Excellent book, I really enjoyed this and found it really enchanting.
I love a summer book for reading on a sunny day with a pimms in the jug.
Thankyou

I've read a lot of Daisy James and love her books, but not so much with this one I'm afraid. I'm 27% of the way through and for the first time for Daisy's book I'm not going to read on. I'm not connecting with the book or the characters and unfortunately I'm a little bored. It won't put me off reading more of her books as I've always loved them but am disappointed in this book. Thank you for accepting my request for an honest review.

This is the first I have read by Ms James and I can say that it will not be the last, The Summer House of Happiness is a gorgeous, feel good summer read. It is fun, romantic and full of laugh out lout wit and charm.

The character's are wonderfully developed, their journey to their happily ever after is engaging and will keep the reader turning the pages.

A wonderfully up-lifting story, highly recommended!!

Daisy James always makes me smile. I adore her books and The Summer House of Happiness is another one of hers that I can tick off my list and place in the heartwarming, hug a book pile.
Gabbie Andrews is a perfumer living in France, until one realization in front of the world's leading Perfume house has her packing her bags and heading for her home in Devon. I was immediately drawn to this story simply based off wanting to know more about the world of perfume and how they are created. It intrigued me right from the get go. I love how Gabbie talked about making the perfect perfumes for her customers. I loved her passion.

In addition, I am always sucked in by the small town vibes and the warmth that they bring to a story. Gabbie's home in Devon sounded idyllic. I especially adored that her Dad was a mechanic and had his own garage. This bit of the story was perfect for me, having grown up around cars because of my own Dad, it made for such a fun read. It made me smile so much that Gabbie knew all about cars, admit-tingly way more than me- I do try, and that she wasn't out of place in the garage among the workers. I liked that the garage had been around since she was a little girl and that it was a part of her family and the community.

Having been away for a little while, Gabbie soon finds out that the garage isn't doing so great, neither is her Dad. She knows she made the right decision in leaving France when it seems there are things to be taken care of at home. Her Dad needs her help to keep the garage a float and to get his health back on track. Gabbie feels a sense of guilt that her being away has allowed her Dad to get in such a state and she is determined to put things right. This part of the story tugged at my heart strings as I could relate to living away from home and that feeling of wanting to make sure everyone is OK when your not there and then wanting to look after everyone and make sure they're OK when you get back. For Gabbie it was especially hard having not long lost her Mum. She has to deal with a lot of her emotions upon returning home, in addition to learning not to run from her past and things that made her happy; like her Summer House of Happiness.

The Summer House of Happiness is Gabbie's little shed at the bottom of her childhood garden. It's there that she spent all her time whipping up potions, bonding with her Mum and growing her passion for enriching people's lives with the most luscious scents. It's not easy for her to step back inside it, knowing that her Mum won't be there with her, but over time she finds the strength to do so and it gives her a real sense of purpose. I truly loved Gabbie going back to basics and really wanting to connect with her customers. I liked that she wasn't governed by the high-flying glamorous jobs in France and that she simply wanted to make others happy with her creations. That was my favourite thing.

Another favourite bit of mine was watching Gabbie and Max's relationship blossom. Gabbie's Dad had failed to mentioned hiring a new mechanic, but when Gabbie meets Max she has zero complaints. I love romance and there's was very cute. I again loved the car aspect of their relationship and that they shared a love of classic cars, it made for some very cool banter.

The Summer House of Happiness is such a delightful read. It will have you turning the pages desperate to know if Andrew's Auto's can be saved and what on earth caused their finacial problem in the first place. And it will keep you hooked as to if Gabbie will follow her dreams or succumb to another tempting offer with a prestigious perfume brand in France once more.

A lovely feel good read about loss and finding love again, in a lovely setting with some brilliant characters.

