Another joyous read from Carole Matthews - a romcom with a great big heart. The tale centres around likeable protagonist Molly and her home of Hope Farm with all of its glorious animal life. Some super characterisation - both human and animal - coupled with a delightful storyline. Funny and touching in turn, this leaves the reader with a great big smile. A thoroughly feel good read in all respects.
(Review to be posted on Amazon)

A very easy romantic read containing a very different heroine and her unruly animals. Throw in a handsome actor and his moody son and be prepared to transported to a fantasy land where things work out in the end.

A great read, the story of Molly and her farm.
I loved the random selection of animals she had, each with their own personality!

I received an ARC of this book in exhange for a voluntary and honest review

If you are a fan of Carole Matthews previous stories, then you will love this one too. Hope Farm is an amazing place with wonderful characters & animals that you will soon get to know. When Shelby Dacre arrives on the scene maybe you will have an inkling of what is about to happen, or maybe not??

Happiness For Beginners is a fun and uplifting book which is perfect for coseying up with on a cold night.

I was drawn into the book immediately with the most hilarious opening to a book I’ve ever read! I don’t remember ever having laughed so hard at poor Molly’s attempts to placate her temperamental goat. The author’s writing style makes this book easy to read and makes you think that you are conversing with a friend due to the way the author seems to talk directly at you.

The characters in this book are just brilliant with a fantastic mix of both animals and humans that helps keep the reader thoroughly entertained. I loved that all the animals seemed to have their own little quirks and personality which made Hope Farm seem a very friendly and colourful place to live. I wanted to move there instantly to meet all the characters and live Molly’s life with even the thought of the outside shower not putting me off!

The story develops at a good pace with lots of descriptions of the farm and everyday life there which keeps the reader thoroughly engaged in the book. I found I so enjoyed spending time with Molly at her farm that I didn’t notice the pages flying by and found myself quite sad to have finished and have to leave it all behind. I so hope the author writes a sequel to this book as I’d love to revisit all of them.

Huge thanks to Millie Seward from Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book via Netgalley which I received in exchange for an honest review. If you’re looking for a fun and quirky read that you’ll just fall in love with then you’ll love this book!

Molly Baker is a shy, single and also lovely and welcoming woman, running Hope Farm in Buckinghamshire, which she inherited from her beloved Aunt Hettie. It doesn't bother her that she lives in an ancient caravan, with neither TV not shower, the main thing is that her animals and students are happy. Students - because the farm is also an alternative school for children with learning difficulties, autism, behavioural problems. One of the new students, Lucas, finds a way to Molly's heart - his father finds this way as well but because of their totally different life styles it's a recipe for a guaranteed heartbreak, right? Also, Molly's farm, that is so much more to her than only a farm, it's her home, a place to live and to bring happiness, is facing being closed down for good. Will she manage to save the farm and her heart?

I haven't mentioned any lovely covers lately and this one deserves a standing ovation. It's gorgeous, and I love this beautiful yellow colour - you can feel spring in the air only by looking at this cover, and the little flowers dotted around are so lovely. And it is as uplifting and full of warmth as the book itself.

I loved Hope Farm, it was simply my kind of heaven, even with all of its inconveniences. OK, I'd maybe need a TV and a good internet connection but I so could live with the rest, just like Molly. I know it is said one shouldn't work with children and animals but I work with both and I am still going, so it can't be that bad, right, and so I immediately connected with Molly and could resonate with her on all levels. I also feel the best in my wellies and I always smell of dogs and horses treats. The assortment of animal at the farm was absolutely perfect, and their personalities were very, very well captured by the author.
But Hope Farm was not only about animals, and here comes the great idea - it was to help children who couldn't find help anywhere else, it was their last chance saloon - they, usually already excluded from schools, could come to the farm and learn how to be around animals, some practical skills as well, and also learn from animals and about them being so good at simply being there. I totally loved all of the animals on the farm, they were all so special, and well, yes, it weren't only the pupils that had problems but the animals as well. The children react to animals, learn to bond with them, to open to them and to develop the so much needed self confidence, and it was incredibly important for them, and it was really well described by the author.

I immediately fell for Molly. Immediately. Her love and passion to the things she has devoted herself to was overwhelming and palpable. She really knows what her animals of all shapes and sizes need, and her students as well. She was so chilled and relaxed and I really could get her reluctance to engage with other people. Her side - kicks Bev and Alan were also special, absolutely loveable and it was impossible not to like them. The story is told from Molly's point of view and her narration is flowing, it's chatty and honest, and the short chapters are what I really like in Carole Matthews' books.

I always appreciate the fact that Carole Matthews tries to touch upon more serious issues in her books as well, of course with this gentle touch of humour. This time she's factoring children with learning difficulties and dealing with grief - through Lucas, still grieving for his dead mother, feeling neglected by his father, lonely and mobbed at school. Molly tries to come through to Lucas, get him to open up and quickly she finds herself involved not only in his life but also this of his father's, the famous soap opera actor Shelby Dacre. The relationship between Molly and Lucas, and actually between Molly and all of her charges, was so genuine and heart-warming and it was a real pleasure to read about them.

