4.5⭐️ this book gave me all the feels! It’s a simple story but one that touches your heart. It has relationships and and grief and you feel the emotions in there. A brilliant writer with a captivating story!

Thank you for this ARC. This is my honest review.

What I loved about it: this was a heartbreakingly beautiful story. The writing is effortless, and I found myself getting lost in the intricate relationships between the characters, especially between Dorothy and the women of Skerry: I found the change in POV between the characters really helped with this. While this is a story based on loss, grief and the devastating impact of secrets and lies, it leaves you with some feelings of hope, and the power of redemption. The fact that I finished this in a day is the highest praise I can give: I expect I'll be haunted by this book for a few days.

What I didn't love: some very minor things, really. I had expected more of the "uncanny" in the story, based on the synopsis, but this didn't fully materialise. This wasn't an issue for me, as I enjoyed the book regardless, but this might be a disappointment to this expecting more of of the fey/otherworld in the story. I also wonder if more of a triggering warning is needed for child death/miscarriage/infertility, as the story touches on more than just Dorothy's loss, but also that of the women around her. While these topics were covered we expert sensitivity and honesty, I think a warning at the start may be appreciated by some readers.

Beautifully written. Loved the complicated character of Dorothy. The dual time line worked really well in building to the ending and creating a dynamic pace in what is an isolated Scottish fishing village.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Set against the stark and unforgiving backdrop of a small Scottish fishing village in 1900, The Fisherman’s Gift by Julia Kelly is a poignant and atmospheric tale of love, loss, and long-buried secrets. Skerry is a place where life is harsh, and its tightly-knit community is held together by shared struggles and whispered rumours. This vivid depiction of a bygone era provides the perfect setting for a story that unravels the delicate threads of human connection and grief.

The narrative centres on Dorothy, a reserved and private schoolteacher who has relocated to Skerry to teach the village children. Her seemingly cold demeanour sets her apart from the villagers, but her complex character unfolds as her past comes to light. Years earlier, Dorothy lost her young son, Moses, to the sea—a tragedy that continues to haunt her. When a boy washes ashore during a fierce storm, his uncanny resemblance to Moses reignites Dorothy’s long-buried hope and grief.

Joseph, the fisherman who rescues the boy, shares a fraught history with Dorothy. Their passionate but brief love affair is steeped in scandal, not least because of Agnes, a determined rival who claims Joseph as her own. The boy’s arrival not only reopens old wounds but also forces Dorothy and Joseph to confront the truths they have long avoided.

Kelly masterfully captures the dynamics of a close-knit village, where secrets are hard to keep and gossip travels faster than the wind. The tension between Dorothy and Agnes, and the wider community’s suspicions about Joseph’s involvement in Moses’ death, add layers of intrigue and drama. As the mystery of the boy’s identity unfolds, the narrative beautifully explores themes of forgiveness, redemption, and the human capacity for hope in the face of despair.

The vivid descriptions of Skerry and its harsh winter landscape create an immersive atmosphere, drawing the reader into the isolation and resilience of the village. Dorothy’s emotional journey—from a grief-stricken mother to a woman ready to embrace her past and find peace—is both heart-wrenching and inspiring.

The Fisherman’s Gift is a beautifully crafted story that weaves together mystery, romance, and the enduring bonds of community. With its richly drawn characters and evocative setting, this novel is a delight for readers who enjoy historical fiction steeped in emotion and intrigue. Highly recommended.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

This is a story of loss and heartbreak, exacerbated by the in-fighting and petty jealousies of village life. Dorothy arrives in the village as an outsider and the natural suspicion of the locals, combined with her own sense of how she should behave, means she never quite makes the fresh start she is looking for. The possibility of it is always tantalisingly close and yet something always snatches it away at the last minute.


It would be easy to condemn Dorothy. Seen through the villagers' eyes, she is everything they believe her to be: prim, aloof, better than them. But as readers, we see what has formed her - the cold, manipulative mother - and how desperate she is to break free of her past.

