A lovely book, charming, funny and a gentle pace. It’s a love story in every guise and told with simplicity and skill. If you are looking for something to really relax with, join Sisters Margaret, Bridget and Cecilia as they battle to keep their Convent viable and connect with other members of the local community. Great ending, thoroughly enjoyable read.

Three nuns in a convent, rubbing each other up the wrong way, while still trying to do meaningful work in their parish. In many ways the lottery win is the least exciting part of this story--but it does kick off a series of events which seem unrelated.

In a good book, events that seem unrelated never are. That's why I eventually added 'suspense' to my list of shelves for Small Miracles. There are secrets, and they need to come out. There are people who hide their hurts, and those need to come out to heal. And there are lots of people trying very hard to be nice, and forgetting to be nice to themselves. If that doesn't sound like something you'd like to read, then I'm sorry, because it led to a splendidly warm and humorous book where you become friends with nearly everybody.

Small Miracles belongs in that category of books alongside What You Can See from Here, which are easy to read, but difficult to escape. Thoughts of the people and their situations, how they handle them, stay with you. You might love to live in this community, but you'd be afraid to be stifled by it. Yet there is room for everyone.

I found Anne Booth's handling of the characters and their development impeccable. Nobody changes overnight, but plenty gather food for thought that you know will make a difference. In some ways the writing is simple, but that simplicity creates terrific scenery and atmosphere. Especially the simple sentences that conjure up the sights and smells of small Italian towns.

I really enjoyed this book. I think you will too.

"'What am I to say her her Lord? She asked. 'How can I convince her that she should stop praying for a miracle? How can I convince her that the money just isn't going to come and that we should sell the house? That it's time to admit that there are only three of us left, that the Order of St Philomena is finished, and see if we can join another Order?''

I'm the fictional English town of Fairbridge, Sister Margaret, Bridget and Cecilia are the last remaining sisters in the St Philomena's Convent. They used to be full, busy and run the neighbouring Roman Catholic school, but now they feel lost, struggling to find purpose following this loss of purpose and the deaths of fellow sisters. Responsible Sister Margaret struggles, having found herself Mother Superior following the death of her beloved fellow Sister Helen; sociable Sister Bridget feeds Father Hugh, her fellow sisters and generally takes care of everyone in Fairford: and withdrawn Sister Cecilia researches and idolises Edward Mortimer, who gave the Order its current home, hoping to find a Saint to save the day. A surprise lottery ticket win brings new opportunities for the sisters at home and abroad and a trip to Italy helps them all find their own way back to one another and to their faith.

This is a lovely tale of struggles with adversity with real-feeling characters and settings. I particularly liked sister Bridget, but narratives from Sisters Margaret and Cecilia too explained their behaviour and feelings. The pace felt slow, perhaps keeping pace with the sisters' lives and I struggled with the number of narratives from supporting characters as well as the three protagonists. Full of humour (particularly Sister Bridget's prayers) and kindness, this is a heartwarming and cosy tale.

One of my favourite books of the year so far! When Sisters Margaret, Cecilia and Bridget of St Philomena's Convent have a small win on the Lottery, it solves their immediate financial problems, but they still have a long way to go if they're to save the Order from extinction. In a well-paced and convincing narrative, they embark on solving a mystery that may bring them the support they need - and in doing so discover truths about themselves and their vocations along the way.
A fabulous read, this has everything - wonderfully empathetic and full-rounded main characters, an engaging cast of supporting characters, an air of mystery, humour, kindness and a light lashing of suspense.
I'll just leave this here by saying we all need a Sister Bridget in our lives.
If you only read one book this year, read this one. It's full of small miracles, but its greatest one is its ability to lift your heart!

Gosh, this isn’t a bunch of happy nuns, once a bustling community the sisters of St Philomena are now down to three, Sisters Margaret, Bridget and Cecilia are struggling, the convent needs re wiring, there are no new recruits, the church needs a new roof and Sister Margaret is trying to hold it all together. But a chain reaction of small miracles starts to pave the way to happiness.
Anne Booth has written a lovely feel good novel which is perfect summer reading.

First things first, this book has a gorgeous cover. It’s been teasing me all month just begging to be read.

I always harboured a desire to be a nun - although not for the religious reasons I should. You get a long frock (no shaving of legs), you get a wimple headgear (no hair washing), you don’t have to find a well paid job, or worry about affording a house or finding a partner - it all sounds quite lovely. But I agree they’re not usually the reasons why women join the sisterhood.

I love that this book showed an everyday side to nuns that general public wouldn’t necessarily witness - the cooking, watching TV, friendships - it reminded me that they’re human too.

It’s full of everything: love, lust, friendship, relationships, joy, worry, grief, sadness. It is joyful, an overwhelmingly positive and heartwarming.

