Amanda and her parents have just moved from London to a village in the countryside. At 19 she's sad to leave her best friend and love interest behind but looks forward to when they will visit her. She adapts to village life and begins volunteering her time at a local farm where she meets Dean. Amanda and Dean get to know each other very quickly spending so much time together on the farm and when a shift occurs Amanda decides she will stop helping on the farm since Dean is engaged to get married. Dean's fiancée senses the shift and after an argument with Dean she has an indiscretion with his older brother Stuart. "I was determined to marry Carolyn, but after you left, I knew ... well, let’s put it this way, I never felt the same. When you left, it confirmed something I already believed." Sometimes unfortunate things happen but in the end things work out for the best. I enjoyed this book on audio and followed along when at home using the kindle version.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
I was gifted the audio version and left a long review on there. Highly recommend! Love this author's writing style.

A Year at Marshywood" is a captivating debut novel set in 1979, following the journey of Amanda Fernsby as she navigates the complexities of love and life in rural Sussex. The author beautifully weaves a tale of anticipation, challenges, and self-discovery against the backdrop of a charming, rustic cottage named Marshywood. Amanda's dreams of lasting love, coupled with her move from London, create a compelling narrative rich with relatable themes.

The emotional depth of the story unfolds as Amanda grapples with leaving behind her closest friend Samantha and the introduction of Mark, Sam's intriguing cousin. The challenges of distance, job prospects, and the perceived limitations of rural life add layers to Amanda's quest for true love. The summer visit from Sam and Mark sets off a series of shocking events, plunging Amanda into an emotional roller-coaster, questioning her future and the choices her parents made in pursuing a rural dream.

The novel masterfully explores the beauty of the natural world and immerses readers in the music and culture of a bygone era. With its refreshing perspective, "A Year at Marshywood" offers an uplifting and authentic portrayal of life's complexities. The thoughtful exploration of themes such as coming of age, finding true happiness, rural life, family expectations, drama, prejudice, racism, and inter-racial relationships adds depth and resonance to the narrative.

This debut novel is a heartfelt journey that not only entertains but leaves a lasting impression. Its exploration of universal themes makes it relatable, and the author's ability to convey the beauty of both nature and human connections ensures that readers will be taken on a memorable and thought-provoking ride. "A Year at Marshywood" is a poignant tale that lingers in the mind, offering a timeless and resonant experience.

A sweet book focusing on Amanda, a 19 year old who has to leave her life in London to move to Sussex with her parents.
The side characters were pleasant enough, yet the curveball with Amanda’s uncle and aunt, needed more of an explanation I felt.
The ending was fine, but then again I felt it could have carried on.

In 1979, nineteen-year-old Amanda and her mother and father move from London to a rustic cottage in rural Sussex. She loves being surrounded by nature and is eager to find work.

It’s a bittersweet move because she misses her best friend, Samantha, and worries about her budding romance with Sam’s handsome cousin, Mark.

Shocking events take place in the summer when Sam and Mark come to visit Amanda... and I guess you will have to just read it to find out what happens!

My favorite women’s fiction/romance stories have a lot of substance.
Romance is only one element of this heartfelt story of complicated family drama, friendship and racial tension.

We do get our expected HEA in a friends to lovers trope, which isn't my favorite trope, but it was still a really good read.

This was a quick, easy read. It was sort of a classic, guy gets the girl romance.

I do think that the characters need to be fleshed out a bit more. They were kind of 2 dimensional, especially the secondary characters. There wasn't really any plot point to the story about Charles and Pauline. I was not convinced about Carolyn and Stuart. Why on earth did they suddenly made that scandal-inducing decision? It was weird and unconvincing.

I also found the dialogue sort of forced and formal. They spoke to each other in unrealistic ways. They overexplained things, and used each others' names very often when speaking directly to each other.

I didn't hate this book. I liked having something light and unserious for a break. But I wouldn't seek out other things by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for ARC. Opinions are my own.

