What a charming read! This story is like a warm cup of tea on a cool autumn afternoon. A comforting and tender story of family, self-discovery, and unexpected romance.

Natalie is a relatable, down-to-earth heroine, and watching her gently unfold from her sheltered life is as rewarding as seeing her garden come into full bloom. With quirky and lovable characters, slow-burn revelations, and a few deeply touching surprises, this story had me smiling, sighing, and maybe even tearing up once or twice.

This is a story about courage, growth, and trusting that sometimes the best things in life come when you finally step outside your comfort zone. If you’re in the mood for something uplifting and soul-soothing, then this is the perfect read.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I liked this story and really wanted to love it, but I found Tallie a bit annoying. She's very passive and stuck. Her mother relies on her to drop everything to take care of things for her and it feels like she's waiting for things to happen to and for her.

Once Upon a Thyme by Jane Lovering is a charming, heartwarming story set on Greenfield Herb Farm. Tallie, a resilient woman, struggles with family secrets while trying to keep her farm thriving. The arrival of Zeb, sent to assess the business, brings gentle chemistry and insight into her life. Quirky animals and eccentric visitors add humor and warmth, balancing the story’s emotional depth. While some plot twists are predictable, the character growth and beautiful setting make it an engaging read. Perfect for cozy, feel-good reading, this novel celebrates family, self-discovery, and the simple joys of farm life.

I enjoyed getting to know Natalie as she turned out to be quite a complicated character who had been conditioned by her grandmother and mother not to ask questions and to stay close to home. There was obviously a mystery brewing in the background which turned out to be the case. Natalie herself slowly came to a realisation which threw all her opinions into disarray.

Zeb appears in the story, sent by Natalie's mother to look into the business to maximise profit. Starting up a new business, it is soon clear that his heart is not in it and he seems to take to life in Natalie's herb business like a duck to water. He is a rather closed off character at times, but he does observe quite closely and soon has his suspicions about Natalie's past. Life in the herb gardens is further disrupted with the arrival of a band who want to use it as the setting for their latest video. There are quite a few unconventional characters among them and their appearance leads to some huge surprises for Natalie.

I appreciated the humour which was to be found from Natalie's petting area animals and how different people reacted to them. Family relationships are complex and at times frustrating but beneath Natalie's frustrations with her life, you sense a healing environment and a hopeful outcome.

In short: mysteries, romance and laughter

while i absolutely loved the setting of the book, i had a tough time understanding the main character, who was indeed rather naive and boring (as she herself said), and also seemed to lack the skill to notice something quite obvious. but i might be too tough on her, as i just cannot seem to understand the complete lack of communication in her family, and therefore her missing knowledge.
the plot twist was very predictable, though it was a good one.
in the end i did enjoy it, and i loved the added animals and farm worker ollie. but since i could not understand out fmc, and did not feel the chemistry with the mmc that much either, this book fell rather flat to me.

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending ,e the book in exchange for an honest review

The story idea was fine here but something just didn’t sit well with me as far as the pacing. Everything happens so fast, stranger at the door who lies to the mc then comes clean and is forgiven? Immediately. A strange mother with a mysterious income, weird band taping a video, a loose pig and some runaway Guinea pigs. I just felt the story seemed a bit forced at times and the lack of romance made for a weird ending. Possibly an editing issue.

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

I really enjoyed this book. It was wonderful from the very first page!

In this fun new romance novel from Jane Lovering, readers follow Natalie, who has recently taken over the family herb farm and keeps to the farm, her home, and the village where her invalid mother lives. When a series of unexpected visitors -- Zeb, hired by her mother to help at the farm, and Simon and the band he manages, who want to film a music video in the garden -- arrive and start shaking up Natalie’s peaceful and predictable life, she has to adjust to the changes and the revelations that follow as she gets a chance at a new life. Packed with characters and set against a beautiful setting, readers will enjoy this unique and heartwarming novel and its well-constructed characters. Natalie’s individual growth and character arc is particularly rewarding because it is relatable in some ways to readers, and her choice to focus on her relationships and individual growth adds a great emotional storyline. The setting is particularly beautiful and detailed, and it offers a great contrast with the changes and disruption in the storyline. The attention to detail is really fantastic and pulls readers into the story, and this is a great cozy and heartwarming romance novel perfect for summer.

Thoroughly enjoyed this charming book. Tallie and her mother own a flower/ herb farm which Tallie managed. Her mother who is very demanding and difficult hires Zeb to come and assess the business. Tallie takes an immediate dislike to him.
A music band comes to shoot pictures at the farm and Tallie becomes besotted with Mika..the lead from the rock band. He's a bit of a player and strings Tallie along.
Lots of secrets come out.....things aren't what they seem which makes this a compelling read. Add to this Big Pig who injects elements of humour!
Recommend as a summer read

While a romance, which is not my cup of tea, there is so much more going on in this book. I enjoyed meeting Tallie and watching her grow and become more confident in herself and her abilities. There were good side characters, like Zeb. What an open, honest, and compassionate man. He stole my heart. Then there was Big Pig and all of her crazy antics. The story will keep you invested and you will be anxious to see what will happen next on the herb farm. There is a family secret that is slowly revealed and you will be there cheering Tallie on through the difficult and emotional moments. The characters come alive on the page and you will find yourself experiencing the pain of heartache and then laughter in the next. This is a great summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Natalie has been taught not to ask…
Just to get on, complete every task.
But there are things she’d like to know
Even though asking is a no go.

When a stranger turns up saying he’s been employed by her Mum
And then a rock band and their manager come!
This is just the start of a summer of changes
As events unfold and her life rearranges.