I really enjoyed this book and how she rediscovered herself, letting go of the loss of her mother. In turn this helped her save her Dad's business and to reconnect with her aromatherapy and help others like she helped her mother. A book that is guaranteed to give you that warm glow at the end

The Summer House of Happiness by Daisy James
Source: NetGalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Pain has a way of clouding one’s judgement, one’s path in life, and that is certainly what’s happened to Gabbie Andrews. In the wake of her mother’s death, Gabbie left her small English hometown, enrolled in a prestigious aromatherapy program, and has gone on to become a stand out in one of France’s most important perfume houses. It is at the most critical moment of her career that Gabbie realizes, being squirreled away in a lab, away from people and helping others isn’t what she wants long-term.

After a stunning tantrum by her boss, Abbie finds herself packing her bags and heading home to jolly old England, her beloved father, and the automotive garage that has been a part of her family for several generations. Coming home is bittersweet. On the one hand, Gabbie is back among those who know and love her while on the other hand, she is facing difficulties she never anticipated. Her father looks to be in bad physical shape, her once neat and tidy home is a dirty mess, the garage is even worse condition, and the memories of her mother and the pain of her loss is nearly overwhelming.

Gabbie has two choices, wallow in self-pity while she tries to figure out her life or dive into the mess and try and make some sense of her home while she tries to figure out her life. Clearly, Gabbie is going to help her father which means sorting out the house and the garage. While the house comes together quickly, the garage is a cat of a different color. While the mechanics are constantly busy, the books and outstanding invoices tell a very different story. The creditors are knocking on the door, the bank isn’t inclined to help, and Gabbie is concerned about the toll this mess is taking on her father’s health.

Running parallel to the family/garage mess is Gabbie’s personal life. Gabbie only began her work with aromatherapy as a means of helping her mother through her cancer treatments. Some of Gabbie’s happiest memories with her mother happened in their small shed working with scents and oils, creating bespoke concoctions meant to help. Though she had no intention of going back into the small building she and her mother worked in together, circumstances arise that cause Gabbie to return to the small building and face her grief head on. As one thing leads to another, Gabbie rediscovers her love of learning, mixing, and helping which leads her down a path she never saw for her life.

The Bottom Line: The first bit of this book nearly caused me to DNF this title, but I’m ultimately glad I plowed through the awkward bits and got to the good story. The good story begins when Gabbie returns home and begins to dive into the mess that is her home and her life. Though the work is difficult, physically and emotionally, every step is one step closer to Gabbie healing and being able to move forward with the life she truly wants. There is nothing easy about Gabbie’s path, but it is a necessary evil that teaches her so much about love, friendship, kindness, generosity, and the power found in helping others. This is absolutely a feel-good book with literally everything working out in the end. There is just the right amount of drama and romance to enhance the read, good characters that are worth rooting for, and story that is just sweet and simple.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book - the perfume industry isn’t one which is often featured, but was interesting. You really wanted the heroine to have a happy ending.

A really enjoyable, easy read, perfect for a beach / holiday read or lazy weekend. Very well written, great story and fantastic characters. I will definitely be looking for more from this author!

First time I read a Daisy James book and I was not disappointed at all! In fact I even LOVED the book, I loved it so much that I am giving it a 5 stars out of 5! Excellent read! It's a realy page-turner in my opinion, and the more you go into the story the more you want to know how this will end! So much is happening in this book, you are never bored! And I really loved the characters, they are so lovely. I also loved to read about Gabby's aromatherapist job! I would have loved to be one of Gabby's customer just to be able to go into the Summer House of Happiness! Very lovely read! Can't wait to read another book from Daisy James!

Daisy James never fails to please. A lovely, gentle love story, just what is needed for a lazy read.

A read in one sitting story that brings us Gabbie, a budding perfumer working in Grasse, when the biggest challenge of her life appears in the form of a three month contract extension working on a new summer signature fragrance. Still unsettled and not feeling as inspired as she would be when meting clients and designing custom scents for them. In an unprecedented move, when the opportunity to continue with the leading perfume house in France doesn’t make her excited, she quits to head home to her small Devon village to regroup and perhaps actually deal with her mother’s death some two years earlier.

