A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Nice, easy reading with some really funny moments.. Gave a feel good feeling to the reader. Good characterisation, nice location A book I would recommend
Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Gillian Harvey for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

A page turning read that keeps the reader engaged through until the final chapter, thoroughly recommend this book to add to your library, you will not be disappointed

Heart-warming plot that will make you smile. Really liked the characters and descriptive writing. Very enjoyable. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Sorry for the late review, I fell behind.

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.

Feel-good, engaging and warm-hearted, Gillian Harvey’s A Year at the French Farmhouse is the perfect autumnal escape.

Lily Butterworth has had the rug well and truly pulled out from her under her feet when after ten years at her job she is made redundant. Having given a decade’s service to her career, Lily cannot help but wonder what the future holds for her, but in the meantime she will cure her redundancy by drinking too much red wine with her best friend. The next morning, Lily wakes up with a hangover – and a house in France!

Having spent two decades wanting to move to France with her husband, Lily sees this as an opportunity, rather than an abject disaster. She is sure that now that she’s got a house, her husband will not hesitate to join her in France, however, it seems that fate has got further shocks in store for her as her husband announces that he’s spent the past twenty years indulging her and that he has got no intention of upping sticks and joining her at her new French farmhouse!

Undeterred, Lily decides to make the move on her own and decides to renovate her new house and turn it into her dream home. As Lily begins to find herself and put down roots, she wonders whether she has found somewhere to belong. Will the French farmhouse become her permanent home? Or will she end up selling up and heading back to her old life?

Gillian Harvey’s A Year at the French Farmhouse is a delightful and enjoyable tale that cannot fail to brighten up even the dullest and most dismal day. An uplifting novel about following your own path, making your dreams come true and being in charge of your own fate, A Year at the French Farmhouse is a charming tale that will make readers want to pack up and get on the first flight to France.

A magical treat perfect for Jo Thomas fans, Gillian Harvey’s A Year at the French Farmhouse is simply fabulous.

i really wanted to love this book. it started out super fun and thrilling and then i just got kinda bored. i am so thankful to netgalley for letting me read this early!!

A delightful easy read, Lily finds herself with an opportunity to follow her dreams!
A lost job and husband that isn’t on board to move to France finds Lily taking a chance, alone!
Wine with a friend is the decider, bid on the longed for French house and move away to reassess life and learn to live again! yourself a night spent drowning her
The storyline is both funny and serious, the right amount of drama, cleverly written to address questions that are a part of life.
Lily loves France, staying for a year is not long enough, especially with the chance of romance.
Everyone should escape to the French Farmhouse, the possibilities are endless, life opens up to reveal happiness and truly warms your heart!

Thanks so much to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for this wonderful opportunity to escape!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It is an utterly bedazzling novel, a compulsive page-turner rich in historical detail, and a heart-stopping romance. A wonderfully written historical romance, with great attention to detail with the historical setting, while also giving an almost other-worldly quality.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the oppoprtunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I love books like this, that transport us to a location that we dream of visiting. Lily has been made redundant at her job after ten years of service and she feels that this is the timwe for her and her husband Paul to follow thei dreams of owing and running a holiday house in the french countryside. When Lily discovers that Paul has no intention of actually doing so and after having way too much wine, Lily accidentily purchases a home in France online and then decides that this is her chnace and she leaves everything to go try her luck at living her dream.

We follow Lily through some funny anecdotes and trying times as she tries to live her dream without her husband whom she always thought was the love of her life. This was an enjoyable story and I would definitely like to read more books by this author.

I was actually between the pages of two books at the time I was reading this...one in print and this one in ebook. The other book was good in its own right, mind you, but I found myself being drawn back over to this one time and time again, as the magic of the story truly left its mark.

Daisy was a wonderful character...strong-willed when the need called for it, determined, dedicated, caring, and wonderfully soft hearted. It was a big step that she took, stepping out of her comfort zone and into the arms of her dream, but that's the only way they can become reality sometimes, you know? I felt so badly for her when the fallout with her husband occurred, betrayed almost as much as if it was me and not her. Can you imagine giving twenty years of yourself to a marriage, only to find out that the things you kept putting off as a team, were never really in the cards? I was stunned, shocked, and totally behind her decisions. Grant it, I wasn't as keen on the mayor as she was, but we all have our preferences. I admit, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop initially...and drop it did, but certainly not in the way I was imagining. Everything plays out the way it should be, and we end up with a nice little HEA that is totally deserved by all.

Along the way, we get to know a new country, her neighbors that soon become friends, the challenges of choosing a new life, and the rewards that come with following your own path. It's definitely a great big push to never let today pass you by because you never know what tomorrow may bring...but it also reminds us that communication is key in any relationship, be it love or friendship, and it's never a bad thing to speak of what we need. A great addition to the reading list of any fan of Women's Fiction, and a wonderful armchair escape you didn't know you need.

For a feel-good book, this is it: A woman finally fulfilling her dream of moving to the French countryside and living a life filled with café, croissant and good cheese… or something like that.
Truth is, Lily Butterworth always dreamt of a life in France but together with her husband Ben they kept putting it off, waiting for their son to be a little older and now he is off to uni after the summer and they are still waiting a year. It’s when Lily’s made redundant that she finally takes the leap – alone. It seems Ben wasn’t as convinced about moving to France and when Lily found a cheap fixer-upper, he wasn’t willing to move.
So now Lily finds herself alone in her new village, navigating small country roads and legal contracts with the owner and local mayor. Her best friend soon comes to spend a few days with her, she meets other expats and the locals are extremely helpful with initial repairs on the house and garden, but she is still alone for the first time in 20 years and an old French house is not easy to manage: From the moment you start, you will be fixing something for the rest of your life (I know what I am talking about, I read this book in between repairs of my own old French house!).
It's a charming read, just like the title and cover imply. Harvey draws on her own experiences of living in France and while I question you will ever find a village where people speak as much English as they do here to help Lily (or a Frenchman quite as crazy and over the top as the one who has his eye on her), it’ll make you smile and it’s heart-warming on a cold winter afternoon.

Getting straight down to business, the story opens with Lily discovering that she’s being made redundant. After ten years of loyal service, she’s less than impressed and worries about how she and her husband will cope. Pretty soon, her mind travels to their shared dream of selling up and moving to France. Enthused by this idea, Lily pitches her plans to her husband, Ben, who is less than supportive.
After a night spent drowning her sorrows and talking to her best friend, Emily, she wakes with a pounding hangover and a winning bid from an auction site. As the synopsis explains, Lily then discovers that Ben doesn’t share her French dream which leads to Lily striking out alone.
I loved the comedy elements of this book and chuckled along in several places. In particular, when Lily met her new neighbour and received her welcome present and when Emily threw caution to the wind after a little day drinking. However, there are deeper themes that are nestled within this amusing story; we unwrap health issues that are often scary unless tackled head-on. Gillian Harvey shows real skill as she hits the right tone when she switches from comedy to drama, and nothing gets too heavy.
As Lily settles into her new life and embarks upon a fledgling relationship with the local mayor, Frederique, she realises that France is definitely where she belongs. But visits from her son, and her best friend, bring news of Ben. I must admit that I picked my preferred happy ending quite early and was delighted to see the story follow my preferred path. This is a delightful story that embraces many of the idiosyncrasies of life, love, and friendship whilst ensuring that the ending is happy. Speaking of idiosyncrasies, I was highly amused by the characters at the ex-pat garden party. It certainly takes all sorts to make up the rich tapestry of life.
I felt a real sense of warmth as this story drew to a close. I got the ending that I’d hoped for, and the future was looking rosy for all involved. I loved my escape to the French Farmhouse and can highly recommend it.

To escape to France to live they'd planned for years,
But kept putting off, delayed by other fears.
Now they've a plan, next year it'll be all go
Their dreams coming true - well, they hope so!

Then comes redundancy, that's really a surprise
So maybe it will be time their dreams to realise?
An evening drinking wine with a friend
With a house in France is how it'll end!

Excited for the future, Daisy is so ready to go
But her husband, Ben, admits living in France for him is a, "No!"
The home in France needs lots of work, that's true
But Daisy plans on continuing seeing her dreams through.

