What a joy! Small Miracles by Anne Booth is such a breath of fresh air. Who knew that a book about nuns in 1990s suburbia would be so funny, so warm and so uplifting. Please tell me someone has optioned this for TV - it is perfect Sunday night TV in book form. I already have a cast list in my head.
Anne Booth clearly has a talent for writing about soul searching, friendship and different sorts of love. I can't wait to see what she writes next. In the meantime, can I please meet Sister Bridget?

This was the perfect book whilst convalescing from Covid. Warm, tender, filled with small moments of perfection and serendipity which no one sees, but impacts many. A lovely read. Recommend.

I almost stopped reading this story early but I'm so glad I persevered - warm, witty, laugh out loud funny, well worth hanging in for the ending!

This is one of those books that's so easy and enjoyable to read it. It manages to be charming, heartwarming and feel good without tipping over into being too saccharine or overly sentimental.
The story centres on a once flourishing religious order, the order of the Sisters of Saint Philomena, which is now down to its three last nuns. The place that Sisters Margaret, Bridget and Cecilia call home is in dire need of repairs and, with no savings and no new recruits, they are facing the prospect of having to sell up and leave behind the friends and neighbours in the parish community that they love.
But when the ninety-year-old nun Cecilia decides to play the newly launched National Lottery, a series of small miracles begins to unfold.
It may not feel totally believeable, but who cares when it makes you feel good and leaves you with a warm glow -and lord knows we all need something that can do that these days!
With tanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

It was a bit of an unsure start for me with this book. At first I thought it wasn’t going to be my kind of read. It all seemed very serious and, well…..religious, like you might expect from a story about nuns I suppose. There was much praying and calling each other Sister Margaret, Sister Bridget etc when addressing each other. Told in the third person, it really started to irritate me when the narration referred to them as Sister Margaret etc too. Thankfully, either this seemed to ease off somewhat as I got further into the book, or I just stopped noticing, I’m not sure, but things improved I’m glad to say.

I enjoyed the character development. As the reader we are soon able to distinguish between the three nuns. Bridget was just a generally positive, happy person who loved to cook. She especially liked to cook and look after the local priest as well as a friend that attended the gardens and was the widower of Bridget’s friend. Bridget is the most positive out of the three nuns with a sunny disposition. Margaret is the youngest of the three in her late 50’s and seems to be having something of a crisis of faith and feels she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. I did wonder if perhaps it was the Menopause that was causing most of her angst to be honest but it was never mentioned. Then there’s 90 year old Cecilia who would try the patience of a saint. As you might expect at 90, she’s very old school, set in her ways and something of a snob I thought.

It’s a nice, pleasant read without being overly kindly. As you might expect, due to living in such close proximity of each other they don’t always see eye to eye and there are a few heart to hearts, fallings out and making up again. The plot itself was perhaps a little lacking and I wasn’t overly enthralled with the ending, but I loved all the supporting characters in the book, as well as the nuns, with some additional stories running alongside the main plot. All in all it really is an uplifting book, with some quite poignant moments to it as well.

**To be posted to my blog closer to publication date**

Took a while to get into this book but I loved it. The setting and the characters were so well portrayed, such a lovely story of devotion and love

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - you should read this book for yourself!

I really enjoyed this novel. Although the main characters are nuns, you don't have to at all be religious to enjoy the story. It's a lovely light read, filled with warmth, wit, humour and a determination to succeed against all the odds. The book is filled with "small miracles" - those little twists of fate that lead to other twists of fate, and on to outcomes that you could never have expected.

Without giving away the plot, a search for ways to raise funds leads to a mystery that takes our heroines to Italy, including a trip to St Peter's in Rome.

If (like me) you were raised a Catholic, you'll recognise the innocent hope and belief shown by the nuns in their prayers to patron saints (and of course, Himself!).

There are some wonderful characters, and I liked the way they were (or became) connected. I particularly liked Sister Bridget - a warm, slightly eccentric, human, and loveable soul who reminded me of one of my old teachers. Also loved George (and his peevish mother!), Matthew, and Father Hugh.

One of my favourite reads so far this year (I'll probably re-read it at some point too).

Warning: You will find yourself craving tea and cake at various points in the book (thanks to Sister Bridget!)

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

This charming story about a diminished order of nuns was a welcome distraction. I loved the friendship, relationships and the hopeful nature of the story. The nun's journey to Italy was enchanting, with an unexpected twist. I also enjoyed that despite being nuns, they found personal relationships challenging, especially when living in such close quarters. Grief and the way it affects us all, was very sympathetically portrayed, and love, well love conquers all! A thoroughly enjoyable escapist read.