The plot wasn’t 100% what I imagined. I thought a nun would win a certain amount on the lottery and secretly use the money to surprise the community, ending up in a big reveal at the end. But it wasn’t like that at all. It’s all about faith (unsurprisingly), faith in God, faith in yourself, your loved ones, faith in nature and faith in knowing that what is meant to be, will be.

I did find it a little confusing at times with all the different storylines going on, but I admit I was a little tired when reading it so it may have been me, but there are a lot of characters in it so best get your head around that quickly. Like I say, it did take me a little while but it didn’t detract from the story or the characters - who were well written and developed.

I think this would work well as a film. It’s written in a very visual way so it’s easy to see the characters and the settings which makes it easy to get absorbed in the story.

The demand for gentle, empathetic and comforting reads has been noticeable this year. Following two years of pandemic and with global uncertainty still continuing, many are turning from thrillers and murders to something that confirms that there is still good in this world and small miracles can happen when we spread love.
Having followed Anne Booth on Twitter for a few years now, it is clear she is a Christian with a strong political sense of right and wrong. Her beliefs and positive outlook on life are woven into this story of three nuns who, as the last remaining sisters at St Philomena’s, aim to reinvigorate their convent and prevent it from falling into disuse.
The tender love story between George and Matthew was a joy to read and I also smiled at the way circumstances often led to ripples of positivity or perfect outcomes because of being at the right place at the right time. If you are a believer in God, you can choose to see these as divine intervention or if not, then just happy coincidence: either way, the feeling of well being and happiness is a boost to the reader.

There are usually two types of stories about nuns: cheerful tales of wimpled women, slightly clueless and out of touch, trying to deal with the modern world; or harsh Magdalene laundry types, burying babies in the back garden and berating terrified teenage mothers. Small Miracles is the former of these. And thank goodness for that.

Small Miracles is a nice book. It is a soothing balm for these troubled times, a patch of cheer away from real life. Set in the fictional university town of Fairbridge, Saint Philomena's convent used to run a secondary school but the school has been taken over and only three nuns remain. Sister Margaret, the new Superior, is a lovely caring nun but is denial about the depth of her grief for previous Superior Sister Helen, and has no clear ideas about how to manage the convent and the appalling state of its finances. Her fellow nuns, Sister Bridget a madcap enthusiastic cooking whirlwind, and Sister Cecilia, a gloomy historian who spends a lot of time researching the life of the convent's founder in the hope of making him a Saint, are dedicated to the convent but do little except drive Sister Margaret nuts.

The story is about how the nuns and the small community of people they know and work alongside in Fairbridge, and how a series of small miracles can change all their fortunes. It is a pleasant read full of hope and faith and features a lot of muttering asides to God, which is how I often imagine someone who is married to the Lord would manage the relationship. There is a strong supporting cast, a surprising Lottery win storyline, a pilgrimage and a love story within, and this all comes together in a way that you could call pre-ordained.

If you're in need of cheer, I recommend it. It's modern (well, the 1990s, is that still modern?) but otherwise very much in the style of AJ Pearce's Dear Mrs Bird series, a jolly light-spirited romp. It has something to offer about the place of faith in the modern world, about community and the role of religious orders, and how we can all look to be there for one another in different ways.

Anne Booth is totally new to me, so I had no idea what to expect from Small Miracles. But I loved the cover and the description sounded interesting, so I went for it. I certainly didn’t regret it.

I really loved this book. It’s quite different to a lot of the books I read, but it was so enjoyable. It’s centred around three religious Sisters, who have had a tough couple of years with changes and deaths. But it also covers the community they serve. I loved the way that all the characters stories intertwined, and the way that small actions (and small miracles) had such an impact on their lives.

I really liked the characters, especially Sister Margaret and Sister Bridget. I loved the emotional journey that they both went on, and how they learned to better understand each other. Sister Cecelia is a little harder to love, but I feel like there’s some real pain behind her behaviour. Perhaps we’ll find out more about her in a future book?

The story has some very funny moments, and also some moving moments. It made me feel happy and hopeful. I also enjoyed the mystery that the Sisters investigated.

Overall, this was a funny and uplifting story about community, kindness, with the odd splash of romance. I will certainly be looking out for more books by Anne Booth.

TW: grief, but this is an uplifting story

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

The order of the Sisters of Saint Philomena is struggling to survive. They consist of three nuns and they do the lottery in the hope of that big win.
Suddenly a series of small miracles happen and they find themselves travelling to Italy. Will this save the convent?
A story of love, friends, hope and faith.

