A lovely story of a married woman who chooses her direction in life while at a crossroad. Lily has long yearned to move from England to France. She believed her husband wanted it, too. When the opportunity finally arises, he bails. Lily leaves him for France and finds herself in a whole new world. She does not think her husband will ever join her and embarks on her journey of self-discovery and of growth.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

A lovely book. A story of a woman who is having to start again living the life she was meant to.

She has always wanted to move to France with her husband Ben, she was under the impression that he too wanted the same too.

After suddenly losing her job, after drinking too much wine, she buys a stone farmhouse in France, on eBay. From here, her adventure begins, bringing twists and turns in her journey.

I loved how the author described the farmhouse and it’s surroundings, the food and the streets of the towns Lily visits.

I recommend this book.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A cute story and dreams and ambition. The cover is really pretty.

A Year at the French Farmhouse was a lovely book to read. It’s the sweet story of a woman who has had the rug pulled out from under her who then starts over to create the life she was meant to have. Lily has always dreamed of leaving England and moving to France with her husband Ben, a dream she though Ben shared. Unexpectedly losing her job Lily drinks a bit too much wine and buys an old stone farmhouse in France…on eBay. Sight unseen. And so begins Lily's adventure with lots of twists and turns along the way. The author has such a way with words…I wanted to live Lily's life. To be in the rooms and gardens she describes. To eat the food and walk the streets of the small French towns. This book reminded me of a Rosamund Pilcher book in all the best ways.

When Willie is made redundant at her job and is giving a pay out she is excited she thinks they can move to France a year earlier. Ever since her and been got married she has basically begged him to move there. He tries to put her off once again and it may have worked but he didn’t know the night before in a drunken stupor she bought a French farmhouse. Her first thought is“Can she get out of it?“ and then she thinks “, but what if?” Ty is about to leave for you need and she believes now is the perfect time but then Ben is finally honest and says he doesn’t want to move to France where he doesn’t know the language and he’s not keen on starting over at his age.. Lily however is determined and so she packs up and leaves been to move to France. She does meet some fabulous people like the owner of the B&B close in the mayor and head of the John Dum and seller of the farmhouse. Will Lily regret her move to France or will it all work out in the end? OK I know other people loved this book and if you ignore the fact she broke up a perfectly fine marriage and move to a whole new country then yes this is a fun great book but The author explained it away by saying been didn’t love her unconditionally but her moving to France without him prove she didn’t love him unconditionally either. No having said that I I really enjoyed the book and although I didn’t like the fact She had a marriage most would die for and just left it to move to France I understand it’s better not to have regrets when it’s over and they left with I wish I would have… If you love feel good fiction this is a great book to read as far as my opinion goes it seems to be The minority. I still highly recommend it though. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Stunned to find herself redundant, Lily concludes that maybe those plans she and husband, Ben, have been making for years might now just come true. Their son is off to university, so what is stopping them from following their dream and moving to France?
One thing: Ben.
He doesn't want to go, thinks the time is not right - but that's what he's been saying for years now. Lily realises that maybe he never intended to follow through on what is essentially her dream since she was a young girl. She's forced to acknowledge that he always had a reason to prevaricate, and he's not even willing to talk about it now.
Cue the red wine and a drunken foray onto the internet, browsing all those wonderful places that will never now be hers, be theirs.
Or so she thinks, until the next morning, replete with hangover, an email informs her of a purchase she made the previous evening. Lily has bought a farmhouse in France. Surely, Ben will see now that it's meant to be, that fate has stepped in to guide them across the channel to a new life.
Or maybe not?

Lily is stumped - there's a house literally with her name on it (or potentially on the deeds in a few weeks) and still Ben won't budge. She can't possibly let this chance escape her, can she?
Mais, non!
And so, off to France she goes, alone, nervous yet excited, probably still reeling from the shock that has numbed her emotions temporarily.

What awaits her is daunting, amusing, sweet, scary and hugely entertaining. From a squirrel infestation to an overly-romantic mayor, some nightmare "expats" (I can say that as one myself - and I can vouch for the flat-earthers too!)
Lily does find great friends, warm-hearted people who welcome her with gusto, but there's something missing. While she convinces herself that she can do this alone - or even with a new partner - she cannot quite shrug off her marital status. Unfortunately, Ben doesn't seem to want to be with her as much as she wants to be with him - or so she believes.

