During these strange times I wanted to read something light and fluffy. I discovered this book on my kindle and I absolutely loved it. A wonderful read which I read on a rainy Sunday afternoon,

Such a uplifting and charming story. Really enjoyed reading this book and was gripped from the beginning.

What is it about Horatio? Anna moved to the country to restart her life and now she's met him, Do they make a good pair? No surprises that this has a happy ending.

With "The little cottage in the country" I was looking forward to a cosy and summery story which will melt your heart a little.

The beginning with Anna arriving in the small town was very nice and entertaining to read. But unfortunately throughout the story I got more and more annoyed. What was funny in the beginning, turned out to be very annoying and in most situations way over the top. The book was trying too much to be funny and develeoped a totally ridiculous story.

The characters were really annoying and over the top as well. Most of them were totally stupid, especially Anna's best friend Diane, and I was rolling my eyes at them.

The love story had no development and appeared out of nowhere without any chemistry between Anna and the male character.

I was also looking forward to a bit more cosy small town scenery but unfortunately the story lacked in atmosphere as well.

light summer read suitable for holidays. laugh out loud book. great humor

Nice easy, light hearted rom-com to read. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline but it was very fast paced and thought it could have slowed down a little. I did laugh out loud at some points in the book. Lottie could do a second book to this one as there is much further this story can go. Dee giving birth, Anna moving up to the manor and what will happen to Linda! I would read her next book, especially if she does a second book to this one. Thank you for letting me read and review this book, I'll look out for her next one.

I really enjoyed this book. It was light-hearted and full of vibrant characters. I knew what was going to happen so reveals that I wasn't sure if they were supposed to be a twist weren't for me. But I still enjoyed the journey and I absolutely loved the characters in this book. They made it for me. They jumped off the page.

4☆ Fun, charming, very funny, easy to read

The Little Cottage in the Country is the perfect feel good, fun read. Plenty of humorous moments and new beginnings.

When Anna's Aunt leaves Anna her Cottage.
It really couldn't of come at a better time.
Anna is a single Mum and struggling with life in London and is in need of a change. So what better way to start a fresh.

So she packs up and moves her children to fresh air and the Wilshire countryside. I mean what could go wrong!

Anna settles into country life fairly well.
It doesn't take her long to adapt and get involved.
However not everything Anna tries to do goes quiet to plan.
With some hilarious & often embarrassing moments, I admire Anna for her sheer determination and strength.
I also loved her relationship with her Mum and best friend Diane who come to help Anna settle in.

Anna's Mum is great she is a larger than life character and full of fun, not your  typical grandmother.
Diane has a heart of gold. There is such a good connection between the three of them.

When Anna meets the very sexy Horatio, Lord of the Manor they clearly clash but you can see there is a spark between them. He comes across as pretentious and a bit of a snob but they say opposites attract!

The characters in the book are great fun. What made me laugh was no matter where you are, you will always have the parents who stick together in the playground, gossip about other Mum's, overly competitive and not nice to those who are not in there cool group lol

Overall a slower start to the story, but I didn't mind that as once the story got going, there was plenty of laughs and antics to keep me engaged.

I would also like to mention how gorgeous and quaint the cover is. It draws you in. Very eye catching.

This is the perfect read for those who enjoy Chick Lit, humour and romance.

I'll hold my hands up and admit it was the beautiful bright cover that first attracted me to the début rom-com novel from Lottie Phillips, The Little Cottage in the Country. The title sounded like this book would be right up my street as I have enjoyed several books following along similar lines in the past few months. A woman gives up her city life to move to the country to escape the rat race and hopefully provide a better life for her children. Yes I may have read the same concept several times before but there is just something about these kind of novels that I enjoy, the fact they are light hearted and quick easy reads full of fun characters is probably what makes me want to read them. I was keen to see would Lottie Phillips offer anything different to this tried and tested storyline, and for the most part this was a good read. It wasn't all perfect but there was a sense that the author was only getting comfortable writing in this genre having written thriller novels under the name Louise Stone and with some refinement in small areas she will go on to write many good books in this new for her genre. For someone used to writing thrillers, I think the author did a good job with her début in the rom-com genre.

Anna Compton lives and works in London as a journalist for a newspaper. She is a single mum to twins Freddie and Antonia aged five who were so brilliantly written that I wanted them to feature even more throughout the story. Children of that age have such innocence saying everything that is on the tip of their tongue, or offering light relief with a comment amidst a serious situation, but at the same time they can also be very astute and sense things. Lottie Phillips captured the twins characters perfectly and they provided plenty of laugh out loud moments throughout the book at the most apt but also inappropriate times. The love Anna has for her children is abundant for all to see and I loved the relationship she had with them, but Anna wants something better for her kids. A cramped flat in London is not the best place for them and when she inherits her Aunt Flo's cottage in the Wiltshire countryside she attempts to hand in her notice and escape to the little cottage in the country. I say attempts because Anna's editor Barry doesn't want to let her go. He needs her, the newspaper is in danger of going under and a new feature may revitalise its fortunes. So before she knows it Anna finds herself landed with her own weekly column 'Anna's Cottage in the Country'. The question remains will Anna's idea of becoming a country glamour queen/domestic goddess/ yummy mummy become a reality?

Anna was a likeable character who had do things for herself because if it wasn't her doing them nothing would be achieved. She has not seen hide nor hare of the twins father since her pregnancy announcement and to her mind she is doing just fine. On arrival in Trumpsey Blazey, Anna encounters Horatio Spencerville from Ridley Manor and things don't get off to a great start. He comes across as rude and obnoxious, basically a country toff with lots of money who feels he rules the village. Well that's what Anna's first impressions are anyway. Anna soon discovers the cottage is not the picturesque place she envisaged and questions whether she has done the wrong thing by her children? Is she a hopeless mother? I felt Anna, at various junctures throughout the remainder of the novel, was very down on herself. It's not her fault if the car handbrake happens to be let off more than once or the various mishaps and calamities that follow just keep on occurring. She should have believed more in herself and her capabilities. I thought she was always trying her best and it was good to see as the story unfolded that she began to gain more confidence and stood up for what she believed in. It was lovely to see that always at the centre of her heart and mind in everything she did were her children.

Of course no book of this nature would be complete without a sidekick to offer support and plenty of laughter. In this case Anna had two who were always there to egg her on when it came to farmer Richard and Horatio. They came in the form of her mother Linda, whose own developing relationship was pure comedy, and best friend Diane. a make up artist specialising in heavy metal. Diane was pure crazy and almost like a child herself yet behind it all was a heart of gold and she valued her friendship with Anna. Once she turned up on the doorstep of the cottage I think she was there for the duration and just as much engaged in a new life in the country as Anna was. The story then unfolded at a very quick pace and as the overall book is quite short at 289 pages I felt the author was trying to fit too much in.

All the usual elements of a rom-com were present and to me it was just a bit too much and the book wouldn't have suffered if some things had been left out. Anna provides plenty of laughter for her readers and fodder for her newspaper column engaging in a giant pork pie rolling competition, a school talent show involving all members of the family and not to mention the dreaded school cake sale where shop bought cakes are the ultimate no no. Anna feels she is becoming a laughing stock and trying to fit in with the yummy mummy's and head mummy Lucinda is not easy, and life becomes that little bit more difficult and challenging for Anna not to mention the confusing romantic element of things. But it was enjoyable to read how Anna was going to sort things out.

I have to admit I didn't like the name of the village at all nor the name for our main male character. It seemed too over the top and it needed something more quaint to enable me to picture what a nice village it could be but I supposed Horatio's name matched the character the author was trying to initially portray. I think elements of the book in general were a bit OTT and far fetched and that's where it fell down in places for me. A subtle scaling back of some incidents/antics would have made me loved this book even more and allowed the readers to get to know the characters better instead of the flitting between events that I felt became too dominant. A scene was over and the issue dealt with before rapidly moving on to something else, there was a bit too much skirting around the sensitive issues. I felt it was like a race to get as much in a possible without giving the reader a chance to absorb things and form their own opinions on the developing relationships and issues facing the cast of characters. The diary left to Anna by her Aunt Flo got the briefest of mentions and it would have been brilliant to have read more of this or even a few chapters from Aunt Flo's time would have connected that past event with the over-riding issue towards the end that needed definite resolving.

The Little Cottage in the Country was a good read but not the best I have read so far this year. It started off really promising but then became a bit too slapstick comedy for me before I found the ending and last few chapters to be much better. All that said I am really glad I gave this book a go and will await with interest to see what direction Lottie Phillips second book will take.

This is my first book by Lottie Phillips and I am definitely impressed and will be looking forward to her future releases. I love books that are set in the country so this book was right up my street. Anna was a really brilliant character that you have a lot of love for shes hilarious and you just laugh so much with her.

The little Cottage in the Country is a fantastically good Rom Com, and very easy to read. I really enjoyed it.

With quite a few fun characters this story is easy to get into although I have to admit it did take me a couple of chapters to warm up to Anna completely. However I really did enjoy seeing her personality come through especially dealing with her mum and best friend. Anna is feisty but also manages to get herself caught in all sorts of trouble. From clashing with Horatio to other escapades life is definitely not quiet in the country for Anna. She took everything in her stride even if she was extremely embarassed.

I loved the friendship that Anna and Diane share it's fun loving but they also look out for each other too. Then you have Anna's mum who is a larger than life character and is definitely not your average grandma. Horatio is a bit of a mystery and for a while I didn't really know what to make of him. So it was lovely to see the story develop and get to know him better.

The pacing of the story is steady it isn't a fast moving story but moves at a more steady pace which in a way ties into the whole countryside theme. The fun moments do make this story though and I loved the banter between Anna, Diane and Anna's mum Linda. I was smiling constantly at their antics they definitely made this story entertaining. It's always a positive for me if I can be left with a smile and this story did just that.

A lovely story with a sprinkling of romance and some quirky characters!

With thanks to Petra for the invite to join the tour, HQ Digital & Netgalley for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I found myself lost in the countryside with the beautiful read from Lottie Phillips. Tranquil the setting may be but the story follows our heroine discovering that moving may not be relaxing as she first thought. I loved it.

Romantic comedy fans, make sure you add Lottie Phillips’ name to your favourite authors list because she is going to be a big star!

Anna Compton has had enough! Tired of her frazzled life, her stressful job and the hustle and bustle of living in London, the time has come for her to make a fresh start and to put the past firmly behind her! A new beginning beckons for Anna and she decides to hang up her city girl stilettos for a life in the country where she will spend her days surrounded by miles and miles of unspoiled greenery, baking bread, making jam and becoming a domestic goddess and yummy mummy extraordinaire! Anna cannot wait to take up residence at Primrose Cottage and for her new life to begin. However, on her arrival, she quickly realises that there is a world of difference between reality and fantasy!

When Anna had been daydreaming about her new life in the country, she certainly never imagined that she would end up chasing pork pies down hills or trying to pass off shop-bought cakes at the school bake sale as her own – nor had she imagined that she would find herself caught up in a love triangle between hunky local farmer Richard and Lord of the Manor Horatio!

One thing is for sure – life in the country is anything but quiet for Anna! Is moving to Primrose Cottage going to turn out to be the biggest mistake of her life? Or will she come to realise that her new life is what she has been searching for all along?

A wonderful zesty-paced romp that had me laughing out loud, The Little Cottage in the Country is a joy to read from beginning to end! Lottie Phillips writes with plenty of brio, humour and charm and this book’s beguiling blend of hi-jinks, humour and pathos makes it absolutely impossible to resist! I thought Anna was a fantastic heroine and the scrapes she gets into are sure to make you howl with laughter! Add eccentric supporting characters, wit, warmth and sass and you have the perfect book to while away a lazy afternoon!

A sensational romantic comedy Hollywood producers should snap the film rights to, The Little Cottage in the Country is an addictive read you’ll never want to end!

Anna Compton has bitten the bullet by deciding to move to where there are multiple shades of green, cows singing the songs of their people, and Cath Kidston inspired interior from chimney…to path; also known as the countryside! Anna is looking forward to starting her new life in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of good ol’ London. Lets just say that Anna’s dreamworld and reality, are to completely different things. Watching Anna realise that however, is severely entertaining. Whilst I am aware that you shouldn’t laugh at other people’s misfortunes, Anna’s naivety made me giggle….a lot.

Personally, I found this novel to be really predictable, especially what with the whole romance in a small village scenario. I thought the whole ‘keeping up with the Jones’ ‘ part of the storyline was really well thought out and very modernised. It was funny watching a village newcomer keep up with the Mary Berry juniors of the village!

Don’t get me wrong, ‘The Little Cottage in the Country’ was a pleasant enough read, which allowed me time off from over-thinking and too serious storylines. It was entertaining in places, easy to read, and ideal for a light-hearted snuggle on the sofa. For me, I didn’t hate the novel but I wasn’t wowed by it either. That said, I truly believe that the author has written a storyline with a lot of promise; hopefully the authors next novel will clinch the deal for me and I look forward to reading what she brings out next.

Thanks Netgalley.

I've been sent this book as part of the blog tour so I was excited to get stuck in! This is an easy to read romance set in the British countryside. Living in Surrey myself I did have to laugh at the locals who shop in waitrose and call their children 'Agememnon' because I can totally relate! This was a funny read and I giggled throughout - from Anna performing Abba to her mum's romance with someone who only says 'Arrrr'. I would have liked more focus on the diary, and more of a build up to the ending with Horatio but all together it was an enjoyable read that I didn't want to put down. Thank you for the chance to read and review and I can't wait for my spot on the blog tour!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, a quick easy read that had many 'laugh out loud' moments, you'r never too old to have fun!

When Anna's aunt leaves her her cottage in the country she decides that it is the perfect time to get out of London and give her 5 year old twins a better start in life in the country......but arriving the cottage isn't quite the idyllic place that she remembered should she just turn round and go back to London!

Deciding to stay she soon catches the eye of two local men - Richard the famer next door and Horatio the overbearing Lord of the Manor...both quite hunky......and then her mad best friend Diane appears along with her mother and the peaceful life is definitely gone!

A great amusing story of Anna trying to fit in with competitive mothers with cake competitions and pie rolling contests - light hearted fun ideal for the summer

Loved this easy to read book. Whats not to love. Set in the British countryside. Enjoyed following Anna and her life. Interesting book, had me laugh and couldnt put it down at times. Highely recommend

Anna’s favorite aunt has left her a little cottage in the country that couldn’t have come at a better time. Her cramped and overpriced London apartment is not an inspiring place to raise her children, and with their not being slotted into the ‘better’ school in the area, and knowing that on a single mum’s budget with sporadic support from their father- the cottage is a wonderful opportunity. A chance to hone her domestic skills and offer her children a better school, fresh air, plenty of space and even a taste of the good life. All while producing a column about adjusting to and exploring the country life.

Soon Anna finds that just because she wants to become the Mary Berry of cakes, and the epitome of yummy mummy in the country, her own lack of skills (and actual disinterest) in those particular activities are overrated, as having safe and happy children, a livable space and the ability to pay the bills is more than enough to take on. When her best friend appears, soon followed by her mother, the hijinks begin. Two men have caught her interest: the domineering and oh-so-posh Richard, and the ‘Lord of the Manor” Horatio, who has arranged for a pirate-speaking handyman to do some of the odd jobs needed.

Starting a bit slow, then quickly becoming a mix of laugh out loud moments, situations that only Anna could be in, and a run in with the meanest of the mean-girls at the school drop-off, Anna is diving head first into country life, egged on by her best friend – outrageous in London but a complete alien creature in the country. From bake sale competition with Waitrose-baked cakes to a Pork Pie roll (think mad dash after the cheddar wheel as it barrels down the hill) to her children’s father turning up and demanding access after scarpering when the line turned pink – Anna is against it every time. And with her children’s welfare paramount in her mind, and her own growth from biddable doormat to independent and decisive woman, you can’t help but love her.

A mother who is backhanded with all of her compliments, and determined to live in the spotlight: a fierce best friend and a diary that hides the secrets of Horatio’s family, one his mother is determined to destroy: the story ramps up and demands the next page. Cute and funny children, a hilarious (if ultimately sad) comeuppance for the meanest girl at the drop-off, and opportunity for hope and happiness, the story is a clever read and sure to please fans of finding your way stories that are laden with humor.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review. All conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=”http://wp.me/p3OmRo-9cv/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

This is a lovely story about relocating from a big city to the beautiful British countryside. The story is entertaining as our main character (Anna) tries to fit in - usually with amusing results and while the romance seems to happen rather quickly it's still good and very sweet.

A good read for a summer day.