Anne Booth writes a delightful and warm novel set in Fairbridge in the 1990s, where the order of the Sisters of Saint Philomena find themselves facing particularly hard times. The convent has debts that are weighing down the despairing 58 year old Mother Superior, Sister Margaret, still grieving the loss of her close friend, Sister Helen. The school that she had run has been taken away from them, eroding their place in the community. There are no new recruits to the order, further endangering their sense of purpose and future, the two remaining nuns, 90 year old judgemental Sister Cecilia thinks they can win the lottery and pouring her energies into researching their benefactor, Sir Edward Mortimer, and 70 year old Sister Bridget is a wonderful cook, with a joyous infectious spirit that draws people to her like a magnet. Margaret prays desperately, feeling a sense of frustration at their inability to see the dire straits they are in, the repairs that need to be attended to, as she fears they will have to sell up, leaving behind their friends and neighbours in their parish community.

However, matters begin to improve when they have a surprising £20 000 lottery win, a small miracle that brings some relief from their debts. Is God at long last beginning to smile on them? Father Hugh needs a new roof and a curate to help him manage his heavy workload, the Bishop insisting it is up to him to fundraise for the roof. Travel agent George Sanders cares for his cantankerous mother, but he is bursting with hopes of finding love with academic and art historian, Dr Matthew Woodburn, specialising in the paintings of Jack Mortimer, desperate to find more paintings by the artist. Linda, daughter of convent gardening volunteer, Thomas Amis, has been working as a real estate agent for years, but is feeling low and depressed. The discovery of a photograph and letter in a desk have the nuns travelling in hope on a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy, and more specifically to Cardellino, to find out more about Ellen Kerr, a parlour maid that just might be their saviour.

Brooks writes a glorious novel of miracles, small and big, of challenges in life, grief, love, loss, friendships, community, and of findings answers and a future where you least expect to. The nuns here are flawed and all too human, but that just makes it easier for the reader to connect with them and the issues that confront them, my favourite is the whirl of energy that is Sister Bridget, with her fabulous cooking and the ease with which she makes the world feel like a better place for everyone she comes across. I recommend this book to those looking for something fun and uplifting to read and it has to be said, that the world itself could do with a few miracles, small and big! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This was such a lovely story, cosy and comforting and filled with really endearing characters . I found it quite sad to think that convents are having such difficulties bringing in new noviciates and that the quiet more contemplative way of life may be lost. The trio of nuns here were well drawn and the story of the chain reaction after a modest lottery win for the beleaguered sisters was really good fun. A bit of intrigue, art, Italian sun and a beautiful subplot about a burgeoning and surprising love made for a wonderful addition .

Faith and fun melded.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I couldn’t get into the writing style, which is more of a me problem than a problem with the book.

Please don’t let this put you off reading as it sounds like a beautiful story with a lovely premise but just not for me!

Lovely heartwarming book. I did struggle at the beginning however so glad I kept going. The characters are wonderful, all different personalities and troubles of their own. It brings community life together with love and hope. I'm glad I read it as it was very enjoyable, charming, quirky and in parts you'll either laugh or cry...

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion

What a lovely novel. A charming cast of characters with the sisters from St Philomena’s convent and members of the community - all have their own problems. There’s gentle humour along the way. A perfect read – thanks for the ARC.

What a fabulously charming story about love and hope.
The story starts full of dispare, but small miracles seem to happen along the way and what appears to be a dire situation for the 3 sisters, becomes one of hope, enthusiasm and love.
Love seems to conquer all!
I believe in fate and this book emphasises that. Things always happen for a reason.
I felt such sorrow for Sister Margaret and her relationship with Sister Helen. Sister Bridget is the person I would like me to be, forever cheerful and optimistic, my favourite character by far.

This book is the most wonderful, heartwarming book. I had no idea what to expect with a novel about aging nuns and a lottery win and it could have so easily been twee, however, the characters are all relatable and real, with their own foibles and struggles.

Having struggled with many different types of novels recently, this was a joy to read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely, charming story about nuns and how they try to save their convent. I really enjoyed the warmth, compassion and positivity Anne wrote about.- it’s so good to see our world is not all bad- especially considering the terrible last few years we have all had with the corona virus pandemic.

Thank you to vintage for my earc of this book!
I thought this was an easy-going, light and very fun read. I almost wish I had read it in winter because I could totally imagine reading this under a blanket with a hot chocolate!

What an unusual premise for a book! The crumbling convent of St Philomena's is in drastic need of repair. Prayers are not enough at this time as there needs to be a cash injection and quick. Anne Booth's writing is such a pleasure to read - sharp observations on the community with the Sisters coming to life as living entities. I imagined the nuns who taught me at my convent school but this book certainly gave the nuns more personality; watching TV and queuing for lottery tickets at Mr Abidi's corner shop. It is said lottery ticket that marks a change in the fate of the convent and what ensues are conversations with God, much deliberation about how exactly the winnings should be spent and interfering priests. Overall, a cosy read and one I am sure will be popular when it is released in August.