I loved reading ‘The Telephone Box Library’ last year. It was set in the picture postcard rural village of Little Maudley in the Cotswolds, so it was a definite that I would enjoy reading this new novel set in the same village and with many of the same characters. I applied to read it for review and was thrilled to bits when I heard that my wish had come true. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Pan Macmillan for sending a copy to me in return for an honest review. Here it is then and first of all I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Hannah is married to Phil who is a total workaholic. They have a 15-year-old son called Ben and live in Manchester. Hannah’s cousin Beth invites her to Little Maudley where she runs the local Post Office. Beth is keen to move away with her daughter and offers Hannah the opportunity to take on the job. Hannah wants to branch out and get back to work. She has been a stay-at-home Mum all Ben’s life and wants to start to work now that Ben is more independent. She discusses what she would like to do with Phil and both he and Ben say that she should go for it if she wants to and is keen for a change and a challenge. Hannah is euphoric, so it is arranged and she and Ben drive down south taking their belongings with them. They are soon settled in their new home whilst Phil stays behind initially making arrangements to follow on when he has got himself all sorted and is ready to join his family.
Ben had got in with the wrong crowd in Manchester and he had been getting into lots of trouble, so it seems the perfect solution to move away. He has quickly made new friends and found his place in the team when he joins the local football club, now being coached by ex-professional footballer Jake Lovatt. Ben is a talented and generous footballer and the new coach tells his Mum he could go all the way if he has the right attitude and is prepared to work hard.
Hannah is in her element setting up things the way she likes them and has some great ideas to improve the Post Office by making certain changes which the villagers welcome. She would like to include a book theme within the post office and many of the villagers are very excited about the idea. She has volunteers to work at the shop on a rota system and this allows her spare time when she needs it. Everything in their future looks bright and breezy until one day there is some bad news and soon secrets from the past and other problems beset the family. This is Beth’s heart-warming story; a story of loyalty, friendships, second chance romance, family and new beginnings. It is a cracker of a story with gorgeous storytelling. It is the sort of story that quickly grips you and you know the pages will be eaten up. I love the various twists and turns and the story of Jake Lovatt is a very welcome thread introduced in to the main storyboard. Although this novel is a sequel, it also sits very well as a standalone read. It is a 4.5* review from me and a recommendation that this is a very good read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Absolutely Fabulous

I’ve read the author's previous book, which I loved and was so looking forward to reading this.

Even though I’d read the previous book, this book, I felt could be read even if you’ve not read the last one, as the details about how the characters were described was so well written it was enough to know about them.

It’s based in a Cotsworld village, I love reading of stories based there. So I loved the descriptions of the surroundings.

The book had a feel good factor to it. I hope that’s there’s another book based in and around that area.

Highly Recommend this and previous book.

Review of The Village Green Bookshop by Rachael Lucas

This is the first book I have read by this author and really enjoyed the story. This is the story of Hannah who has lost her identity with being a mum and a wife. So jumps at the chance to take over the local post office in Little Maudley. But life isn't always so easy when you start again in a new place. Great read with good characters.

I love a Rachael Lucas book it's like putting on comfy slippers, you feel right at home.
Hannah and her son Ben move to Little Maudley to start a new life running the post office after her cousin Beth decides she wants to move on.
Ben has been getting into trouble at school and this is a fresh start for him too. Getting involved with the local football team run by ex England player Jake Lovatt he soon settled in.
Hannah throws herself into village life and supports Ben with his football bringing her closer to Jake.
This is such a feel good novel. I could picture myself living in the village especially at Christmas.
Of course there are a couple of spanners in the works just to mess things up a bit.
My thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC in return for an honest review

This was a brilliant read. It was a stand-alone and as I hadn’t read any previous books in the series it wasn’t an issue. All the characters were very relatable and believable. There were aspects of Hannah’s life and feelings that I could identify with, and I was also a little jealous of - that she got to move to a small village and have her book shop!
I really liked Jake. His heart was so big, he had so much love to give and every time he was with Hannah and Ben it was obvious how much he wanted to share his heart with them.
It was an absolute pleasure to read.

When Hannah, fed up with her life up North, upsticks with her son and takes over her cousins village shop outside of Oxford, it brings changes she wouldn't even have imagined.

Concerned for the welfare of her teenage son and the lack of enthusiasm in her marriage, she throws herself and Ben into village life.

