself in full glory in front of the right people. And Chair of the commonhold association, Albie Curville hopes that the new neighbours will be able to fulfil his late wife’s dying wish. Because there are some very specific stipulations to become part of the community Albie hopes to be building. But with every neighbour having a broken heart for one reason or another, their priority is not building a community and save Little Beaubrook. However, when an outside source is threating their new homes, the community that is built and is expanding on kindness and friendship, is doing all they can to save their homes. And perhaps they can also get a much deserved second chance in life?

When I started reading this book, I didn’t know what to expect. Of course I have read the blurb, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t tell you very much does it? 😊And I was a bit afraid that the ‘magical’ bits would be too unbelievable to make me actual believe it.

So I had a bit of a difficult start with it, also because there are many new neighbours moving into the manor, with their own story. But the more the story progressed, the more I found myself totally captivated by it, and also relieved that the magic is not the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo kind of magic, but more as signs of the progress.

Even with the difficult start, I immediately liked Albie. Not only was it sweet to see how much he still loves his late wife, and how he wants to honour her last wish, but I also got ‘caring grandfather’ – vibes from him. Even if all the neighbours are freshly arrived and not all that willing to be part of the community how Albie wants, Albie just wants to help everyone out, even if it is just offering to listen, or go on walks without further expectations of any kind.

Talking about the new inhabitants, I will not explain the story or background of each character, but what I can say, is that it is a very eclectic group. Women, men, married, single, straight or LGBTQ, they are all welcomed in the manor, even if their background couldn’t be more different.

In a way, it was a bit funny how everyone wanted to be left alone yet is it because of Albie’s determination, or the manor and its ‘powers’, slowly each separate individual becomes part of the community. And it was lovely to read those messages on the board, how it is working and how slowly, very slowly, the messages are getting through.

And a common goal, to save their homes, bring all the characters even closer, allowing themselves to open up, to trust, to speak out, to be courageous. And the beauty was how when all the truths are out, there is no prejudice, just acceptance and warmth. Unity makes strength, but unity also bonds, creates friendships.

Little by little too, we see how the characters are able to let go of their past, how they are able to defeat the demons of their past. Which is absolutely not easy, but ever since moving to the manor, meeting Albie and the other neighbours, it seems that slowly a weight is being lifted, that each of them is able to see the sunlight after all the rain they had.

This isn’t always an easy story to read, as not only we learn about some characters’ past, but also about their present issues. However, we see also a lot of strength in this story, and that makes it a hopeful, warm story. Because strength, whether you find it yourself, or with the help of others, is what can make you believe in a second chance again.

And with that strength, that courage, that united front that you find with strangers, everything will flourish and look brighter. In the case of this book, you can take that actually literally! 😊.