Member Reviews
This is a light, breezy, heartfelt read perfect for the season that promises to keep you warm company on a cold winter night!
This was a lovely escape from my usual reads and choices of titles! It is a fun story about a woman discovering what is important in life when she's faced with a forced reality check. I loved the narrator -- something about the British accent and word choice that I enjoy thoroughly (full disclosure, I was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland but have been here for more than half my life now). I love the connections in the book to the main character's past and how it comes back to help her find her way in the future. The inclusion of a good old love story is something that kept me turning the electronic pages. Although predictable, the ending was satisfying and I hope Dolan will write a sequel! I found myself really rooting for the characters and their own personal stories of success. If you are looking for an escape for a few hours that is fun and feel good, this is it! Thank you to Netgalley and this publisher for this advanced copy.
Loved this! I listened to the audiobook and do not have a bad thing to say about it. Narration was natural and non annoying which is a bonus. The story itself is fantastic. Heart warming and funny and best of all it’s about knitting! Loved every minute, all the sub plots knit (excuse the pun) together seamlessly. Please let there be a follow up!
Thank you Netgalley
This book is just fun! It’s late, engaging, heartwarming, and hilarious. I loved the characters, setting, and the dialogue. It’s a quick easy listen Great for a rainy day or a weekend at home. Simple writing and brilliant narration makes this a great pick for readers young and old.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 giggly stars for this sweet romance
This book was delightful! Extremely easy to listen to and engaging. I loved this story and the humour in the books and especially as I enjoy knitting myself!
I did find the story slightly slow during the first half but it picked up and delightfully surprised me at how much I enjoyed it. The storyline was a little predictable but exactly what I needed to lighten the mood after some heavy mystery/crime reading/listening.
This story was cute overall. But I didn’t find it captivating. It has a good storyline but just seems to be missing that something.
This was such a wholesome read!!! I wished it had focus a little more on the romance and less on the business side, but I enjoyed seeing the character growth of the main character and how her job took a second place to her relationships with her family and friends. As a mom I also loved seeing the motherhood subject being brought up and how hard it is for NICU babies and parents.
I am not really a DIY person. I prefer reading, writing and I never did anything like knitting in my life. After this book? I bought a guide for beginners, a pack of wool, and save all the tutorials on Youtube. Have you ever heard a better recommendation than this?
Don't worry, this book is not only about knitting. It's just a background. Nice, whatsoever not the main thought of this story. This book is so much more than I have expected - it is about second chances given to life.
Dee is a typical workoholic. Everything is focused on her career activities, duties and business relations. No time for family, friends, going out. But when her younger brother desperately needs help, everything changed.
This book is everything. It's my 10/10. Perfect book how to turn the difficult situation into a lesson. How to find peace with yourself and just let yourself be. With no pressure, no targets. Just focus on what makes you happy and then start looking for a job or life opportunity to take.
It's my first ever book of Poppy Dolan, but I adore how she describe the relations and makes this story so cozy and heartwarming. Perfect for autumn evening. Afternoon. Morning. Just perfect.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. A career-focused woman is forced to move back home to help her injured brother run his knitting shop. In the process of responding to this emergency, she is fired from her job and she blames a co-worker who always seems to be lurking around. This creates an emotional crisis for her, because her career was her life. The book follows her adjustment to this change, along with her interactions with various people in her hometown, as well as former co-workers. The characters are interesting and unique. For example, the brother trained as an attorney, but left the profession to run a knitting shop and become a knitting guru. I especially liked the interplay between drama, humor, romance and self-reflection. I'd recommend this book!
A very sweet, comfy, cozy novel with just a *hint* of romance, more of a family novel. Adorable and delightful. Will be reading more of Dolan's books!
The Wooly Hat Knitting Club by Poppy Dolan is an adorable novel about a young woman who, after losing her job, offers to help out her brother who has broken both his wrists at his knitting shop. Dee is not a knitter, but manages to pick up a few things from her brother JP as she tries to come up with ways to monetize his business and make the shop more successful. Their adventures are hilarious and heartwarming and prove that family is everything and knitting can make things better. (Okay, that's my personal take, but hey, it works for me!)
Thank you to the author, the narrator, Saga Egmont Audio and NetGalley for an audiofile of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
I was so excited to receive an audio copy of this book. I feel it is only fair to share that I work in the yarn industry and have been knitting for as long as I can remember and with that I was a little apprehensive about this book. I wondered exactly how big of a role knitting would play and would it be accurate. I am so happy to say it was really really well done. It is obvious the author knows a thing or two about knitting which made my knitters heart so very happy.
The way in which she describes the knitting community really warms my heart and have been very much how I have experienced it myself. Warm and welcoming, everyone eager to help others learn a new technique or give advice on projects. Coincidentally i’ve also worked with midwives and can honestly say baby hats and baby knits in general are very my appreciated, many saving that newborn handmade hat in hope chests for years to come.
I originally went into this book thinking it would be a romcom but was pleasantly surprised when it focused more on Dees journey of rediscovery and her close relationship with her brother JP. I loved that is centred around their haberdashery, male knitters are indeed much more common than most believe and it was wonderful to see that reflected in this book.