A Year at Marshywood by Marina McLune was like making a cup of tea and settling into your favorite comfy chair with a cozy quilt and spending time with well loved friends. As I read this novel I was reminded of those by Rosamunde Pilcher. It is enjoyable, the characters are fun to get to know and are well fleshed out and the novel is a joy to read. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars: A Year at Marshywood is a debut written by Marina McLune. This is a Christian Fiction story that tells the story of Amanda Fernsby, her family and friends during the first year of their move to a small village in Sussex. It is the spring of 1979 and it is a fresh start for the Fernsby family. Amanda's father is retired and her mother is a depressed, so living in a small village with lots of green, a beach and woods seem like the perfect spot. Amanda has chosen not to go to University, so is looking for a job. While waiting to find something, she volunteers at the farm next door where she meets Dean. Friends from London come to visit and there is a terrible situation that causes them to go back and Amanda to lose what she was hoping might be a romance. As the year progresses, they make friends, her mother has a couple of bouts of depression, there is a serious illness in their family, and Amanda falls in love. It is not an easy year, but it ends on a happy note.

There were a lot of things I liked about A Year at Marshywood. I loved the characters. They were well developed and even with their flaws, I came to like almost all of them. Amanda is young, only 19 when the story starts, so she was a bit immature. I got frustrated at times with the way she acted towards Mark, a person she had only met once, but I had to remember that she has just graduated high school and is still young. I loved watching her grow and mature as the story went on. The secondary characters were interesting and added much to the story. From the village's busy body to the shop keepers, the older poet and even the man who steals from the stores, they all add something to the story. The happy ending was a welcome delight as well. I also enjoyed the references to faith and the peace that was given when Amanda's uncle came to know God. The last half of the book was the most enjoyable to me. Now what I didn't like. I found that there was way too much dialogue that was a bit stilted and slowed down the story for me. I also thought a lot the details and descriptions were unnecessary and became tedious after awhile. Overall, A Year at Marshywood is a nice, uplifting, Christian romance.

Not a bad story but moved a bit slow for my taste. Moving from London to a small village is quite a change for someone so young. While it is her parent's dream it wasn't hers. It's hard to find a job. There was a possibility of a transfer but the story drops that line. So she volunteers at the farm next door. Eventually she finds a job. She does crave falling into a relationship but is looking for sparks to fly. A bit of a twist at the end of the book.

A Year at Marshywood by Marina McLune was a beautifully written uplifting love Story. Just what I needed to read and relax to on a raining day. This book was set in 1979-1980 and Amanda Fernsby is, nineteen years old, she is inexperienced, but, only dreams of lasting love. Amanda leaves London with her parents to start a new life in rural Sussex, and moving into Marshywood.
Marshywood is a charming, rustic cottage and is surrounded by nature, Amanda is so excited to begin her new life, but there will be bumps in the road ahead. for her.

Amanda knows she will miss all her friends especially Samantha, her closest friend and of course, Mark, who is Sam’s gorgeous cousin, and they have only just met!!!! But, being miles apart, what chance do they have now?

Will Amanda find another job and like it?

However, Amanda’s biggest worry is..........will this new life in the countryside limit her opportunities for finding true love?

This book was a fun read, I forgot how different it was back in the early 80's with no smart phones, internet and only pen and paper and an old landline phone. How did we survive!!! lol

I highly recommend this book I loved it.

A great holiday read.
Light and easy to read with really engaging characters.
Nice to be taken back to the late seventies and early eighties

While this was a sweet story, I did not get into it as much as I had hoped. It seemed a bit stilted to me. Though I liked the characters ok, I never felt invested in them.
While others might enjoy this book, it just wasn't for me, however I did like the musical references, as in the same time frame of my school years. Perhaps if I had kept going it might have picked up, but it just didn't hold my interest. Thanks to Netgally for the chance to read the ARC.

Annoying that the e arc seemed to be missing a lot of parts so I didn't get to read the whole book but just as well that I was able to read it faster because it was kind of boring and annoying, liked that Amanda loved nature and working on the farm

Heartwarming romance

I enjoyed this book and it's heartwarming plot and engaging characters. Some of the defects noted in the other review are evident, needing more detail of some of the 'happenings' in the characters' lives. That being said, it's a nice book, a book worth reading and I'm looking forward to seeing more by this author. I enjoyed the timeframe of the book, a time where I was just starting my career and remember fondly.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me an e-arc via netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

Short review: A Year at Marshywood by Marina McLune
Delightful, old fashion romance that I highly recommend. Hard to find books like this anymore.

Light old fashioned romance with a bit of scandal mixed in. It was a very enjoyable read. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read A Year at Marshywood
by Marina McLune. Truly delightful!