Listened to this one on audio. A light and entertaining listen. Shows how a chance meeting can change your life. Will read/listen to more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

I felt like we meet Nova, the main love interest here, way too late (almost halfway through) for me to be invested in this book. I did love the sapphic romance and the autumnal setting but that just wasn't enough to undo that.

First off, how pretty is the cover? The colours, the setting it just pops and screams 'Read Me!!' I adore it! Secondly, I'm letting the fact that this is Luc's 6th book and 6th cover sink in!! It's an amazing accomplishment and I know I say it a lot, but I'm so flipping proud of her...like ridiculously proud!!

Even though I'd read 'Love Lessons In Starcross Valley,' a couple of times throughout the editing process, Luc never shared the dedication with me and it wasn't until I got an early copy that I noticed it and realised I'd never actually seen it - I always look forward to seeing book dedications. I'm not going to lie, I got emotional, 1, because it's a perfect dedication and 2, because I get to share this book with a pretty awesome person. More on him in a little bit.

So, the story... I think I've said this with each one of Luc's books, but it's worth repeating because of how true it is. I love, love, love the fact that her books are all different and how each one of them is full of so much heart. While not every story is real life, obviously, they are all very much inspired by real people and occasionally real events. This always makes Luc's book feel that much more emotionally driven and heartfelt. I can feel her connections and love for her characters pour off every single page.

As was definitely the case with 'Love Lessons In Starcross Valley.' Luc finally wrote a twin story! YAY!! Naturally being a twin and writing about a twin meant that she certainly knew what she was talking about, especially where mine and her relationship is concerned. This meant that I did get very emotional at times with Marnie and Jovi's relationship. I could relate to a lot of what they were going through. In some ways reading it in book from was very therapeutic for me. They had a wonderful sister bond and while I'm not sure I could ever jet off for 6 months without Luc, I understand why Marnie did it. Actually that's a lie, I did in fact move to Florida with my husband, while Luc was still in Kentucky years ago, that lasted for about 6 months so I know exactly how that feels. Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do!

The whole family and friends vibe in this book was on point and I had many a laugh out loud moment with Marnie and Antoni, who was lovely. I loved him looking out for Marnie with delicious food and I adore that he was inspired by Antoni from Queer Eye. We love him and I think Luc's character of Antoni in 'Love Lessons' was a perfect tribute to him! Jovi's family was utterly adorable and I very much enjoyed reading about them. I totally understood the overprotectiveness for Marnie from Jovi and Antoni as sometimes when you love someone you really don't want to hurt them with snippets of rumours or information you don't feel like they need to hear, especially when they've already been hurt badly before.

Nova is an utterly beautiful character who I fell in love with from the first moments I met her. The whole Canada prologue had me smiling so big. It's definitely a place on my bucket list and I'm so glad Luc got to write a book where she gets to talk about it a bit, because I know it's close to the top of her bucket list with San Francisco too! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole prologue and getting to see Marnie having fun and throwing caution to the wind with Nova. The two of them together make such a gorgeous couple! I mean have you seen the picture Breagh from AGingerly did to represent them? I have it up in my house and the two of them are stunning!

Marnie's job as a teaching assistant was also easy for me to relate to and I'm so happy that Luc wrote about this too. You can read more about her inspiration behind characters and the story, but I'd like to give my take on it too, as it's something we're both really passionate about. Marnie meets Paislee in 'Love Lessons In Starcross Valley,' and Paislee is autistic. This brings me back to Luc's inspiration and the wonderful person I share the dedication with. I was fortunate enough to witness Luc's work over the last two and a half years with her little boy at school who is autistic. Their relationship was/is one that I wholeheartedly believe everyone should read and know about, because I feel we need more understanding of this in schools. Luc certainly helped set me up for the boy I am working with now. Marnie truly sees Paislee and understands her. She wants what's best for her and to make her happy, this to me is more important than data, tick boxes and 'supposed to's' that we are taught to follow in school. I know Luc won't always take the compliments and I know we don't do what we do for them, we do it because we care, but, and I'm going to get emotional typing this, she really made a difference in her kid's life. She wasn't a 1:1 support for him, she was friend when he needed one. This story isn't about being a saviour or speaking for autistic children, it's about changing the system, it's about speaking up for those that do need a voice and encouraging and hopefully inspiring others to think different about their work or how you treat people you meet in every day life.

