After a slow start, this book definitely hooks you in and tugs at your heartstrings. Full of love and hope, this is a book that focuses on new beginnings. The characters are lovely, especially Leo and Araminta! An easy read, one that’s perfect for beside the pool in the summer.

The characters are well developed and written with charm.
The settings are brilliant.
It is a complex book but easy to read. A beautiful book

Touching, atmospheric and memorable.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

After Cate’s husband died, she and son Leo stayed in London whilst she carried on teaching. Unfortunately redundancy forces them to move to Richard’s old home which is in fact a museum and home to Araminta Buchan. Araminta, though small in stature, is a somewhat disagreeable woman who makes it obvious that while she’s happy to have Leo living at the museum, she’s not particularly fond of Cate being there.

The museum is failing with very few visitors, exhibits in need of some tlc and no paid staff. Cate decides that as it is part of Leo’s future that the museum cannot go under and endeavours to not only keep it open but to increase footfall with help from Leo and the reluctant Araminta. Through the journey of saving Leo’s ancestral home Cate learns more about the husband she thought she knew, why he never spoke to his grandfather when he left and the secret the museum has been shielding.

This isn’t the genre of book that I normally like to read but the cover and synopsis drew me in. The museum and it’s inhabitants were a bit lost at the beginning of the story but as it progressed they began to bloom which was lovely. I did like the characters though Leo was absolutely my favourite. He shone throughout and I think we could all do with a Leo in our lives. This was an easy read which I give three and a half stars, rounded up to four.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for providing a copy of this in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I loved The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton, so was really looking forward to this novel by Anstey Harris. It didn’t disappoint. A touching story in a unique setting, which was a delight to read. Highly recommended.

I loved this book and read it in a matter of hours. A truly beautiful story that has really touched me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

The Hatters museum is the setting and the star of this book. Its so beautifully described that it is sure to send a flock of new visitors. Cate and her son Leo are forced to move from London to stay in the museum for the summer. The museum is her dead husbands legacy and brings back many heartbreaking memories. The caretaker is not that welcoming either, but Cate will have to make the best of her new life. Slowly the museum begins to captivate Cate offering her happiness she never expected. But there are secrets to uncover and the fate of the museum itself is uncertain.
Its an unusual, captivating story about lost love, depression, complicated families and tragedy. There is also bravery and honesty and hope. The characters were a bit one dimensional and Leo's character confused me, but it didn't detract from the overall story which is about the impact of depression on a blood line and the people that love them.

Cate and her son Leo are homeless. They have nowhere left to go apart from the ancestral home of her late husband, Richard. The house, Hatters, is now a museum and rather dilapidated. Here they meet the formidable Araminta who has looked after the property for decades.
This is a bit of curate's egg but the overall feel of the book is reasonably good. The book tackles subjects such as mental health and bereavement. It is also good to see a major character, Leo, with Down's Syndrome and see how his relationship with his mother changes.
On the negative side I had a real problem with timescales in this book. It seemed to me that only 3 or 4 days after moving into this museum Cate was able to give complete guided tours with all of the details. This left me very confused until I realised that several weeks had passed but there had been no acknowledgement of this. Similar things happened on several occasions which did leave me quite confused. On the face of it the events in this book take place over one summer but once the "lost" weeks are added in months should have gone by and yet the weather was still summer. This did leave me quite disconcerted and left me wondering if I should leave a three star review as opposed to a four star.
This is essentially a "feel good" book. I did know how it was going to end and did foresee many (though not all) of the twists. There are discrepancies with some characters behaviour as well as the timescale which I did feel needed to be addressed but on the whole it isn't a bad book.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

I enjoyed this book tremendously.
Cate's husband committed suicide 4 years ago after years of suffering from depression. She can no longer afford to live in London, so she takes her teenage son, Leo, to Richard's family home which contains a dusty old museum: ‘Hatters Museum of the Wide Wide World’ with artefacts collected by his grandfather.
This is a story of how people come to terms with grief and learn to love again. Beautifully uplifting

After the death of her husband Richard, Cate Lyons-Morris has to go back to live at his family's home which just happens to be a country house and museum, Hatters. But a museum on the verge of closure. After an unpleasant start with the prickly Araminta they strike up a working relationship to allow them to try and change the fortunes of the museum.
Leo - Cate's son, Patch, Curtis and the volunteers work hard against a backdrop of unexpected circumstances with so many twists in the plot that you wonder how they will come out the other side!
The emails between Cate and Richard's best friend Simon give us an insight into the past.
This is a really powerful read in pl0aces, and a beautiful ending.
I recommend this book.

When you love a book this much, it can be really difficult to sift through your thoughts and emotions to explain quite why it had such a profound impact. I was inclined to start by telling the story – but beyond telling you that the book sees Cate and son Leo leaving their former life behind and moving to her husband’s childhood home of Hatters, not sure what lies in wait and whether they’ll find happiness there, I wouldn’t know quite where to start. The whole story is laced with secrets slowly revealed, a series of discoveries – and little is quite what it seems.

