Lucy Knott is a lovely writer, her books are always a great escape into feel good fiction. I always enjoy picking up her books to read.
Flo is quite a character, she’s a daydreamer who gets lost in fictional worlds of her own creation. She likes to hide from the modern world and would rather conjure up excitement of her own. As happy as this makes her, it does tend to get in the way; not only of her work and friendships but it allows her to ignore the past and what happened when she was young.
Going back to where everything changed, Flo has her eyes opened. She meets Jo, a kindred spirit, and a fantastic friendship starts to blossom. It isn’t necessarily plain sailing though; their friendship is tested in various ways but it’s great to see how they both navigate these issues and move on.

I loved how the friendship between Jo and Flo developed, as they shared their love of books, writing and dreams. The new friendship isn’t without difficulties, but I enjoyed watching this relationship evolve, and seeing how Flo and Jo worked out what was important to them.

I think some people may struggle with the literary overload perhaps, and there were times I wanted to tell Flo to snap out of it myself but it is a cute read and very entertaining. Another great read from this author, I will look forward to the next!

This book follows Florence, a woman who loves to read and daydream. And whilst I found her character a little hard to get used, I enjoyed her quirkiness and the bond she haw with her grandmother and friends. I also found the romance quite different than what I’m used to with Jo being quiet different from the love interests I usually read about.

I think my biggest problem with this book was the writing because it does not go with the present setting of the book. Whilst I understand that the author tried to immerse the reader in the world of books and literature, I still found it quiet difficult to get used to. Nevertheless, if you are someone that enjoys historical fiction, and particularly Little Women, this book might be for you because it does have quite a few references to the book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for a digital copy!

The Little Barn of Dreams does exactly as it says on the cover, transports you into the world of Florence Danver. A daydreamer at heart with an intense love of books and the theatre.

All the characters play a part in this story, I particularly like her Nanna, Margot and the beautiful relationship they have and the bond they share through fellow tragedy. Their love for each other shines in this story.

I love Florence's passion for life, grasping it with both hands and facing her fears. She re-visits a childhood holiday camp and meets Jo, grandson of the owner and they immediately strike up a friendship, will love blossom? It leaves you guessing till the very end.

Overall the book leaves you with a warm, snug feeling and if you want to escape from the every day doldrums, then this is the book for you. An absolute joy from start to finish.

Loved the storyline and the characters were great but found Florence a bit to much at times with her day dreaming, loved the wonderful Margot who has raised Florence since her parents died when she was only a small child, loved the holiday camp where the tragedy happened and really enjoyed the description of the place and how the bad memories for Florence are gradually replaced with good ones, loved the over all out come and was glad Florence's day dreaming at the end wasn't as bad

Can a character be too quirky and whimsical? Kind of? I think that was my main issue with Florence. I love, love, love a bookworm heroine, but at times, she was just a bit much, which took me out of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Did not finish. I could not get in to the story. It was not my cup of tea.

It’s no secret how much I adore Lucy’s books and this one was just as wonderful as the others!

Lucy creates such incredible, vibrant, enjoyable characters, her writing and descriptions make it so easy to bring the characters to life and really pull you into the story.

I adored Florence, She is such a relatable, quirky bookish character who gets caught up in her daydreams.

The backgrounds of the other characters and the way they all intertwined really added something special to the story and I loved Nanna Margot.

Flo’s summer wasn’t as relaxing as she expected but in order for her to have her happy - ever - after she needs to figure out some things about herself first.
The way in which lucy writes just makes me feel so at home, cosy, and I’m always left wanting more!

This review doesn’t give justice to how amazing this book is. I just can’t get it down into the right words.

Definitely recommend this and all of Lucy’s others!

Love a Lucy Knott book!! Warm and lovely, this is a real treat for all book lovers, and dreamers.
Florence lives in a different world to her work and life, but when she loses her job, and has another disastrous blind date set up by her well meaning friend, her grandmother sends her off on a holiday which could give her the break she needs, and perhaps face up to what happened in her childhood.
From daydreaming to reading the classics, the references are all there. Can you bring your dreams to life? Or are they just a necessary escape!?
The characters and their history are brilliantly interwoven. The holiday camp, bookshops and coffee shops all sound inviting and well worth a visit!
Loved this book! Brilliant!
Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for the early read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria or Arie books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

We are introduced to bookish Florence, she is a day dreamer trying to do anything to escape the real world. Brought up by her loving Nanna we realise she has become the way she has because of trauma as a child when her parents were killed in an accident. Determined to make her Granddaughter live a full life her Nanna books Florence a holiday to Camp Calla Lily, the last place she wants to go as it was the last holiday she had with her parents. When she gets there se meets the charming George and his Grandson Jo. The friendship and romance starts to blossom and Florence starts living in the present.

I did like this book and Florence and her Nana relationship was lovely. But I really struggled with the writing, I kept having to remind myself that I was reading a book set in the present and not a historical fiction book, the language just threw me. I know lots of bookish people but they don't speak in dialogue like Elizabeth Bennett in every conversation.

I would read other books by the author but this particular one was just not for me.

2.5 stars
While this was a cute little romance, it was also rather annoying. Florence is just over-the-top whimsical and eccentric with her constant escapist fantasy moments.

I want to give her a little bit of a pass in that she had a very traumatic experience in her childhood, but she’s cloistered her mind and life so much as a result that it’s amazing that she was able to hold down a job at all.

I also question how, on her very first morning at the camp, Jo is outside her door and already flirting before they’ve even said hello. It’s a little too sudden.

The camp itself sounds fabulous—I would totally spend a week there!

Florence’s nan, Margot, is sweet, but a bit of an enabler. I love how she comes into her own at the end of the book.

Florence makes some interesting friends and definitely grows as the book progresses. It’s good to see her re-enter reality and become a stronger—and less obnoxious to the reader!—person.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Florence herself is such an innocent, there’s not much here. Recounting the trauma in her past could upset sensitive readers. There might have been some mild cursing. Some characters aren’t entirely truthful.

Who Might Like This Book:
Anyone who likes a clean romance and doesn’t mind a sometimes annoying protagonist. Easily appropriate for teens.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Also reviewed at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2021/08/july-releases-for-summer-downtime.html

This is such a fun light romance, fast-paced, summer read! The main character just wants a quiet getaway from all the technology and modern-world problems, that she visits the nostalgic holiday spot of her childhood! It's got heartwarming lines, a sweet romance, and is predictable but in a reassuring way. There's some parts of her revisiting some bad trauma but overall enjoyable!

I don't even know where to begin! I've actually just finished reading Luc's 6th book before it gets sent to her publisher for the first time, so I'm currently in a hazy bubble of Lucy's book world and I don't want it to pop! Luc just keeps getting better and better. Her ideas are so unique and so much fun and her writing gets more descriptive and more humorous with each book she writes! I can't divulge anything about book number 6, so I will happily dive into book number 5 for the last day on 'The Little Barn Of Dreams' blog tour!

I've said it in videos and on social media, but 'The Little Barn of Dreams' is the one book I've read the most of Lucy's and no matter how many times I read it and then how much it changed, I loved it every time. I loved her idea from the get go and I adored how she executed it. She seriously blows my mind with every book she writes and honestly I'm not saying that because I'm biased, she really, really does!

Her books are a breath of fresh air to me. I know when I pick them up I'm going to get something that feels real, with characters that have depth and emotion and stories that offer a unique take and vibe. She certainly did that with 'The Little Barn of Dreams' and I love her for it. I especially love this story, because she wrote it around the time the new 'Little Women' came out. We were both obsessed with the movie and then read the book and it just filled our hearts with joy. Luc then sat down to pen her 5th novel with her head swimming with Louisa May Allcot's words and the beautiful story of the March sisters. To me, the tone and voice of 'The Little Barn of Dreams' is so in tune with the aforementioned classic novel that it made my heart so full. I am simply awestruck in how Luc can get an idea in her head and then sit down and make the words appear the way she (and I) had envisioned them.

Key point: Florence is a book lover to her very core. Daydreaming about her favourite novels suits her better than having to attempt to fit into the real world. She feels safe within her book worlds and who can really blame her? She's been hurt by life a few times, so is much more content with her characters than with real people. This doesn't change!!! and this is why I love my sister! Florence doesn't meet Jo and find someone who suddenly snaps her out of her daydreams and makes her see that the real world isn't all bad, sure he helps her see that she can be loved and doesn't need to be scared and face life alone, BUT he accepts her for who she is and enjoys what makes her her! So many times we act like the people who are a little quirky and unique need to realise that they should snap out of it and conform to societies standards, when in actual fact, more of society should be accepting of people's quirks and uniqueness and adapt to them.

I'll end up ranting in a minute so I'll quickly talk about my other favourite things, but seriously I do love that Jo just gets and accepts Florence. It's a beautiful thing to watch unfold. The dialogue they share often had me grinning from ear to ear and giggling to myself and I just felt so happy and cosy around them. I have a certain actor in mind for Jo, but I don't want to spoil it, I just really want to see this become a movie so he can actually play him. Let me know if you have any ideas, because I just swooned every time the two of them were together, picturing it play out in my head!

The setting was magical from every angle. I loved the whole vibe of Camp Calla Lily (Calla Lily...if you know, you know!) and I very much wish I could just grab a backpack full of my favourite books and curl up in a chair outside my pastel pink hut! They sounded so utterly perfect! Not to mention the barn, the lake and the campfires. Yes to all the smores under the stars please!! It was all utterly idyllic!

Another delight in 'The Little Barn Of Dreams' were the friends Florence made at a certain café, that I may or may not have had a hand in helping Luc come up with names for. This was so much fun and again I just adore Luc's imagination when it comes to things like this. Caffeine Heights would definitely be on my must visit list. It's the perfect place for bookworms to read, write, chat and have a coffee or tea!

In conclusion and if you can't already tell, I LOVED 'The Little Barn of Dreams' and hope you will to. It's whimsical, dreamy, romantic, bookish and wonderfully endearing! An absolute must for those of us that find solace between the pages of our favourite books!

The Little Barn of Dreams, by Lucy Knott, was a quick summer read featuring Florence, a daydreamer and book fanatic, as she navigates Camp Calla-Lilly, childhood trauma and of course the romance between her and Jo. Florence attempts to avoid the modern world at all costs; forget phones and social media here! When she is sacked from her boring desk job, her Nanna encourages her to revisit a childhood holiday spot, however there is much trauma here, which she pushes through, finding so much more than she'd expected.

The romance with Jo was fairly predictable, however sweet, and I enjoyed their story as they grew closer and Florence lowered her defenses. Jo is another dreamer and writer, attempting to make a living through his creativity, however is on a break at the Camp, and helping out his Grandfather (who owns it). Also the quote "you are the chapters I never want to stop writing, the book I never want to stop reading" is so adorable!!

Overall, The Little Barn of Dreams was enjoyable as a light romance, although a bit slow at times.

A bookworm's dream romance!

I've loved Lucy's writing since reading her first book. She writes with such heart and emotion that I'm incapable of putting her books down once I get started! Her characters are always kind and sweet - the perfect best friend's on the page.

Florence was a wonderful, quirky, day-dreamy character and the settings Lucy created were a bookworm's dream. Who wouldn't want a little hut to sit and read in and a handsome, equally quirky hero to bring you tea?! Throw in a good amount of romantic tension and you've got yourself a great summer read.

This was another fantastic, uplifting and wonderfully dreamy read from Lucy and I can't wait to see what she brings us next.

What an absolute joy it was to read 'The Little Barn of Dreams'! Lucy Knott has created a delightful and instructive story about the balance in life while dealing with horrible trauma. It was enchanting as Florence went to camp after she lost her job and there faced her worst fears and found the potential for her greatest joy. I would give this book a dozen stars if I could, and highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A fantastic book filled with hope, imagination in bucket fulls, love and a nana who loves and believes in you no matter what. Flo is not an up to date, fashion conscious twenty something girl. She much prefers to wear what she wants, prefers books to people and has a habit of drifting off in a storybook world. Her nana decides she needs a holiday to re fuel and books her a week at Cala Lily Park. However this place is filled not only with lots of happy memories it also holds the key to a devastating memory, that Flo has locked away. Is the holiday a nightmare or does it open up her dreams, wants and wishes. Which of course include her own knight in shining armour. Simply wonderful

Today I am delighted to be kicking off the blog tour for the lovely Lucy and her latest release The Little Barn of Dreams.

Well where do I start, once again Lucy has created vibrant characters that capture your heart and take you on a wonderful journey. When I read Lucy’s last book, I had a new favourite and now I am torn as this one was equally as wonderful.

Florence is a wonderfully quirky character that I instantly connected with, she reminded me of my constantly daydreaming daughter and I loved how she has been encouraged to be herself by her Nan and not change despite the influence of her best friend. When Florence’s Nan books her a holiday to Camp Calla Lily she reluctantly embarks on an adventure that she has been avoiding since being left heartbroken after her last visit. On her arrival at the Camp Calla Lily she fell in love with the magical setting of the wooden huts with their fairy lights and piles of books to devour whilst relaxing.

Lucy has a wonderful way of creating characters with wonderful endearing quirks and Florence and Jo were the ultimate dreamteam, I loved the references to Little Women one of my absolute favourite books scattered throughout. From the moment I picked this up, I just wanted to keep reading as I was so invested in the new friendship that continued to grow between Florence and Jo, and was keen to discover why Jo was really at Camp Calla Lily and whether he was there to help or hinder his Grandfather.

A story that left me feeling warm and fuzzy and I would happily sit and read over again. The perfect book to curl up with in the garden and enjoy the summer sun whilst losing yourself in the gorgeous destination of Camp Calla Lily.

What a beautifully written book that captured my imagination and transported me to a camp with cabins, a lake and a barn ripe for transforming into a magic place. I loved the characters, Florence and Jo had known heartache but lost themselves in the world of books. This is a book I will keep and revisit - pure magic. So pleased to be sent a copy to read and review. Five stars isn’t nearly enough.

After reading some harrowing historical fiction books, I needed to escape into a feel good book and this was an excellent choice.

Flo is a daydreamer, who escapes into fairytale worlds and shuns the modern world. She doesn’t have a mobile phone or understand social media but she can conjure up dragons and knights in her imagination. However this is getting in the way of her living her best life and stopping her from facing up to the past.

I loved how the friendship between Jo and Flo developed, as they shared their love of books, writing and dreams. The new friendship isn’t without difficulties, but I enjoyed watching this relationship evolve, and seeing how Flo and Jo worked out what was important to them.

Another lovely book by Lucy Knott I’m happy to recommend. I also need to find my childhood copies of Little Women and Jo’s Boys after being inspired to read them again.

\what a lovely book, Lucy has again written a fantastic story with great characters and very descriptive settings. This is well worth 5 stars and I highly recommend you all go and read this, I am sure you will enjoy doing so.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC