This was a cute romance story that was a joy to read. It reminded me a little of The Flatshare with the note sharing, though this was through window notes and not post its.

Bethan is a single mother who has worked incredibly hard to provide for her son. Having scrimped and saved for years they have finally moved into an apartment. Working in a local garden centre Bethan is a valued member of staff, tasked with finding a solution to keep the business open.

Lachlan is an injured army officer living in the apartment across from Bethan. Struggling with physiotherapy, all he wants is to recover the use of his leg. As the book continues we find out all might be as it seems with the accident that caused his injury.

Though the book details a romance, it delves into the personal journeys of both characters. Bethan finds that many people look down on and judger her as a single mother. Lachlan struggles with seeing who his real friends. In each other they meet a kindred spirit.

I really liked the beginning of this book. The notes left between the neighbours starting a friendship over flowers.

For some reason the book did drag a little once the characters met but it was an ok read.

Probably a good beach read, rather than an avid readers book.

This is one of those love stories that just has such a cosy feel, and you are rooting for the characters all the way through. I was totally hooked by this lovely written unique story.

The story follows Bethan, a strong independent single parent, who moves across the street from Lachie. Lachie is a soldier currently rehabilitating from a serious car accident. Then one day Lachie sees a beautiful bunch of flowers in Bethan’s window. So, he writes a message and puts it in the window for Bethan to see – from there a beautiful relationship starts between them both and we follow the story of how their lives progress and develop.

A unique Storyline – thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thank you to @hqstories for letting me be a part of this book tour and congratulations to Miranda Dickinson on the publication of this title today! I enjoyed this story, it was full of charm and heart with very vivid characters. What a lovely concept, to communicate over short messages in your window to the person across the way.. how romantic! Don’t take this book as just a ‘fluffy read’, it’s got real substance and it touches on topics that are important. This title was a breath of fresh air and a great book to begin this year!

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book

Oh, this was so lovely! A really heart-warming tale of two people needing connection who tentatively reach out to each other and develop a bond. I adored it.

I have been a huge fan of Miranda Dickinson's books for years, and it's been way too long since I actually had the chance to sit down with a new one so when this came along I couldn't wait to read it and despite not loving it as much I have her previous books, this is still a solid heart-warming and emotional story of friendship and love.

I very much like the fresh premise of the novel - two lonely people start to communicate via the written messages in their respectable windows! How cool is that? In my heart I dig anything with that sweet "old-fashioned" feels, so for this idea alone I applaud to the writer.
I also like that Ms Dickinson was trying to go for the deeper topics here - her characters are actively fighting to better their lives (Bethan being a single mother, Lachlan is healing from his wounds while fighting his conscience vs. brotherhood). But this is still a fairly lighthearted read (not fluffy!), which makes this work being a nice beach read. I like the balance between darker and lighter topics, yet my personal preference would be to go deeper, thus I go for 3 stars.

I loved this book so much I bought my Mum a copy for her Birthday. Such a fabulous read. I don't think Miranda Dickinson ever disappoints.

Have read all of this authors books. I am always nervous when I really like an author that the next book may not live up to my expectations but this drf did. Such a good book I read it in two sittings.

A heartwarming read. Really loved the story and Bethan and Lachie's characters Bethan was such a strong character and had to fight hard for all she achieved and was a great idea about the messaging in the window leading to them meeting. A lovely story and after some misunderstandings they finally find the happiness that they both deserve

Beth and Lachlan are neighbours living in flats that are opposite each other. When they start to send messages through the window to each other what can happen? I really enjoyed this book it was a feel good easy read - perfect for when I was on holiday. Both of the main characters have been through traumatic experiences and completely opposite ends of the scale - one is glass half full and one is glass half empty. I really enjoyed the perspective from both characters too and felt like this added a lot to the story. This was a very feel good read.

What an absolute bekter romamnce novel. It ended exactly how you'd expect and I loved every single word of it.

It’s very hard to put yourself out there nowadays with all the misconceptions and prejudices that people often have about anything and anyone. This story touches many harder to discuss topics and I think they were fine wonderful and with so much research and introduction to some of the characters daily life.
It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time but also give you hope for a better life and hope for a better future altogether

This is one of those feel good books we all like to cosy on down with & lose ourselves in for a few hours It was an absolute joy to read.
A heart warming light romance story of hope & loneliness with a quirky relatable storyline of reaching out and daring to put your trust in a stranger.
This story has a whole lot more depth than your average romance & I found it a really unusual engaging read.
Wonderfully written with great characters it covers issues of disability, loneliness, personal struggles & trust.
The story has a wonderful uplifting feel to it that will leave you with a smile on your face long after you have read it.
If you take one thing from this book it's that life is not perfect & sometimes it's all about taking a chance on someone even if they are a stranger.
One note in a window could change the lives of two very lonely people.
What would happen if they should dare to reach out ?
This was a brilliant page turner for me & I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A lovely, slow burn romance. There were some really sweet moments throughout this book. The ending was somewhat predictable but I really enjoyed the journey to get there and it felt deserved rather than just like the author was wrapping the story up neatly.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for the ARC.

I would have definitely finished this in one sitting had life commitments allowed for it. A beautifully sweet and charming rom-com that gave me butterflies.

Having the plot switch between neighbours Ethan and Bethany’s viewpoints gave the depth to the characters and built in their back story without losing momentum or getting heavy. Both of them have their own issues in life, they find comfort in their communications.

The conclusion was slightly predictable but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment at all. If you are looking for a light-hearted, cosy read, I can’t recommend this enough. In my opinion, this book is flawless!

This was my first ever Miranda Dickinson read and it did not disappoint.

This romance is based around two characters, Bethan and Lachlan. Bethan is a single mother who is trying to rebuild her life and Lachlan is recovering from an accident.

The Start of Something is a sweet story of how one note in a window can change your life.

This gorgeous, feel good story will take you on a journey that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for a chance to read this book.

Do people ever really get together by writing notes to each other in windows? I’m not sure they do, but I wish they would. The Start of Something is just a lovely, happy story for those incurable romantics out there. There are lots of times when I wanted to slap the two main characters, Lachlan and Bethan, just for being so pig-headed and not talking to each other! Come on, you’re adults, stop behaving like kids!

Bethan doesn’t want Lachie to know she is a single mum and Lachie doesn’t want Bethan to know he’s suffering from a severe leg injury, each have their own reasons for keeping things to themselves - for now.

Lachie is currently on leave from the army, recovering from a car accident. He has a dog and a cat called Bert and Ernie. The names made me smile and the antics of the two were entertaining throughout the story. Bethan has a three-year-old son called Noah, works in a garden centre and is trying to rebuild her life following a difficult break-up.

I would recommend The Start of Something for anyone who loves a cheesy romance. It’s an easy read and ideal for whiling away a few hours on the beach.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Start of Something by Miranda Dickinson.

This had a little bit more angst/peril in both lead characters' backstories than I am currently able to deal with, but I did like it. The blurb did signpost a bit of the backstory trauma - but in no way all of it, especially as a lot of the peril/drama in the book comes from the backstory not the romance. Speaking of romance, it is very slow burn on that front - I loved the notes in the window section and the cautious meetings - I could see an incoming Big Misunderstanding coming but when it did it worked really suprisingly well. Overall a nice read, if you're in a place where you can cope with traumatic backstories on the way to your happily ever afters.