I'm a fan of books that match well-drawn, interesting characters with a great sense of place, and How to Belong scores well on both counts. It's the story of Jo and Tessa, coming to terms with their pasts and with their lives when returning to the Forest of Dean.

Jo has been - is - a barrister. She's one of those who "got out", taking a degree and finding a glamorous job in London. Or not, because once there, she found, of course, that it wasn't all as shiny as she hoped. Life was an endless slog round the country, working on dispiriting cases for clients who scarcely seem deserving, arriving back on late trains from distant courts. All the plum work goes to the men, she's pretty friendless in London and even the money isn't very good. So coming home for Christmas and finding herself in the familiar hubbub of the family butcher's shop strikes a nerve with Jo, especially as her parents are about to sell the shop and retire. Maybe taking over the shop might be a way to return to the familiar, and preserve her family heritage?

Farrier Tessa has also come back to the Forest - after her relationship with Marnie in Bristol ended. Emotionally bruised and struggling with a debilitating illness, she's drawn the circles of her life tighter and tighter to protect herself. Finally, she holes up in her cottage in the woods, struggling to make ends meet on the tiny amount of work she can do.

I loved the way that Franklin depicts these women, giving us flashbacks to show their earlier lives and the wounds and struggles that have made them.

Jo is bright and intelligent and full of plans and ideas. We are told that her career as a barrister has given her resilience and an ability to deal with people, yet she can also get things so, so wrong: with Ron and Mo, who run her parents' shop, with old friend Liam - at times, it's hilarious to see Jo's mistakes. Moreover, she can scarcely bear the smell and texture of fresh meat so at one level it seems slightly comic that she would take on the butcher's shop, at another, it is rather noble and admirable.

Tessa's wounds didn't begin with her and Marnie's break-up: there was a shocking event that cut to the core of her family and for which she has assumed responsibility and a resulting belief that she's hateful and can come to no good. The forest seems a good place for Tessa to hide away, to not be known or recognised.

Jo has returned to the Forest of Dean for exactly the opposite reason, to be somewhere she is known, somewhere she fits in.

It doesn't work out as either expects, of course. There are many eyes in the forest and Tessa is observed and remembered, while Jo finds that her friendship group has moved on (and her family house sold). Many outsiders are coming to the Forest with new estates spring up where the sheep grazed and second homers appearing. Is Jo, despite her origins, really one of them - an urbanite with over romantic views about this place stuck between England and Wales, with its own history and traditions?

The interplay between Tessa and Jo, and also Jo's relationships with Liam and with Ron and Mo and indeed her parents (largely absent though they are) makes a fascinating character study. Franklin lets things build up slowly, with plenty of time and space for each of the two women, and allows us to draw our own conclusions about what's going on rather than having her characters tell us. The Forest is almost a character itself, and we see both the pluses and minuses of increasing tourism and of "incomers" - as well as the resilience of the Forest people themselves. Best of all, perhaps, the ending is left tantalisingly open. I think I know what's going to happen, but as Franklin has shown, Jo and Tessa are real people with real quirks and with their own histories, so really, who knows what comes next?

Definitely recommended.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Sarah Franklin’s second novel with its premise that promised to explore what it means to belong to a rural community in a rapidly changing world. To me this sounded rather oblique but Franklin illustrates it perfectly with this story of two very different women, a decade apart in age, both struggling to find a place to call home and feel like an integral and valued member of the community they live in. The result is a triumph and How to Belong is both a heart-warming and surprisingly insightful novel with superior characterisation and memorably authentic dialogue. Set against a backdrop of the Forest of Dean and a small, insular community where everybody knows each other, this unassuming novel with a strong sense of place and effortless prose left me feeling decidedly hopeful.

Jo Butler is a local girl made good who hails from the Forest of Dean and has spent the past decade living in London and working as a barrister. Disillusioned with the reality of her career and the life she is leading, Jo returns home for Christmas and her parent’s final year of running the butcher’s shop which has been in the family for two generations. Making an impetuous decision to return to the place where she feels she belongs, Jo convinces her parents to let her run the shop in the face of dwindling custom and soaring costs. Forced by circumstance to rent a room in a cottage occupied by aloof and taciturn farrier, Tessa Price, whom herself is isolated from the local community, Jo finds things are more difficult than she imagined. Her relationship with her long-term best friend, Liam, is strained, her parents have moved away and in the face of supermarket competition the business is on its knees. For Jo, feeling like she’s no longer welcome or belongs is a new and demoralising feeling, but for Tessa it’s something she knows well. A traumatic childhood with an abusive mother has left her suffering from low self-esteem and she is plagued by a mysterious and possibly debilitating physical condition that has led her to withdraw from the woman she loves and turn her back on society.

Despite both women being poles apart and the initial barriers to communication that Tessa uses to keep people who might care about her at arms length, an unlikely friendship begins. Life is at a crossroads for both of the women in very different ways and as they wrestle with what the future might hold for them it is Jo’s need to be useful and her perseverance that sees her make a breakthrough on identifying Tessa’s health issues. It is through assisting Tessa and enabling her to think beyond a lonely future within the four walls of the cottage that Jo starts to see that she can actually be useful in the Forest of Dean community that she treasures.

Chapters alternate between the perspectives of Jo and Tessa, both of whom are incredibly well-drawn and characters that I found sympathetic with appreciable dilemmas. From Jo’s initial concerns that she is letting everyone down by leaving her job in London and returning home through to her naive belief that her old friends would still be the same people she left behind and Tessa’s fear of being a burden, Franklin’s characters are honest and relatable and this drew me in to their story. A gentle vein of suspense runs throughout the novel with the future of both women up in the air, primarily from a personal angle for Tessa and in Jo’s case, a matter of her livelihood. My sole reservation about the novel came in the final stages and what I felt was a rather abrupt ending which jarred with the books gentle pace. On the strength of this second novel I will definitely be seeking out Sarah Franklin’s debut novel, Shelter.

Isn’t it rewarding to read a book that leaves you feeling content with its conclusion? How to Belong by Sarah Franklin is one such book. This isn’t the first book I have read by this author and nor will it be the last.

The author sets such a homely and soothing tone is the book that you feel like you personally know not just the characters but the town itself and the forest too.

Bigshot lawyer Jo Butler is returning home from London to a small town in the Forest of Dean. Jo is devasted that her parents are giving up their family run butchers in order to retire. The shop, known only as Butler’s, is a family legacy and Jo is hoping that she can save it from closing by injecting some fresh ideas.

Tessa has a very different experience of the community Jo loves. She is someone who has slipped through the cracks of this tight-knit community and she is very much outsider. Tessa has moved back to the area following a relationship breakdown and is nursing a secret which means she is unable to work as much as she would like. The only solution for her is to find a lodger.

Enter Jo.

How to Belong could so easily have taken many different roots which would have cheapened the feel of the novel. In particular, I love that the author ignored the cliches that could potentially attach themselves to Jo and Liam’s friendship.

I enjoyed the way Jo should have strong roots in the community but on her return, she finds things are much harder than she initially anticipated.

How to Belong has a whole host of minor characters who add to the small town feel of the novel without ever feeling superfluous.

I feel like this is a book that will gain something with each read and I will certainly be returning to it.

This is a novel about identity, friendship and how to belong in a place you call home. Set in the Forest of Dean, 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 examines the lives of 2 very different women, struggling to feel a sense of connection in their small rural community. Jo, a young barrister, has returned disillusioned by her career and vacuous life in London to take over the ailing family butchers. Tessa, a shy, reticent farrier, lives a solitary life in her cottage with an undiagnosed illness which causes her to collapse “𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭” into a trance like state. Both women, despise their very different lives, yearn to belong. Tessa is a character, with a tragic back story yet rich with possibilities. Jo struggles with trying to re-kindle old friendships, realising that life has moved on since she left. Jo rents a room in Tessa’s cottage and an unlikely friendship develops between both women. ⁣
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I found many similarities with this novel and the writings of Sarah Moss. Both evoke a true sense of rural life and nature in a very simple yet beautiful manner. Village life is very realistically portrayed and the local characters are people we’ve all met in our lives. I really enjoyed this novel. It is a gentle, contemplative read which celebrates the comfort and stability of the ordinary life. This is Franklin’s second novel and I’m tempted to now read her first novel 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳. ⁣
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Thank you to Sarah Franklin for this novel and to @netgalley and @bonnierbooks for this ebook in return for my honest review. ⁣
3 🌟 ⁣

