Loved, loved, loved.

I'm obsessed with Mirandas books, Our Story being my first insight into her writing and I've gone on to read quite a few more since then.

I devoured this book in an afternoon and I loved that it was set just down the road from where I live.

The characters were adorable and were each battling their own demons and histories and I loved that they all brought something different to the book.

Just brilliant ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A moving love story. Bethan and Lachlan live in flats opposite each other: Lachlan with his amusing cat Ernie and Bert the dog, Bethan with her son, Noah. Each of them have a secret and are wary of giving away personal information. They first communicate via messages stuck on their windows, As they both grow in confidence, they realise this is not enough. Heart-warming, full of kindness and hope, this is a delight to read.

This is the first of Miranda Dickinson's books that I have read. I thought it was a very sweet, easy read which I completed in two days. I was keen to keep coming back to the book to find out what happened to the two main characters. I liked the plot build up and the slow understanding of the two main characters' pasts. I do not tend to read a lot of romance books but this one was a nice change for me and I enjoyed it.

The Start of Something follows the story of Bethan and Lachie who live opposite each other and start talking to each other by writing notes and putting them in their windows. I found this premise really cute.

But all isn’t as it seems as they are both hiding a secret. Bethan is a single mother and doesn’t want Lachie finding out in case he gets scared off. On the flip side, Lachie was involved in an accident and suffered an injury - again, he doesn’t want Bethan knowing in case it puts her off.

The book did feature a trope that isn’t exactly my favourite: miscommunication. This did bring my rating down a little but didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a cute, contemporary read.

e-ARC acquired via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I liked the pace of it and Lachie and Bethan really grew on me as characters. I was super invested in Lachie's story in particular because of the suspense surrounding it. While not anything shocking in how unpredictable it was, I enjoyed reading this and the relationships that these characters had. The romance was kinda insta-lovey to me but it was still sweet and I still liked it.

There were some tropes that I usually dislike but Dickinson used them in a way that was tolerable. I won't say what the tropes were because I think that's quite spoilery.


Overall, I'm glad I read this and I'd probably recommend if you enjoy slow-burn romance.

I’m a big fan of Miranda Dickinson so I was keen to read this story. Lachie & Bethan live in opposite flats, their windows overlooking one another and they start up a flirtatious conversation through signs in their windows. Bethan is a single Mum - and has a real chip on her shoulder about this. Something I found really grating - mainly because single Mum’s are superhuman. It’s this chip on her shoulder that I feel is where the (somewhat predictable) misunderstanding that occurs is really dragged out and blown way out of proportion. Lachie is a really interesting and likeable character & I enjoyed getting to know him. It’s a sweet story, which I did enjoy - just not as much as I had hoped. I also found the use of Bethan’s son’s full name was repeated so often it was quite strange.

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This book was a delight! It was so cute and gives you that wonderful warm fuzzy feeling that a good romance book leaves you with.

If you've ever experienced loneliness then this book will really hit you. I found so many moments to be very touching and I think Lachlan's thoughts and feelings in particular will resonate with a lot of people. It was nice to see vulnerability from both the male and female character. Looking at loneliness through Lachlan's eyes is really powerful. He is essentially grieving for the life he had and is stuck in that grief. Beth is a ray of hope for him. A chance to find himself again. A chance to live and love as the man he is now. Despite what they've been through, there is hope. Those little interactions encourage them both to open themselves up to possibilities and to be optimistic rather than fearful about what the day might bring.

.Beth and Lachlan are both such lovable characters and as you watch them fall in love, you find yourself grinning from ear to ear. And lets not forget the real stars of the book - Bert and Ernie. Lachlan's dog and cat are the cutest - gotta love the grumpy/sunshine trope. I'm sure you can guess who's grumpy and who's sunshine.

Final thing... There's a bloomin' soundtrack at the end! I LOVE it when the author leaves little things like this. It adds so much more depth and personality to the story and the characters. It's such a nice touch.

I really enjoyed everything about this story ..... apart from the romance! (which is not the best seen as that's the main genre - eek!)

It had a great cast of characters, interesting side stories, and a really cute premise (leaving notes for each other in their windows).

But, the romance was was too instalove for my taste and the miscommunication was infuriating and a tad unrealistic.

Overall an entertaining read that no doubt will appeal to a lot of people but disappointing for me.

I really enjoyed this book, it wasn't a typical rom-com but had a lot of the elements of one! Although quite predictable I still enjoyed the story and, at points, found myself getting stressed about the characters!


Trigger warnings for life changing injury, drink driving, financial abuse

This book was everything I wanted and more.

As soon as I had heard the premise of The Start of Something I knew I had to read it, especially after reading Our Story a couple of years ago and loving it! This book did not disappoint in the slightest. I found myself addicted to this story and needing to know what happened next.

I loved the notes that they put up for each other, the banter between the two was just spot on and I really liked the idea of the notes being the thing that brought them together. Both of our characters are going through quite a lot in this book and it's interesting seeing how they deal with certain situations that they face.

Whilst there is a small bit of insta-love and miscommunication (which I normally hate), it was done well in this book and I found myself enjoying this story despite of it.

Overall, this is a cute story, with loveable and realistic characters. I cannot wait to read more of Miranda Dickinson's work in the future!

Really enjoyed this book from start to finish. Not my usual read but I'd definitely recommend, so glad I read it. Great characters and plot. Will be looking out for other titles from this author.

Amazing. This was a beautifully written book. It was easy to read and I was finished before I knew it. Bethan and Lachie are great characters and I loved how they each had an individual story to tell. Neither knew the troubles or issues the other was going through yet they still managed to connect and bring joy to each other’s lives. A simple random act of kindness. Just knowing you’re not alone has a massive impact on your mental health and we see that through the positive changes Lachie and Bethan make, knowing that someone is there for them, even if it’s just words taped to a window.
I enjoyed the growing friendship and the uniquely ingenious way they first met. Their individual stories are heartbreaking enough but seeing them overcome the negatives and learn to live their best life with what they have was wonderful. I cried along with Lachie while he was lying on the floor, his emotions were so real and raw, I loved how Bert and Ernie comforted him.

The Start of Something is the story of Bethan and Lachlan, two people who live across each other and eventually start talking through notes on their windows. When I read the premise of this book, I loved it and knew I had to read it. While I would be lying if I said I didn’t like the book, I was a bit disappointed.

I really liked the main characters. Bethan and Lachie were both very strong characters and I loved seeing them grow closer and bond. Their thoughts and feelings, especially those about loneliness were very realistic and seeing them forge a bond and find a friend, a person to talk to about whatever they feel like, was very heartwarming. And I have to mention the Lachie’s rescue pets, which I adored and were a great addition to the story.
I also loved following their journeys: Bethan growing into herself, challenging herself at work and standing up for herself when needed, and Lachie dealing with the aftermath of the accident and the choices he had to make.

The idea of the messages in the windows had great potential; I loved it at the beginning but there’s only so much messages in a window can do and after a while I was done with them and dying to see the main characters interact in person (or even on the phone; just had proper conversations in real time).
There was also quite a lot of miscommunication, which I am not a fan of, especially in big quantities and the resolution of the conflict was a bit underwhelming, in my opinion.There were also a handful of things toward the end that I wish had been explored in more depth but alas that did not happen.

This book had a lot of potential and while it was a bit disappointing, I still really enjoyed reading it and had trouble putting down. This was not my first Miranda Dickinson and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

(Rating: 3.5 stars)

Bethan is a single mum and Lachlan is an injured army officer - they live in the flats opposite each other and start passing notes by sticking them on their windows. As their friendship blossoms, they both have a secret they are not quite willing to share straight away - the characters felt quite vunerable and honest off from the off which I really enjoyed. I liked that whilst you had the main storyline, we are also shared information about them individually which gave the characters more depth!
Thank you to Net Galley, Harper Collins and Miranda Dickinson for this ARC!

I am such a sucker for a book where they leave notes for one another before properly meeting! Honestly, such a sweet trope. I loved the build up to them finally meeting and found myself rooting for them the whole way through the book.

I'm not a huge lover of miscommunication or insta love, which brought my rating down a tiny bit, but overall a really nice easy read I'd recommend to romcom fans.

Wonderful. Lachlan and Bethan strike up a friendship by posting messages on their windows. Both have personal problems, Lachlan s recovering from a car accident which could ruin his army career, Bethan, a single mum, has thousands of pounds of debts. Will their friendship blossom? A lovely romance, not all straight forward, - I read it on a long haul flight and couldn't put it down!

A feel good enjoyable read which I couldn’t put down so read it in three sittings. The characters Lachlan and Bethan were loveable and relatable. Having recently moved to a new town Bethan draws the attention of Lachlan who lives in the opposite flat. They start communicating through notes put on their windows but things go wrong when through miscommunication they both try to hide their past from each other. A great read by a wonderful author

Bethan is a single mother who has just moved in to the block of flats opposite Lachlan. Lachlan is stuck at home after a car accident which has caused a significant injury and is lonely. One small message on that he puts on his window may just change everything.

A multiple POV book that deal with romance and discovering who your real friendships are. I wonderfully heartwarming book that didn't hide away from dicussing some of the darksides and almost made me shed a tear. A little slow in the middle for my liking and I did feel like the messages on the window lasted a bt longer than I liked. Additionally, I felt that the final third conflict could have been resolved really quickly if the 2 MC had a dicussion much quicker!

Overall an enjoyable book but nothing that really blue it out of the water.

Thanks for Netgallery and HQ for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Miranda Dickinson always goes to the top of my pile when it comes to a new book and for very good reason she is funny but can also make you cry in the next sentence. Bethan could really use a friend so when she moves to a new flat and Lachie puts a note up for her in his flat window little do they know they will come to rely on the messages. In a time of darkness for both of them can they step into the light together.?

I stayed up until the early hours as I couldn’t put it down. Loved it 😍

After a car accident, Lachlan Wallace finds himself stuck at home with only his dog and cat for company. Taken to staring out of the window watching the world pass him by, he notices a vase of flowers appear in the window of the opposite apartment and feels drawn to their hope.

Bethan Gwynne is a single mother, slowly rebuilding her life in a new town yet she remains lonely and intrigued by glimpses of her neighbour across the way. When one evening she looks out and see a note pinned to his window…

“What are those flowers called?”

And so begins a love story of two people daring to trust a stranger…


This was a nice and well written story, but nothing particularly new or refreshing. I found I liked Lachie far more than Bethan. His circumstances and emotions just seemed so much more realistic and understandable. I often found Bethan’s concerns to be somewhat irrational and her reaction to a certain situation that occurs was overblown.

The usual “misunderstanding” between boy and girl that always features in books of this genre, fell flat for me. I thought it was unbelievable and, frankly, immature. I do, however, think the author managed to convey very well how Lachlan was suffering mentally as well as physically following his accident.

I didn’t hate this book; it was an easy and light enough read to pass the time, but I probably wouldn’t recommend this book to any of my friends. I think there are far better, more unique, stories in this genre at the moment.