WOW what a book I was hooked from the first page, i loved the setting and the story telling, the character were so likable, I can't wait for the next book, i really feel this is a series that just gets better and better

It's always been a dream of mine to live on a houseboat, being able to travel and moor up somewhere different for a night.

I've read several books previously by Lynn and have enjoyed them all, New Beginnings At Wildflower Lock surpassed all of those! The story was wonderful; well written with some gorgeously likeable characters.

When Daisy inherited the boat I was hoping all the way through the book that she'd relent and decide for a life on the water...I think losing her job in the long run did her the hugest of favours - new home, new man and potentially a new business. Does this mean there's a sequel on the way?

An absolute delight to read and such an addictive storyline.

Daisy has inherited a boat from her father's side of the family who she has never met. Down on the canal she meets heartthrob Theo. This is a light easy read but I found the plot to be lacking something it just didn't grab my interest at any stage. I think with a few added twists it would have been more interesting. Although I did love the characters they were all lovely and relateable and come to feel like old friends. With a few tweaks I believe this book could be spectacular. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger so I will read the next book in the series because I really liked the characters and want to find out what happens with them.

As someone who as always fantasized about living on a boat, this book hooked me from the start. Why? Because twenty-five-year-old Daisy May, heartbroken wannabe artist, inherits a forty-foot narrow boat in the books’s beginning, and afterward, a delightful story full of hope and hijinks, ensues.

First, there are the realities of inheriting and renovating a boat – not something you can do when you don’t have much money. Then there are her good friends Becks and Claire, who support her, encourage her, help her clean out the boat, and keep her laughing even when she’s receiving yet another bill she has to pay. And then there’s the handsome guy, Theo, who has the boat in the next mooring.

What I loved about this story was that there was humor even in the worst calamaties. I also appreciated that, even with every thing thrown at her, Daisy never gives up. Whether it’s people complaining that she’s leaving things in the path as she cleans, or threaten her because of unreasonable noise after an impromptu dance party, Daisy doesn’t walk away. Her sheer stubbornness makes her interesting and endearing, and also represents one of her flaws. I like characters who aren’t perfect.

I also liked that the exposition of Daisy’s family history – her deceased father, her tight-lipped mother, and the grandfather who left her the boat – came out organically rather than in a single info-dump. Backstory is important, but getting it through conversations and actions is much better than having it presented as a lump, and making it seem natural is a skill not every author has.

I liked the use of dialogue and dialect to differentiate the local rivermen and -women from city girls like Daisy, something I appreciated in print and really enjoyed in the audio version of this novel.

Overall, New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock is a breezy summer read that does not disappoint. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

Goes well with: pop music, water color paints, and cold beer.

Do you know, I always think there’s a real art in writing the first book in a series – making it enough of a story to hook you in, to get you invested in the characters, and make sure that you’ll be eager to pick up the next book and see how things develop. And I will mention that this book is very much a “to be continued” – complete in some ways, but with enough loose ends to be tied up later, and a few hares set running that I’ll really enjoy reading more about.

For all sorts of reasons, Daisy May hasn’t been able to settle into a contented life – her ambition of being an artist just didn’t work out, and she’s found herself moving from one dissatisfying job to the next just to pay the bills. Brought up by her mum, they’re still very much in each others’ pockets – and she also has two particularly close and supportive friends. Her father’s never really been part of her life, and her mother refuses to talk about him – so it comes as rather a surprise when she finds out about the death of her grandfather (her father’s father) and that he’s left her his much loved narrowboat, the September Rose, moored at Wildflower Lock. It’s very dilapidated – unlike the rather swish boat on the next mooring that belongs to the distinctly abrasive Theo – and filled with boxes of rubbish, but a little googling makes her realise that if she did some work it could be the answer to her financial worries. While her relationship with Theo begins to warm up a bit, and he helps her with the improvements, she learns more about her family and discovers that her mother has been keeping a few important secrets – and, when things begin to go wrong for her elsewhere in her life, begins to wonder whether the narrowboat could become her home.