Upon returning home, she’s still trying to discover just how she’ll tell people she’d quit, only to discover the house and garage in a cluttered mess, her father not entirely well, and a new mechanic who reminds her of Danny Zucko from Grease. Oh, and the fact that she can’t look at the garden shed, dubbed the Summer House of Happiness, where she and her mother worked to experiment with essential oils and scents to ease her mother’s pain and side-effects from chemo. Digging in and determined to get to the bottom of things, she starts by cleaning out the house, the garage office and the yard and garden, working herself constantly to avoid the summer house, all while trying to come up with a way to explain her appearance and decide on her next move.

But a little boy’s wasp sting and a gentle nudge from her father sends her into the shed to create a potion for relief, which leads to more people asking for her help – as she sorts out her grief and dreams while managing to get a handle on the difficulties the family garage is facing. Finding some support, and more than a bit of attraction to Max, her father’s new second in command, she’s starting to make a plan for a business for herself – designing custom fragrances, treatments and eventually expanding into cleaning products and beauty potions when the dire situation becomes clear, and an offer to work as the head of fragrance for a new UK company arrives with a generous sign-on bonus, before her relocation to Paris will be required. Gabbie has to decide if she could be happy again in France, or does she struggle to make a go of things at home, chasing her dream…..and can she make enough to pay off the garage’s debts and keep things moving forward. Only an unexpected hand and opportunity can help her to make the choice.

A lovely story full of challenges, friendship and determination: perfect for readers who love the stories about finding and following your joy despite the odds.

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=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9TI /” > <a> I am, Indeed <./a>

A feel good read that brings you right into the story. Lovely story line, funny and romantic. Really enjoyed this book. perfect summer read

Gabbie had her dream job working as a perfumier in the south of France, but when she is offered a promotion to work in a lab in Paris she decides it is not for her and s and returns to her home in Devon. She soon settles back in and finds that her aromatherapy is in demand .......and then there is Max the new mechanic at the garage..... is romance on the cards?

Another lovely easy book by this author.... all of her books are so warm with lovely characters that you are drawn in immediately... great summer beach read

This was a very sweet little book. Gabriella works for a famous perfume house in Grasse in France and as she is offered the chance of a life time she quits and goes home to Devon to see her father. When she gets there his home and business are in a right mess and she trys to see if she can sort things out. Her dad runs a garage where they look after all of the locals cars and on her hourney Gabbie attracts the eye of the new mechanic Max who is very handsome and charming. She also has to discover a way fo making a living herself and sets up an Apocathery in her back garden.

Really lovely read, light and easy.

I really enjoyed this book what's not to love Paris and perfume.This book was a feel good book loved the storyline pulled at the heartstrings a few times as well i loved the characters.I will definitely be reading more by Daisy James.

A light summer read which evoked the scents of summer with the perfumed back drop to the story. Although I found this book a little difficult to get into, I enjoyed it over all. Thanks NetGalley!

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this heartwarming, easy read. It is a lovely story of new beginnings, friendship, romance, love, hope, relationships and happiness.
Well written with well rounded lovely characters. I enjoyed the ups and downs in the book and was rooting for Gabbie throughout.

A perfect summer holiday read or ideal for an afternoon in the garden.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a charming book. I'm not sure what genre to classify it in, as it seems to have a bit of everything. Perfect for a summer read, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Was hooked from the first few pages with this enchanting story that really does have a bit of everything.

There are a few chapters set in Grasse, France in the perfume capital of the world, there is a top perfumer who quits her job, then discovers the family business is failing, there is a potential new romance, a mystery over finances, and of course the key to the title The Summerhouse of Happiness.

All of this and more in a well written book from an author i tend to enjoy. I loved all the descriptions, and also the fledgling romance.

I was amused by Gabbie's father whose main hobby appears to be archery, never heard so many archery terms in one place before - potentially not even watching it at the Olympics!!

This book kept me very entertained from start to finish, and I believe it will bring happiness to those that read it. i am certainly far more intrigued by aromatherapy than i ever was before as a result.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.