Thought this sounded sweet, and it definitely was, but think it erred too much on the side of convention at times.

Found it very hard to connect and empathize with the character of Alice, which proved a bummer because she is the sole vehicle of this tale. The little town and Cornwall were pretty and definitely had a vibe, but I just couldn't shake the unease of being around Alice, and this dampened the whole story for me, unfortunately

A lovely read, very much a feel good book even though it had very emotional moments at times too. Just an all round lovely book that is definitely recommend

Sadly I couldn’t really connect with this story, I couldn’t warm to Alice at all and it just seemed for most of the book nothing really happens. Sadly it just seemed quite boring to me on the whole, just not my cup of tea but I’m sure others might enjoy as they clearly do based on other reviews

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

Alice, after the recent loss of her mum Bea, unwittingly finds herself roped into The Kindness Project, a series of instructions Bea left behind for her to carry out in the village of Polperran. Alice was only expecting to tie up loose ends like selling her mum's house and paintings, but instead, she's roped into the community unexpectedly. Bea and Alice didn't have a close relationship, and the Kindness Project acts as means of bringing the pair together following her death and showing her just why the Cornish cottage she called home, is much more than just a house and is instead means of belonging in the local area.

The exploration between Bea and Alice's relationship though was interesting and insightful, and the obvious differences between the two shine through. Bea's ability to involve herself and making the village a better place to be is something she hopes to pass down to Alice through the series of envelopes that make up the Project.

Ultimately this is a book about making a mark, and how sometimes even the most insignificant of moments can shape someone for the better. Whilst this is centred around the premise of being kind and helping those left behind, I felt as though some of the steps of the Kindness Project weren't fleshed out enough or explored in enough depth, and at times I was left feeling underwhelmed. It is a bit of a slow burn novel, and there are a lot of characters to keep track of and learn about, especially as they all seem pretty significant in the latter third of the book.

*Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for my advanced copy

This was an easy read and kept my interest - Alice goes to the Cornish village where her mother lived and died. She is there to just sell the house and move back to Cambridge. That doesn't happen, she gets caught up in the viliagers lives. Melder and Luke and their mother Grace look out for her and she gets closer to them. There are some great characters especially the older ladies and it moves along gently - yes its predictable but its still warming.

So The Kindness Project was a book that I had to warm up to. At first I was not very keen on Alice. She was uptight and boring. And I felt it very hard to connect to her.  But I persisted and slowly became invested.

For me there were a lot of memories to shift through, that couldn't capture my attention There was the odd warm funny comment, that kept me reading, but it was probably the last 25% that I loved. Once we got to know more of the villagers and their life stories. These were the people who mattered to me.

But slowly, ever so slowly Alice comes out of her shell and starts to open up to those around her. She slowly starts to take pleasure in the small things in life. Cake, walks on the beach and swimming. Alice takes great pleasure in swimming before dawn and finds it very calming and very therapeutic. And then Sam Binnie obviously find it very awarding as well. So do you swim before dawn or are tempted to all? Personally  it is not very tempting for me.

Throughout Alice has to achieve small tasks left by her mother Bea, as part of her will. These tasks allowed Alice to grow in confidence. And to learn more about her mother, the village and what it means to be part of a family. So many secrets were kept from Alice and by the end I felt sorry for her. She definitely would have been a different person if her parents had been more open.

The Kindness Project was a book about how even the most smallest of actions can have consequences. And how to heal you have to open yourself up even just the smallest of bits. If you can get through the beginning this is a book that can warm your heart.

I loved Sam Binnie's previous books, "The Wedding Diaries" and "The Baby Diaries", so I couldn't believe my eyes when I've spotted that, after all those years, she has another book coming out. Requested, downloaded, started to read.
I'm at 52% at the moment and I won't be reading any more. The book annoys me incredibly, I can't warm to Alice, there are tons of other characters and actually there is nothing happening. There are memories, memories, memories that can't capture my attention, the story drags, and the occassional light and funny sentence can't save the book for me. I am incredibly sad because I was hoping for a brilliant read but, as I've already mentioned, I'm half in and I only feel irritated. It doesn't make me laugh, it doesn't bring tears to my eyes and I'm very, very sorry because of this.

