I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I couldn't get enough of this story, it was one of those rare books that completely and utterly got under my skin and wouldn't let me go until I had devoured the book. I read it in only a few short hours and was gripped during that time.

It's an enchanting story about Stella and Holly, two people who perhaps didn't quite realise just how lonely they were until they met each other and formed a cross generational friendship.

For Stella is in her eighties and is living alone on a cliff top, in a house that is getting closer and closer to the cliff's edge, due to soil erosion. While Holly is a single mother to Maisie, and has trouble trusting people and letting them get close to her, and for understandable reasons.

But yet when Holly starts to listen to Stella's life story, it moves her. And Stella has lived an ordinary but incredibly interesting life, not without its intrigue and scandal. She's a fascinating character and I'm glad I had the opportunity to get to know her via this book.

This was a utterly charming and heartwarming novel, and shows that friends can be made at whatever age you are. Simply superb.

Thank you to Piatkus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book. Idyllic location that set the tone of the book to perfection. Perfect seasonal book to get you in the mood for the festive season.

Winter at Cliff's End Cottage by Sheila Norton

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group and I am leaving this review voluntarily

'The house is small but solid looking, with a grey slate roof and whitewashed walls. You can see it from quite a long way off, especially during these cold months of winter, when there's nothing but the gloomy sky and the circling seagulls interrupting the view. It's on its own, sitting up there so close to the edge.'

Cliff's End Cottage is a local landmark. Perched on the South Devon coast, its garden has begun slowly toppling into the sea, yet the elderly and infamously stubborn owner Stella refuses to leave her home. When Holly, a young journalist and single mum struggling to make ends meet, decides to interview Stella about her life, at first she's given short shrift. However, helped by a slice or two of cake and a couple of friendly cats, a tentative friendship begins to develop between the two lonely women.

We follow Stella and Holly, two very different characters as they tell each other about their lives. This is a nice read, and in places it was slow so it was easy to put down and read when I needed an escape from reality. An enjoyable read, set in winter but can be read at any time of year and leaves you with that heart-warming feeling.

Rating 4/5

I thought I would love this more than I did. It was a good read don’t get me wrong but I just wasn’t that invested in the characters. Location was dreamy though

Cosy and heartwarming, this was such a lovely, gentle story, and yet compelling enough that it kept me reading until I’d finished. I’ll definitely be looking for more books by Sheila Norton.

Such a gorgeous read, so beautiful and moving. I love stories about different generations coming together and this is written so well,mixing history with fiction, the author uses alternating points of view really well with a distinct voice between characters. A delightful read, romance, friendships, festive, more than one happy ending what more could you want

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

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Another wonderful book by Sheila Norton!!! This book is telling the story of two women, an older and a younger one who are going to become very good friends and tell eachother their lives. This book will bring us back to the time when the older lady was young. I really enjoyed this book, it was a bit slow at times, I would have prefered to have less details about the life of the older lady but more about the younger one but all in all this book was really good and very well written! And i had a lot of emotions while reading it! So much is going on in there! You won't be disappointed if you read it! It's a 4 stars book for me!

Thanks to Netgalley I the publisher for a free ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I have now signed up to follow her. The book is described as a 'Christmas read' but it is not about Christmas, although it starts in the winter, but it is a very good book when you can take time to get lost in reading. The exploration of each character, including little Maisie, is excellent and shows an understanding of how our lives are shaped by emotions caused by events which happen to us. The relationship between Hollie and Stella grows over the period of discussing Stella's life from childhood to the present day, and whilst the relationship between Hollie and Alec is predictable a happy ending is so much nicer than disappointment! Other reviewers have described this book as 'charming' and I agree that is an appropriate adjective. I enjoyed it every bit as much as a Rosamund Pilcher book and will be back for more!

This lovely book is about friendship between generations and the power of love.
Stella and Holly are both lonely and it is through their unlikely connection that they move on and fine happiness.

A brilliant story. . The cottage sounded amazing . It was cruel how Stella had to give her baby away .A sign of the times. A lovely story . Mais was a cute little girl. I am glad Holly found love and trust with Alex and got Srella’s story told.. The story of the cottage crumbling was beautiful and well told

I read this book as part of my Christmas selection. It’s not really a Christmas themed book, but the suggestion of it being Winter was enough for it to be included! This was a lovely, lovely book which I absolutely adored! Based on the south Devon coast, Cliff’s End Cottage is the home of elderly widow Stella. The cottage is precariously balanced on the edge of the cliff thanks to coastal erosion but stubborn Stella refuses to move out. Single mum and journalist, Holly lives in the seaside village down the cliff and wants to write a story about Stella and the cottage. Over numerous pots of tea and slices of cake, the two women form an unlikely friendship and Stella begins to tell Holly all about her life.