I loved this story of two very different women, both of them struggling with trauma in their pasts, both of them desperate to belong. Jo has returned to the Forest of Dean after years in London pursuing her dream of being a hot-shot lawyer. She takes over the local butchery business from her parents, and takes a lodging with Tessa, a quiet farrier who has also recently returned to her childhood town, and who would much rather be left in solitary peace. As the story unfolds, and their lives slowly merge, Jo and Tessa slowly begin to learn to trust and love again. Heartwarming, moving, and beautifully written, 'How to Belong' will stay with me for a long time.

How to Belong is a beautifully written contemporary novel, set in the Forest of Dean. There are two protagonists: Jo, a barrister, returned to her home town from London to run her family butchers shop; and Tessa, a farrier, suffering from a mysterious illness and mourning the end of the relationship with the love of her life. Both women have decisions to make about their lives and are discovering what it means to belong and live their truth.

The story has a wonderful sense of place and I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Jo and Liam, her childhood friend and quasi-brother. There was a strong theme of family - moving on from difficult families of origin and building new networks of love and support,

A recommended read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Disillusioned with life as a young barrister in London, Jo has returned to her hometown in the Forest of Dean and has taken over her parents butcher's shop in a hope to make a life. She is lodging with Tessa, a taciturn farrier with a devastating secret. As Jo struggles to rekindle her old friendships, Tessa's medical condition worsens and her life begins to spiral.

I didn't make the connection between this novel and Franklin's previous book 'Shelter' until after I'd finished and reflected that here was another cracking book set in the Forest of Dean. This is a book with a more contemporary setting but it is still the gentle tug of relationships that takes centre stage. Tessa's alienation from the town is so beautifully imagined and the story of the breakdown of her relationship is very raw and sad, I even didn't mind the hint of a happy ending. Franklin is developing into an excellent writer.

Franklin writes beautifully about nature and about life. This book was a real treat to get lost in during lockdown and I really look forward to whatever she writes next (and going back to read her previous work).

Treat yourself to this and you will not regret it.

Oh I just love this book. The cover Of the physical book is absolutely beautiful and the story itself just swept me along. Character led, this is a great tale of family, community and friendship.

How To Belong is not a guidebook on how to achieve a feeling most humans are striving and looking for most of their lives, but it's a wonderful rumination on how the actions we take, the people in our lives and our sense of self can impact where we feel we belong.

At a time where a lot of readers are no doubt feeling a sense of displacement in the world, be it young adults moving back in with their parents or older and ill people experiencing a more acute sense of loneliness from shielding, How To Belong captures the ups and downs of grappling what it feels like to live a life you feel you've built yourself against losing an identity of a former self that you can't, or perhaps don't want to, shake yet.

The story follows two women, Jo and Tessa, who have little in common beyond growing up the same town in the Forest of Dean, and what their 'belonging' to this town, the people within it, and each other means for them and how it changes their lives.

Sarah Franklin tells their story against the rural West Country backdrop of the Forest of Dean and manages to capture the same lovely-yet-oppressive small town feel that you may experience when watching a series like Broadchurch - although this novel does without a lot of the drama. Some of the setting choices seemed a bit bizarre to me at first; here we have Jo, a lawyer disillusioned with life in London and deciding to stay home after Christmas to take over her parents' failing butcher shop and moving in with Tessa, the stand-offish farrier in a cottage at the edge of town. The town and its inhabitants, and the way the story is told seems quaint and deliberate, yet the reality of the butcher shop and the cottage appear like choices out of a horror movie.

Jo's story line is the one that is a lot more universally relatable, but it's Tessa coming to grips with herself and that it's possible to belong to people without being a burden on them that really makes this story shine. Franklin offers a portrait of what it can be like grappling with issues of emotional alienation due to ill health, a different sexuality and childhood abuse that invites understanding and empathy. There are better accounts of these issues in literature out there, but those are notably with protagonists that invite a host of split opinions. We are always given enough context to make Tessa's initial refusal of help and deliberate isolation understandable, and while I feel that her journey to better mental health has at times be simplified and in the end over-dramatised, Franklin did the character justice by giving her her own voice on the issue in favour of how she is often perceived by others.

Overall, the characters in this novel are likeable and real, even though they sometimes slip into a slightly more omniscient narrative than they have a place to know, but I won't complain, because it kept the pace of this novel tightly together.

It's a great book for anyone who faces a long train-ride home, and wants a book that gets to its plot points and message with little fuss but sufficient suspense, and doesn't come with the gory imagery that a thriller or crime novel of similar length would have.

This is a story about different ways to cope in changing times. Based in the Forest of Dean a family decide to give up their butchers shop and move away. Their daughter who has been living and working in London has had enough and moves back the the Forest with different ideas for the family business.. Imaginative story.

A beautifully written easy read. I loved this story. Sarah Franklin is wonderful at bringing everything to life. She describes characters and scenery so well it is easy to imagine them. This book was a pleasure to read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Really interesting book. So glad I discovered it. It moved me so much. So well-written and intriguing. Unique premise. Excellent read.

A gentle and easy read. This tells the story of two women both making life changing decisions in a small town in rural Britain. Jo abandons her job as a lawyer in the city to take over her parents butchers shop, desperate to reconnect to the town she grew up in. Tessa has upped and left her long term relationship amidst health struggles.
An unlikely friendship, community spirit, and a satisfying conclusion.

I read Sarah Franklin's previous book Shelter and loved it so I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read How to Belong and I wasn't disappointed. Set again in the Forest of Dean the story is about Jo who though born and bread in the Forest of Dean left to work in London as a Lawyer but now she is back returned to her beloved community to run her parent, Butcher Shop ,this shop has been in the family generations and means a lot to Jo .She rents a room with Tessa ,a Farrier and slowly a friendship blossoms even though they are so different .The story is told through both Tessa and Jo such a lovely gentle story about the need to belong ,friendship and settling down .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

I loved this gentle and compelling story. The author managed to beautifully capture the characters thoughts and and dreams. She provided believable and heart-wrenching explanations for the here and now by exploring their histories, and the impact of community on individuals.
The title is perfect, because this book is about the need to belong, to have roots, and to feel fulfilled.
I haven't read anything by Sarah Franklin before, but I am now definitely a fan.
Thank you to the author, the publishers and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read #HowToBelong. It really is a lovely book.

‘How to Belong’ is the story of two very different women, neither of whom feel they belong. Set in the Forest of Dean, London lawyer Jo Butler has returned to take over the running of her parents’ traditional butcher’s shop in the High Street. Whilst it is still seen by locals as a much-loved shop, changes in eating habits and a new supermarket have meant that Jo’s parents are selling up and moving nearer to her brother. However, they’ve reckoned without Jo’s determination and she persuades them to allow her to take on the challenge of making a profit. Initially Jo sees herself as a very lucky person. She has come to loathe London and hopes to slot back in to childhood friendships and an easier way of life. But not everyone’s quite so excited about her return as she is.
Jo lodges with Tessa, a local farrier back in the Forest of Dean after a traumatic breakup with her partner Marnie. Tessa appears to be the opposite to outgoing sociable Jo. She keeps herself to herself and appears to resent Jo’s presence even though she desperately needs her money. Gradually we learn why Tessa is so anti-social and why her burden is so heavy.
Over the course of the novel these women form a strange bond. They come to know each other a little better and, in doing so, discover a little more about themselves too. This is a subtle portrayal of what it means to live with guilt and disappointment, with failure and loss, with expectation and disappointment. Sarah Franklin is a talented writer who brings her protagonists’ occupations to life with the lightest touch. Even more remarkable, she explores the most complex of relationships between parents and children, different generations, lovers and friends sensitively and compellingly.
My thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I loved Shelter and so this was very interesting to return to the Forest of Dean. The forest is just a hug part of the story and of the girls experiences. It's a quite and unassuming novel that takes you in and holds your hand as you read. It feels lyrical and ethereal at times as the author examines life in a rural community. It's something that interested me to learn more about.