This was my first ever audiobook and I’ll be honest it is not my favourite way to enjoy a book. I would absolutely love to read a physical copy, I’m not sure why but holding the book in my hands helps me submerse myself in the story while listening to the audiobook I found myself very distracted. Ironically I did spend a great deal of time knitting while listening. I do think 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙃𝙖𝙩 𝙆𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙡𝙪𝙗 would make for a highly entertaining movie adaption. While audiobooks are not for me I tried not to let this influence my review as it truly was an enjoyable story.
This is an adorable coming of age with a slice of romance. The characters were relatable and the story makes you believe that if we pursue our dreams they actually can come true, and sometimes karma makes it all right. Thank you for the opportunity to review this audiobook.
This novel was as cozy as the little hats being knitted throughout "The Woolly Hat Knitting Club." It was the perfect blend of a novel about self discovery, family problems, and the craziness of the crafting world. On audio, it was even better, with perfect narrator adding a new dimension to each character. It made me start crafting while listening to it!
The Woolly Hat Knitting Club is a fun novel about the opportunities that come to us when changes come our way. Dee Blackthorn receives an unsettling text from her brother in the middle of a meeting at her high powered job. When she leaves with no explanation her life starts to flip upside down. Dee finds herself caring for her brother JP in their home town while trying to keep his knitting store going. While the story was predictable it was very enjoyable and a great book as an in-between read. It has drama, romance, and even some alpacas.
This book is cutesy but honestly the writing doesn’t truly draw me in. There is so much round and round that I just get lost and don’t connect with the characters
In a Nutshell: Yes, it’s a predictable story, but with some really sweet content and with the romance not being the focal point for once.
Story:
Dee is a career-oriented management consultant who gives her days and nights to her job. But when her younger brother JP breaks both his wrists in a freak ladder accident, she rushes to help him, not just as his personal support system but also to run the knitting shop he owns. Amid this hectic demand on her time, she is fired from her job supposedly due to her “inappropriate behaviour”. She knows her colleague-cum-nemesis Ben is behind it all. At about the same time, she bumps into an old school friend, who is struggling to find size-appropriate warm clothes for her premature baby. Dee now has three projects in hand:
1. Get JP and his shop back on track.
2. Find proof against Ben and clear her name in the corporate world so that she can find a new job.
3. Use JP’s knitting connections to make the perfect woolly hats for premature babies.
The story goes mostly the predictable fashion, as does every book in this genre. But where it really clicked with me was:
👉 The sibling relationship between Dee and JP is so well-written! Rarely does a book show all sides of a sibling connection from overprotectiveness to tussles to teasing repartees to mutual love (though secret). I loved that this book put the sibling relation first in its priority. Every other relationship came second.
👉 The characters are pretty loveable within their straightforward arcs. Dee especially worked her way into my heart. She is passionate about whatever she takes up, to the point of ignoring everything else. She thinks she is a good judge of people, falls flat on her assumptions almost every time, and still stands tall, learning from her mistakes. The contrast between hers and JP’s characters is amazing, adding further fun to their sibling banter.
👉 The romance is clean, really squeaky clean. Such a relief to see that in contemporary novels of this genre!
👉 While I’m not into knitting, I still enjoyed all the knitting-related activities detailed out in the book. JP’s fervour for knitting was almost contagious. The way the knitting community comes together to support premature babies was heart-touching.
👉 I have it on good authority (read, two of my knitter friends 😛) that women love men who knit. This fact doesn’t really rock my boat, but if you are one of those who went ga-ga over Tom Daley and his Olympic knitting activities, well… you have TWO good-looking blokes in this story, one who knits passionately and one who attempts knitting for his passion.
👉 The pace of the book also works in its favour and it goes by very quickly.
👉 There are some really lovely lines in the book. Here’s one:
"When you have no say in the big things, you can at least choose to notice the small things and enjoy them right there and then."
👉 Additional bonus points for including detailed knitting instructions for a preemie hat at the end.
I don’t really have any major negative points for this book. My only issue was with the start because it was too straightforward, but once Dee was fired from her job, the book became much more interesting. (Of course, predictability can’t be a negative here because this genre needs formulaic storylines and happy endings.) The story was as I expected, maybe even a teeny bit better. As a chick-lit, it does its job really well. It’s a warm and cosy read, perfect for the days you want something relaxing and heart-warming.
3.75 stars.
I heard the audiobook as narrated by Lizzie Wofford. Listening to her was 9.5 hours of pure fun. I’d definitely recommend the audio version too.
My thanks to Saga Egmont Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a lovely easy listen book, inspiring to focus on crafts and well being , some great characters just a shame the main character had a few too many flaws to be believable.
Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this book.
After Dee gets fired from her job, she heads back home to help her injured brother, JP, in his knitting shop. After running into a old friend and her premature baby, Dee enlists JP and his knitting friends to make tiny wooly hats.
This is labeled as a romantic comedy, but I think its more chick lit. The romance is minimal compared to the overall story, but I wouldn’t say its “serious” enough to be women’s fiction. It was a quick listen, and a cute, feel-good story.
Thanks to @NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio for my ARC!
This is the type of book that I would recommend to any patron looking for something cozy, warm, and cute that will put a smile on their face. It's an easy listen and an enjoyable feel-good romantic comedy. I can imagine watching the movie version of this book on the weekend with friends, surrounded by popcorn and bottles of wine!
The aspects of this book which I found to be the most unique include the great sister/brother relationship the protagonist had and the knitting shop background. Any casual or serious knitter would enjoy the tidbits about knitting in this book and the knitting shop setting. I had one patron remark that it made her pick up knitting for the first time!