Lizzie has just arrived in London to learn how to be a good housewife before her mother's dream for her to have a white wedding with a groom chosen by her parents takes place. Lizzie is determined to have some fun first. She soon finds herself living in a rundown house with some girls off her course and finds herself more and more attracted to a man already pledged to another. Will she be able to forget about him?

I absolutely love Katie Fforde. I have read everything that she has written and her new book is usually my annual birthday gift off my son. This is a different style of book for Katie. Although it is still a romance it is set in the 1960s so uses very different language and and ideas; very appropriate to the era that is is set in. If I am honest, it's not my favourite of her books, but that is probably because I don't especially enjoy books set in the 60s. Despite this the characters were very likeable (except for one which it was clear we were supposed to dislike throughout) and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

This book took a little while to get into it and it did drag a little at the beginning. But once the story got going, it was really good and I finished the second half of the book quicker to the first half.

As usual this author does not let you down. Katies books are a joy and she has perfected the craft so well. This was a gray read and I was hooked from the off. Thank you so much for the arc it was brilliant.

Katie Fforde’s books are always well written, the storylines pull you in and the characters are interesting, this book is no exception. It’s set in the 60’s, which is an era I haven’t read much about and I really enjoyed the difference in women’s roles in society and understanding more about the expectations placed upon them. A charming delightful story.

in this book we meet the lovely Lizzie. whose mother wants her to settle down with a nice suitable man in the countryside, however Lizzie wants more from her life than to just be someone's wife.

So she embarks on her own journey and decided to move to London, here she cuts her hair, buys some new dresses with short, swing style hemlines and moves into a house with two new friends she has made, who subsequently become the best friends she's ever known and embarks on a journey of self discovery.

I have loved katie ffordes books for a really long time now and this one is no exception, it is fun, funny, uplifting, heartwarming and joyous. I absolutely loved it.

Katie Fforde is a gem and has done it again ... another feel good page turning read. Thank you Katie and Netgalley

I really enjoyed this book from start to last chapter, but the ending just felt rushed and I didn't feel like it went anywhere.
I enjoyed it until then. How different the 60s were and that's how some of parents had grown up. I loved that it is somewhat historical fiction but also felt it was a modernised version. I definitely clicked with the characters and loved how the girls were always there for eachother.

I loved this book. First time reading Katie Fforde and I'll definitely pick her books again! I enjoyed reading this and the difference between status of rich, middle class etc, and how this was portrayed back in the 60s. Its strange to think that's how some of our parents were brought up. The ending was a bit "oh" well that's that for me, I feel it didn't get anywhere but the overall story was really good, the ending left me disappointed

I found this one quite predictable anda bit too fluffy for my liking. For a quick summer read on a beach lounger it may be ok but its never going to be one that you reccomend furiously to a friend.

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read in advance. Loved it!! Love this author and her books. Another brilliant read. Highly recommend!

I usually really enjoy this author's books but for some reason I couldn't take to this one, I didn't find the characters particularly likeable, perhaps because books I've read by her before have been set in the present day, there was nothing wrong with it but just not for me

Thoroughly enjoyed this light easy to read to romance set in the 1960's
Life was much different for girls in the sixties to what they are now.
They weren't allowed to do as they pleased & were very much ruled by their parents. You were expected to marry well & have the approval of your family.
You were rarely supposed to have a mind of your own unlike young girls of today.
Lizzie is expected to marry well & has been sent to London to do a cookery course. This is just one more thing to tick off the list of essential things she needs to do to make a good wife.
On her course is Alexandra who has an unusual background & has her own house.
Alexandra invites Lizzie & another girl Meg who is on the course to move in with her.
Already staying at the house is a gay man called David but to any outsiders is passed off as the chauffeur for appearances sake.
Lizzie gets introduced to Hugo, Vanessa's brother, who is another girl on their course and she instantly falls for him.
Unfortunately Hugo has a girlfriend named Electra who is extremely rich & very very spoilt.
There are lots of ups & downs for our characters especially Lizzie.
I found this a light enjoyable easy read.

This is the second book I have read by Katie fforde. It was a very easy read and hard to put down. The ending was very abrupt and left me wanting more.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this, and thank you Katie Fforde for another enjoyable escape into a group of friends, with enough love, drama and humour to encompass the reader.
Three girls all enrolled on a course of domestic "teachings", different backgrounds, different stories who all bond over the wondrous taste of coffee. Three become five with the introduction of a four legged orphan and the multi-tasking, multi-labelled, David in a vintage Belgravia mansion.
An easy read without too much fondant that you shudder and reach for something more worthy of your time. For me, Katie Fforde always delivers what the cover promises.

Katie's book are always on my must buy list without exception. I love them and never can find a bad word to say about them.
This was another gem, a beautiful flowing story with lovely characters leaving a warm feeling in your heart.
Another fabulous book from Katie.

I have been a fan of Katie Fforde for many years and usually love her books but I couldn’t get into this one, it just didn’t grab me unlike her past works. I understand the storyline is set in the 1960’s and times were different back then but I found some of the characters annoying and the main female character feeble and exasperating.

I love Katie Fforde books. A friend introduced me to them several years ago and they never disappoint. This story is about the friendship of three girls who meet at a cookery school. They bond from day one and share their hopes and dreams of how their lives will be when the course comes to an end. There is of course romance involved and differences between the upper and middle class beliefs and expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend.

I have read every single one of Katie Fforde’s books. Rose Revived was the first and I loved it and then kept an eye out for them and bought them all as they were published.

The format is the same in each one. The plucky heroine, and she is always plucky, finds her calling despite being regarded unambitious or uninteresting. Over the series her heroines have been cooks, gardeners, stately home organisers, cooks on a barge, housekeepers (usually in old houses with no amenities) and she always comes up trumps.

In this latest the heroine ends up, by accident, looking after three children in an old chateau in France owned by a handsome divorced count. The children dislike her, the daughter who is a teenager resents her, but she battles through, wins their support and it all ends happily.

This story is set in 1963 and I simply cannot understand why. Of course, there is a love story regarding two people who met in the Second World War when young and therefore the time line has to fit so 1963 it was.

However, it. Could have been set in any time and I found this slightly irritating.

Much though I love Katie’s books I have to say that I found this particular title eminently predictable and lacking any interest.

A really well written story, with characters that will grab you, pull you in and not let you go until the final page. For those who have read Fforde's work before, this one will not let you down, and for those who haven't, it is a wonderful introduction. Highly recommended.

🌟 A departure from Fforde's usual present day settings, this is set in the 60s which I absolutely loved.
🌟 There is such a fabulous bunch of characters, I wish I could have lived in their rundown house with them.
🌟 An uplifting feel good gem!
🌟 I'd highly recommended for all romcom fans! I hope you love it as much as I did.
🌟 I'm counting down the days until we can head to France & see what Alexandra is up to next.