Ava moves to Bluebell Wood after a traumatic experience and the magical location and friendly locals soon begin to have a healing effect. Beautifully written with lots of delightful little touches, this is a perfect relaxing read.

What a beautiful book, and what a beautiful place to live. I could easily imagine I was walking in the woods with Ava and Merlin, hearing the birds, seeing the bluebells and hearing the leaves rustle. Beautiful descriptions.

I loved the friendships that developed throughout this book, each supporting the other, each accepting every one exactly how they are. Callum and Ava are an amazing couple, I loved his laid back attitude and his fun with the bible. Each of them have pain and darkness in their past, and they each chose a different path in dealing with it, but being their when those paths crossed was amazing.

I love the birds bringing gifts for Ava and the mystery that was slowly unraveled, an ingenious idea and I really loved it. All the bird names was incredibly clever too.

Welcome to Bluebell Wood where the sun shines, the locals are kind and there's something more than a little bit magical about the place.

Ava loves city life but when something happens to make her feel unsafe, she retreats to the calm and quiet of Bluebell Wood. The once high-flying Ava now locks herself away in her fairy-tale cottage, only leaving to explore the trails of the nearby woods or to potter in the garden with her dog, Merlin.

When Ava begins to feed the wild birds that flock to her bird table, they start leaving her trinkets of appreciation in return. The gifts seem innocent at first, but they soon take on a deeper meaning.

It isn't until Ava meets Callum, the handsome parish priest, that she can't help but wonder if the birds might have been trying to get her out of the house all along. But will their curious behaviour help to heal Ava, and transform her and Callum into the lovebirds they clearly long to be?

Thanks to Sphere and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in return for an honest review. Having struggled through my previous two reads it was welcoming to come back to an author I know I love and I was at 40% without even realising!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. An Ali McNamara book to me is a smile on a summer's day which is exactly how I would describe this book. Bluebell Wood sounds like the most idyllic little village, with it's welcoming inhabitants and the Daft Duck (that made me laugh!)

A definite 5 star read for me, looking to next summer's book already!

What a fantastic feel good book. Read this in one sitting! This book centres round bluebell wood. WhT a fantastic place to live I wanna love there. It’s brilliantly written and the characters just seamlessly blend together. It had a few twists and surprises it it all gelled together in the end.
Highly recommended

I really enjoy Ali McNamara books, and have read most of them. So I was really excited to read her new book.

Ava moves to the village of Bluebell wood to escape London, and recover from a trauma. Here she finds herself making friends, healing, and finding a romantic love interest.

The story is sweet, and as with most of McNamara's books, it avoids too many clichés, and in particular ensures the main characters are well rounded. The female leads for example are never simpering, and although friendships and love interests support them. the 'healing' is done by themselves. In this story Ava comes to terms with what has happened with the support of others, but she is not 'saved' by a man.

It was a sweet easy read that is good for the summer - whether you are on a beach this year or not. There is also a slightly magical element as with most of McNamara's books, which I always enjoy.

If I am honest it's not my favourite McNamara book, but still enjoyable and one I would recommend if you are looking for a fun, easy, summer read.

Thanks to Net Galley for an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review

Hope and Happiness in Bluebell Wood by Ali McNamara.I was super excited to get to read this as I am a fan of Ali McNamara. The Main character in this book is Ava who in the past as had a high flying job in London but something happens that at first the readers are unsure what, happens that makes her feel unsafe and she retreats to Bluebell Wood, a small village community with an an assortment of characters. Ava’s heart and world begin to open up and we watch her deal with what she has runaway away from. A summery intriguing easy read that can’t help but grab your interest in the mystery invoked in this book. You know that the ending will be what you want but it’s the getting there that grips you and takes away the predictability of it. You can’t help but escape into this book and think of nothing else while reading it because like the characters you want answers regarding the mystery and there you feel like you become part of the book, part of the community trying to save the village. It’s a very current book, in the issues it tackles, issues delt with realism and dignity. There is a wide variety of characters from all walks of life, with all there own problems. Looking back as the reader you have no idea the route this book is going to take, you think it’s about a lady struggling with her mental health, who escapes to a village where nobody knows her, a village you know in time will heal her. Yet the authors wonderful talent of writing and her obvious great imagination shines through in the way this novel opens up and becomes so much more. A book full a characters that are real, full of passion for what they believe in and the community they live in. It’s a love story and a book about serious subject such as mental health, terrorism and religious beliefs The characters are a diverse group of people from a priest, and a young boy with autism. With such serious topics involved you would think this a heavy book to read yet it is beautifully written, with a feeling of summer through, it’s a light and very easy read, ideal for relaxing by the sea or in front of the tv. Definitely recommend to all ❤️

We know that something has happened to make Ava so afraid but Bluebell Wood, it’s nature, it’s location and it’s people are going to help her.
A quirky, magical read which shows the power of loyalty over terrible things.

Once again Ali McNamara has written the most magnificently magical story that made my heart soar 💕

Ava moves to the quiet village of Bluebell Wood, desperate to find solitude after a terrible accident in her previous life in London.
Instead of getting the peace and quiet she thought she craved, Ava becomes an integral part of Bluebell Wood, stepping out of her comfort zone and learning to trust people again.

It’s such a beautiful story, with some fabulous characters. I particularly loved little Robin, his relationship with Ava is wonderful and their first meeting reduced me to some major tears!
Also we have the hunky vicar Callum….he’s an absolute dream boat 😍

Ali’s books are always so beautifully written and I love the magical element that runs throughout all of her stories. This is the perfect read in my opinion and once again Ali McNamara cements herself as a favourite author of mine!!

My thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for a copy of “ Hope And Happiness In Bluebell Wood “ for an honest review.

Another wonderful piece of escapism from Ali McNamara, a writer who never disappoints..
Her stories always have something a little different , that sets them apart from other “ Chick-lit books”
As someone who also struggles with anxiety I could particularly empathise with Ava .I sat and read this book In my garden , so the added birdsong only added to my enjoyment of the book.
A perfect summer read

Ava is struggling with city life and when the letting agent sends her details of a short term lease for a cottage in a village she jumps at the chance. Her children thinks she is mad but she wants to swap the hustle and bustle for peace and quiet and do both she and her rescue dog, Merlin move into Bluebird Cottage.

We have an awareness that something traumatic happened to Ava in recent times but we don’t find out what until towards the end of the book. Initially Ava wants to keep her head down and speak to no one but unfortunately it is not to be and soon she finds herself at the local shops and speaking to people in the village. She then meets the local vicar and his assistant and pretty much the whole village much to her dismay.

The lady who previously occupied the cottage used to feed the birds and Ava endeavours to do the same but she doesn’t bargain for them bringing her ‘gifts’. At first she thinks it is just an isolated incident but it soon becomes clear that is not the case. Are the birds trying to tell help her or tell her something?

I have read all of Ali McNamara’s books and they just keep getting better. So it will come as no surprise to tell you that I loved this one and the setting sounded so idyllic - I fell in love with both the cottage and the village!! Highly recommend!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Not normally a fan of first person narrative but this was written really well. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters too!

A truly magical story from Ali McNamara! I loved the addition of the rescue dog Merlin too. Highly recommended by me.

This is a very uplifting book with the very relevant issue of mental health at its core. Ava needs an escape from her closeted London life and when the opportunity to rent a cottage in a quite village arises she relishes the opportunity to escape to an isolated location. Along with her new adopted dog Merlin she finds the tranquility and peace of the location to be calming and living up to some of the ways of the previous occupier of the cottage give her a gentle focus and gradually introduce her to the wonderful villagers.

I really liked Ava, her fears came across really well and it was good to get to know her before understanding her background. The village and the woods sounded blissful, the gentle plot and community worked really well and the young villager Robin was a great character. This is a magical read, very relaxing and it was fun trying to note all the bird references! 9/10

As with all of Ali McNamara’s books, I’ve come to expect a touch of magic and this one certainly lived up to expectations.

After a traumatic incident in London, Ava moves to Bluebell Wood with her rescue dog Merlin by her side. She wants to keep to herself but the residents of Bluebell Wood have different ideas and are determined to welcome her into their small community.

A wonderful magical story with a lovely mix of characters which made for an enjoyable and entertaining read.

With grateful thanks to netgalley and Ali McNamara for an arc in return for an honest opinion.
Firstly I have read all of this ladies books and they are quite outstanding, this one is no exception, it's actually quite mesmerising and truly magical.
This is a Tale that involves a beautiful village of bluebell Wood some amazing residents some more amazing than others like Calum and Jonah from the church and new residents Ava and Lonan, there new friendship is helpful and very much healing especially for ava I couldn't put this nook down it truly is outstandingly magical. I can’t praise this book enough.

Hope and Happiness in Bluebell Wood is such a wonderfully calming and magical story.

Ava moves to a tiny village from London to escape something awful that happened in her life. We don’t find out what until later in the story, but it was obviously very traumatic, and left her with panic attacks and a fear of people.

Ava soon settles into village life with her rescue dog Merlin, and she changes beyond belief. She feeds the birds, spends time reading and learning, starts to bake and slowly starts to socialise and trust again. A far cry from her hectic life in London.

As with all Ali McNamara stories there’s a little bit of magic at stake too which makes me feel almost childlike. Like many old villages, life revolves around the church and aspects of the Bible and Christianity play a part in this story. This is not done in a preachy way by any means, but it all ties in with the historical and folklore aspects of the story. It was so interesting and makes you realise what a tiny part we play in the universe.

I loved this story and isn’t the cover gorgeous too. A thoroughly enchanting book.

I have read all of Ali McNamara’s books and loved every one and this is no exception! A beautifully written book full of endearing characters who will stay with me for a long time. I became totally invested in Ana and Callum’s story and their journey to find out the true history of the little village of Bluebell Wood. Robin, Linnet, Jemima and the other residents of this little community all pull together to try and save the village from a developer Colin Cuckoo, who wants to build a vast housing estate on the village outskirts, face a race against time. A lovely gentle book that kept me gripped until the very end. I would love Ali to write a sequel about this village, it’s church and it’s residents as I feel that there is more to tell. Feel good fiction with well written characters. I loved it!

Wow. Just wow. I absolutely loved this book. A true escape with just a sprinkle of magic, exactly what we all need. The story follows Ava Martin who just over a year ago suffered a negative life changing event. This traumatic experience has had such an impact on her that she decides that a total change is exactly what she needs. She is offered a cottage ,on a six month rental, near bluebell wood and accepts immediately. So, with her newly adopted dog (Merlin) she moves in hoping for solitude , long walks and time to heal.- mother nature has different ideas!
We follow her magical adventure where unexpected gifts from an almost unbelievable source solve a mystery from years gone by. In the process she starts to heal and make friends. I stayed up until 1am to finish this and loved every single page.