A lovely story of life in Anglesey in Wales.i have read tepee other books in this series but this can be read as a standalone. It tells the story of Beth who has a big career in London but moves home after the death of her mother. She is soon drawn back in to the lives of her family and friends. It features a smattering of Welsh which is lovely to see.

Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea (Welcome to Anglesey #3) by Caroline Young is a wonderful read. So much so that I went and read the two prior books. I am in awe of the beautiful writing of Caroline Young and her portrayal of characters. The Island of Anglesey is off the coast of Wales and sounds like a difficult place to plant roots and grow because of the isolation and the battering of storms, however in each of the three books that is exactly what happens. People move to Anglesey for various reasons and find a life by staying on the island.


In the novel Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea, we meet Beth Macintosh. She has come home to Anglesey from her high powered job in the city to help take care of her mother with her brother Ziggy. Beth’s return comes with some struggles, refinding herself, her family and her friends. Beth’s son leaves college and joins her, living at the Windmill. Between Beth, Ziggy and Lewis working together, a new life becomes possible to all of them.


Beth needs to rekindle friendship with Megan Williams and Megan’s brother Ioan (who loved her). She is tapped by the small town to help the local store. She learns about the truths in her family and her world. For Beth it is like tearing back the cobwebs from her past and helping her walk toward her future.


I do not have the words to adequately share how much I enjoyed reading Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea. Caroline Young is a wonderful author. I love how she highlights one woman as the main character and as her world grows on Anglesey more characters that are just the salt of the earth, each struggling in their own way join her. Sometimes, we have to come home to find ourselves and sometimes we have to look at the world in a new way. Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea by Caroline Young is a wonderful read that I would highly encourage others to read.

I enjoyed this and would happily read others in the series. I loved the setting and the cast of characters - a little bit of escapism by the seaside. Recommend to curl up with a cup of tea and enjoy!

Coming home to the Windmill by the Sea is book 3 in the Welcome to Anglesey series. I didn't read they other books yet but they can be read as stand alone books. This book is sweet, sad, and written beautifully. I care for my husband's grandma with dementia and I feel like one of the characters description is relatable. I just really enjoyed this story and would recommend adding it to your TBR.

A great story with some lovely characters and settings.
The characters are the usual mix of eccentric, jovial and downright gorgeous that are often found in books of the trope and are extremely well written examples!
The story focuses on forgiveness and redemption with lots of little subplots running through that add extra depth to both the story and the characters.
My only criticism would be how quickly Beth could just drop everything and change her life- a little more back and forth and some touching on her dismantling her London life might have help the situation feel more realistic.
That said, who wouldn't want to live in a community like Beths!

This title is the third in a trilogy, which I was drawn to read because of the Anglesey setting. Having not read the previous two first I was concerned it might not stand alone. However I need not have worried as it did and is a delightful read hinging around the importance of friendship and family in our lives.

Beth and Megan were best friends back in 1999 and living on Anglesey but around this time their lives took very different directions when Beth left the island. Thanks to the breakdown of their friendship it was to be over twenty years before they were to meet again. Can the mistakes of the past be forgiven and will they be able to rekindle their friendship?

With well written realistic characters and wonderful descriptions of Anglesey this heart warming story is one I recommend.

Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review 'Coming Home to the Windmill'

An unusual story in that it includes Welsh dialect which really helps set the scene and gives depth to the characters. Is having the fantastic career and house better than living with your family and those you love? If you could leave the high life behind and go back to your teenage years and see yourself with different eyes would it change the decisions you made and would it change your life? A wonderful, engaging story with well drawn characters and tells a tale of second chances at life

Estrangement and reconciliation form the basis of this bittersweet novel. It is an emotional, well woven story about friendship and despair. The gripping narrative is a real page turner. I couldn't put it down.

A story of friendship, forgiveness and relationships. About finding yourself and tolerance. A well written enjoyable read. I shall look for more by this author.

This was a really lovely read, that centred around the art of forgiveness and moving on - putting those things in the past behind you and finding your happy.

Set on Anglesey, we get a glimpse of 1999 where best friends Beth & Megan are set to take different paths and we then catch up with then in 2023 in their new lives.

Beth leads a very successful life in London, divorced with a son at University. But Uni life isn't working out well for him - he wants to lead his own creative life, not the academic one his Dad would prefer. And then tragedy strikes for Beth, and she's returning to Anglesey to help her Mum who isn't coping well. So that puts Beth back in reminscing mode and also brings her back into the life of Megan....

And Megan lives a very solitary life, her brother and his kids live nearby and she seems stuck and unable to move on - once you get to know more about what happened in the path you can totally understand her frame of mind.

This is a story that looks if can the past ever be forgotten, or forgiven! Seeing the break down of a friendship and the impact it causes can really send out shockwaves and I think the author did a wonderful job of building up to the twists and turns of the past, and showing how time changes perspective.

ARC Review
Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea by Caroline Young 4/5 ⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Caroline Young, and Storm Publishing for this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a story about coming home and rediscovering yourself. It took you on a journey of trials, grief, second chances and rekindling friendships and family relationships. This is a contemporary fiction that has some romance that developed in it.

This story takes place on Anglesey and what is cool is that they speak Welsh but she gives the translations side by side. The majority of the story is in English but when communication is used between characters the Welsh is thrown in there.

Beth has to return home after a tragedy and her life takes a turn that she wasn't expecting. Some secrets are exposed and some truth is finally revealed. This was a good Heartwarming story.

#netgalley #netgalleyreview #carolineyoung #cominghometothewindmillbythesea

Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea by Caroline Young was the third book in the Welcome to Anglesey series. I had previously read and enjoyed the second book in this series, The Cottage by the Sea. When I saw that Caroline Young had written Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea I was excited to read it. Each book in the series so far can be read as a stand-alone book. In each of the books in this series, author, Carolyn Young, included a specific person that had chosen to return to the island of Anglesey located in North Wales. Each person that Caroline Young chose had unique reasons for returning and their experiences varied but they all embraced Anglesey in a warm hug and made it their home. The characters in Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea were all well developed, likable and engaging. By the conclusion of the book, I felt almost like I had known them for a very long time. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the sea and the landscape. If I closed my eyes I was almost able to picture that I was there with the characters.

Beth Macintosh and Meagan Williams grew up on the island of Anglesey and were best friends until something happened at the end of their senior year in high school. As far back as Beth could remember, she had vowed that she would leave the island as soon as she was able to. When it was time to attend university, Beth left Anglesey and never looked back. Beth had married, had a son named Lewis and had made her home in London. Unfortunately, Beth’s marriage didn’t work out and ended in divorce. Beth had a very successful career though. Her career took priority over everything, even her role in raising her son. Then one day, after arriving at her office, Beth received two pieces of news that would change her life completely. Beth found out that she was being fired from her job and that her father had died. She knew that she had to return to Anglesey for her father’s funeral even though she vowed that she would never return. It was time for Beth to step up and help her mother. For so long, Beth had left that responsibility to her younger brother, Ziggy, but not anymore. Would Beth be able to mend her friendship with Meagan? Would Meagan forgive Beth for the terrible thing she did all those years ago? How would Beth feel when she saw Meagan’s brother, Ioan, again? How would she feel about returning to Anglesey?

Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea by Caroline Young was such an enjoyable book. Caroline Young proved once again that she is a masterful storyteller. I really enjoy being transported back to Anglesey in each new book she writes and meeting the new characters that have decided to make Anglesey their home. Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea was about friendship, family, values, trust, forgiveness, second chances and a rekindled love. I look forward to reading the next book in this series and I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Storm Publishing for allowing me to read Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea by Caroline Young through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Beth Macintosh had left Anglesey to go to university, and had never returned permanently. When her father died and her mother asked her to come home, Beth took some leave from her job, locked up her apartment and headed home. The windmill she'd always called home was much the same, just older and in need of TLC. But it was in her mother that Beth noticed the biggest change - distraught, grieving and not eating, she withdrew into herself. Ziggy, Beth's brother, had done his best caring for his parents - it was Beth's turn now. When Beth picked her son Lewis up from university and brought him to Anglesey, it wasn't long before she saw a change in the son she loved, but hadn't done the right thing by. He and his Uncle Ziggy formed a close friendship, bonding over fishing among other things.

Megan and Beth had been best friends when they were younger - until a man came between them. Now, Beth knew she'd bump into her old friend - but could they renew their friendship? Megan had been alone for so long, with just her dog for company, while her brother Ioan lived with his two young children nearby. Ioan was grieving the wife he'd loved, who had left him for another; working at the hospital, and trying to care for his children as well - aging before his time, Ioan wasn't sure how to keep going. Would Beth help his sister and make a new life in Anglesey for her and her son?

Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea is the 3rd in the Welcome to Anglesey series by Caroline Young and I loved it! 10 stars if I could! Fabulous, well written characters, plenty of ambience, with the descriptions of sea, shore, cliff walks and more, making me wish I was there! Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read and review.

Beth Macintosh is a high powered executive type with a well paying career in London. She was raised on a small Welsh island called Anglesey with her parents and brother, living inside a windmill of all places!

After receiving the news her father died, she leaves everything on hold to support her mother. And upon returning home, her childhood comes flooding back to her - particularly how she misses her best friend Megan. After a falling out at 18, they haven't kept in touch. The development of their storylines - both together and independently was well done, and I found myself rooting for them.

While helping her mom, who seems to be developing some health issues (this one hit home personally and elicited some tears), Beth receives startling news from both her employer and her son off at college - both change the trajectory of her future.

Well done!

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Caroline Young for the eARC.

Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea is the third book in the Anglesey series. However, any of these books can be read as a stand alone. I had previously read Secrets by the Cottage by the Sea, and really looked forward to reading this book.

Beth and Megan had been best friends since childhood, growing up in Anglesey, up in North Wales. In their senior year, something happens and the friendship seems to be over. Beth goes to Oxford, then marries Hugo and becomes very successful in her field in London. They also have a son. Lewis. Beth rarely comes back to the island. Meanwhile, Megan has become almost a shut in, living in a little cottage having never married. Her brother Ioan, recently separated from his wife, and his 2 children are the only people she interacts with on a regular basis.