I love how this played out in the end, and I particularly enjoyed seeing Lily grow into herself as a stronger, more self-assured woman. It became clear that whatever happened, she would survive... but I admit to having my fingers crossed for a happy ending.

a good story overall, and liked the concept of retiring and moving to a new area/adventure. Didn't like the way her and her husband left things, as felt a bit disjointed. Still though, would recommend and liked the story.

What an absolutely stunning summery book I read it with a smile on my face. Doesn't everyone want to love into a house in sunny France?

I definitely would especially with the descriptions the author has uses. My first book by this author and won't be my last

Lily has the chance to move to France- but it comes with unexpected life choices. I absolutely loved reading all about her choices and living in France. What a wonderful adventure.

Lily has always dreamed of moving to France. When she's made redundant she feels this is the time. Her husband suddenly decides that he doesn't want to move. While having had too much to drink she buys a house in France on eBay and moves herself. Lovely book

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

I thought it was great, enjoyed it.

A light and fun read. The characters are likable and relatable. Would recommend. Thank you to Gillian Harvey, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the arc of this book.

After Lily is made redundant, she follows her lifelong dream of moving to France. Husband Ben is, however

unable to commit. and Lily flies off by herself.. Muddling through challenges and joining in with her local

community, there is still something missing. There is a lovely atmosphere in this change of lifestyle story.

It is both funny and uplifting. A year of. new beginnings and second chances,

A very enjoyable tale,

Thanks to Boldwood Books, I was provided an ARC of A Year at the French Farmhouse
by Gillian Harvey via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

**** Publishing September 29, 2022****


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ Do you need a a fun, light, and humorous book that will transport you to the French countryside and keep you entertained?

Lily’s life came crashing down when she was let go by her job. It makes her rethink her life. Lily and her husband, Ben had always wanted to live in France for 1 year, so with her most recent predicament and her son set to attend University, she decides it’s time to stop putting it off and make plans to live in France. On the night she was laid off, she bought a French farmhouse on eBay after consuming almost an entire bottle of wine. The next morning, she realizes what she had done and has to tell Ben. After much discussion with Ben, Lily realizes all the sacrifices she has made for Ben and her son wasn’t reciprocal, so decides to fly to France to buy the farmhouse without him. Will it be all she envisioned? Will Ben come around and eventually join her? Will this be the beginning to the end of their marriage?


A book of friendships, love, loss and second beginnings! A great book club pick as it will lead to many great discussions!

While reading this book, I could relate to some of Lily’s experiences in France as it brought back memories of when I lived in the South of France! Especially hearing about her renovations and navigating a new language and culture!

I absolutely loved the descriptions of the French countryside. A perfect escapist read.

I did not enjoy the relationship strife, which was really reinforced in the last few pages of the book in which thanks were given for waiting, when sadly no one actually waited for him.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

A Year at the French Farmhouse by Gillian Harvey is a novel that explains how far would you go to make your dream come true. Would you leave your home and husband to pursue a life in a foreign country? Lily is ready to spread her wings and live in French countryside house. This novel shows how a woman can overcome obstacles and still pursue her goal. I think Lily showed courage to leave her past life for a new one. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel prior to its publication date.

This is an easy read, quite predictable but enjoyable. Good for the beach - not memorable but I liked it.

Fabulous book for francophiles. It was really great and sweet and funny in lots of parts. Be bold, be brave or go home.
I loved the independence of Lily and her bravery to do what she knew she wanted. Her and her husband Ben had dreamed of living in France for years and then when it came to crunch time Ben got cold feet. Lily powered on as she knew it was now or never.
This was a great book.
Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love books like this and found this one delightful. It is a story that so many of us can relate to in one way or another. This is a true tree change story and Lily is such a wonderful character. She heads off on a n adventure and doesn't look back!

But it isn't all smooth sailing but it is such a beautiful setting and Gillian Harvey transports you to a rural France we would all love to visit! She describes it so well, she writes the story so well and it is such an easy read.

The story is a mixture of adventure, humour, struggles, life changes and starting life over at middle age. A wonderful, delightful, funny and entertaining read. I highly recommend it.

After dreaming os living in France for years Lily finally gets a chance to do this. Her husband Ben refuses to go after promising her he would. With a rift in her marriage Lily travels to France and falls in love with her new house. Can she have the house and keep her husband?