Set in a small community on the Scottish coast, the new feel-good story about family, belonging and finding peace with the past from the author of The Lighthouse Bookshop and The Forgotten Garden.
Bette and Nina Crowdie have never been close – the ten-year age difference doesn’t help, and Bette’s rarely been home since she left for university at eighteen. When their father passes away and unexpectedly splits the family farm between them, Nina is furious and afraid. She’s been working at the farm for the past five years. It’s the only home her young son, Barnaby, has ever had, and she’s convinced that Bette will sell at the first chance she gets.
When they discover the huge debt their father has been hiding, Bette reluctantly agrees to help her sister. But that means they have to find a way to work together, and Bette must face up to the real reason she left all those years ago.
Could a long-forgotten diary and the discovery of a secret orchard on their land help save the farm – and the sisters’ relationship?
What did I think?
Oh this beautiful book has it all: romance, mystery, broken family relationships, a faithful hound and a young superhero, to name but a few. I absolutely adored it and I wanted to read it again the moment I finished it to prolong my visit to the Crowdie farm.
Sisters Bette and Nina couldn't be more different; Bette is a successful solicitor in London and Nina is an emotionally and physically scarred single mother living and working at the family farm in Scotland. When their father dies, both sisters expected Nina to inherit the farm but his final wish was to share it between them. What they didn't expect to inherit was a mountain of debt.
It is completely heartbreaking to see how the two sisters are almost strangers to each other but now that they have a common goal to save the farm they gradually begin to build a relationship built on trust and love. This is helped immensely by Nina's cute son Barnaby, aka superhero Best Barnaby Barnacle, and his dog Limpet.
There is a lot going on in the book and so many different strands of intrigue that kept me well and truly hooked. That was even before the discovery of the mysterious secret orchard that was really the cherry (or the apple) on top.
Heartwarming, compelling and uplifting, The Secret Orchard is beautifully written and evokes a wealth of emotions in the reader. It's an easy five stars from me and I simply can't recommend it highly enough.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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