Summer at the French Olive Grove

Brilliant, captivating. A story of true love between a grandmother and her granddaughter and between really good friends - a truly happy ending despite the trials and tribulations each went through. I was captivated from the beginning. Beautifully written and a very well structured read.

Excellent read and highly recommend and couldn’t put this book down, a good book to lift your spirits with a happy ending that I won’t ruin for you, but you will be gripped from the start

After reading the Christmas holiday by Sophie Claire I was so excited to discover this new read and even more excited when I was accepted to read it, Sophie Claire doesn’t disappoint, such a heart warming beautiful read set in at Pierre France it was such a beautiful setting for a beautiful story, easy read again and a 5 star from me there was a few moments where I thought I wasn’t going to get the ending I’d hoped for but in the end it was just perfect! Love really has no bounds 😍

Such a beautifully written book. This was a beautiful mix of escapism, romance and heartbreak. It was a bit of a rollercoaster of a read emotionally but that is a good thing. I could tell it was lovingly crafted by the author as the characters and s enes came to life. I really wanted Lily to enjoy downing time with Mamie and realise what she emotionally needed. A new favourite author for me. I definitely will be recommending this to my family and friends. I was so sad when I finished reading it.

This was my first book by Sophie Claire, but won't be my last.
I loved the character of lily, so damaged by her past, but finding love and comfort back in France with her grandmother 'Mamie'.
Still holding old feeling for her childhood friends olivier, she struggles to stay home and itches to get back to work, film making in sometimes dangerous places, but will her heart let her settle in France?
A really moving story of hurt, heartbreak, love and belonging. It kept me captivated, a lovely book.

A perfect love story. Set in France , sad at times. Prehaps I would have liked to have known more about the fire. The main character Lily was complicated but as you got to know why. I would like to have known more about her mother too. Mamie was a great character. Good to read a book where money was not a problem. The ending was amazing , perfect

A most beautiful love story set in picturesque France amongst the olive groves! You can almost smell the lavender in the air and feel the heat of the sun on your skin, not to mention the exquisite offerings of the bakery!
Lily a troubled independent soul grew up with her neighbour Olivier spending holidays playing amongst the olive groves but as adults they had grown apart following a tragic incident involving lily and her father.
On returning to France to stay with her Mamie following an incident that resulted in a broken arm lily has to face her demons, accept help and come to terms with the loss of her beloved Mamie and Olivier is there to help her along the way,long lost feelings surface, soul searching takes place and ultimately decisions are made that ensure love and happiness prevail!
I was invited to read this book and would thoroughly recommend it to all!
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

Lily is a filmmaker who travels all over the world for her stories. She has a terrible accident and goes home to her grandmothers house in France to recover.

When Lily is forced to return to stay in France with her Gran looking after her, she plans for it to be only for a short time. However, an old friend is there to help in any way possible despite Lily wrestling with her feelings that go way back.

When tragedy strikes Lily has to make decisions that will affect her whole life. With twists and turns and some frustration this book sends yoiu to the beautiful French countryside and a believe that conquers all. A fantastic read.

This is my first Sophie Claire book, and I was not disappointed, at all.
Lily has been transported back to her grandmother's home to recuperate, after a nasty accident during work.
Back to where she spent idyllic childhood times before her world crumbled around her.
But not a place she calls home, herself.
Though they say home is where the heart is, and her heart seems to be pining for someone, equally attached to that same place.
Olivier grew up with Lily. Craving a family of his own, and that anchor that makes you feel at home, he is constantly pulled back to where his parents live, despite being a successful baker in Paris, with a chain of bakeries.
This was a love story, but not as traditional as some. It involved a whole lot of accepting yourself, and self-love, as well as the romantic kind.
Lily is a character damaged, physically and emotionally by the events of her past.
Olivier's own experiences growing up and coping with knowing no one was really 'his', shape him to be the man he is today, and the dreams he holds for the future.
And then we have Mamie. Lily's grandmother. She is an anchor for both these lost souls and wants to use her power over them to protect them in a way only she knows how.
A beautiful story, a compelling read and definitely recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Childhood friends who liked exploring adventures are disconnected due to a terrible tragedy. Circumstances bring them back together and this time they can’t deny their passion. A romantic escape. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Absolutely beautiful read, gorgeous interesting characters, and yes it’s basically a love story but it’s a fabulous love story, and it’s set in France...always a winner for me. Great summer read! Loved it.

After an ambush while making a film Lily badly hurts her arm and her camera's etc are stolen so can't carry on making her film. She goes back home to France to her grandmothers to re recuperate where she meets up with her old friend and secret love but doesn't tell anyone what really happened to her.
A lobely story of old friends reconnecting and putting past wrongs right

A beautifully executed story of hope, happiness and love between family, friends and community. Lily, an independent woman and film maker, is attacked at work forcing her to take a break. She returns to France, where surrounded by her grandmother’s love and warmth, she plans to recover as quickly as she can. Having lost her father in a fire when she was a teenager and having a cold, materialistic mother Lily has tried to close away her emotions. Lily hasn’t thought about her teenage crush, Olivier, and is surprised when the feelings she had for him begin to surface. Will Olivier be the one to break down her barriers? Is Lily brave enough to accept love? This is a well written, quick and easy read. The characters are likeable, emotions flow from every page and the descriptions transport you to the olive grove. A perfect read for a summers day.

A beautiful story written with depth and warmth. The characters are both loving and lovely and likable. The setting in France is so perfect sounding that you can imagine yourself amongst the olive trees in the olive grove or smelling the scent of the lavender. A thoroughly enjoyable, feel good book.

This was a lovely read with a lot of depth mostly due to the fabulous main character Lily who works hard as a filmmaker highlighting many different issues worldwide which means a lot of travel but a lack of roots. The nearest place she has to a home is her Mamie’s house in France where she has many happy memories of summers spent there and in particular getting up to mischief with neighbour Olivier. After a unreciprocated teenage kiss with Olivier and a family tragedy Lily has since kept her distance from Olivier but now due to an injury she’s grounded at her Mamie’s home over summer and her feelings for Olivier are as strong as ever. I loved the complexities of Lily and the confusion of Olivier who has his future very clearly planned out, the location was so warm and welcoming and the story evolved really well.

A beautiful love story of Lily’s love for her grandmother and her childhood friends. Lily is extremely independent but a broken home brings her home to her grandmother. Her grandmother is her world as is the home she lives in, but Lily finds it difficult to ask for help. Due to a fire, her father’s death and the burns she sustained, she believes she is not good enough for anyone. However having to rely on her grandmother and childhood sweet heart. She begins to open up her heart and welcome in some love.

What a wonderful book about love, loss, friendship and self discovery.

Lily and Olivier are beautiful together, as friends and as a couple. The farm house and whole village are beautifully described and made me feel like I was there. The twists and turns in both Lily and Oliviers past kept me turning the pages.

The self discovery of Olivier admiring that he’d rather have Lily in his life that children so he chases her was beautiful, made even more so as Lily had similar thoughts and was on her way back to him. They are perfect together, both perfectly fine and independent on their own, but so much better together.

Lily has ambitions to be a prize winning film maker and show injustice to the world. When she is attacked and robbed during filming in Columbia, she returns to her childhood home in France to recover and spend the summer with her grandmother. Here she reunites with her childhood friend and faces up to some unpleasant memories.
Beautiful settings and characters who become friends make this an enjoyable read. The story brings France to life and offers another great holiday destination to visit.
When ambition is put before love is there a way forward?

With a broken arm to heal, film maker Lily Martin is forced to leave her current project in Columbia and return to her Grandmother’s (Mamie) house in France for the summer. Mamie is a reminder of her happy summers as a child, with best friend Olivier by her side; memories she has worked hard at pushing to the back of her mind for many years now. With the knowledge that Olivier is also home for the summer, she is determined to keep her focus, get better and get back on the road with her camera.

Lily and Olivier were interesting characters, and right from the beginning of the book there was so much bubbling under the surface, I just knew there would be tension and turbulence as their stories were revealed. Lily is feisty and fiery, Olivier is calm and calculated, and together they bring out the best and the worst in each other.

With a bit of help from Mamie, Lily and Olivier are thrown into daily contact once more and they try to re-establish their shared bond of childhood friendship. However, lots has passed in the intervening years, from a disastrous teenage kiss to family traumas that have left both physical and psychological scars, resulting in them wanting very different things from life. Can they reach an understanding of each other’s point of view, or with the heat of a summer in Provence, will things spiral out of control? I can honestly say I had no idea how this book would end.

I fell in love with Sophie’s writing when I read her first novel A Forget-me-not Summer and now I’ve finished her fourth book, I’m an even bigger fan.

With Summer at the French Olive Grove, Sophies has done it again; this is a book full of passion that really packs a punch of heart-hammering emotions as you read it.

For a hot summer read, that brings alive the villages of Provence, look no further.

When Lily breaks her arm she is forced to return to her Grandmothers home to recuperate. Whilst there she has to confront her feelings that haunt her from the past and in doing so allow her to re-kindle a childhood friendship, which in turn develops into a romance. A delightful tale full of “will they won’t they moments”. This would be a great holiday read but equally fantastic on a dreary night as the author’s word sum up the beautiful landscapes of a sun- soaked vista.

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

For Freelance filmmaker Lily her life is about her work and the adventures. But when she suffers an accident and has to recuperate in the French seaside village where she spent her childhood, she’s not happy and obviously can’t wait to escape.

Her childhood friend Olivier is settled there, and already getting ready to marry. Her arrival turns his plans upside down.

Lily believes she’s fearless and independent. But is she? Or is that her way of running from the past? Is it time for Lily to face her past demons...?

Recommend It