The author is a natural storyteller, and her writing is exquisite – every word carefully chosen, the emotional impact exceptional. The book’s sense of place is unlike anything I’ve ever come across before – a really unusual backdrop (and it’s far more than that) in the museum itself, its detail fascinating and so wonderfully drawn, but also the wider focus to taking in the house’s grounds and the surrounding community. And that wider focus introduces other characters, every one complex and layered and playing their part in Cate and Leo’s story. And then there’s the relationship with Araminta, the house’s elderly retainer who makes it amply clear that their presence is unwelcome – but it’s a relationship that slowly builds, as she’s won over by Leo (as most people understandably are) and they unite in their attempts to secure the museum’s survival.

This is a story that you become entirely immersed in – it consumes you as you read, and it’s impossible not to think about it when you’re forced to set it aside. It overflows with love, every setback breaking your heart, every moment of joy making it sing. The many secrets, the way the story twists and turns and dips into their former lives, the moments of drama and despair that tear you apart – you live every single moment. The author’s emotional touch is flawless – the love (so much love…), grief and loss and the anger that comes with it, the tentative steps to recovery, the support of others, the curtain slowly drawn aside as the truths emerge. I cried many times while I read, but there was also so much that made me smile – and the book’s ending is glorious, heartbreaking and uplifting, tragic and hopeful, and absolutely perfect.

You’ll find longer and more detailed reviews, but I think you’ll struggle to find a reader who loved this book more than I did. If it’s not yet on your “must read” list, you really should put that right. Breathtakingly beautiful, and one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Another classy read from Anstey Harris. I loved Grace, the central character of her debut, and grew to love Cate, Leo and Araminta too. I also enjoyed the slightly gothic backdrop with its hidden secrets.
Thanks NetGalley!

Another fabulous read from Anstey Harris - her debut novel was my favourite book of last year, so this had a lot to live up to. In the course of telling a beautiful story the author dealt with the difficult issues of mental illness and suicide, and Downs syndrome. All done in such a way that they were part of the fabric of the story, part of the characters, and really told a story. Richard's mental illness was described in great detail, and there was no shying away from the fact that he completed suicide. It is the first time I have read an account where it is clear that there was no way out of this for Richard, the illness was going to reach a conclusion. Leo, Cate and Richard's son has Downs Syndrome, and is a real feisty character. His speech and mannerisms were portrayed in such a way that you could see and hear Leo. He is a real character, and comes into his own during the book. He shows that there should be no limits. I loved the story of the museum, the relationship with the difficult Miss Araminta Buchan, and I was puzzling as to her relationship with the family for a long time. Another tale of great, fully formed characters, description that illustrated the scene beautifully (and I'm not one for description) and a great story. I can't wait to see a televised version of this!! #netgalley #wherewebelong #museumofforgottenmemories

A beautifully written story about love and loss and family secrets and lies. I could imagine the characters and their surroundings and really felt that I was part of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This was a beautifully written novel, although the story has a sadness to it, it was a delight to read. I particularly liked that they addressed some complex issues, especially of Leo (hate giving away the storyline). This was my first by this author, but I have since got her previous novel as I have heard things about it.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Where we belong is the second novel by Anstey Harris and felt very atmospheric due to its rather strange and magical setting. The Hatters Museum of the Wide Wide World is suddenly to become home for Cate and son Leo, their final option after losing both their flat and Cate’s teaching job in London. Belonging to late husband Richard’s distant family, their new home will actually be the first time they’ve encountered this weird and wonderful museum and it’s surroundings, a place and a time that belongs firmly in the past as far as Richard was concerned. Exactly why Richard was so reticent to even talk about his connections to this strange place is a mystery and one that can only be solved once Cate and Leo are in situ.
This is a gentle,captivating novel that speaks of a family beleaguered by a troubled past. The museum is fighting for survival but in the process of its restoration and return to former glory the lid on Pandora’s box of family secrets may unwittingly be unlocked. It’s very walls are infused with memories of past inhabitants with the ghost of founder Colonel Hugo presiding over his artefacts and books and menagerie of exotic animals. Together with Araminta who up till now has been sole custodian of Hatters, it would seem Cate has no choice but to confront all these ghosts and discover the truth behind the secrets that continue to threaten the future of the Colonel’s legacy. Maybe in doing so she and Leo will finally be free to face a more hopeful future.
To me the overall tone of this novel is haunting, with the ghost of Richard ever present. I felt Cate was almost collapsing under such an enormous burden of grief and guilt, struggling to be the best mother to Leo. The place literally has eyes everywhere thanks to the menagerie of dead animals that form the basis of this museum which personally I would have found creepy, a little bit discomforting and not somewhere I’d like to be alone in the dead of night! But over time it’s as if this once splendid house extends its arms in welcome, enveloping both Cate and Leo in a cloak of love and compassion and engendering a sense of belonging. It’s a place where ghosts can be laid to rest after years of struggle, vainly warding off the demons that have threatened their family of three and reduced it to two.
I loved how both Cate and Leo evolved into different versions of themselves over time, with Leo turning from boy into man, like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. He was by far my favourite character, proving his capabilities far exceeded general preconceptions.
Cate’s loss and reasons for it are written with such compassion as is her once permanent sense of unease living with and trying to protect a loved one from their own demons. It’s a frightening and lonely place to find yourself and the author has expressed these feelings beautifully.
It is Araminta’s character that I found most perplexing, bewildered by her hostility towards Cate but she is key to understanding the sadness that seeps from Hatters once neglected walls. How and why is up to you to discover.
Where We Belong is very readable and interwoven throughout the storyline are feelings of loss, hope, friendship, love and family secrets wrapped up in a mystery begging to be solved. Well worth a read. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

Anstey Harris’ first novel, The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton was one of my book highlights of 2019, so much so that it made my round up of Top Reads of 2019 and I bought myself a beautiful hardcover copy for my forever shelf. I was incredibly excited, therefore, to read her latest novel, Where We Belong.

Cate Morris and her son, Leo are forced to move in to her late husband’s family home, ‘Hatters Museum of the Wide Wide World’ when circumstances render them homeless. Whilst Cate is adamant that their stay will be temporary, it seems that life has other plans and soon the house begins to demand the love and attention it has been deprived of for so long from its new tenants. But once the dust is blown away, long held secrets are revealed leaving Cate to reconsider everything she thought she knew.

My first note is just how different this is from Grace. Whilst some authors stick to a formula, this is entirely original and once again beautifully written. The author is wonderfully astute at conveying complex circumstances in a relatable way, her characters are imperfect but in a way that makes them more human. I remember reading a review about Grace in a woman’s magazine shortly after I had read it, and I was amazed that the most remarkable thing they pulled from the book was that Grace was having an affair with a married man. This apparently set the reviewer immediately against her. Life is full of shades, no one lives an entirely perfect life and I personally love that characters in novels are reflecting this more accurately, the well worn lines of good and bad becoming blurred into something far more representative. In Where We Belong, I found Cate to inhabit that role. Throughout the novel, as the story of Hatters and her husband’s family history is uncovered, so is the complexities of her marriage. At first I struggled with Cate, and it took me a while to figure her out. Her tendency to quickly judge people and make unfounded assumptions, even in terms of the capabilities of her own son. However, as her character became more rounded there was much in her I could relate to and by the end I was her champion.

I cannot write anything more in this review until I cover Cate’s son, Leo. Without doubt my favourite character within this novel. His character development was a complete joy to read, and I loved that his disability was actually the least interesting thing about him. His ability to love, his compassion and his instinctive vision of the world around him is a thing of beauty.

Just as much as music played such an integral role in Grace, so does the museum, Hatters, in Where We Belong. It vibrates with energy, and occupies the role of another main character. It is all-seeing and ever-present, and yet despite my initial misgivings towards it – led very much by Cate’s emotions as the narrator – it becomes a place of sanctuary, and of hope. Inspired by the Powell-Cotton Museum in Kent, Hatters is a place of wonders. I loved wandering around the galleries and learning about the artifacts through Cate’s eyes, and I adored that it felt so alive, the arrival of Cate and Leo wakening the dusty relics from a long nap.

Where We Belong is a novel that I didn’t entirely know where to place in terms of genre as I read, and I never really knew what to expect by its end. It is however, once more a remarkable exploration of humanity, of self discovery and of never taking people at face value. Whilst I didn’t feel the overwhelming emotional connection that I had with Grace, it is a novel I adored and found myself very quickly immersed in. I’m a huge fan of Anstey Harris’ style of storytelling, and I will be very much looking forward to novel number three.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for my copy of this book. I adored The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton so was very excited to read Anstey Harris' next book and it did not disappoint. Although the story is quite different, there were similarities in terms of strong, sensitive and relatable characters, along with emotional depth. She has a way of telling a story that is both heartfelt and inspiring; I will be reading everything she writes. I adored this book and will be buying and recommending it widely.

Antsey Harris' writing style is sheer perfection.
Following the lives of Cate and her son Leo, we learn that they have survived unimaginable heartache but have managed to get each other through it all .
This story is poignant, well written, and reduced me to tears at times! The detail put in to all of the characters traits was marvellous and really helped you feel a connection with them, and at times I could relate to their story.

Such a delightful read, which I would certainly recommend to everyone!.

I don't know what I was expecting from this book but I did find it enjoyable, a little hard to get into to begin with, then I found myself thinking about the story during the day and looking forward to carrying on to find out what would happen next.

I really warmed to the characters and felt empathy for them. Poor Cate, what a strong and brave lady. I enjoyed the style of writing and the descriptions of the house and gardens, also learning more about the many complex subjects dealt with, such as Leo's condition,, family secrets and friendship.