New challenges and friends
How will it all end?
To discover that you'll need
This book for yourself to read!

Leaving Ben behind, moving to France, taking the chance,
Maybe whilst there there's the chance of romance?
For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
I throughly enjoyed reading it and this is my honest review.

A Year at the French Farmhouse by Gillian Harvey, so owning a Farmhouse in rural France myself with my Hubby and doing the same thing! and purchased from Ebay! I had to read this book and what a beautiful book this was..
I loved it!

When Lily and Ben Butterworth have a dream. They' want to pack everything up and move to rural France. They have been talking about it for years.........But, deep down Ben never wanted to do it, and doesn't go. So, Lilly goes alone to France for a year and starts to renovate a gorgeous old farmhouse that is held together by wallpaper and wishes.

This book is beautiful and is about friendships, love, loss and second beginnings! for Lily It was hard work bit so worth it in the end.

Now Did she regret it...........Well, you will need to read the book..........But for me living here is a No. Its beautiful just like this book. I highly recommend it

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the first half of this book more than the last half, but overall it was still a pretty good book.

Lily has always dreamed of moving to France with her husband Ben. When the perfect opportunity to move finally comes, Ben changes his mind about moving. Lily has to make a heartbreaking decision to make her dream come true and hopes that Ben will follow her to France.

This is such a charming and heartbreaking story. I loved how the characters rallied around Lily and gave her the help and support she needed during the difficulties of leaving her husband behind and renovating a run-down farmhouse in a foreign country. It bothered me that Lily and Ben’s relationship was so black and white. Most couples in their situation would have worked out a compromise of flying back and forth during the weekends or something similar instead of completely breaking ties. With this being said, I LOVED the ending! It spoke peace to my soul.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Forty-four-year-old Lily Butterworth has always wanted to live in France, but somehow the time has never been right to make the move. When she is blindsided by being made redundant from her job, she wonders if perhaps the time has finally come to seize the day, but when she broaches the subject of upping sticks to her husband of 20 years Ben, he is unsure about leaving their son Ty alone - even if Ty is about to leave home to go off to university.

More than a little miffed at Ben's unexpected reluctance, Lily indulges in a bit too much wine during a late night web-surfing session, and the next morning she discovers that rather than booking a gite holiday, she has somehow bought a dilapidated farmhouse in the French countryside. At first Lily is panic- stricken, but then she reasons that Ben will be persuaded that this could be fate giving them another little push. However, Lily is in for a shock. Rather than being excited by the prospect of the realisation of all their plans, Ben confesses that he has never really wanted to go at all.

Heartbroken, but determined to keep her dream alive, Lily heads off to France on her own. If Ben does not want to be part of her future, then perhaps she can find her own little piece of her favourite film The Good Year without him? And it just so happens that Frederique, the very handsome previous owner of her new home, looks rather a lot like a young Russell Crowe...

A Year at the French Farmhouse is an absolutely gorgeous story that carries you away on an escapist tide to picturesque rural France, as Lily tries to keep her dream of expat life alive. Shaken by the shattering of her long-held belief that Ben shared her vision, Lily unexpectedly finds herself undertaking a daunting solo renovation project, as well as the break-up of her marriage. It is hardly surprising that she gets overwhelmed with it all at times, but her determination to succeed has you rooting for her from the very start, and you so want her to find happiness in her new life.

The romantic elements of the story are enchanting, with Lily being torn between her enduring love for her husband Ben, and the exciting prospect of Russell Crowe look-alike Frederique. And like any rom-com worth its salt, there are equal quantities of pleasure and pain among its emotional twists and turns. Lily does not really know where her heart lies for most of this story, which builds in delicious romantic suspense, and the moments when she reflects back on the memories of her life with Ben are especially poignant. I was not sure where I wanted her destiny to lie until the heart-warming conclusion either, as Harvey does such a brilliant job of changing your perspective on things as the story unfurls, but for me this ended perfectly - and with me in floods of happy tears.

Gillian Harvey clearly draws on her own experiences of expat life in the French countryside in telling Lily's tale, particularly when it comes to the less obvious challenges that she faces. There is so much comedy in the frequent 'lost in translation' misunderstandings that occur as Lily tries to navigate unfamiliar surroundings, new neighbours (of the plant, animal, and human kind), tangled red-tape, and the complexities of conversational French, and I chuckled a lot throughout the story. But it touches on a surprising wealth of deep themes along the way too, especially as Lily is an older female protagonist, as Harvey uses this to explore some interesting themes in respect of long relationships - especially when it comes to expectation, communication, mental health, and the courage to take on new challenges in middle life.

This has everything you want in a rom-com in terms of characters, layered storylines, romance, laughs, and charming locations, making it an ideal snuggle up on the sofa as the nights draw in book!

A Year at the French Farmhouse by Gillian Harvey
After ten years of loyal service, Lily Butterworth has been made redundant. But, like any clever woman, she knows the cure to redundancy is too much wine and her best friend.
Only the following day, Lily has more than a hangover; she has a new house – in France!
Seeing this as an opportunity instead of a disaster, she's excited about finally moving to France, just as she and her husband always dreamed of. However, despite planning to move there for over 20 years, her husband never intended to go, so she goes alone.
Will a year at the French Farmhouse be just what Lily needs?
A Year at the French Farmhouse is the perfect atmospheric feel-good story; it's compelling, emotional and funny.
Lily begins her journey of self-discovery whilst renovating her new home, and whilst doing so, she meets some great individuals who support and help her along the way.
How will she get on, and will she find someone to share her dream?
I want to thank publishers Boldwood Books, author Gillian Harvey and Rachel's Random Resources for an invite to the tour and a copy to read and review.

Lily and Ben Butterworth have a dream. They are going to pack everything up and move to France. This is a dream that they have been talking about for years. They are just waiting for the right time. Only problem is that every time Lily suggests that it is time, Ben finds reasons/excuses as to why it isn't.

When Lily is made redundant after ten years, she calls her best friend Emily and together they polish off a bottle of wine or two. After Emily leaves, Lily is consoling herself by looking at holiday destinations. So it is something of a surprise the next morning when she receives notification that she has successfully purchased a dilapidated farmhouse in the Limousin region of France.

Once she gets over the surprise, she realises that this could be the perfect time to actually live the dream. Their son Ty is about to move to his university so he will be independent. Lily no longer has a job. Except Ben finally reveals that even though he has always said that he wanted the same dream as Lily, he really doesn't.

Lily is disappointed that once again it is her dream that is going to be thwarted, but not this time. She therefore heads to France to see the house that she has purchased. She knows that it isn't going to be a chateau given the price that she paid, but she is shocked at how much work will need to be done to get the house into a habitable state and get the gardens back into some kind of order. But it is work that she is willing to do so, even though there is a chance for her to back out, she commits to her dream.

The first person she meets in France is Frederique. He is the mayor of the small town and also the person who is selling the house. Soon, Lilly is meeting stylish Chloe and local farmer Claude who is always willing to lend a hand. She's not quite so keen to meet her immediate neighbour especially after she brings her a freshly killed chicken as a welcome gift. It is clear that Lilly has a lot to learn.

Gradually though, with the help of her new friends, she begins to build her life, always encouraged by Emily. And when Frederique makes it clear that that he is interested in her romantically, Lilly has to decide if she is ready to move on from her marriage.

This is actually the second book with a similar premise that I have read over the last couple of weeks. I thought I was getting in early for this blog tour post when I started reading Escape to the French Farmhouse by Jo Thomas. I really enjoyed that book so I was a little concerned about reading this one so soon after. I needn't have worried. Whilst there was definitely a similar premise the books were sufficiently different. Both were really enjoyable!

I really loved the way that this book ended. I don't want to say too much but I was satisfied as I read the final words!

This author has written another couple of books. It is my intention to read more from her!

I had mixed feelings about this book. It was a fun premise, a house purchased during a night of a few too many glasses of wine, fulfilling Lily's major bucket list item. But I just couldn't mesh with Lily. I felt she was a bit immature for her age, making unfortunate decisions.

It was well-written, though, and moved along quickly. I'd try another book by this author.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.