The narrative flicks between 'then' and 'now', 'then' telling the story of Dorothy's life, her eventual marriage and the deep love she feels for her son, Moses. The 'now' begins with fisherman, Joseph, bringing a half-drowned boy into the community and tells of their endeavours to nurse him back to health and find where he has come from. But for Dorothy, it is not so simple. She is convinced the boy is Moses, the beloved son who drowned many years before.

Throughout the course of the narrative, secrets are revealed and one of the things I liked about this book is that there is no true villain. There are antagonists, yes, but by the end of the narrative, they have been so well-rounded as characters, that their motivations are utterly plausible and actually inspire sympathy rather than condemnation. Life was hard in 1900 and the book does not shy away from the reality of this.

Nevertheless, it is a beautiful story, gently and exquisitely told and the information we learn about the other residents of the town build a picture of a close-knit turn of the century village, where every person has their own story to tell and each has value and a place in the community.

1900 - Skerry, Scotland. A small boy who resembles the teachers long lost son washes up on shore. The teacher agrees to take care of him. That’s when the mystery begins. The community works together to figure it all out. I can’t tell more without this having a spoiler. Good book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7108180996

Oh gosh, this one is heartbreaking. I was in tears several times when reading it, so be warned. A very beautiful, sad book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

A lovely, poignant story delicately told about grief and longing, and personal redemption. The setting was evocative and the prose was lovely.

Set in 1900 in a remote Scottish village, this is the story of Dorothy who came to the village as a teacher some years previously after the death of her mother.. She and Robert, a fisherman, are attracted to one another but ultimately Dorothy marries William Gray, a rather quiet man who seemed to be under the thumb of his sister Jane and they have a son, Moses. After a shock discovery, William leaves the village to seek work some distance away and though he sends money to Dorothy she never sees him again. Then during a bad storm Moses leaves the house at night without his mother's knowledge and is drowned. Several years later during another storm Robert discovers a young boy in the water.. Dorothy is struck by the similarities between this child and her own son. It's decided that until the boy's parents can be found he will stay with Dorothy. As time passes with nobody coming forward for the child, Dorothy begins to think fate brought him to her and starts to believe that he could possibly live with her.
This is a beautifully written though very sad story. I really felt for Dorothy still mourning the loss of her son and thinking that maybe she had been given a second chance of happiness. The characters were all believable and showed the distrust and jealousies that sometimes occur in close knit communities.. I'll definitely be looking out for the author's next book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity of reading an advanced copy of this book.

A gorgeous tale of love and grief
The characters came alive and you could feel their emotions
I loved it !

Oh how I loved this book. Beautifully written with some lyrical prose. The choices we make, the things done to be accepted, to maintain ‘the norm’ or at least to not be any more isolated. The secrets and lies. That thin, fragile thread that joins two souls, that thread that’s stretched to breaking point, snagged on rough ground but refuses to be broken. Regret and self-reproach, heartache and despair, there’s not one character who hasn’t been struck by one of life’s cruel blows. But, with age, with time comes reflection and forgiveness, of self and others, and ultimately hope.

This was a very striking book, full of loss and hope and people struggling with having to settle for their realities while wanting something different. I absolutely loved reading it and found everything about it - the characters, the setting, the atmosphere - completely compelling.

The main characters, Dorothy and Joseph, live in a small Scottish village and are tied together by a tragedy - the disappearance, presumed drowning, of Dorothy's son some years previously. The book begins with Joseph discovering a boy who has been washed up on the beach, sparking traumatic memories for Dorothy. The author then takes us into their history.

Dorothy has suffered a neglectful childhood possibly bordering on abusive, with a mother who was constantly criticising and judging her. She has carried this into adulthood, and now is unsure of herself and anxious in social situations, worrying how she is seen by others. This anxiety has meant she had trouble being herself with people and is instead reserved and comes across as 'cold' to others. But underneath, she isn't like this, and the descriptions of how she ends up behaving in ways that she really doesn't want to are very well done.

On arriving in the village some years previously she struck up a friendship with Joseph, that looked like it could develop into something more. Joseph clearly likes her. But Dorothy's fears pushed him away and she married another man.