I go to work and spend 99% of my day playing with figures, lying on the floor and relating everything to youtubers and Minecraft, some people may not agree with it and trust me, some don't, but whose to say that isn't school and learning? Not every child learns the same way, not every child fits in the 'regular' school system. It's our job to see that, accept it and give them what they need. I honestly, truly hope that whoever picks up this book sees that and passes the book or the message on.

Forgive me for my rambles, but this element of 'Love Lessons,' is so important to me, it's not the whole book but it's a wonderful part of it. The conversations between Marnie and Paislee had me smiling so big...especially if you say Paislee's lines in an American accent. Oh my heart!!!

That's another thing about this story, as with Luc's others books, it's not just a straightforward romance. There is more to it, much more. You've got Marnie's past, her adventures, her getting her life back on track, her friendships, her family life, her parents, her job and then of course her magical romance. It's full of dinosaurs, space, crafts, pumpkins, donuts, ice hockey, coffee and LOVE in all it's amazing, beautiful forms. I'm so happy that Luc wrote the book she's wanted to write for a while. I'm so proud of everything she's talked about in it and I hope you pick yourself up a copy and enjoy it as much as me.

Luc said someone said that she has her very own genre. I firmly believe in this and that it's a huge compliment, because I can never categorise her books, I just know that I love them and that I'm so pleased that she has gotten to share them with the world.

A truly lovely story, a little bit slow to get started with and I did struggle as the story jumped about about a bit but I soon picked it up, and I'm so glad I did.

Marnie is our lead characters, she's had a rough time of it lately with her cheating boyfriend, her divorcing parents and losing the job she loves, so she ups sticks and takes herself off for a well deserved rest and recharge, without so much as a goodbye, the girl is off to another country.
Luckily for her, six months after fleeing, a very happy Marie returns to her parents home ready to go at anything.

I really like the character being so head strong unlike most other romantic stories, Marnie although strong can sometimes appear vulnerable but with her loyalty and true compassion, it really is hard not to love her.

A really light and uplifting read, with notes of love, acceptance and support from other characters, exceptionally well written and completely enjoyable, I really liked this book.

With thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in return for my review!

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

When I saw this one on netgalley it caught my eye and I am glad I got this one as I really enjoyed it. I started reading this one in the perfect mood as this one fit exactly what I wanted to read. Love Lessons in Starcross Valley was a great read about Marnie who has to find herself and figure out what she wants from life after her boyfriend from 10 years cheats on her, she loses her job and her parents separate. I really enjoyed following Marnie's journey. It's a light and uplifting read while also delving deep into Marnie's mindset and journey.

At first I was a bit confused by the start of this book as it wasn't what I had expected. With how much of the blurb focuses on Marnie meeting Nova in Canada and their connection I had assumed Marnie's Canada trip would be a much bigger part of the story. In reality the prologue is that one day in Canada where she meets Nova and then chapter 1 starts while Marnie is back home in England. Once I had adjusted my expectations I was able to settle in and relax into this read. I agree with another reviewer who said it isn't quite a romance book as it reads more like Women's Fiction with the focus being in Marnie's journey, but the romance is an important part of the book.

I enjoyed reading about Marnie and following her story. Marnie is struggling with life as things didn't go as expected and now she doesn't know what to do. When the story starts she just returns form a 6 month trip to Canada and she's already in a better place and a lot of this book focuses on her moving forward now that she had this great trip. She has to figure out what she wants from life, find a new job, deal with her parents separation, face her twin after 6 months apart and maybe find some new love too.

I liked how deep we get to be in Marnie's head in this book and at times I wish the book would go even deeper. I liked seeing how she faces these challenges and how slowly she finds her confidence again and figures out what she wants. I thought it was well done how her anxiety is handled, it felt very realistic. It's pretty subtle, but present. It's part of her life, but not the biggest part and there are plenty of moments where she's fine too. I could really feel Marnie's passion for teaching and how much she cared about kids. I liked how she saw each kid as an individual and the bond she forms with Paislee was awesome to see.

There are some great side characters in this book. Marnie has some great people surrounding her. She has a best friend in Antoni who bakes a lot of yummy sounding food for her in this book. In fact there's quite a bit of food in this book, which I liked. Then she has her friend Cameron as well who runs a craft store and Marnie loves crafts. I also liked her twin sister Jodi and the way they interacted, they have some hurdles to overcome in this book, but it's clear most of their struggles are because they care so much. They really have a tight bond and I enjoyed reading about them. Then there is Jovi's daughter Sienna, who plays a big role too. I also liked the way her parents separation was handled and how it's clear it's for the best even though Marnie struggles a bit with it at first.

Then there is the romance which was lovely. I like the way Nova views life and how the encourages Marnie to live life to fullest. I liked their connection and the way it deepens when Nova comes to England. I also liked Nova's fascination with dinosaurs, it was a fun touch. I liked how they have a few things they have to overcome, but their romance is very low on the drama. They made for a great couple and the epilogue was great!

To summarize: Love Lesson in Starcross Valley was a great read. It took me by surprise when the start was different than I expected, instead of focusing on her trip to Canada there's only the prologue about that. This book follows Marnie journey as she arrives back home and has to figure out what she wants from life now she broke up with her boyfriend, lost her job and her parents are separated. I liked following Marnie as she figures things out. I like how we get a good idea for Marnie's personality and it was awesome to see her get her confidence back and the way she deals with everything. There is a romance, but I felt that the main focus was on Marnie's journey. Having said that I did really like the romance, Nova and Marnie make for a great couple and I liked reading about them. The form an instant connection when they first meet and I liked seeing them build upon that. They have things to overcome, but it's low on the drama. I liked reading about their romance. There are some great side characters too that all bring the story to life and it was great that Marnie had so many people who cared about her.

Readers cannot help but be charmed and moved by Lucy Knott’s uplifting new novel, Love Lessons in Starcross Valley.

Thirty-five year old Marnie Barnes has come to the conclusion that love does not exist. With her ten year relationship having broken down and the end of her parents’ marriage, Marnie realises that the time has come for her to give her life an overhaul and a shake-up so she books a ticket to Canada and embarks on a brand new adventure far from the rigid confines of her daily existence. But finding herself far from home and her twin sister, Marnie finds herself wondering whether her big trip abroad might turn out to be the biggest mistake she has ever made…

But just when Marnie had begun to regret taking a leap into the unknown she meets Nova, a dinosaur-loving space nerd who makes her feel things she never thought she would experience ever again. The two of them spend a wonderful day in Vancouver, but they end up parting ways leaving Marnie completely and utterly heartbroken. Romance is clearly not on the cards for Marnie – until she returns back to England and bumps into somebody who is achingly familiar…

As Marnie finds the courage to be in charge of her own happiness, she begins to take chances, be bolder and make the first move on what could prove to be her best decision yet. Will Marnie realise that she can find her happy ever after – providing she listens to her heart and goes after what – and who – she truly wants.

A lovely cosy read perfect for curling up with on a rainy day, Lucy Knott delivers a heartfelt, emotional and wholly satisfying tale with her latest novel, Love Lessons in Starcross Valley. Full of characters readers will love and a sprinkling of wit, warmth and heart, Lucy Knott’s Love Lessons in Starcross Valley does not disappoint.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Gay love at its best with pictures surroundings and a plot that keeps you on your toes

I have loved other boos by Lucy Knott. However, this one I just couldn't get into. Sadly I didn't finish it.

DNF. Accidentally requested it sorry, didn't like the story and the characters. The cover is cute tough. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This was good but did feel a little bit disjointed to start with, just perhaps a little bit more refinement needed in the editing stage. The idea was nice though and I liked the characters.

Marnie embarks on a trip to Canada, and whilst she's clearly dealing with a traumatic time in her life, she's bravely facing new experiences and this leads to a chance encounter that changes her trajectory. Fascinating… A beautiful story that captures your attention and your heart from beginning to end.

I really hate giving negative reviews but I just did not vibe well with with this one. Love Lessons in Starcross Valley primarily follows thirty-five-year-old Marnie. When her ten-year-long relationship and her parents marriage come to a screeching halt in the same month, she flees the country and has a six-month rendezvous in Canada. This experience is exactly what she needed but she returns to her small town in England still feeling lost. She must get a new job and she begins work with/advocating for a young autistic child named Paisley. An woman that she had a single magical night with in Vancouver pops up in a position in the town's museum. Marnie must ask herself: has she given up on love entirely or just the love in her past relationship?

Romance is formulaic and that is not a bad thing. It makes things consistent. While we technically meet the love interest--Nova--in the novel's prologue, she does not appear again until over 50% in the book. This is totally fine for another genre but not really for romance. I also just had a problem with the way Lucy Knott writes some times. This was almost a DNF for me until I started skimming large sections just to avoid the robotic way it is written. And lastly, the way that Paisley's character is handled is uncomfortable. The intention is nice but it was not successful. Paisley ended up seeming like a figurehead that most of the characters either made fun of or got mad at.

Overall, I just was not a fan. This wasn't for me and that's okay. The sapphic relationship was treated a little bit too much at arm's length for me liking.

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline. The characters were great and the story flowed along nicely. I read the book in a day, I couldn't put it down! I would highly recommend this book! Thank you for letting me review this book!

I liked this book. I do feel like some of it could have been cut out as it lagged a bit. We are following Marnie after she is fresh out of a 10 year relationship. She vacations in Canada to get away, where she meets a woman. We see our love interest, Nova in the prologue but then we don't see her again until almost mid book. It felt slow to me until then but it sped up. The character development on Marnie was especially good. I really enjoyed her relationship with Paislee, an autistic child Marnie's class. So sweet. This book is partly a romance but definitely about a woman finding herself again. I recommend this book, for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher (Head of Zeus) for the ARC!

Y'all, this book! First of all the meet cute is everything. Never have I shipped a couple more quickly. The book is clean and cute and cheesy and quirky in all the best ways. Like Gilmore Girls meets every Hallmark movie ever, if Stars Hollow was a quaint English Village and Hallmark had kissing girls and dinosaurs.

I'm a big dinosaur fan myself, so I absolutely loved how they were integrated throughout the book. I kinda want to BE Nova. And Marnie's glitter obsession? Same girl, same.

This book also has my personal favorite Grand Gesture of all time.

Unlike previous books by this author I found this book quite hard to get into, probably because I couldn't really relate to Marnie. The pace however did pick up especially once she had left Canada and was a good quick read

This book was super cute. Marnie ran from her life after everything seemed to fall apart. When she returned, she realized everything wasn’t as bad as it seemed. It was a cute little simple read. Nothing real spectacular.

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed a couple of Lucy’s books. By no means have I caught up with everything that she has written but I hope to get there in the not too distant future. I read the synopsis for ‘Love Lessons In Starcross Valley’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of story that I would enjoy. So without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for what proved to be an interesting afternoon of reading. Overall I did enjoy reading ‘Love Lessons In Starcross Valley’ but more about that in a bit.
I have to be honest and say that it took me a little while to get into this story. I didn’t feel the instant connection with the lead characters that I usually have. Even now I can’t say that I especially warmed to Marnie but at the same time I can’t say that I especially disliked her. I did eventually get into the story and I found that I was unable to read the book in one long reading binge but I did read it in several short bursts, which certainly helped. I had my own suspicions as to what was ging to happen and I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had got the wrong end of the stick. I did like reading about the ways in which Marnie tries to pick herself up and create a new life for herself. I found ‘Love Lessons In Starcross Valley’ to be an interesting and emotional read.
‘Love Lessons In Starcross Valley’ is well written. Lucy has an easy going writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. The way in which she has written the story reads more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. The characters were certainly interesting and at times they surprised me. I loved the way in which Lucy writes about her characters- she describes them so vividly and realistically that they seem just as real as you and I. I love the way in which Lucy makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.
In short and overall I did enjoy reading ‘Love Lessons In Starcross Valley’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Lucy’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.