I loved being back in Nightingale square. It is always wonderful to be back in Heidi Swain's world but when it is one that is still quite a new world, it is great to catch up with people and find out what has changed in the square. If you loved Sunshine and Sweet peas and loved Kate and Luke then you will please to know we get to catch up with them in this novel too, your curiosity about where they are now and how they are doing is definitely satisfied. 



Of course this novel follows a new resident of Nightingale Square, Poppy. I love how independent Poppy is and how much she has always had to stand on her own two feet. She does value family and friends but she is quite capable of making her own happiness. I love watching her relationship with her brother change and develop over the course of this novel. Ryan is another great character and I think the life that he leads is one that a lot of young people find themselves in but it isn't written about enough in books. He is a decent guy and we also don't get to see decent acting teenagers a lot within the pages of a novel-very refreshing. 



I love the fact that Poppy also has existing relationships with people in the square through friendships and jobs and so she fits right into the community. There is also a little bit of romance in this novel, as you may have expected, and it is just achingly slow burn. It is wonderful to watch and just the kind that will have you hugging yourself with delight!



Ryan's storyline in this novel is defiantly a bit of a departure from the kind of things that this author usually covers in her books. He deals with some tough stuff and tries to deal with everything that is thrown at him on his own without any help from an adult. As I have already mentioned though, the things that he is dealing with are things that a lot of teenagers have to go through and have to deal with day to day. They are not written about enough in books and so I loved seeing Heidi Swain tackle them in this novel. Every issue was handled incredibly well. 



This book definitely provides some escapism and some romance but does also deal with the real world and things that go on within it. I think that Heidi has balanced these things well in this novel and it is definitely another hit for her. If you like a little bit of romance, some awesome friendships and real representation of what primary school teachers are like then this is definitely the novel for you. Pop it on your summer TBR now.

Heidi Swain writes about honest and believable characters – sometimes you wish you could live in Nightingale Square with them! 

A lovely mix of family relationships, a touch of romance and lots of fun and good advice.

Another hit for Heidi

Quite a good read, kept me engaged, really enjoyed the plot and the characters and i would read more from this author.

Another thoroughly enjoyable Unputdownable book from Heidi Swain. I was gripped from start to finish.

Grateful to receive an advanced copy from Netgalley. I wouldn’t normally post anything other than a good review, but as I have to feedback here goes. Not my favourite book from Heidi Swan, sorry 😐, just found the characters were not as ‘believable’ as usual. I seem to be in the minority here though, so give it a try.

Sorry for the bad language but I can’t even begin to explain how bloody excited I was to be able to read & review this before the big publish date 30/05/19. I just want to say a massive thank you to #NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read & review this. I have read all of Heidi’s books so I know she’s absolutely amazing at creating these wonderful places where we can visit & meet some absolutely amazing characters & she didn’t disappoint with Poppy’s story. I absolutely adore #NightingaleSquare and all it’s amazing residents, I can’t even chooses a favourite character because they are all lush. Poppy is like a breath of fresh air and her attitude is so refreshing and addictive, she is like a drug that makes you feel happier and better and I just love her. I love how much she and all the gang love the community garden and how they all have each other’s backs, I just want to pack-up and go and live there and get stuck in with them all. I am gutted that I’ve finished it and need more from the gang pretty please Heidi can we have another fix from these guys. Thank you so much for giving me one of the most loveliest and uplifting books I’ve read in while. If you haven’t pre-ordered this yet I urge you to get it done you will not be disappointed, you can pre order using this link https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poppys-Recipe-Life-Heidi-Swain/dp/1471174387
If your like me and feel like your having withdrawal symptoms from Heidi’s stories you can follow her on her blog here, for a little lift. http://heidiswain.blogspot.com/

This was the first time that I read a Heidi Swain novel too, and honestly I'm so glad I did. The book follows Poppy, who's just moved into Nightingale Square. I now realise Nightingale Square has been the setting of some of Heidi's previous novels too, but it was easy enough to read as a stand-alone. It was such a sweet novel, and I loved seeing the development of Poppy and her neighbour Jacob's friendship, as well as her relationship with her younger brother Ryan. I'm definitely going to have to revisit Nightingale Square in the future!