This book was a true feel good book without being twee and contrived. The characters were well rounded and had depth, the setting was gorgeous with imagery that gave me a home I wanted to return to whenever I was away from the pages.

There were elements I found frustrating, like the lack of communication between characters that lead to quite important and life changing situations rather than simple misunderstandings - this is a trope I find frustrating as I am a naturally open and talkative person so struggle to grasp that characters might not reveal important details. However this did not mar my enjoyment, but lead me to want to read on in the hope that things would be resolved, despite the lack of communication between characters being a little exaggerated for me.

I think lovers of Eleanor Oliphant, The Rosie Project and anyone that dreams of Cornwall will really enjoy this. Well worth a read.

My first book by this author and it was a delight to read. We find Alice just after her Mum has passed away - the Mum she had become estranged from many years earlier. It turns out the her Mum had left her some tasks to carry out after her death - all connected with the kindness mentioned in the title. The complex relationships of village life come to the fore during the book and Alice has some issues to work through. Sad in places but hopefully Alice can finally find some peace in her life.

Alice Kimbrel suddenly is a reclusive person, who is currently an academic at Cambridge University. When she receives news of the sudden passing of her estranged mother, she is forced to return to a small Cornish village where her mother lived. Once she arrives in the village to sort out her mothers affairs, she is shocked to find that her mother has also left her with a series of tasks to complete too.

As Alice begins working her way through the tasks, she becomes acquainted with the various quirky characters that live within the village. As she tries to change their lives for the better, which is the task her mother has set her, she soon finds her own life changing in ways she could never have imagined.

This is such a beautiful, moving story that really captures your heart from the beginning. The storyline is so wonderfully written and perfectly structured to keep your attention fully engaged throughout. The story boasts a really strong message around the importance of kindness, something that Is all the more important in these troubling times.

This story really did take you through a range of emotions. From crying to feeling as though your heart could burst. The characters were all given strong, well fleshed out personalities, allowing us to get to know them as individuals. The setting was also brought to life beautifully by the author, really allowing the reader to feel as though you are experiencing all that the characters do.

Beautifully written, endearing, and full of emotion, this is a story that will stay with me for quite some time and certainly a book I will be recommending to others.

The kindness project
By Sam Binnie
Pub date mar 4 2021
May contain Spoilers
I loved this book the writing style was beautiful written. You follow Alice on her journey she grieving over her mother death and has to sort out her mother will and travels back to the village of Polperran. where her mother lived by the sea. I felt sorry for Alice she dealing with grief feels guilty about not going to her mother funeral. And now finds out her mother leaves her tasks and she has to full full them for her mother. I cried reading those letter her mother left her they were full of emotion I’m glad Alice met lovely people the characters were very welcoming in the story and I like the characters had great chemistry between them. Alice character was strong determined woman I’m glad she loved the town her mother stayed in by the sea Alice could sea how her mother was living and the life she had all the people were kind and giving in the book and Alice found that kindness goes along way helping people. This book is such a emotional read between Alice and her mother. You enjoy this book it teachers you how to be kind and caring to people. I think everyone should read.

What an amazing book. I was intrigued from the start. The way Alice and her feelings are betrayed were very identifiable and real and I was curious about her perception of what happened between her and her mother and what really may of happened when she reflects on it with more knowledge and a different perception. The whole way that feelings of anxiety, depression and grief are described and dealt with was honest, raw and real. I didn’t see those plot twist of Alice’s family tree, which in the end brought a lump to my throat it was so moving.
A very moving and thought provoking read.

I had read and enjoyed Sam Binnie's previous books which were written a few years ago. I was thrilled to see that she had written another book. Sam's previous books were lighthearted whereas this book was more serious and had a lot more depth to it. It is a different style to her previous books, but I like both this book and her previous ones.
I didn't warm to the protagonist Alice to start with. As the story developed and we learn more about her, bit by bit I began to like and understand her.
The ending was quite predictable, however the events leading up to the ending were suprising and unexpected. There were many twists, some right up to the last few pages.
There were many sad and poignant moments,lots of misunderstandings put also some heartwarming scenes. I thought that this book was complex and well written. It was very emotional but I enjoyed the it.
I hope that Sam Binnie continues to write more books
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my preview copy.

