I am so glad that I downloaded this book on a non working day as I’ve read it in one sitting. Quite an emotional book that looks to the past, the present and the future. A lovely setting and delightful characters, a love story not to be missed.

I have been a fan of Katie Ginger's since I dipped into the Swallowtail Bay series early last year. It definitely provided some well needed escapism during lockdown 1.0. I am also an absolute sucker for a beautifully illustrated cover, just like this one.

The book opens by looking back at the past, and the young life of Amelia’s great aunt Vera. The opening of the book is uplifting to begin with, as news of a proposal announced. However, this is followed by quite a lot of drama. The book quickly establishes themes linked to: displacement, social class, identity, relationships and loss.

Once again, Katie Ginger quenches my thirst for escapist fiction. Her wonderfully descriptions and precise language makes me like I personally have been transported to the bustling city life of Paris or the small rural village life of Meadowbank.
I really liked the presentation and development of the character of Amelia. She is a complex and realistic character, renowned for her beauty, success and bravery for making a new life for herself after suffering a tragedy at a young age, and leaving Meadowbank in her shadow in order to make a career and name for herself in Paris. She is someone who, underneath an exterior which is described in the book as ‘cold’ and uppity, appears to be someone who deep down, is really looking for a lasting connection and love.

The romance plot of this story helps to drive it forward, as we learn more about the illustrious and unforgettable Adam, but as I have said there is so much more to this story than a romantic love story.

Overall, this has been an uplifting, gorgeous book which makes for perfect escapist reading. It has restored my faith in humanity on many levels, and brings to life an authentic community spirit which I personally don’t feel we often see in real life anymore. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of romantic fiction authors such as Milly Johnson, Heidi Swain and Holly Martin.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Second-chance romance is one of my favorite romance tropes. What I love is the idea that a couple–regardless of mistakes or time between them–can come back together after years apart because they’re meant to be.

This is one of the more realistic second-chance romances that I’ve read, in that the main character, Amelia, broke it off with her love, Adam–not because she didn’t love him…but, because she had trouble loving herself and believing that anyone else could love her.

She had a rough start of it in life and that affected all of her choices afterwards.

The fact that we get to see a parallel story, in the way of Amelia’s great-aunt Vera who raised her–was a complete bonus.

These two women were completely different–but the bad things that happened to them shaped them into who they were. It’s a full-circle story of redemption and heartache and how letting bad things in your life affect your decisions can be detrimental.

The love story was so sweet and the characters made reading this story such a rewarding experience.

My review will be available at the link given on March 22, 2021.

A sweet second chance small-town Romance! Katie Ginger once again charmed me with this delightful story. Amelia believes she is living a happy life working as an interior designer in Paris. When she is summoned home two do something About the old farmhouse she has inherited from her aunt. Emilio‘s plan is to get the house into selling condition, sell it, and return to France. What she was not planning on was how welcoming the small town community was. She had never thought any of them thought anything of her one way or another. She is also surprise how strong her feelings still are for her first love Adam. I am sure you’re thinking,” OK I know where this is going” and you’d be right. Sort of. There is so much more to the story. Amelia also discovers that her aunt Vera who she never felt a connection to has a big secret that might explain a lot.

As in all Katie‘s books this was perfect escapism. The setting was delightful, the characters were colorful, the story was engaging, and the romance was sweet. I was seriously ready to pack my bags and move to a farm, sheep and all. Amelia was just such a likable character and I loved her and Adam together. I really understood why she left and I was glad to see her come to terms with some of the issues of her past. So grab your Diet Coke cuddle up with your pup and escape to this lovely small town.

This book in emojis 🐑 🧹 🎠 🐔 💔

*** Big thank you to HQ Digital for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Another lovely book from Katie Ginger. Amelia inherits her childhood home and returns to Meadowbank to restore the old farmhouse. She reconnects with Adam, an old flame from the past and starts to learn more about her great aunts past.

Looking for a perfect country escape in book form? This is it! Beautiful, scenic location, with kind caring characters who add to the small village like charm. With mystery, intrigue and rediscovering yourself at the heart of this story, I can’t tell you how much I adored this.
I was absolutely enthralled from the start; I didn’t want to put it down for a second. Having read books by Katie before, I was expecting a wonderful storyline and a character I would really take a shine to and she didn’t disappoint.
Amelia hasn’t returned to Meadow Farmhouse for quite some time; and the death of her Great Aunt Vera means she is now the owner. Leaving her home in Paris, Amelia plans on sorting out the bits and pieces before selling it on…to her this isn’t home, just somewhere she grew up. But returning starts to reveal secrets that Amelia had no idea about, soon she’s keen to find answers. Returning to Meadow Farmhouse also means confronting someone from her past, her former love, Adam. Unsure of his reaction or how she may feel, could it be possible she’d manage to avoid him completely.
As she confronts the ghosts of her past, the more she starts to feel that she has come home and maybe it is somewhere she could belong.
Amelia is a lovely character, she is determined, strong willed but has had a difficult upbringing. She feels like she doesn’t belong, and it takes a journey for her to realise the friends she had aren’t the genuine kind and she has to forgive the mistakes people make when they are hurting themselves. She learns that home is always where your heart is.
Warm and cosy, leaving you happy and satisfied – an ideal book for shutting out the world.

All old houses have secrets, and Meadow Farmhouse is no different. When Amelia returns to her childhood home to sort out her unexpected inheritance, she finds a clue to her great-aunt's past. Her childhood was not a happy one, but back at the place where she grew up, she is determined to evaluate her life and finding out why Vera seemed incapable of love is a part of this. Solving the mystery of Vera's past adds depth to this story.

Amelia's journey of self-discovery catalysed by returning home to Meadow Farm is an emotional one. Adam, her first love, is still in the village. The rekindling of their friendship, and the sparks of something more, add a believable touch of romance.

The villagers are an interesting mix of characters that populate a quintessential English village. They add gossip, humour and vibrancy to the story and make it authentic. Gentle pacing reflects village life.

This is an engaging story that immerses you in the details of village life and life choices, perfect escapist reading.

I received a copy of this book from HQ via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was kindly #gifted this book by @hqstories in exchange for an honest review. This is a very easy review to write. I absolutely loved it! It is a very “me” book, the cover and the synopsis sold me. I loved Amelia and her story and how it developed. This was a book about love, community and friendship. All the things that are important right now! This book was the perfect book to get me out of a reading slump and I devoured it in two days. I want more of Amelia and Adam. Yes it was predictable but sometimes you just need that in your life ( I know I do) I will definitely be reading more from this author in the very near future. I adored her writing style. I 100% recommend this book if you are looking for an easy, light hearted read.

I have been a fan of Katie’s work for a while now. I haven’t quite caught up with everything that she has written but then I am getting there. I read the synopsis for ‘The Secrets Of Meadow Farmhouse’ and it certainly sounded like another heart warming read from Katie and I couldn’t wait to get started. So without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for an afternoon of reading heaven. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Secrets Of Meadow Farmhouse’ but more about that in a bit.
I loved the characters of Vera and Amelia and I warmed to them from the start. Vera is the great aunt of Amelia and when the story starts, Vera is a young girl, who is hoping to marry her sweetheart. Things don’t exactly go to plan for Vera. I got the distinct impression that young Vera is the total opposite to the Great Aunt Vera that Amelia lived with. The Vera that Amelia knew, was a bit of a cold fish, very distant and not very affectionate. Amelia went to live with her Great Aunt Vera following the death of Amelia’s parents. Amelia didn’t have the easiest of times with her Aunt and with her new home. Amelia left her Aunt’s home and moved to Paris, where she has established a new life for herself. Amelia returns to her old life after her Aunt dies and she ends up going back to Meadow Farmhouse to sort out Vera’s estate.
For me, ‘The Secrets Of Meadow Farmhouse’ was a bit slow to get going and as a result I found it hard to get into the story at first. Once the story got going that was it and I was away. I became so engrossed in the story that I managed to shut out all other distractions so my focus was solely on the book. I was intrigued by Vera’s and by Amelia’s story and I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had the wrong end of the stick entirely. I was also desperate to find out if things worked out for them both in the end. The more of the book I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. Then all too quickly I reached the end of ‘The Secrets Of Meadow Farmhouse’ and I had to bid farewell to Vera and Amelia.
‘The Secrets Of Meadow Farmhouse’ is well written. Katie certainly knows how to grab your attention and draw you into what proves to be a compelling read. The story isn’t particularly fast paced but looking back, a gentler pace actually suits the story as it means you get to know the characters and you get to know why they are the way they are. Katie has the knack of making the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves. That’s how I felt at any rate. Katie uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that she made Meadow Farmhouse and the surrounding area come alive. I found ‘The Secrets Of Meadow Farmhouse’ to be an intriguing, charming and overall heart warming read.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Secrets Of Meadow Farmhouse’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Katie’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Amelia has a settled life in Paris but when she hears the news that she has received a surprise inheritance, she needs to return to Meadow Farm, a place which holds bittersweet memories of her time growing up there with her taciturn, great- aunt Vera. Amelia's rather chic Parisian lifestyle finds her unprepared for the warmth of welcome she receives from the villagers of Meadowbank, but as they welcome Amelia back into the fold, so she must confront her own thoughts and feelings about why she hasn't been back to Meadow Farmhouse in over ten years.

The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse is a beautifully descriptive story about life in a small English village. There's a nice element of mystery, a 'will they, won't they rekindling of romance, and a cast of quirky villagers whose hearts of gold, and occasional sharp tongues, really bring the story to life.

Amelia's slow progress with the farmhouse, and her indecision about selling the property and moving back to Paris, is one of the dilemma's she faces but there's also a mystery to solve before Amelia can make up her mind about her future. Confronting the past is a theme which runs throughout the story for not only is Amelia uncovering secrets from long ago but she is also looking at her own troubled past, and most particularly her relationship with Adam, her first love, who holds a special place in her heart, and who still lives in Meadowbank village.

The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse is perfect escapism for a rainy afternoon, beautifully written by an author who writes with such consummate ease and who brings time, place and people so vividly to life that they leap off the page and into your heart. I do hope that this is not the first visit we make to Meadowbank, as I am sure there are more lovely stories to be told about this quintessential English village

The prologue to this book, set in 1959, is really intriguing, and sets up quite perfectly the central mystery that underlies the modern day story that follows. We meet young Vera, looking forward to the prospect of marriage to Arty – but her romantic dream is thwarted when he tells her that he can’t marry her, but we never find out the reasons why. The Aunt Vera who provides Amelia with a home from childhood after the tragic death of her parents is a very different person from the excited young girl we’ve just briefly met – cold, miserable, embittered, lacking in any sort of love or affection – and her niece is pleased to leave Meadow Farmhouse (which was never “home”) behind and make her way in life as an interior designer, working in Paris, with a fairly comfortable life.

When Vera dies, she leaves the farmhouse to Amelia – although they’d largely lost contact when she moved away from the village of Meadowbank – and she has to return, her only plan to update the interior, put it on the market, and return to Paris. She certainly has the right skillset – and, as chance would have it, her former boyfriend Adam is now the village carpenter, and can help with those jobs that are too much for her. But Adam was maybe the one good thing about her former life in Meadowbank, both a friendship and a romance – but when she moved away she decided to break off contact, still yearns for the relationship they had, and wonders what kind of reception she’ll get.

And then there’s that central mystery – a discovered locket with the photo of a WW2 soldier, which drives Amelia’s need to find out more about her family history, and whatever it was that happened to change her aunt so completely.

I have to say that this isn’t a fast paced story, but then life in Meadowbank is rather slow paced too: there’s a lot of excellent description of the farmhouse itself and the village, which slows things down a little but really brings the setting vividly to life. There’s also a lot of one step forward, two steps backwards as she tries to rebuild her relationship with Adam – but it’s nice to see things from both their perspectives, and he certainly seems well worth the effort.

But there were two main elements to this book that I particularly enjoyed. The first was the cast of characters that make up the community of Meadowbank and their various interactions – some quite wonderful individuals (blimey, Adam’s tiger mother’s a bit scary!), every one nicely rounded, sometimes a little bit quirky, all beautifully done and really well written. The other was the gradual uncovering of the story behind the locket and Vera’s thwarted dreams – a nicely convoluted story really well managed, with some good emotional depth and an unexpected outcome.

Actually there’s a third thing I really enjoyed too – the book’s whole theme of home and belonging. As the village begin to accept her back (all those gifts of food were lovely, but oh, the impossibility of keeping anything secret…!), it throws her new life into perspective – the shallowness of her friendships, the negligible value of things she thought really mattered – and she starts to question what might really be important.

The romance in the book is quite lovely – in fact, all the emotional content is really well judged. There are some nice touches of humour too – particularly with Adam’s mother and the awkward moments as Amelia and Adam get to know each other again. It’s a lovely escapist read, perfect for our times, with a nice focus on past and present – light enough to be called an easy read, but there’s more than enough depth to engage. I rather enjoyed this one…

Rating 4.5?5*
This is an emotive, heartwarming second chance romance and a delightful story to escape into.

After being orphaned, Amelia was brought up by her Great Aunt Vera in the village of Meadowbank. They had a huge fall out when she went to University, then went to live in Paris where she worked as an Interior designer. It is ten years later that Amelia returns after inheriting her childhood home. In the old farmhouse she discovers a beautiful locket with intriguing photographs. This sparks her search for information about Great Aunt as she is welcomed home by the local community and reconnects with her first love. Can she discover the secrets of Meadow Farmhouse?

This is a lovely story of discovering more about yourself and your family. It is one filled with drama, secrets and love where the initially perceived motivations of others prove untrue and love helps find a way to a HEA with true friends, a caring community and a second chance romance. It is a moving story, made even more so when you read the acknowledgements and discover the author's inspiration behind writing this book and that this is the first book in a new series. I can't wait to read the sequel! I have no hesitation in highly recommending this pleasurable, entertaining and intriguing book.

Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read, thoroughly enjoyed and honestly reviewed.

This is such a lovely heartwarming read. The locations alternate between Paris, and Meadowbrook, as Amelia returns to Meadow Farm after the death of her Aunt. Meadowbrook is such a nice village, I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
This book seemed predictable, but there were few twists and turns which I was not expecting. It is well written and I enjoyed reading it.
I liked the characters, and especially enjoyed reading about Amelia's past, and how her memories were not quite as she remembered. It was good to see how her character developed throughout the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse by Katie Ginger has Amelia returning from Paris to renovate her late Great Aunt Vera's house, which she's inherited. 

Amelia was last in the village of MeadowBank just before she left for university, and ten years later, there's been a lot of change in some ways, but not in others.

Amelia wants to find out more about her Great Aunt Vera, and why she was so cold to Amelia and along the way she might find out what matters to her.

I really enjoyed this book - there were great characters, a lovely village and mysteries that were unravelled along the way.

 The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse  was publishing on 17th March 2021, and is available on  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow Katie Ginger on  Twitter ,  Instagram ,  Facebook  and on her  website .

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to  HQ .

A lovely tale - this author transports you effortlessly between Paris and the English countryside. Tales of a difficult childhood and the feeling of loss are brought right up to date once Amelia returns from Paris.

Loved the tales of the local village and the search for her aunt’s history. This author draws you in and you get invested in the outcomes of her characters.

Obviously we know how things will ultimately end up - this is of course a romantic comedy and there’s really only one candidate for Amelia’s heart, but this doesn’t detract from your enjoyment ... plus there’s a few twists along the way.

5* a wonderful warm and escapist read away from the trials and tribulations of 2020.

A really enjoyable read. The story kept you wondering what had happened to Vera in her life. The romance was sweet and it was lovely to read how a village supports its members.

Wow, this book was amazing - I didn't want it to end!
Follow Amelia on her journey as she visits her past, her family secrets, and deciding her future. I got to a point in the book which I knew what was gonna happen but I was wrong!! Loved the curveball there.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to disappear in a read and gets attached to the characters.
I must admit I shed a few tears reading this book, as without giving any spoilers some parts of the book hit home at what life used to be like and how we have progressed from then.
I would like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

This charming story is as much about self-discovery as it is about love.

Amelia appears to have the perfect life in Paris and my sentiments were initially with her determination to sell the farmhouse and return to that city. But gradually cracks begin to show as the contrasts between the two very different ways of life are explored, and Amelia has to decide what is important in life.

Forgiveness, loss, friendship, and community all feature very heavily in the story and serves as an emotional backdrop to second chance love and new beginnings.

Katie Ginger never fails to deliver heart-warming, heart-tugging stories.

The wonderful Katie Ginger has done it again, she has created this wonderful world that transports you and makes you feel part of it. I felt like I was with Amelia the whole time and loved the descriptions throughout of Meadow Farmhouse and the surrounding village.

In this book Katie literally describes my dream home and I was totally swept along as we got to know Amelia and learn how she had come to be living her dream life and job in Paris after a rocky start in her childhood. As you get to know Amelia's history, you also gain an insight into Vera and what led to her being the cold Great Aunt who influenced so much of Amelia's life.

A story that lifts your spirit especially when it's so easy to feel disheartened right now, I laughed, cringed and it left me with a tear in my eye.

Amelia has not been back home for over ten years and has established her life in Paris. But when she discovers that she has inherited Meadow Farmhouse from her Great Aunt Vera, she just needs to pop back, sort it out and make sure it is sold. Meadow Farmhouse was not really her home was it?

However, Amelia was not prepared for the emotions that would hit her when she returned to the village of Meadowbank and her past. 

The farmhouse is a dilapidated state and it seems that Vera had let it go and having had little contact with her since her departure and not healing the refits that might have developed, Amelia starts to think that maybe restoring the farmhouse will help her heal. 

Is Amelia really healing from the restoration of the farmhouse. 

She still has to confront her old love, Adam who is still very much part of the village. 

She still has to deal with the death of her parents, that led her to living with Vera and being an irritation and an inconvenience. 

It seems though Vera had a few secrets of her own, that Amelia knew nothing about. And when she discovers an old wedding dress and a locket with a picture of a man she does not recognise. It seems that there is a mystery to solve and perhaps this might lead her to solve all the mysterious questions that have come to mind since she has been home. 

The main one - is Meadow Farmhouse really home?

This is a wonderful book which is full of questions about where home really is and who are friends really are? Sometimes we need to step away from something and get a new perspective and I think Amelia does this in this book, thanks to the other wonderful characters that she comes across, both young and old. So much is learnt from what is not said, that there must be more tales to tell from Meadowbank. 

For fans of village tales and renovating houses and hearts in equal measure.