A story of learning to question without fear
Of making decisions and keeping them clear.
Learning to trust and share secrets, too,
Especially when discovering the past isn’t what you thought you knew.

A gorgeous read, full of family secrets and more
Making it a read that’s a delight to explore.
For my copy of this book I say a huge thank you
As I share with you this my honest review.

Thanks to her meddling mother, Amanda, Tallie is forced to work with Zeb. Along with Zeb, comes the Goshawk Traders band who ends up deciding to film a music video at her farm.

Throughout the book, we see Tallie muddling through as she seeks to figure out how to improve her farm business, handling her mum, while also navigating through a love triangle. The family secret was a huge reveal and I liked that part of the book. What I didn’t like so much was the love triangle plot which felt a little unnecessary.

Tallie is tootling along in life, running her herb farm and running round at the beck and call of her mum. She’s ok with her lot in life but then came Zeb.

What Zeb brought with him was chaos to Tallie’s life. Musicians, escaping animals to start with. It made the read fun with a bit of romance – not with the animals mind 😆

Tallie went through a full on journey when Zeb entered her life. He challenged everything. Questioned everything. Both professional and personal. He pushed boundaries which I loved. I could in someways identify with Tallie in being a people pleaser and not question things out loud, not wanting to rock the boat.

Once Upon A Thyme is a gorgeous read with that will they won’t they tension which I love in such a book. I’d not heard of Jane Lovering before but she’s on my list of authors to read more of! Just glorious !

This was such a cute book! I loved how the herb farm was portrayed in this book. And I loved the romance in this book.

Minor quibble first...I now know more about herbs than I ever thought I would. Still, to be filed away for possible future use.
From the interesting cover, this is a book Iwanted to love however, I had a bit of a problem with believing Tallie would actually fall in love with Zeb; and with someone being called such. I kept having flashbacks to my childhood and The Magic Roundabout.
All in all, a pretty good read, though not the author's best - IMHO.

Thank you Netgalley and to Boldwood Books for providing me with this amazing ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Story follows Zeb and Natalie, Natalie recently bought herb farm from her mother and is navigating owning a farm, while also caring for her selfish mother. Zeb just started a new business. While I enjoyed learning a bit about herbs and the story seemed interesting with a lot of potential, I kept finding myself getting distracted by other books, not wanting to read more than a few pages at a time. I think for me, the way the book was written was just hard to keep reading.
DNF at 19%

Jane Lovering's "Once Upon a Thyme" is a charming and emotionally affecting novel that unfolds around Natalie Fisher, a shy young woman who works in her family's herb farm. Natalie, whose shyness and life carefully circumscribed by her exacting, "invalid" mother and inherited secrets are well-established, has her world unexpectedly turned upside down.

The visit of Zeb, a marketing consultant who is employed by her mother, suggests something greater than commercial activity. A well-known band later settles on her peaceful farm, keen on shooting in her serene garden, and creates chaos and a specially problematic band member. Through these new challenges, Natalie is compelled to deal with long-standing family secrets and her own weakness.

The writer skillfully intermixes humor and emotional moments, as Natalie gradually loses her reservations and begins to welcome a new beginning. The slow-burning relationship with the gentle and considerate Zeb is best done, allowing their chemistry to blossom naturally. "Once Upon a Thyme" is a delightful story about discovering truths, learning courage, and flourishing where you are rooted, even if that happens through faith.

I was really happy to read this lovely and summery book that smells good of herbs! This book started really well, and I thought I was going to read a 5 stars book and then the more I turned the pages the more I felt a bit bored while reading it. The problem is that I didn’t really liked the characters. They all were a bit weird, depressing and I just couldn’t relate to any of them. I am giving this book a 3 stars as some parts of this book were really delightful but for the reasons I gave above, I just can’t give more than 3 stars.

One day out of the blue at Natalie’s family herb farm
Zeb turns up apparently hired by her mum to help with marketing and to get profits up.

Then a great opportunity comes up when the goshawk traders want to use the farm as backdrop for a music video.

When the band leave after finishing the video Natalie gets closer to Zeb and then after revelations come to light about her parents.

How will she get her head around everything and will her relationship continue with Zeb ?

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Award-winning author Jane Lovering makes her readers laugh and cry with her wonderful new novel, Once Upon a Thyme.

Natalie has always kept herself to herself. Happiest when she’s in her own comfort zone, Natalie rarely ventures out of the family herb farm she has recently taken over or the nearby village where her mother lives. However, Natalie safe little world is shaken up by the arrival of Zeb, recently hired by her mother to help with the business, and band manager Simon who wants to film in her beautiful garden. The band’s arrival upends Natalie’s quiet existence beyond all recognition and throws her whole life into confusion. However, these new arrivals have made Natalie realise that there is far more to the world than the little box she has been willingly kept prisoner in…

As she begins to blossom and gain confidence, Natalie wonders if she will ever get the answers to the questions she has spent a lifetime asking. Will the mystery from her childhood be solved? And more importantly, will she find the strength and courage, to take a chance on herself and grab this opportunity to grab life with both hands a go? Or will her comfort zone prove to be too tempting to escape from?

Jane Lovering’s books never disappoint. She writes about real people in situations her readers can relate to and empathize with and she does this beautifully in Once Upon a Thyme. A heartfelt, witty and emotional story about renewal, opening yourself up to love, friendship and believing in yourself, Once Upon a Thyme touch the heart and will make readers laugh out loud as they find themselves completely invested in Natalie’s story.

A great read from a hugely talented writer, Once Upon a Thyme is another triumph by Jane Lovering.