The book is heartbreaking in its description of how both their lives have been stymied and limited by fear of going after what they really want. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I found all of the descriptions of the relationships between the characters very true to life and relatable. We can see parts of ourselves and of people we know in these characters.

Again, without wanting to give too much away, the ending is hopeful, which I was glad about. This is a book to savour, and I'm thankful to Netgalley for giving me an advance read. I'd definitely read more by Julia Kelly.

A gently paced story, outlining a tragedy which you learn of pretty much early on. The main story revolves around Dorothy the school mistress, she is new to Skerry and is trying to find her place in the little community. The story jumps backwards and forwards from the past to the present, giving context and more depth to each character. Joseph is The Fisherman who finds the little boy. There is a lot of mystery over the identity of this boy and the concept of child loss was well developed.

I really enjoyed this book however I felt that the ending was rushed.
Thank you to netgalley for this ARC.

I loved this book so much! The writing is utterly beautiful. I was transported to Skerry and captivated by the story of schoolteacher Dorothy and fisherman Joseph. It is an emotional, atmospheric read and I felt so invested in the characters and their future. There are multiple misunderstandings, twists and turns, all well paced with heart stopping moments. The novel is beautifully crafted and I enjoyed every page. I would love to read more by Julia Kelly. One of my top books of the year!

So beautifully written, I was mesmerised from start to finish. I fell in love with little village of Skelly in Scotland, where the story is set and all the quirky characters. I felt like I really knew them.


Dorothy arrives in the early 1900s in the small fishing town, as she has been appointment as the new school mistress. However, the locals are not very welcoming of her, apart from one fisherman, who she briefly falls in love with.

The tale starts many years in the future, when a young child is washed up during a storm. The child resembles the one Dorothy lost to the sea many years before.

This is a story of grief, love, pain and mystery.
It should be on everyone's most read for 2025.

Dorothy loses a child and finds another one.
I liked the back and forth narrative and the revelation of the secrets.

I do not wish to impact anyone’s enjoyment of this book - it has immense potential and can see why many would love it.

For me, perhaps because t I had read 2-3 books set in a town (often a coastal , rural, Scottish, Irish or English village) and the adoption of a child in the last years, I expected more out of the plot and the writing style. Both were a solid 3 stars for me.

The discovery of a small boy washed up on the shores of a remote Scottish fishing village triggers memories for Dorothy, a schoolteacher who is tasked with looking after him until his parents can be found. Years ago, she lost her own boy to the sea - could this be the same child come back?
This is a slow-paced novel, set in the early 1900s, but beautifully written and very atmospheric. As we progress through the story of misunderstandings and missed opportunities, we learn more about Dorothy, the gossiping villagers and what makes them all tick.
It was sad, haunting read, although not without hope. It took a long time to unfurl but I was invested in the characters and wanted to find out what happened to them. It would make a good television serial or film.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of this novel.

Moving, and very sad about a mother and loss of a child
What a woman will do to rescue another and feel loved
A small community lost to gossip and rumour
Slow paced but what an impactful read!

I really wanted to love this book, and there were moments I thought I was getting more into it, however I just don't think this is my kind of book unfortunately.

I felt that the whole story was very slow paced, but detailed and well written. I did warm up to the characters a lot more by the end of the book, and I like that there was a lot of closure for each character and the troubles they had been navigating throughout. The romance in this was very different to what I am used to, however it was much more emotional and felt more realistic. I'm sad I couldn't get into this as much as others!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me review this this beautiful book. If you have issues in your life the reader may find this a difficult read. This is a heart felt story of a mothers grief and guilt.

Beautiful story about the journey of a mother’s grief and guilt. Set at the turn of the last centuary

Dorothy is the new school mistress in a little fishing town Skelly in Scotland As with many small villages there is a lot of talk and newcommers are seen with doubt.. Dorothy meets Joseph a fisherman and have a brief love affair. Circumstances pulls them apart.

Dorothy had lost a son, but something happens and a young boy is found in the sea. Being a small place Dorothy is asked to look after him, as the parents are sought. This brings to the surface pain, guilt but in this painful journey find healing and closure.

Beautifully written and a recommended resd.