a nice light hearted book to read telling of happiness sorrow and a good outcome through generations living on a boat so easy to read and happy ending to follow

New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock is the first in a new series from Hannah Lynn.
Never loved a book so much ! I’m rooting for daisy ! I hope she gets her happy ending I’ve throughly enjoyed reading her day to day struggles and how beautiful the setting and surroundings she building . Carnt wait for the next instalment.

Loved this sweet little book. The story was well written and I loved the characters in this one. Definitely one to add to your to be read pile.

Daisy May, at 25, craves a more meaningful life, steering away from her childhood aspiration of becoming an artist. Despite a distant connection with her mother, Daisy finds comfort in two close friends. The unexpected inheritance of a houseboat named September Rose introduces her to Theo, a brusque yet captivating Riverman, following an accidental boarding of the wrong vessel. Confronting work challenges and escalating rent, Daisy opts to refurbish the houseboat for potential resale. However, as she delves into the project and bonds with fellow boat inhabitants, she discovers concealed facets of herself and her family, unveiling longstanding secrets her mother may be concealing. The lively interaction between Daisy and Theo enriches this captivating narrative, although the somewhat abrupt conclusion sparks curiosity, hinting at the possibility of a sequel.

I loved this book, pure escapism!
Characters were well written and the plot kept the reader engaged. Loved Daisys inheritance was a narrow boat and her first thought was to sell it !
This book is evidently part of a series - cannot wait for book two
Highly recommend
Thanks to Netgalley, Hannah Lynn and Boldwood books for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

I have read another series by the author and liked two of the books in that series more than the other two. I thought I would give this new one a shot as well.
The story begins with a mother and daughter. The daughter has money problems and feels a little directionless in life. She has two best friends who seem to know what they want to do in with their lives, and seeing them makes her feel a little more lost.
She then finds out that her estranged grandfather left her a houseboat. This surprising fact makes her think that her luck has turned, but that, too, doesn't go according to plan.
Once at the lock where the boat is docked, information starts to come to light, which rocks the foundation of the previously mentioned mother-daughter relationship.
I appreciated how our protagonist's art is not treated as something extraordinary straight away. There is some amount of work that she would need to put in to make something from that idea.
The love story is a little dicey, in my opinion, mostly because I am not very fond of the dynamics that are described in the book.
Although this book will work well with fans of the genre, I might not be continuing with the series. The author has paused the first book in a very appropriate position to make it a longer an more involved set of books.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock - Hannah Lynn

A wonderful book, perfect for a little escapism, I found the lock system info particularly interesting to read about. There were plenty of colorful characters to get stuck into, and felt they added so much to the story. I am very much looking forward to reading book two as this one leaves you on a little bit of a cliff hanger. Many thanks Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Confession time - this is the first book I have read by this author.
I know, shock and horror!!!
I must have been living under a rock before now, but after reading the utterly enchanting New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock I will certainly be looking out Hannah Lynn's back list. (there goes my self-imposed book-buying ban).
I really loved this book, though I will say it's one of those books which isn't so much of a Happily Ever After, but more of a to-be-continued, and I am really looking forward to seeing where the next part of the story will go.
The characters are well written and engaging, though at times a little flighty, but they are in their twenties and who isn't a little frazzled and flightly at that age? I loved getting to know each of them, Daisy is such a lovely and very relatable young woman and I enjoyed her story immensely.
I adore the narrowboat setting - it has always been a dream of mine to live on a narrowboat and I have found so few stories set on them so that aspect really drew me into the story and kept my attention.
This is a real winner all around for me, the story, the setting, the characters everything captured my imagination and I can't wait fr the next book.

This is a story of secrets, second chances, and new beginnings... so, a very apropos title, indeed!

Daisy has hit a stagnant point in her young life, but it's not for lack of trying... and then, instead of even keel sailing, it starts a downward spiral. A mysterious letter, and an unexpected inheritance open doors to the past that Daisy never knew needed opening, leading to hurt and feelings of betrayal, but also new levels of understanding, and love. Those connections broken by actions in the past, are rebuilt, newer, better, stronger then before, and although some are now built on memories shared by others versus time with flesh and blood, they are just as precious. Along the way, Daisy learns to open herself up again to new experiences, sharing her true self, friendship, and even the possibility of romance. Her encounters with Theo, the handyman/lineman next boat over, are equal parts hair raising and charming, because although they got off on the wrong foot (think a surprise encounter in the shower...of the wrong boat!), they find their sea legs eventually. 😉

A great pick for Contemporary Fiction fans, as well as Women's Fiction readers, and a lovely addition to your summer reading lists!

I felt right at home in this story, despite it only being the second book I've ever read from this author, and the first book of this series.

The writing just drew me in so quickly, and I warmed to Daisy-May incredibly fast.

To the extent with each secret she undiscovers about her past I really felt for her.

There is something really inviting about a canal boat setting, and reading about the renovations and Daisy's first trips out on the boat, were just lovely. And I could really picture the landscape.

However the ending, well that makes me thing this must be the first book in a new series and it makes me very eager to carry on reading. Not so much a cliffhanger, but definitely a "happy for now" sort of feel to the end of the book, with an inkling that more will come.