The Kindness Project is the story of reclusive Alice as she struggles to come to terms with her estranged mother Bea’s death. We follow Alice as she travels to the village of Polperran to tie up Bea’s affairs and complete a series of tasks that will fulfil her mother’s final wishes. As Alice is forced out of her comfort zone to complete each task, it helps her to better understand the relationship she had with her mother.

A lovely heartwarming story with a good cast of characters which was an enjoyable read.

You can't escape the message of 'Be Kind' all around right now, so it's only right that you do yourselves a favour and treat yourself to this book as it will give you all the warm and huggy feels and being kind to yourself is a great place to start with your own kindness project!!

It's an emotional story from the start as Alice is travelling home after hearing that she has lost her mum. They were never close and she never even got invited to the funeral, so it feels odd to her to be travelling back 'home' and starts her thinking about the relationship troubles that she had with her mother.

Alice and Bea are very chalk and cheese personalities. Bea was a free spirit, very outgoing and always willing to help others around her. Whereas Alice is very closed off, loves her routine, her little bubble and goes out of her way to avoid people. She was very much a Daddy's girl and it seems that the troubles between mum and daughter started years ago, and we see why they made such an impact on Alice.

Bea's final wishes were for Alice to continue with the Kindness Project she had set up - an alien concept to Alice! Bea had made a real impact on the community she lived in, and I think it overwhelms Alice a little to see what her mother was doing for others.

As Alice spends more time going through her mothers' things, the memories start to flood back and the regrets begin to build. Just where had it all gone wrong for them both, and why had they not just faced up to the problems and talked it through. That's a big thing you take away from this book - time gives you a different perspective on things that happened and you shouldn't wait until it is too late to make things right, or clear the air. Through the letters that Bea leaves her daughter, and talking to the locals who knew and loved her mum so much, she begins to learn more of the past than she was aware of before.

I loved how Alice took so well to the tasks she was set and I think helping others ends up helping her more as she gets out of her own head, and out of the rut that she found herself in. She realises that she needs to take control of her life, and sometimes all it needs is just a little bit of kindness that can go a long way in brightening someones day!

A really touching and heartwarming story!

When Alice’s mother dies it catapults her from her safe academic life down to Cornwall to fulfil her mother’s last wishes.
She has to befriend people in the small village and help spread some kindness This all takes Alice far out of the safe tight regime. Will she succeed.

The Kindness Project by Sam Binnie tells the story of Alice, a reclusive academic from Cambridge who is summoned to a Cornish village after the death of her estranged mother. Once she’s there, she has the job of sorting out her mother’s house and her things, but her mother has also left her a series of tasks. As Alice tries to complete each task, she meets all the quirky characters of the village. In her efforts to change their lives, according to her late mother’s wishes, she inevitably begins to change her own.

Perhaps this plot sounds predictable. In a way, it is. You can spot the love interest a mile off for a start. But I’m not sure that matters. Because Alice is a real three-dimensional character who makes mistakes, says the wrong thing and misinterprets other people. There were surprises in the plot, things I hadn’t expected. Sure, it had the happy ending that I guessed it might, but I’d have been unhappy if it hadn’t.

I loved this book. It reminded me of Rosamund Pilcher’s novels, not just because it was set in Cornwall as many of her stories were, but also because it had a cosy feel to it: I loved the descriptions of delicious cakes and beautiful paintings. I loved the ensemble cast of characters, each with their faults and foibles. I loved the way Alice finds solace in the sea. I can’t recommend it enough.

Perfect sunny Saturday read in Polperro. A compelling cast of characters gently lead me through the emotional waves of grief, anxiety & resilience with carefully curated words of wisdom along the way. A cwtch in a book, this will be a popular summer choice.

I was a little unsure of this at first as Alice, the main character, it quite a difficult person but I definitely warmed to it over time and by the end I really liked and understood Alice. At the start she seemed more concerned with getting back to work in Cambridge than dealing with the unexpected death of her mother and sorting her cottage out in Cornwall so the unexpected requests her mother left her to sort out were the last things so wanted however she did decide to do what she could.

I liked the mix of characters, the older generation were especially good and the way the story evolved to help Alice understand her estranged mother a little better worked really well. There was a good backstory to Melder, one of the younger residents and indeed to Ena, the oldest resident. I’m glad I stuck with this as it turned out to be a very warm-hearted and thoughtful read.