The story alternates between present day and many years before when Stella was younger. It’s also told from Stella and Holly’s perspectives, and whilst this seems like a lot of switching between characters and times, it’s all done effortlessly and not in the least confusing. I loved Stella’s character and initially felt so sorry for her. She was most definitely a lonely old woman, stuck up on the top of the cliff, but with Holly’s friendship and help, the loneliness seemed to disappear. Stella’s life memories were lovely and very emotional. She was evacuated to South Devon from London during the war and her story is told from this point. Holly is also a lovely character, but she also seems to have her own issues and problems that she needs to deal with.

The location was perfect, and whilst you don’t get to have too many images of the little village at the bottom of the cliff, you are certainly treated to great mind’s eye views as to what Stella’s cottage looks like perched up on the edge of the windswept cliff. This isn’t really a romantic read as such, although there is a little bit of romance scattered through the pages. It is however a wonderful heart-warming and emotional story of love, life, friendship and regrets. Stella’s story tugged at my heart-strings and as the book moved on, I loved her more at the turn of each page. Keep the tissues ready for the ending though as I certainly needed them!

This was a beautiful read which once I’d started, I couldn’t put down. It’s definitely a book which will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart and a smile on your face whilst wiping the tears away at the same time. Loved this book, would definitely recommend!

Really enjoyed this book, could not put it down. Will definitely read more by this author. .

A lovely book, with charming characters

Not a great deal really happens but it just doesn’t need to as it’s charming enough just as it is.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say this book is great!
It's heartwarming, it's whitty and a love story to boot. I really loved the way this book was written I was taken to the windy hilltop of Cliff's End Cottage. All the characters were very likeable and I was desperate to find out their stories.

Highly recommend and a top 2021 read!

This was a very cute book that shows that the true value of friendship doesn't depend on age, and can happen in any situation, Holly is a journalist who needs a story, she braves the house of Stella - it is falling down and Stella seems to be completely hiding from the world. Holly starts to befriend Stella, and we find out so much about her history, and why she is in the house. The warmth that develops between the pair is wonderful; it gives a lot of Stella's history and the reasoning as to why she is how she is; the ice melts and a wonderful relationship is formed. I would certainly recommend this book.

You could almost be forgiven you were about to embark on reading some gothic novel about a reclusive women who lives in a cottage on the cliff edge, where strange sounds come from and that local villagers think of as a witch and that the lady is probably a witch.

However what you get with this new novel from Sheila Norton is something much much more and I thoroughly enjoyed the developing friendship between two lonely women across the generations.

Stella lives at Cliff’s End Cottage, it has been her home since she was in her early twenties, now in her eighties, as she is slowing down the cottage is slowly disappearing as the cliff begins to erode, taking part of the cliff face with it often. Everyone thinks she should move, but Stella is determined to stay.

Holly, single mum to the wonderful Maisie, is a freelance journalist and part time cleaner and determined to make her new piece for a magazine stand out she deicides to go out and see this woman at Cliff’s End Cottage. Faced initially with suspicion, a strange respect grows between these two women. With plenty of home made cake and tea made in a teapot, Holly starts to listen to Stella’s story.

As Holly finds out about Stella’s life, so do we, as we are taken back to Stella as a five year old evacuee, with a cockney accent and away from everything she knows. Until she sees the sea and decides that perhaps this is the best place. As Stella grows, she makes friends and decides to take up violin lessons. Those memories of the past are still very much in the present and it seems that the secrets of Stella are not all that they seem.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable read and one that you can lose yourself in as the wind batters the rain against the window and you can snuggle down and simply escape. I enjoyed all the strands of the story whether it be past or present and they weaved together nicely. Nothing is shied away from or made light of and it really was an impactful book about how friendships can come and go at any time during your life and that age is no barrier. All friendships can show us lies and truths, coldness and warmth, hate and love and we can learn from them all.

A warm hug of a book for all those that need it.

Stella is in her 80s and lives in the cottage at Cliff’s End - a cliff that is gradually eroding into the sea.

Holly is a single mother, a freelance journalist and is hiding from her past.

When Holly visits Stella to ask to interview her for an article in a local magazine, little does she know that a deep friendship is about to form, one that allows both women to face their past and look forward to their future.

This is a lovely, heartwarming novel that is, at it’s heart, a tale of the impact men can have on a woman’s life. The narrative is from 3 PoV - young Stella and present day Stella and Holly.

Whilst not specifically a romance novel, there is still a hint of it within the pages. The ending wasn’t a surprise, but it was uplifting.

A lovely read.

Another great read from Sheila Norton, always well written and a pleasure to read. Multi generation friends living literally in a cottage on the edge of a cliff. I enjoyed this from the very first page. Well worth 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC