Delightfully feel-good and oh-so heartwarming!

the Village Shop for Lonely Hearts is just as cute and cosy as the title suggests, I loved the story and the close-knit village setting and the characters are just adorable and so likeable. This book has it all, full of friendship and love and community, I have read previous books by Alison Sherlock and once again she never fails to deliver all the emotional thrills, this is certainly my favourite to date,

Not to be missed, I do hope we return to Cranbridge again very, very soon!!

I love this series. It is sweet, relaxing, and heartwarming, like a cuppa on a cold and windy November day. It's all about community spirit and lovely friendships, finding a place where we belong and people we belong with.

Amber Green's parents decided to move to New Zealand, so when she is made redundant by her New York employer, Amber doesn't feel she has a place she can call a home. Her parents are more than happy to welcome her on their brand new farm, but would like Amber to visit her godmother Cathy in England. Cathy has had a few very tough years. First, her husband Todd passed away, then she had cancer treatment. Cathy's son Josh feels their family shop could do with some serious modernising, but his mum, stuck in her grief, stubbornly refuses to change things.

Enter Amber...and what an entrance it is! Some books start with a bang, this one starts with a tumble into the local river...Amber is a lovely, kind-hearted girl and it's impossible not to wish her all the happiness in the world. But is she really just passing through this picturesque village or is there a chance that Amber can help this lovely, peaceful place get a push towards revival?

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts is the first book in Alson Sherlock's Riverside Lane series which focuses on four friends (Amber, Lucy, Belle and Molly) who live in a little village called Cranbridge. The protagonists are very likeable (although Josh could have been a teeny-tiny bit less grumpy and more proactive) and there's a large cast of secondary characters, including Grandma Tilly (she will steal your heart), Dodgy Del, Stanley and many others- don't worry, somehow it doesn't get overwhelming, you just get a nice glimpse of this supportive community.

A lovely beginning of an excellent series!

A lovely story about Amber and Josh whose parents have been friends forever. Josh's family own a shop and Amber used to dress shops windows. When they are both left in charge of the shop they work together to bring it into the 21st century. it is a feel-good book that is easy to read.

I adored this book! In 'The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts' Alison Sherlock beautifully weaves a warm, compelling story. In a time when communities are becoming increasingly fragmented, and we can't even see all of our loved ones, this novel reminds us that people can pull together in difficult times and that lasting friendships and relationships can be forged in adversity.

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts
by Alison Sherlock

Amber is made redundant from her job in New York and comes back to England where she grew up. She goes to visit her godmother whilst on her way to New Zealand where her parents have gone to live.

A warm hearted sweet book follows lovely characters showing how in adversity the heart of a community can come together.

The book is rather slow to get going but is worth the read. 3 .5/5

Such a lovely book to read, a definite feel-good read.

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

Lovely feel good book. I really enjoyed ready this book. It had a great plot. It was written well. Nice characters. It all flowed great. Although it was an autumnal book it was lovely to read in the winter months

i’ve come to the realization that this book was definitely not for me, it just didn’t hold enough for me to be remotely interested and once i put it down i never picked it up again. DNF @50% but i am still eternally grateful that i was given the opportunity to check this author out thanks to netgalley and the publisher.

This book was an absolute delight to read.
The characters were lovely and you found yourself fully invested in them and their happiness as the story progresses. Following their own individual stories as their characters grow and realise their own potentials is also a highlight of this book for me.

This is a beautiful small town romance, that highlights the importance of friendship and community along the way. Finishing off with a much needed happy ending, it was very easy to fully immerse myself in this story.
Wonderfully written, with dashes of humour thrown in along the way, this is a much read romance in my opinion.

* I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in return for my honest review*

This was a cutesy read, but to be honest, I did not finish it. The story line was dragging out, all as the protagonists reform a shop. It is rare for me to not finish a book, especially a book with such an idyllic setting and likeable characters. But to be honest, I could see the story line clearly, knew where this book was going, and decided to move on from this. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

Found the story slow and pedantic despite a good start, and something about the heroine just didn't sit well. I get that she's been bullied as a kid, but this was pushed across too much and too often and made her a bit too insecure to root for her. The settings and descriptions are great, but it just failed to hold my attention

Loved this book. I was hooked from the beginning. Really enjoyed this book. A must read for me. This is a new author for me

When Amber is made redundant from her window dressing job in New York she comes to stay for a few days with her godmother Cathy and her son Josh who are running the village store. She soon realises that the shop is in financial difficulties and that Josh is constantly fighting his mother to be able to make changes and get rid of some of the clutter, maybe Amber as a professional window dresser will have more success..... but her feelings for Josh are definitely not professional!

Another lovely story by this writer, Amber is a lovely character and you really feel for her issues as a result of bullying and are rooting for her to have a happy ending. Plenty of comedy moments as well as serious issues and it is lovely to watch the shop becoming a hub of the village again especially for some of the lonelier people

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts is a very enjoyable read! It is set in a charming village of Cranbridge. While visiting her godmother Cathy, Amber Green becomes enmeshed in the village. She finds that her godmother's story is struggling and uses her experience to help try to turn it around, creating a special place in the village. A flood then threatens the village and the store, resulting in Amber and Cathy's son Josh joining together to help save it all.

Cute heartwarming tale of finding your place in the world, even when it might not be what you expected. This book really made me smile and I was so pleased to hear it is the first in a new series as I adored the characters.

Really enjoyable story centred around a village shop and it’s community. Engaging throughout, its lovely to watch relationships develop through the story. It has a real warm feeling to it. Im hoping for a sequel already!

Thank you Netgalley.

What a charming read! Delightful beach reading. I really enjoyed the banter.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was such an amazing and LOVELY read! I don’t really need to talk about the storyline much because the Author has covered it perfectly, in a way where nothing is given away!

I thoroughly enjoyed every single thing about this book, it was such a feel good, pick-me-up kind of book! To become so invested in! It feel like i was like watching a famous Romantic film and I absolutely ADORED IT!

I loved EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER minus the bully! Every single character in their little village is so lovely, and seeking friendship and every single one of them add value to the book!

I really enjoyed following the main characters personal journeys:

– Amber was lonely and not really enjoying her life in New York, feeling under valued and struggling with the busy life feeling alone and there and odd one out. After being made redundant she planned to move to New Zealand where her parents had emigrated, but promised her mum she would visit her god mother Cathy first in Cranbridge a little village in England before she moved over! Amber does this and feels for their failing shop, and when Cathy makes plans of her own, Amber becomes more involved in the shop than she planned! Village life wasn’t what Amber expected and it may just be the place she could make friends! Watching her confidence and self belief grow was such an amazing thing to read about, it was gradual and realistic!

– Josh, gave up his career to look after his mum Cathy through her cancer, while his brother lived up the life in Singapore! Josh knew that the shop was in real trouble, not having made any profits in a long time, with a shop full of random things his dad bought before he died! He wants to keep his mum happy but is struggling with his own happiness and he just can’t see a way out of this black hole! Watching his views change over the book, his happiness grow in different ways, the way he finds everything he ever wanted through some of the more tough time’s in the book may just make him realise that Cranbridge might just be the place to make him happy? It was great seeing Josh realise he could find happiness in the smaller things involved with running a shop and village life! He was strong and powerful and I really enjoyed this character.

– Cathy, has had such a hard time with losing her husband and then soon after battling cancer, she couldn’t think about changing the shop, or how to make the shop better and even just moving on from the past. All she could do was concentrate on what was happening with her health! Some how she couldn’t let herself be happy! But when the trip of a lifetime comes up for her, maybe this just might be everything she needs to change the course of all of their futures!

This honestly is such a beautifully written novel, watching so many relationships and friendships form through so many different paths, strange ones, happy ones, scary ones and sad ones! It really is a feel good book!

I loved this authors writing, all the little details and would love to read more as it was something lovely to read each day, made me feel good, easy to read, I engaged with all the characters, I was not just routing for the characters but for the whole village and it was a beautiful and natural way to bring them all together! It even made me want to visit a little village or live in a little village for the bonds! I think it made me realise even how lonely I get in this big wide world and that’s powerful!

EASILY EASILY EASILY 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ from me because I literally LOVE this authors work now! Thank you for creating something so beautiful!

This is an excerpt of the book review on my blog https://trails-of-tales.com/

......‘The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts‘ is your quintessential happy story. Indeed, I would call it a neatly wrapped package as it has all the elements I would want in my ideal comfortable book. There are

A sufficient number of twists
Some homely humor
Warm, relatable secondary characters.
Deep and emotional personal growth journeys of each of the main characters.
Crackling chemistry between the Hero and Heroine which is NOT hurried along. The relaxed pace was one of my favourite parts.
The setting of the plot in Cranbridge Village is interesting because the village had been given a life of itself. And just as the Hero and Heroine discover that there are layers to their lives they never realised, the village too reveals itself layer by layer. Initially, Cranbridge village seems to be stagnant and sleepy. It looks as if it is falling apart at the seams. Slowly, a community starts to become visible with much more in common that apparent.

Undoubtedly, Cranbridge village was a good choice to set Amber and Josh’s story in. I was impressed with how the author Alison Sherlock portrayed it. Instead of just showing the village as a big, pretty painting, Sherlock took us to the magnified details, one by one....

......I really am unable to find any cons in ‘The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts‘. It is a story for everyone regardless of which genre you prefer.

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts is an adorable, uplifting book that will have you emotionally invested in a fictional grocery store far more than is rational.

Honestly, I may reread this book this fall as it was the perfect autumn, life makeover combined with a love story. Reading how this shop, this village, and these two people come together to recreate their lives is inspiring as well as entertaining.

I devoured this book and finished feeling like I could tackle any project and be happy about it. Can you believe I actually put away the freaking laundry? Yep, you heard me, I washed it, folded it, and put it away. That is the power of literature, my friends.

In the beginning, I wanted Amber to just start working with Josh and updating the shop, but I understand the need to build up a story. The characters were so wonderfully crafted, and a large part of that was the backstory. Alison Sherlock crafted a story with people I was invested in, but I was so anxious for the rehabbing to start that I got impatient. That is not the book’s fault, in fact, it’s because I liked the story and wanted more faster.

Anyway, any fan of contemporary romance will eat this book up in no time. Can easily be read in a day and happily at that. Enjoy reading and let me know if it gets you as excited for fall as I am.