An absolute joy to devour.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

THIS BOOK WAS SO PRECIOUS, BUT YET IT DESTROYED MY HEART!!!!!!! I CAN'T RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ENOUGH, IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY, IT WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH, IT BRINGS OUT ALL YOUR EMOTIONS!!!!!!!

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND BOLDWOOD BOOKS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!

Loved this book, didn't want to put it down. Mostly set by the lock with two boats being the main ones. Can the gift of a boat make a difference to ones life ? read this to find out. 5 stars and I recommend this.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

Daisy always believed that her dad walked out on her and her mum when she was a toddler so it was always just the 2 of them.
When her paternal grandfather dies and leaves her a canal boat, she expects it to be worth a lot of money after looking online so thinks she will sell it as she has just lost her job and will lose her flat if she can’t find work
Unfortunately when Daisy goes to see it, it certainly isn’t what she was expecting and she has a set to with fellow canal boat owner Theo
As she is trying to decide what to do and to clear the boat out she discovers that things didn’t happen as her mum told her they did.
Will she find out the truth ?

I loved this book so much! I’m a sucker for books set on canals, and this book perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being down by the river side. I was instantly hooked into this.

We open with Daisy May, our main character, who’s feeling a bit lost in life. A frequent job hopper, she’s moved away from her dream of illustrating books, and is simply getting through the days. Until, one day, she learns that she’s inherited a canal boat, from her fathers side of the family - a father who wasn’t around during her childhood, and who passed away while she was a teenager.

With some help from her friends, and the handsome Theo who lives on the boat next door, Daisy sets about fixing up the worn down boat, in preparation to sell it….but the canal life has its temptations…

Sometimes I avoid books like these, from a fear that they’ll be too sickly sweet - but this was perfect in its escapism, while still handling very real issues that can’t be dreamt away, such as mooring fees, jobs, rent, and the very real work it takes to do up a narrowboat, while also still remaining comforting and lovely. The setting helps a lot with that - the author does a beautiful job at describing the canal side.

There is a lot of heart to this story, in watching Daisy learn things about her past, slowly reconnect with the things that she loves, and consider opening her heart again after a harsh break up. I also just adored Theo, and reading about how him and Daisy slowly warmed up to each other. I would also quite like to live on Yvonne’s whimsical, incense filled, boat, and I would love to see more of her in future books.

The last chapter had me kicking my feet! I’m so looking forward to returning to Wildflower Lock, and seeing what awaits Daisy and Theo. Bring on the next instalment!

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for this copy to review!

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve had to check before I wrote this review and I was right, there is a second book coming which follows on from this one. This is perfect because, while I really enjoyed this one, it did feel unfinished and now I know why.

Maybe it’s that I’m older than Daisy or maybe it’s how people her age are after everything that’s happened in recent years, but I felt she was a bit negative about her hopes and dreams. For someone aged 25 she seemed to have given up on having dreams and had pushed them aside to have what others would class as a “proper job”. I have one of those and I like it but it’s not for everyone, we need people with dreams otherwise the world would be a very boring place.

I loved the canal and the narrow boat. As someone who has never lived in a city I can understand Daisy’s joy at discovering the peace and quiet of Wildflower Lock. It sounded an amazing place to live, and made me reconsider the fact that I currently live on dry land.

As for the other characters, I really liked Theo (and loved his boat, so jealous!). He was such a chilled out, lovely sounding person and the perfect neighbour when you’re new to boat life. Daisy’s friends were nice and supportive but I found Bex a bit overbearing, though I think that’s more me than her.

There was a lot happening in this book and we saw how Daisy coped with all of it from learning about her new boat to learning about her past. There was a lot covered in this story and it ended well but in a way that left space for it all to be fully resolved in the next book, which I’m very much looking forward to reading when it comes out.

This book was okay. It was really predictable but still enjoyable. Thank you for the chance to read an advanced copy.

I enjoyed the narrative of this novel and the characters. Like it was set on a narrow boat and was different. Loved the story let’s hope there is more to come.

The plot sounds adorable to me and I liked it a lot.

Although the story was predictable and still I enjoyed it a lot

The first in a new series, this does a great job of setting the scene and introducing a range of characters. Daisy is the centre of the story and you feel throughout that she is looking for somewhere to belong. There are secrets from her past which lead her to reevaluate her childhood and her relationship with her mother. She has never really settled at work and flitted from job to bob with a feeling of disappointment in how her life is panning out.

Family and friendships are at the heart of the story and of Daisy's life. She obviously has talents and has to learn to accept help from her friends. When she meets Theo, she realises she has a lot to learn about Wildflower Lock. He becomes a good friend and together, they set about sorting out her inheritance. I was taken by surprise at the end which felt rather abrupt but I can se how the story is going to develop. Daisy's decision came a little out of left field but there is plenty of potential for more in the series.

In short: starting over

I enjoyed this sweet book. Such a lovely start to a new series. The descriptions of the canal boats were just as I've seen them. Looking forward to the next one in this series. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.