An enjoyable read that gives an insight into the sheep farming and horse racing worlds. When Alex unexpectedly inherits a Welsh sheep farm she moves there from her lost job as a writer on celebrity gossip. The story highlights Alex's love of and affinity with animals. Her best friend gay Ethan is a great support to her as she discovers her own sexuality.

Alex's life isn't going too well - at thirty-nine, she's just lost her job (as a journalist writing about celebrity gossip), and her dad has had a stroke. Then she gets a solicitor's letter which she assumes is a joke - though it would be a weird one - saying a complete stranger has left her a farm in his will. Of course, it's not a joke and Alex is soon heading off to Wales, where the late William Griffiths' farm - complete with live in housekeeper and grumpy Welsh terrier - is definitely in need of more than a little
TLC.

It's a mystery as to why a man she's never met has left her his farm (except it isn't, it's blindingly obvious from early on).

The writing is on the clunky side at times, and could definitely do with more editing. ("Alex knew well enough than to stand there waiting for a reply." "Daytime TV was a bottomless pit down which she did not want to fall into." 😬) I didn't notice it so much as the story went on, so it either improved or I just got accustomed to it.

I liked the horse racing stuff, and Clare Balding as a former jockey is on solid ground here. I was less engaged with "Magic Mandy", and the romance side-plot - it's not really a plot, as nothing much really happens - didn't add a lot.

There's a bad guy (an ex-footballer with more money than manners), a Gay Best Friend, and some fun side characters (are country folk really still called Dickon these days?).

An enjoyable read, if not massively original - though as I said, could do with more editing in places.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

I hope this is a start of a series of books as I really want to know how Alex, Dickon and the Starling Syndicate continue to develop. It was a lovely read and I feel like each of the characters could have an interesting backstory. I would recommend Pastures New by Clare Balding.

A pleasant meandering story. Gentle and easy to read. Set on a farm in Monmouthshire with descriptions of the countryside and its inhabitants. Perfect read for a Sunday afternoon.

Alex writes for an online magazine called Rizz but she makes a mistake and loses her job. She then gets a letter from solicitors saying she inherited a rundown farm in Monmouthshire and doesn't know why. She can't sell the farm for 5 years so needs to find the money to pay for everything