My word I've loved all the books by this author but this has to be her best so far it was amazing so brilliant and so absorbing you lost yourself totally in the book when reading it. You wanted to keep reading to see what happened next and just couldn't put it down. So true to life and packed with so much amazing countryside and the characters are brilliant with many twists and turns. It was full of families, friendship, betrayal, finding happiness and very much about dogs and village life as well. So fantastically well written and so hope there is a follow on as didn't want it to end at all.
Jess lives with her cousin in Pennycombe Bay and she has her amazing dog prudence who she lives so much. She moved in with her cousin after her life went so wrong when she lost her job in a top hotel as a chef for doing something she didn't do but know one else owned up so she was told to leave and she didn't know what to do so she went to live with Ruth her cousin and she isn't finding it easy. She works at a pet shop and loves it so much and her boss Jim she gets on well with. She list her best friend when she lost her job and feels she hasn't got many friends while walking her dog she meets nick walking buddy and she gets talking to him and one day she's at home and finds Ruth has a new boyfriend and she finds out it's Nick and she's upset to start with as quite liked him herself but she still talks with him and gets a shock when Ruth has a go at her for flirting with him and says she will through her out if she continues it. But through nick she learns about pets for therapy and decides to look into doing it with prudence but she doesn't feel she has much confidence will this help her build it up. She sees nick on the beech and tries to get away before he sees her but she hears her cousin is drinking to much and nick has finished with her as he can't cope with it they plan to meet up together and when she's getting ready her phone rings and it's the hotel offering her job back and she so shocked but she learns Liz her best friend at the time let Jess take the blame for what she did and she so cross. She's so late to meet nick he has gone and she's cross and starts to forget about him. She is also friendly with Dan and Kevin who run the cafe but Kevin opens up to her about not being happy as dan doesn't want to commit and he decides to pack up and go to his sisters for a while and see what dan does. She tries to speak to ruth about the drinking but she won't admit it and open up and at the last minute Jess decides to go o her dads and leaves a note for ruth and she stays with her dad for the weekend. When she comes home ruth admits and opens up about her drinking and it was Jess going away as she thought she had left that makes her do something and Jess is happy to help her and ruth tells her what nick was really like and it makes Jess so cross. While working in the pet shop she a person called Tom comes in and she gets talking with him and soon learns his son is struggling at school with confidence and she goes to the school as he said someone use to go in with their dog so the children can read to the dog and it helps the children and the school are so pleased she's going and she is looking forward to starting and seeing Tom's son Jacob and she learns his mother has passed away and she's really feels she is falling for him. She starts helping in arranging a village Christmas effect and learns that kevin still hasn't come back and she also is upset as she's seen tom with another woman and he said partner so she decides to stay clear of men. Jim who owns the pet shop is very friendly with Vera but she has a fall and has to go in to hospital and he goes every day and gives more responsibility to Jess in the shop. When Vera is so poorly and he looks after her how will things go. Jess is so happy visiting the hospital with prudence and the school she is also given the job of running the shop and Jim is retiring so she's very happy as she has plans for the shop. What will happen with Kevin and dan will they learn to be happy will ruth stay off the drink and what will happen with tom and Jess will they be happy or not or is there more surprises to come with them yet. Ruth in all of this gains in confidence and when she sees her friend in hospital from the hotel how will she react to what she has been through will she forgive her or not.
So many twists and tuns and so worth far more than five stars.