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jo_bookworm's review against another edition
5.0
April is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband. Left alone now with two stepchildren on the cusp of finding their own way in life, April feels even more alone.
Finding some solace in revisiting her past, she goes back to Tindledale where happy childhood memories were made and stays with her Great Aunt Edith in Orchard Cottage.
April suddenly finds herself with new friends in Tindledale as well as new challenges. Orchard COttage is no longer the same. Great Aunt Edith has sadly declined and with it so has the cottage and the orchard from where it takes its name.
April doesn't seem to have time to grieve but is thrown into thatched roofs, cider making, fires, but the mystery of what happened to Winnie, Edith's sister. Edith keeps confusing April with Winnie and when lucid moments reveal more it seems that there is more to find out.
Being back in Tindledale is heartwarming. If you have read from the beginning then you will recognise some of the characters, but this can very much be read as a standalone novel. There is a great mix of different people and you get to glimpse at life in a village without even leaving your favourite reading chair.
I know I want to go to Tindledale, I want to be able to visit all these places and join in the knitting group, drink in the Duck and Puddle and enjoy a cream tea in the Spotted Pig Tearoom. Sheer bliss.
A lovely heartwarming and moving story which you would expect from this author if you have been reading her work since it has been published. However there was something more to this book, it had a lot of depth and research and made the story and the characters even richer.
I cannot wait, but will have to, for the next story from Tindledale.
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel.
Finding some solace in revisiting her past, she goes back to Tindledale where happy childhood memories were made and stays with her Great Aunt Edith in Orchard Cottage.
April suddenly finds herself with new friends in Tindledale as well as new challenges. Orchard COttage is no longer the same. Great Aunt Edith has sadly declined and with it so has the cottage and the orchard from where it takes its name.
April doesn't seem to have time to grieve but is thrown into thatched roofs, cider making, fires, but the mystery of what happened to Winnie, Edith's sister. Edith keeps confusing April with Winnie and when lucid moments reveal more it seems that there is more to find out.
Being back in Tindledale is heartwarming. If you have read from the beginning then you will recognise some of the characters, but this can very much be read as a standalone novel. There is a great mix of different people and you get to glimpse at life in a village without even leaving your favourite reading chair.
I know I want to go to Tindledale, I want to be able to visit all these places and join in the knitting group, drink in the Duck and Puddle and enjoy a cream tea in the Spotted Pig Tearoom. Sheer bliss.
A lovely heartwarming and moving story which you would expect from this author if you have been reading her work since it has been published. However there was something more to this book, it had a lot of depth and research and made the story and the characters even richer.
I cannot wait, but will have to, for the next story from Tindledale.
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel.
portybelle's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book set in Tindledale village. It's the third set there I believe and although I hadn't read the others it didn't affect my enjoyment of this book at all - and I now want to read the others! It's mainly about young widow April who has gone to look after her frail elderly great aunt Edie, as she is is getting a little forgetful. Edie keeps confusing April with her sister Winnie who left Tindledale in WW2 and never returned. April decides to try to find out what happens to Winnie to try to help her aunt. It's such a lovely book which, as well as following April as she tries to solve the mystery, also looks at grief, second chances, finding happiness again, dementia and bullying. The village setting was wonderfully portrayed with so many caring and supportive residents that I wouldn't mind moving there myself! The focus is mainly on the women in the story and I was very taken with the dedication - "For all the ordinary women everywhere, doing extraordinary things." The women of Tindledale may just have been 'ordinary women' and that's what made the book so readable, but there were certainly more than a few doing 'extraordinary things.'
mazza57's review against another edition
2.0
Ok so it not really a secret about the cottage - sorry if i spoilt it for you - its really just another romance with a little bit of a mystery thrown in. However, it was readable and not too exacting
smsiddall's review against another edition
4.0
It was a delight to read. Although there was an element of sadness throughout it didn't bring he book down. It kept you smiling and wanting to read to find out what happened. It was great to see both Winnie and April get a happy ending.
kimbob's review against another edition
5.0
I have just finished it and I loved it, there were moments throughout the book where I had a couple of tears but that last page in the book really got me. Wish I could give it more than 5 stars
janedallaway's review against another edition
4.0
An easy read, mostly read on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Great characters that I wanted the best for. A nice escape for a sunny few days
laural27's review
5.0
Alex Brown is one of my favourite authors and has been ever since I read her beautiful debut Cupcakes At Carringtons. I wait impatiently every time I know there is a new novel imminent and I have been on tenterhooks waiting for The Secret Of Orchard Cottage. When it landed on my Kindle I was super excited and started reading straight away!
The Secret Of Orchard Cottage is set in the gorgeous village of Tindledale and whilst it features returning characters and familiar settings, The Secret Of Orchard Cottage is very different in tone and style to the previous Tindledale novels. It feels much deeper, far more evocative and tackles some incredibly touching and serious issues. The main plot follows widowed April as she visits her Aunt Edie in Tindledale after the death of her husband, Gray. When she arrives she realises that Edie’s memory seems to be receding and Edie keeps calling April, Winnie. Who is Winnie and why does Edie seem to want to know what happened to her? And, with Edie confused, April realises she needs to stick around to look after her aunt. As April explores Tindledale and tries to settle into life in the village, she meets some eccentric and enigmatic villagers who change her world completely.
This novel has so many layers to it that all intertwine to create a story that makes you smile and cry in equal measure. As I turned the final page a huge pang of bittersweet happiness hit me as I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters and their world but I was so satisfied with the ending that I was also just about happy to leave the characters as they were!
Alex has upped her writing game BIG TIME with this novel. It is so precious and special that I can’t see how someone couldn’t love it! There are moments of mystery, moments that make you hold your breath, some moments make you ‘ahhh’ and some make you go ‘nooooo!’ It has everything you could possibly want; and then some. I love how Alex has the ability to draw me into her writing and affect me in so many ways; it's the mark of a brilliant author.
The pacing of this novel was perfect too. There was never a moment I felt bored or wished it would hurry up a little, in fact I was left wanting more at the end! I enjoyed how everything unfolded at the perfect rate too - nothing was too drawn out but at the same time it wasn't revealed too early on; I was glued to the pages to try and get to the bottom of everything.
Oh, and you can't forget about Alex's scene setting. Tindledale felt so real to me, in fact I was ready to pack up my bags and move to the gorgeous village by the time the book was finished! It was so clear and colourful in my mind...I wanted to walk across the green fields and then pluck an apple from a tree in the orchard before settling down to a picnic!
Overall, I can honestly hand on heart say that this is one of the best books I've read this year and I urge you to read it!
Beautiful and poignant, The Secret Of Orchard Cottage is a book you need in your holiday bag this year!
The Secret Of Orchard Cottage is set in the gorgeous village of Tindledale and whilst it features returning characters and familiar settings, The Secret Of Orchard Cottage is very different in tone and style to the previous Tindledale novels. It feels much deeper, far more evocative and tackles some incredibly touching and serious issues. The main plot follows widowed April as she visits her Aunt Edie in Tindledale after the death of her husband, Gray. When she arrives she realises that Edie’s memory seems to be receding and Edie keeps calling April, Winnie. Who is Winnie and why does Edie seem to want to know what happened to her? And, with Edie confused, April realises she needs to stick around to look after her aunt. As April explores Tindledale and tries to settle into life in the village, she meets some eccentric and enigmatic villagers who change her world completely.
This novel has so many layers to it that all intertwine to create a story that makes you smile and cry in equal measure. As I turned the final page a huge pang of bittersweet happiness hit me as I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters and their world but I was so satisfied with the ending that I was also just about happy to leave the characters as they were!
Alex has upped her writing game BIG TIME with this novel. It is so precious and special that I can’t see how someone couldn’t love it! There are moments of mystery, moments that make you hold your breath, some moments make you ‘ahhh’ and some make you go ‘nooooo!’ It has everything you could possibly want; and then some. I love how Alex has the ability to draw me into her writing and affect me in so many ways; it's the mark of a brilliant author.
The pacing of this novel was perfect too. There was never a moment I felt bored or wished it would hurry up a little, in fact I was left wanting more at the end! I enjoyed how everything unfolded at the perfect rate too - nothing was too drawn out but at the same time it wasn't revealed too early on; I was glued to the pages to try and get to the bottom of everything.
Oh, and you can't forget about Alex's scene setting. Tindledale felt so real to me, in fact I was ready to pack up my bags and move to the gorgeous village by the time the book was finished! It was so clear and colourful in my mind...I wanted to walk across the green fields and then pluck an apple from a tree in the orchard before settling down to a picnic!
Overall, I can honestly hand on heart say that this is one of the best books I've read this year and I urge you to read it!
Beautiful and poignant, The Secret Of Orchard Cottage is a book you need in your holiday bag this year!
kimbob's review
5.0
I have just finished it and I loved it, there were moments throughout the book where I had a couple of tears but that last page in the book really got me. Wish I could give it more than 5 stars
leahmichelle_13's review
5.0
Alex Brown has been one of my favourite authors for a while, and her Tindledale series is one of my favourites! I only recently read the second book, actually, but book three is already here, and let me tell you it's one of the most emotional books I've ever read, in fact I stayed up til after midnight finishing it, because just as I was about to put it down and go to bed, it came to a really intriguing part and with only 22 minutes of reading time left, I could hardly put it down then, could I? So I stayed up and finished it, completely ignoring the fact I have a 10 hour shift tomorrow, oops.
The Secret of Orchard Cottage is one of those books you just feel yourself getting into, almost like you're part of the book, like you're actually watching everything that's going on from above, and I really liked April. Considering everything she's gone through, she's one of the strongest main characters I've ever met, and I love how selfless she was, going out to look after her Aunt Edie, despite her own grief and sadness. Even more so, when she starts investigating what happened to Edie's sister, Winnie. It's actually a pretty remarkable story - and I kind of wish we had had more snippets back to Winnie's life then, like we did in the Prologue. That would have been an interesting addition, but nevertheless, you still really get to feel the full force of Winnie, because she is a massive part of this book. This might be April's story and the story of Orchard Cottage, too, but it's also Winnie's story.
This was genuinely one of the most special books I've read this year. It was so full of warmth, despite the difficult subjects it tackles - April losing her husband, Gray; Winnie's story; Edie losing memories and thinking she's in a different time to the one she's in, but the novel never loses it's heart or soul. It's helped by Bella, Bella brought a lightness to the book, a shine, and the other residents of Tindledale are also awesome. Honestly, it's like the best place to live. And Matt. Oh, man I love a tattooed guy. JUST because of the tattoos, he has sleeves, which are my absolute favourites. I dream of having a tattoo sleeve (or two) and that's what caught my eye immediately, but he was so sweet, too.
This is the kind of book where you just love everything about it and want to squish it in your arms, I'm not kidding. It just made my heart want to burst, there was so much warmth, light, laughter, and sadness, too. But it was still hopeful, I have no idea how Alex Brown pulls that off, but she does. She's a truly amazing storyteller, able to weave hard topics into something manageable, that doesn't make you want to go and cry or bang your head in frustration, because you see this stuff every day, and when you read you kinda want to be away from real life, but Alex makes it easy to digest, less horrific. The Secret of Orchard Cottage is an amazing book, trust me. This is my favourite of Alex's books so far, it just had so many layers to it, and characters that I really, really invested myself in, and it also made me shed a tear at the end. It basically gave me all the feels.
The Secret of Orchard Cottage is one of those books you just feel yourself getting into, almost like you're part of the book, like you're actually watching everything that's going on from above, and I really liked April. Considering everything she's gone through, she's one of the strongest main characters I've ever met, and I love how selfless she was, going out to look after her Aunt Edie, despite her own grief and sadness. Even more so, when she starts investigating what happened to Edie's sister, Winnie. It's actually a pretty remarkable story - and I kind of wish we had had more snippets back to Winnie's life then, like we did in the Prologue. That would have been an interesting addition, but nevertheless, you still really get to feel the full force of Winnie, because she is a massive part of this book. This might be April's story and the story of Orchard Cottage, too, but it's also Winnie's story.
This was genuinely one of the most special books I've read this year. It was so full of warmth, despite the difficult subjects it tackles - April losing her husband, Gray; Winnie's story; Edie losing memories and thinking she's in a different time to the one she's in, but the novel never loses it's heart or soul. It's helped by Bella, Bella brought a lightness to the book, a shine, and the other residents of Tindledale are also awesome. Honestly, it's like the best place to live. And Matt. Oh, man I love a tattooed guy. JUST because of the tattoos, he has sleeves, which are my absolute favourites. I dream of having a tattoo sleeve (or two) and that's what caught my eye immediately, but he was so sweet, too.
This is the kind of book where you just love everything about it and want to squish it in your arms, I'm not kidding. It just made my heart want to burst, there was so much warmth, light, laughter, and sadness, too. But it was still hopeful, I have no idea how Alex Brown pulls that off, but she does. She's a truly amazing storyteller, able to weave hard topics into something manageable, that doesn't make you want to go and cry or bang your head in frustration, because you see this stuff every day, and when you read you kinda want to be away from real life, but Alex makes it easy to digest, less horrific. The Secret of Orchard Cottage is an amazing book, trust me. This is my favourite of Alex's books so far, it just had so many layers to it, and characters that I really, really invested myself in, and it also made me shed a tear at the end. It basically gave me all the feels.