Living near Norwich I absolutely loved this book as this is where it is set so I could easily visualise many of the scenes . This is a second visit to Nightingale square from Heidi Swain although I hadn’t read the first. It did take me a few chapters to work out in my head who was who but once I did I really loved this story. 
Poppy finally has her life in order. She’s  working at the local greengrocers and producing popular recipe cards and about to move into her dream house on Nightingale square with its community garden / allotment. The residents are quite the little community ... that is all except one her grumpy but handsome next door neighbour Jacob. He is hiding from a painful past, betrayed by those closest to him, Jacob thinks he will never trust anyone again. 
Then just when life seems perfect Poppy’s life is thrown upside down by the arrival of her 16 year old brother Ryan. 
Abandoned by their uncaring mother and still grieving the loss of his father, Ryan has become a bit of a teenage terra way and has such low self esteem he thinks he is worthless. 
Can poppy work her magic charm on both Jacob and Ryan ? 
I loved this story and soon got into it and the charm of nightingale square with its colourful cast of residents and their community spirit. I was hooked on the prospect of a romance between poppy and jacob and wasn’t disappointed. 
A lovely, charming, romantic, funny, feel good read and definitely worth picking up.

I loved this book.  I live in North Norfolk and was able to visualize the setting.  This is a story of a mother who didn't care about her offspring.  Poppy the eldest has moved to her dream home and looking forward to enjoying her peace and quiet.  Her new neighbor is a grumpy young man.  Her mother is off to Spain leaving young Ryan, 16. to defend for himself.  He goes to stay with Poppy and causes problems.  Their is a communal garden where everyone mucks in and gets it ready for the local competition.  Can this garden change Mr Grumpy and Ryan?  This is well written and easy to fall in love with the characters.  This is a "mouth-watering and fragrant triumph", Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for a review.

A gentle, feel good factor story that I ended with a few happy tears.
A nice romance that ideally enjoyed

I loved this book, another great read from Heidi Swain , great characters, humour, emotion, fast paced and great writing. When you pick this up you don’t want to put it down. Wonderful and recommended 



Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

How can I describe just how much I loved this book? 
Right from the very first pages Swain draws you into the life of Poppy and envelops the reader deftly into Poppy’s thoughts and emotions.  She intertwines small details of Poppy’s life throughout her present day narrative to give the reader the perfect amount of back story to fall in love with an incredible protagonist. Poppy has errors, as all humans do, but it makes her so much more likeable. 
Swain begins with Poppy moving into Nightingale Square and meeting an incredibly grouchy neighbour who just so happens to have the very inventive name of Mr Grizzle. Pure genius. 
The story then follows Poppy and her working hard to perfect every aspect of her life, including mending her broken relationship with her brother. It also focuses on Poppy’s relationship with Mr Grizzle and how they form an unlikely bond with Poppy vehemently pushing him past his comfort zone and into the loving and caring, but sometimes crazy, arms of the neighbours of Nightingale Square. 
A ‘can’t put it down’ book: simple divine and fantastically written, Swain had me hooked through every single page. Nightingale Square is somewhere I would want to move to! A romantic novel with so much life bursting from it that it’s impossible not to be beaming once you have turned the last page.

Another glorious heart-warmer from Heidi. Lovely to be back in the hug of Nightingale Square’s community.

This was my first of Heidi's books and I highly doubt it'll be my last. I loved Poppy and Jacob's little quarrelsome relationship, and I really felt for Poppy and her lack of closeness to her mum. 

It's a glorious novel that will definitely bring some sunshine to your life – I read this on a grey and miserable April afternoon and it cheered me right up. It's full of food, fun, and friends who feel like family.

One thing I would have loved is if there were some recipes included in the back of the book. I love reading about food and when characters make some foodie creations, and I'm often left dying to try them out for myself. I want to see if Poppy's potato bites really are as good as they say they are!

Another fantastic read from Heidi, returning to nightingale square to be reacquainted with previous characters and a few new ones, notably poppy, Ryan and Jacob, it explored the deep and meaningful relationship between family members and the repercussions this can have, this was portrayed in a genuine, sympathetic way, the sense of community provided by the residents of nightingale square along with the garden make you want to move there and experience it for yourself! Great story from start to finish, really didn’t want it to end!
Thank you net galley for advance copy!

