The greatest journey is the one you least expect…
Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own unforgettable adventure much closer to home…
It makes a change to read a book that makes you feel good and is entertaining ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[3.5] this was a book i didn't know i needed to read until i'd read it!! obviously, i love any content to do with 'the wizard of oz,' but i'd never come across a spin-off about auntie em before, or one the covered the timeline before dorothy ended up in oz, so this was so interesting to me. you could tell the author was also a fan of the original works, and exisiting adaptations, as there were so many easter eggs thrown in, which were fun to spot. i wasn't 100% about the plot, as it did seem slow, or a little repetitive at times, but i think this may have been intentional, in order to draw more focus back to emily, as ultimately, it ended up being a character study. i loved that the theme of 'home,' was really explored in this, and her growing to love dorothy, as there were so many similarities between the two!! was it the best book i've ever read? probably not, but it was a fun time and an original idea for a world that already has so many spin-offs.

thank you to netgalley and harper collins uk for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh what a joy this book was to read.

It is a retelling/prequel of the story of Dorothy and how she came to live with Auntie Em..

I loved this.. Everyone is a fan of The Wizard of Oz and Dorothy is such a recognisable character, I loved how the author has wriiten a book while losing nothing of the charm of the original tale.

As a huge Wicked/Wizard of Oz fan, I couldn't wait to read the story of what happened before Dorothy appeared. Emily's world is turned upside down when she welcomes Dorothy to her Kanas home. Find out in this fabulous book by Hazel about what happened before the events of Wicked/Wizard of Oz in this new unputdownable book. A must read. Thank you for the chance to read this advance copy.

Very excited for this beautiful book! I know readers will be as well. With the success of Wicked their seems to be a resurgence of Wizard of Oz themed book. I love that we get a spinoff of Dorothy for once and the woman who raised her.