The outcome of this cosy novel isn't what it appears. Another thoroughly good read from Rachael Lucas - you will not be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this novel especially after reading the previous book - the telephone box library. It’s was an easy delightful escape as Hannah is escaping her life and making choices to enjoy her life. A great read

A lovely little village in the Cotswolds, A likeable main character in Hannah, her 15 year old son, Ben, who is tending to mix with the wrong company, a husband who is rarely there for them and a famous and highly fanciable footballer are all fabulous ingredients for this warm and enjoyable book. This is a gentle story of family ups and downs with a good lashing of romance. It's an easy and uncomplicated tale that kept me engrossed throughout. I had hoped for a little bit more about the 'bookshop' but nevertheless, there was enough going on to entertain and make me look forward to the next book by Rachael Lucas.. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a pre-release copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I hadnt realised there was a book before this one but it didn't make the slightest bit of difference to me, jyst makes me want to read the first one now !
Beth and Hannah are cousins, Hannah lives in Manchester with her husband and son but isnt happy and wants something that will make her happy other than just being a wife and mum, Beth is a single mum who isnt happy running the village shop and wants to move to the city so they decide to swap. Hannahs husband promises to come but never does so Hannah goes it alone
A lovely story about how she and her son adapt to their new life in the village

Frustrated that she spends all her time as either a mum to a football-obsessed teenager or a wife to a workaholic husband, Hannah wants something for herself. When the chance comes to take over the Post Office in Little Maudley, a charming Cotswold village, Hannah grabs it with both hands. She’ll have a career at last and also get her son Ben away from his trouble-making mates.

But village life is not so picture-perfect after all: Hannah finds herself an outsider in this tight-knit community where the height of your hedge is a gossip-worthy subject. Even her idea to introduce a small bookshop to the Post Office causes a stir. At least Ben seems to have found his place as he joins the local football team, coached by ex-professional Jake Lovatt. But a shocking secret from their past threatens to uproot the new life they’ve made for themselves, and has drastic consequences…

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan for an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I don't think you can go wrong with a Rachael Lucas book, she has certainly struck gold with the two books that she has set in the village of Little Maudley. The characters are lovable and it was nice to return to a location the reader felt they already knew. I love the descriptions of the village and various locations, they're written so well you can feel yourself there.

An easy uplit read, perfect for an afternoon in the sun.

I love a good Rachael Lucas novel. I’ve read all of them. They are such lovely uplifting reads and this new book via netgalley didn’t disappoint. A lovely romantic novel with lots of heart. The only thing I would say, as a bookworm, is there wasn’t enough about books in the plot given the title for my liking, but I can get over that!

I can’t praise Rachael Lucas enough. This is the 2nd of her books that I have read and I loved it. It is one of those books that leave you wanting more. If you loved The Telephone Box Library then you will really enjoy the revisit to the village to meet Hannah and Jake. It can be read as a stand alone but you do meet some of the villagers again. Well written, loved it.

I loved returning to the little village in the Cotswolds where the little telephone box library, written by the same author, was set. It was lovely seeing the main character find herself and her confidence. I've read many of Rachel Lucas' books before and this didn't disappoint.

Another lovely book by Rachael Lucas which can be read as a standalone book or a follow-on from The Telephone Box library. Hannah has the opportunity to run a village community shop in the village of Little Maudley. Will the move be right for her and her family?

A lovely book, warm and cuddly, if you can describe a book as cuddly! From a cold an distant relationship in the city to a village that welcomes Hannah with open arms - and a bookshop thrown in. Sounds like a perfect book to me.

Such a lovely story, I was rooting for Hannah to do the right thing for herself right from the first page, it was a pleasure to follow her on herlife journey.

What a lovely read. Cosy, heart warming and perfect for a lazy weekend. I had read the previous book in the same location, although it isn’t necessary, this is perfect as a standalone too.
Adorable setting (I wish I could live there if I’m honest!) and a wonderful mix of characters. It’s brilliant for an afternoon of escapism – some funny moments, some heartfelt and emotional times and a smidge of romance of course.
Likeable characters, interesting plot but nothing too complicated or outlandish.
I’ll look forward to the next from this author.

This is a lovely return to the beautiful Cotswold village of Little Maudley offering a good catch up with the characters from The Telephone Box Library but even better still introducing some great new characters. I felt a lot of empathy for Hannah who puts her families happiness and wishes first and kind hearted former footballer Jake who very much goes against stereotype. The gentle storyline and warmth of new friendships made Little Maudley sound like a wonderful place to live and provided great escapism.

A great escapism book. Well written and enjoyable.
All the characters were likeable especially Hannah. I didn’t realise that there was another book before this one until after I finished reading but there was nothing that made me think I had missed something previously so this novel can be read without having read the previous one.
A lovely feel good book that I would highly recommend.
Thank you Netgalley for this arc in return for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I didn’t realise that this was a follow on book to the telephone box bookshop which I am going to go back and read. This book could definitely be read as a stand-alone as was a story in its own right.

This was a cosy feel good read and perfect escapism for a Sunday afternoon especially in these current times. The descriptions of the village and of the cosy bookshop created within the village shop were brilliant and made you want to visit and I imagined myself curled up in a reading nook somewhere in the shop absorbed in a good book. The story makes you think that sometimes you need to take a chance on life for change to happen and to accept opportunities that you are offered out of the blue as they might evoke positive life changing choices just like taking over the shop from her cousin Beth did for Hannah. A lovely lighthearted and comforting read.