Ooh my Easter weekend read and what a goodie. I’ve been saving this, wanting to leave the best till last. This had me both laughing and crying in equal portions. I loved the central character of Poppy as she saves both herself and the day in this gorgeous life-reaffirming read. Here Swain helps the reader press pause on all the nasty bits in their life like housework and, well more housework and dip into the wonderful life around Nightingale  Square. 

Poppy is the earth-mother type; a woman, if we all had the time, we’d love to be. But growing your own fruit and veg to make into wonderful chutneys and jams is a dream for many and not the reality. Jacob, the male lead, has everything a woman could ask for including having a difficult past and an iron-clad front that takes a brick or, in this case, sweet Poppy to storm through. I can’t help feeling we’ll here more from the characters in and around Prosperous Place and hurrah for that…

Poppy finally has her life together.  She is moving into the house of her dreams, has the best set of friends a girl could ask for and she's even got her grumpy next door neighbour to talk to her.  On top of that she finally has access to the community garden and its ingredients for her chutney recipes which she happily distributes in the greengrocers in which she works.   It is then that Poppy's ideal is thrown a curve ball in the shape of her teenager brother, abandoned by their absentee mother.  And so the story is set. 

The book is a true delight. The inhabitants of Nightingale Square are simply lovely and you would be glad to have them on your side.  What I really loved was the dynamic between Poppy and Ryan.  This felt to me as a true brother and sister relationship which develops over the course of the story.  You can clearly see the reasons why Ryan is such a troubled character and its lovely to see him come out of his shell not only with the help of his sister but also the help of those around him, especially Jacob, the grumpy next door neighbour who has more layers than you first think. 

Poppy struggles also come across as realistic and is never portrayed in a "oh poor me" way.  She knows she is not perfect but prefers to help others before she helps herself even if it comes at the cost of her own happiness.  

The other characters in the story also shine in their own right without taking the gravitas away from Poppy and her tales.  I particularly love Colin and Lou who by the time it was almost over, I wanted to bang their heads together as much as Poppy did.  Also special mention to Gus the dog - I want him!

On the whole I loved this story, its message and just everything.  Will look forward to more, because I am hoping that there will be :) 

Thank you Heidi Swain, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I recieved an early preview copy of this book from netgalley in return for an honest review.
I absolutely love Heidi Swain's books, they are always wonderful and well written. This book certainly lived up to my expectations.
This book takes us back to Nightingale Square, where we catch up with the residents from the previous book  and find out what is going on in the communial garden.
We are introduced to two new characters,kind and helpful Poppy, who can't wait to join in with the other residents and the garden, and the elusive and grumpy Jacob, who definitely doesn't want to join in with anyone or anything.
This is such a lovely feel-good book. There is a strong sense of community and helping others, it is a heartwarming read. The setting is delightful, and sounds like a perfect place to live. The book is a charming and enjoyable read, perfect for relaxing with.

Sometimes we just need to escape from the realities of life, things seem so miserable and the news is always depressing, that's why we need lovely books. The weather was gloomy and more talk of Brexit (among other things) had me feeling glum and this heartwarming tale was just the tonic I needed! 
It is full of charm and positivity, provided by family, friends and the little community that Poppy is welcomed into. The community pull together to create Grow-Well Garden and find that it changes all their lives for the better. It really made me want to get some gardening gloves on! 
Another lovely read from Heidi Swain, I look forward to the next one. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

First time for me to read a book by Heidi Swain! I am really happy that I did! This book is about love between siblings, trust, neighborhood spirit and if you love gardening you will love this book even more! And of course there is some beautiful and delightful romance going on in this book! To be honest with you, I found the 30 first percent of this book quite boring and I was wondering when the story would start to be more eventful. But then something happen after the 30 / 40 percent mark, and the story became absolutely thrilling and I just couldn't put the book down anymore! I would have given this book 5 stars out of 5 if the 30 first percent of the book would have been more eventful. But really, if you are like me, a bit bored at the beginning of the story, don't panic and be patient because after a little while the book become a page-turner!!!!! I will definitely read the next book by Heidi Swain!!!!