One night Beth gets a call from her mother that her father has passed away. She is struggling with her job, and decides to go home and help her mother, and her brother Ziggy who has stayed and helps his parents and others around the island. She is nervous to go back, but also hopeful that she can reconnect with Megan and Ioan. We learn that Beth's parents had an interesting marriage, they loved each other but were very different. Her father was a musician and singer, and her mother was very proper. Beth and her brother Ziggy know very little about their parents pasts. This comes into play in the rest of the novel. There are secrets to be discovered about her mother's past, as they soon discover that she has Alzheimers, and keeps talking about a place that they know nothing about.

Caroline Young writes stories that are propelled forward through a deep exploration and development of characters and relationships. We see all the characters strengths and flaws that have caused tension, and this is what carries the story and makes it so relatable. Through the friendship, innocence and confusion of the two girls in their youth, to the heartache, anxiety, loneliness, and even hope in their present lives of the experiences they have had as older women, the author writes a book that is thought provoking and engaging. It is through each characters exploration of their own preconceptions and experiences that drive the story.

The author also does an amazing job of describing Anglesey and the tone of the story wraps tightly around the setting. I love it when authors craft their book and the setting is an important part of the story- a visceral, physical element that adds to the tone and atmosphere.

This is not an quick read rom-com where everything is light. This is a very honest portrayal of more mature characters coming together and working as a community to encourage, support, love and heal with each other. It is not dark, but it is honest.

My only problem, thus the 4 star rating, is that there were quite a few plotlines. They were tied together and in the end, worked well. However, I felt that in this story everything wrapped up perfectly. After what we went through with the characters, it was almost too tidy. however, I still loved it. I was invested in these people's lives, and was rooting for them all the way. I eagerly look forward to reading the author's next book!

If you like well thought out books, with great insight into mature characters and seeing them grow, and a magical setting that takes center stage, and a book filled with love, forgiveness and hope, then this is the book for you!!

Thank you NetGalle and Storm Publishing. This is my honest and voluntary review!

This is the first book I've read by Caroline Young and I absolutely adored it. I will certainly be adding her other books to my tbr list.

The characters Caroline has created are so believable, as are their stories.
I love how real they are. Beth and Megan, best friends since childhood, driven apart by jealousy over a boy. How they find their way back to each other, learning to forgive both each other and themselves.

I laughed and cried along with them and their families and friends as they experienced life's ups and downs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

after the death of her father Beth goes back to the island of Anglesey to be with her mother, she meets up with her former best friend, Megan, they haven't spoken in years. will they get their friendship back?

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Storm Publishing for letting me see an advance copy of COMING HOME TO THE WINDMILL BY THE SEA by Caroline Young.

This is Book 3 in the WELCOME TO ANGLESEY series, but it was my first literary trip to the island.

Beth and Megan were best friends once. Soul mates, even. Then Beth betrayed her friend and ran away to England, where she remained for the next 20+ years. When she finally returned home, the prodigal daughter she was not. Could she build bridges, repair deep wounds, or, more importantly, get her friend back? Only time and circumstances would tell.

This was a BIG story. A very big story. And one I felt was not given adequate space in which to unfold. There's a lot of narrative, a LOT, and it reads more like an overview, or a precis, an outline, than an actual novel, and I was chomping at the bit for more.

For example, I didn't want to be TOLD that Ioan (pronounced Yo-Wan, I think) took his 'small watercolour palette and...sketchpad' out with them to paint 'whatever was laid out before them...' I wanted to SEE him do it, experience it with him, be SHOWN the colours he used or how he applied paint to paper.

The sights and sounds of the island were so beautifully described, but I wanted to experience it all with the characters that peopled the book.

There was too much telling and not enough showing for me, and I do feel that if the story had been given the time and space it deserved, then it might have made 4 to 6 lovely books and one gorgeous omnibus rather than one 6-part book. It deserved more, so much more.

I found the constant Welsh language interruptions just that – interruptions, that got so tedious I ended up skipping them. And I felt the book relied a bit too heavily on the classic poetry and literature quoted throughout. The amount quoted would have been disguised a lot more in a bigger book, but this book was too short for the percentage actually quoted.

There was some sloppy editing too, and some repetition in places, all of which could have been tidied up in a thorough proof-read. 

Saying that, it was an intriguing story that spanned around 18 months, it is very well written, and the setting truly was beautiful. A lot of work clearly went into the writing of the story. I just think the book should have been longer, a lot longer, with more action and more detailed scenes rather than the solid narrative I also ended up skipping.

Four stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea was written by Caroline Young and I’m giving it a 4.⭐️. This was my first read by the author and the story was centered around two women that lost their friendship over a boy. It’s fifteen years later Beth has to come home for her father’s funeral and this and many other things will bring Megan and her family full circle.
It was a coming of age sort of book and had in some ways the feel of Amanda Prowse. I did enjoy it.
Thanks Storm Publishing via NetGalley.

Delightful
A grand gentle read about life, finding yourself back where you once thought you couldn't wait to get away from and the liberating feeling of leaving secrets behind