Only three nuns remain at St. Philomena’s convent in Fairbridge. The garden is overgrown, and several thousand pounds are needed for rewiring and other necessary repairs, resulting in an unholy mess. The three nuns pray and play the lottery in the hope of acquiring the funds to keep the convent running. There is a lot of crying and praying and everything works out for everyone but calling them all miracles is inaccurate. The writing is quite fanciful at times, which had me rolling my eyes. One of the few things I liked about the book was the charming cover illustration.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage, Harvill Secker for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

The premise of this book is heart warming and the novel in general is an easy read. If you’re looking for a light hearted and gentle book then this is for you. Although it is predictable at times, and there is little character development, sometimes you need a book like this to lift your spirits and re engage readers with a kind hearted story. It won’t change your life but it’ll change your mood.

This novel provided a departure from the thrillers I normally read – but am I glad I took this literary detour, as I enjoyed Small Miracles very much!
Set in 1995 in the fictional town of Fairbridge, the three nuns that remain have to be ingenious if they are to survive. Whereas Sister Bridget puts her faith in God, Sister Cecilia puts her hope in winning the lottery, but Sister Margaret, the Superior, cannot see a way other than sell the crumbling convent buildings. But perhaps the nearby residents of Fairbridge are dealing with equally big issues?
This novel is so much more than the ‘uplifting read’ it will most probably be billed as. Finely observed, this is a wonderful and sensitive account of humanity in the last twentieth century. Warmly recommended! I would like to thank the publishers and NetGallley for the ARC I received in advance for this free and unbiased review and am so glad I strayed from the list of books I usually read.

Small Miracles by Anne Booth is a story that will warm your heart with it's wonderful cast of characters who weave their way through the many twists and turns that populate this charming book. Its a very easy read and throughout you know that it will deliver a happy ending, a great holiday read in fact. The plot is both humorous and charming and centres around life in a convent, an unexpected and much needed lottery win, a trip to Italy and the revelation of a miracle. It's a comforting book, no huge drama or mystery, just a gentle look at the vagaries of the lives of the nuns as they struggle with loneliness and their worries about saving their convent as there are only three nuns remaining.

This is the PERFECT balm for our times! I laughed, I smiled, I felt comforted....this book felt like a hug. Thank you for this refreshing ARC!

I struggled halfway through this and wasn't sure whether to continue but was really glad that I persisted. A really lovely story with great characters. A charming read.

A nice, easy read with a gentle pace and comfortingly clear promise of a happy ending from the first page. The book unfortunately didn't evoke any real emotion in me, I didn't find any of the characters particularly well developed and the main plot wasn't as mysterious or intriguing as I would have liked, hence my lower rating, but Small Miracles would be a very pleasant holiday read.
Thank you to NetGalley.co.uk and Random House UK for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A delighful, warm, witty comfort of a book. It will make you smile, laugh, hope and will surprise! The convent setting is jsut the start and the characters are likable. You will warm to them and will them on in their quest. A thoroughly enjable read.

Not my usual genre at all but a beautiful read, a comfortable and comforting story that left me with a warm fuzzy feeling. My thanks to netgalley for a lovely book.

If you are looking for a fantastically skilled bit of literature with deep insights and clever plot twists…walk on. If you are looking for a cosy bit of a convent’s story, you’ve come to the right place.
Anne Booth is a children’s author and it does show in this her first attempt at a grown-up novel. It’s all a bit over-enthusiastic in tone and the characters a bit cardboardy cutty-outy.
The plot had intrigued me since a know a family that supports such a down-on-their-luck mini convent.
Likeble enough.

Small Miracles by Anne Booth is a charming story set in the 1990’s about three nuns who are the last of the St Philomena convent. Sister Margaret, Bridget and Cecilia live in a house that is in dire need of repair and no money for them to recruit new nuns. So, when Sister Cecilia starts playing the lottery and they win £20,000. God must have answered their prayers.
This is a heart-warming story that I really enjoyed, and I loved the characters in this story. But for me personally I thought this was going to be a lot of humour in this story. But, in some parts I thought this was a quite serious one and not funny at all. 4 stars from me.

I found this a tad confusing at first, trying to sort out all the characters. I’m glad I persevered though as this is a book that makes you smile. The story really picked up when they travelled to Rome, from then on it was a total delight. I particularly liked the slow burning love story between the travel agent and the academic.