The friendships in this book are really well drawn – even if things are a little frenetic at times, but they are all in their 20s – and I particularly enjoyed Daisy’s developing relationship with Theo, who proves to be far from the misery he seemed at first. Their exchanges are just wonderfully written – sparky and sassy, with a growing hint of attraction (when he clearly has a girlfriend) adding a little spice. Everything involved in renovating the boat was just fascinating – clearly really well researched – and Daisy certainly gained my respect when it came to clearing out the grungy water tank (from inside…!). I really liked the emotional back story as the secrets were slowly uncovered – there’s a great deal more depth to this story than you might initially be expecting. And I loved the vividly drawn setting, and the community she begins to feel part of – beautifully done.

Well, it certainly worked for me – I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s storytelling, and I’m looking forward already to seeing what happens next (especially with Theo!) and whether Daisy’s plans for the future can come to fruition. I’m looking forward to my next visit already – this was a really heartwarming and engaging summer read, and one I’d thoroughly recommend.

I love this sweet story about a woman finding her place in life while following her dream. Add in a boat that needs fixin’ up, a friendly, hot next-door neighbor who lends her an ear, and a regrettable secret that her mom kept hidden from her for years, and you get a wonderful adventure at Wildflower Lock.

Daisy May is in limbo. She’s trying to find a job she doesn’t despise and a happy place to come home to. She didn’t expect to inherit a broken-down boat from a grandfather she did not know. I mean what did she know about boating? With some help from Theo who owns the boat moored next to her, and support from her best friends Bex and Claire, she gains confidence that she can flip this boat and sell it for a good price. However, her personal life goes to shit and she has found out her mother has lied to her all of her life about her absent father. It’s bad enough she felt like a failure when her ex left her and she dropped out of college, but my heart broke for Daisy when she discovered her life was not all it seemed and she missed out on so much love. In the end, the boating life was better than Daisy hoped and, with her artistic skills and some brainstorming, she may be able to live the life she always wanted.

I was fascinated with the lock systems and I adored the friendly people on the river and understood why Daisy felt like she belonged.

There is an attraction and budding friendship between Theo and Daisy with a surprising meet cute at the beginning, but their relationship is complicated and their future is left to the imagination at the end. As for Daisy’s relationship with her mother, Pippa, Daisy can’t stay mad forever, but it’s clear that her mother deserves to feel bad for what she did to her daughter. Personally, I would have made Pippa stew in her misery much longer.

I highly recommend this delightful and moving story with a compelling protagonist who finds her home in the most unexpected of places.

Thank you to Ms. Lynn for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

I just adored this book and am so excited that this is going to be a series. This book is just pure feel good escapism. Daisy the main character is great and super easy to relate. I read this in sitting it was such a heartwarming book. The only downside is the book felt like it was over too quick and I'm impatiently awaiting the sequel. If you are a person who hates a cliffhanger though I recommend you wait for book 2 and binge them.

An unexpected inheritance from someone she never knew
Gives Daisy May lots she'd never expected to do!
The narrow boat in Wildflower Lock brings so many surprises
From its state, its contents and the folks she realises.

With links to her childhood and paternal relations, too,
As well as new skills she needs to learn to do!
With discoveries and revelations, surprises and chances
There might even be the possibility of romances!

A brilliant start to a lovely series that is new
I really enjoyed this introduction and hope you will, too.
For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock is the first in a new series from Hannah Lynn, and I’m pretty confident to say it’s not a spoiler to advise you this ends on a cliffhanger. It’s a fact and I know some readers aren’t keen on these and prefer to wait for more than one book to be published before diving in (this is usually me as I’m really impatient, this is why I binge read or watch things, however as an ARC reader I’m growing and learning to cope more/be more patient) For me and my continued reading growth I’m really glad to say that there being a cliffy didn’t affect my love for this story, yes I’m desperate to know what happens next, but it means I’m invested and really enjoying the story.

Hannah Lynn has a wonderful way of creating a wide range of likeable, realistic and relatable characters. Daisy our main character is such so lovely, your girl a next door, hard working and struggling on (see so realistic) she faces setbacks and disappointments that don’t disappear magically. Two of her friends, Bex and Claire really made an impression on me too, they aren’t your run-of-the-mill chaotic, extroverted besties, no they are the reliable, honest, good friends that you have in real life. (Might be just me but I don’t have those theatrical friends I read in some books)

Because this is the first book in the series, this is a gentle introduction to our cast of characters, as well as meeting Daisy’s friends, family, and some of the narrow boat owners we also get some lovely descriptions and scene setting of the narrowboat lifestyle. It seems such a romantic way of living, I loved the fact Hannah Lynn didn’t just focus on all the shiny loveliness of the idea, but also showed the hard work and downside to the lifestyle as well. I am still jealous of anyone who gets to live it though, maybe one day.


This really is a feel good story , the setting of Wildflower Lock is beautiful , Daisy is a delight and a joy to read her story, I look forward for more to come and finding out what happens next. Roll on book two.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Hannah Lynn - New Beginnings At Wildflower Lock.

I’ll start this review with a confession... I am ashamed to say that this is the first book that I have read by Hannah Lynn. I’m genuinely not sure how I have missed her work.

#NewBeginningsAtWildflowerLock is a wonderfully feel good read, that will transport you to somewhere quite lovely and give you a few hours out of hum - drum reality.

An unexpected inheritance gives Daisy a new direction in life.
As she makes her new home her own, she learns more about her family history and about who she is too.

There is of course a moody, brooding male in the mix. Theo is actually really rather lovely and becomes a solid friend to Daisy.

I enjoyed Hannah’s writing. It flows well and feels effortlessly charming.

The setting of Wildflower Lock is gorgeous. It’s peace and beauty radiate from the story.

Ok, I have to mention the ending.
This story is not neatly tied up with a bow at the end.
There are loose threads. BUT on the positive side, #NewBeginningsAtWildflowerLock is the first book in a new series, so I suspect all those loose ends will be neatly rounded off and we will have so much more to come from the lovely Wildflower Lock.

Over all, #NewBeginningsAtWildflowerLock is quite simply a glorious read. It’s warm hearted and the most wonderful place to lose yourself in for a few hours.

A warm, feel good read, and a great start to a new series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for a digital arc of this title.

There is something romantic about the idea of restoring and living on a narrow boat. I’m sure that with all the required hard work, the reality is a little more sobering than the dream, but I do have friends who enjoy the boating lifestyle, and I am a little bit envious. Daisy May is a delightful protagonist, and she brings a lovely helping of joy to this story.
Seemingly incapable of holding down a job for more than a couple of months, she’s drifted away from her dreams of finding her future as an artist. Raised by a single mother, who in turn was also raised by a single mother, she thinks she knows everything about her past. An official letter from a firm of solicitors turns everything on its head.
Discovering that her paternal grandfather has left her a narrow boat in his will, she visits Wildflower Lock to learn more. Initially making an incorrect assumption about which boat is hers, she discovers Theo, a handsome yet grumpy neighbour. After a difficult first meeting, they agree to work together to restore her inheritance to its former glory.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Daisy and Theo and exploring the community at Wildflower Lock. As Daisy learned more about her grandfather and father, she discovers that she has been raised with a few lies. She has to dig deep to find the happiness that she is craving and perhaps unlock some deeply buried memories.
As this is the first in what appears to be a new series, it was more of a gentle introduction to some lovely characters. We meet Daisy’s friends, her mother, and some of the other narrow boat owners and I got the distinct feeling that we will be meeting them again in future instalments.
The characters are nicely developed, and their story arcs are gentle but not fully navigated. This book leaves the reader with unfinished business and the promise of more to follow. I am already looking forward to returning to Wildflower Lock and hopefully seeing Daisy make her home on the September Rose.

I would firstly just like to say a big thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and NetGalley who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my Kindle, in return for my honest review.

New Beginnings At Wildflower Lock is book number one from a brand new feel-good series called ‘The Wildflower Lock’ series and now I cannot wait to read more of them!

When I first read the blurb for this book, it pulled me in and made me want to read it, it just sounded so good and like my kind of book.

I am so so glad that I read this book as it was the most perfect escapist read with a lovely touch of romance too.

The author’s style of writing was wonderful and her descriptive writing came across very well and I could easily visualise what she had written.

Daisy was a wonderful main character and I really loved being immersed in her story…….

An interesting book by Hannah, set on a narrow boat, which made a change. Well-written and great characters tells an excellent story. Off to research narrow boat holidays....

I highly recommend this rom-com to anyone that wants a nice light read. I read a lot and here lately I have been reading a lot of romantic comedies and I have to say that I love the unique setting of a lock and living on a boat. This book made me start looking at canal boats and dreaming of a vacation on one.
But back to the characters. I applaud Hannah Lynn for developing characters that have very unique backgrounds and placing them in a setting that I have not read about in any book in this genera. I was really sad to see this book end. I really hope there is a sequel to this book because I want to know the next steps for the characters.

This book is the first book in a new series. I really enjoyed reading this book.
I liked the character of Daisy May, I thought that the storyline of how she found out about her past was well developed, and realistic in how she did not immediately forgive and forget.
I also liked Theo and his eagerness to help. His boat sounds amazing and I could easily imagine myself living in his boat.
After reading this book I would definitely love to go on a canal boat. I love walking along canals, especially busy ones and I am fascinated by how the locks work. Now I want to take a trip on the canal too.
There were lots of twists and turns in this book and a lot of emotions. The book did end abruptly, but it wasn't a bad ending. I am definitely looking forward to reading part two next year..
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for my ARC.

I absolutely adored this book from start to finish and devoured it in just a few hours. Daisy was such a lovely main character and really enjoyed that she was just a normal girl, working hard and just trying to scrape by. I also loved that she had setbacks that were realistic in the sense that some did end "badly" and she was not miraculously saved from them.

Her friends Bex and Claire was also really enjoyable. They weren't over the top like in some books, instead they complemented Daisy and the story very well.

This really was a feelgood story and it showed both the good and bad sides of life. The setting of the canal boats and Wildflower Lock just made the story more feelgood and I would have loved to be able to join Daisy on her boat for a trip down the canals.

But that ending though!!! I need more!! I was not ready to be done with this story and really hope that there will be a sequel to it.

Full review of the book will be posted on my blog on the day of publishing.

Daisy inherits a boat from her Grandfather. She’s hoping to sell it and make some much needed cash. She meets her next door boat owner Theo. They clash at first but eventually became friends as they work on her boat.
It’s a quick story that I read in one day. I enjoyed the book but do think it ended a bit abruptly.
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the early copy

When twenty-four-year-old Daisy May receives an unexpected inheritance from her estranged grandfather, her life is thrown into unexpected turmoil. With the support of her friends Bex and Claire, Daisy decides to renovate her new canal boat in the hope of being able to sell it, all while keeping the whole endeavour a secret from her mother.
This is a lovely story with very rich and vivid descriptions of Wildflower Lock and all the characters that Daisy encounters in her quest. While I really enjoyed it, I felt that the book finished too early without anything really being resolved. I don’t know if a sequel is planned and this was intended as a cliff hanger ending, but I hope so as I definitely need to know what happened next.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the review copy.

Daisy May is 25 and feels that there is more to life for her that what she is currently doing. She used to dream of being an artist but that has not happened and she is just working in a job she does not love to pay her bills. Her relationship with her mother is not that close but she has two close friends that are there for her and she for them.
Out of the blue she discovers she has inherited a house boat called September Rose and goes to investigate. She gets on the wrong boat and meets Theo, the grumpy but very attractive Riverman.
With things at work deteriorating and her flat rent increasing Daisy decides to do up her house boat with a view to selling. However, the more time she spends working on the boat and getting to know the other people who live in boats nearby, she learns more about herself and her family. Maybe now she will learn what secrets her Mum is keeping.
This was an enjoyable read, I liked Daisy and Theo, their interaction was fun. I did find the ending very abrupt though which was off putting, I know there is going to be a sequel so may be that was why.

A charming story about a canal boat. Sure, there is a budding romance, family issues, and interesting friends to fill in the tale. I have romanticized about living on a canal boat. Main reason for the fifth star. Something I know would never happen, but a girl can dream. It would be wonderful to have Theo as a neighbor. The ending left me feeling as I have after some movies. It ended, but with lots of possibilities for more. Either I can fill in with my own imagination or wait for the next one in this series. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.