Even though you know from the very beginning that the book is going to end with a happy end, it is still full of moments that are going to make your heart stop beating, and you're going to keep everything crossed for Molly and her charges. Because - of course - life is not a bed of roses for Molly and her farm, and she's struggling financially, but there is also one small problem of finding a new place for the farm. Why? Read for yourself, you're really going to fall for Molly and Hope Farm.

This book would be perfect if it weren't so slow. I loved this story, and the characters - it was warm, funny and uplifting but not too sappy but I had a feeling that it doesn't move, that we stay in one place, that the one idea has been taken and written on thousand different ways. As much as I enjoyed reading it, I simply wished for something to happen, for something refreshing to arrive and take us by surprise. And this time I missed the depth a little.
However, altogether, "The Happiness for Beginners" was a funny, uplifting and overflowing with charm story, full of the feel - good factor that I know I can expect from Ms Matthews's books. Carole Matthews is simply a natural storyteller. She has a way with words and she describes her characters in such a way that you quickly feel like knowing them all since childhood, and not only the main characters, but also the secondary ones as well. She makes them relatable, genuine and realistic. The book was emotional, it was funny and poignant at the same time, a great mix of laughter, tears, emotions and feelings. You won't want to miss it!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and initially requested it based upon the description. It sounded interesting and like something that I could relate to due to my professional career. Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorite reads. I thought there was too much detail about all the animals early on. I had great difficulty moving past that to gain any interest in getting to know the characters. It was a struggle for me to finish this story. However, this was my first book by Carole and at some point down the road I’d like to try reading a different book that she has written. Also, I was glad to see fellow readers that enjoyed the book based upon their own reviews of this novel.

Another lovely read from Carole Matthews. This book is definitely one for when you have a lot of time because you will want to read it in one go. I recommend on the beach!

I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! The story centres around Molly and the animals and people who make up Hope Farm. The farm is described as a 'last chance saloon' and works with young adults with additional needs relating to learning, behaviour or mental wellbeing. All of the animals are unique, a little less than perfect (to some) and have their own additional needs.

Molly was a brilliantly down to earth character who I was really backing throughout the story. In fact, there isn't a single main character whom I didn't like. But it was the animals that really won me over. I'm a sucker for a slightly wonky, less than straightforward rescue animal and I fell in love with the characters given to the different residents of the farm.

The story itself moved at a good pace, I found myself completely immersed in the events and longing for a happy ending. I would love to read more with these characters in the future. A wonderful, feel good read!

I’ve never read any of Carole Matthews’ books before, but this was a book for me (it was about ‘problem’ children and animals). It was predictable, but sometimes that’s a good thing, especially after reading some heavy texts recently. It wasn’t really realistic, but that’s what I loved about it. I loved the children in this book; now they were believable characters. It was a fun book to read, which can be shared with my colleagues to demonstrate ‘childhood’.

I'm a huge fan of Carole Matthews books anyway but this book has got to be one of my favourites.
Packed with action and a brilliant story line, this book had me hooked from the start.
I loved the main character Molly, what a sweetie.
My only hope is that there might be an installment from Hope Farm in the future as I definitely didn't want this book to end.

I was unable to get into this book and did not finish it, I felt like the whole beginning of the book was solely about way too many animals that I could not keep straight.

Molly felt like a kindred spirit as feel she is holds all the values I love of putting her animals first and taking in any waif and strays... Animal and human form! She lives in an old caravan wit no TV, no social media and it actually sounds bliss!

Her relationship with Lucas was interesting to see develop but I could see straight away who her love interest was going to be.

Loved the animals as felt we got to know their personalities - especially Anthony! Baa!

Lovely book, easy read, if you like Carole Matthews other books then this has a is similar kind of feel.

I really wish I could give this more than 5 stars.
Molly Baker runs Hope Farm a haven for "bewildered, damaged and troubled animals and children".
She has an eclectic bunch of animals, Antony the anti-social sheep, Teacup the very oversized micro pig and 3 Alpacas who barely tolerate each other never mind humans.
Molly has opened up the farm to children who have had issues in mainstream school and they seem to thrive in the relaxed atmosphere of the farm, helping to look after the animals and learning new skills.
She might not have much (or any) social life and she lives hand to mouth in a run down caravan but Molly is happy with her life. Then the suave soap star Shelby Dacre arrives with his son Luke, who has recently been excluded from school, and asks Molly for her help. Luke is at first sulky and truculent but begins to respond to Molly's unique brand of therapy. Can Molly help Luke and should she resist Shelby's undoubted charms or should she open herself to the chance of happiness.
There are a lot of laughs but also some very sad moments in this book and I can't recommend it highly enough.

A perfect springtime book. Molly is the ultimate loner preferring the company of her animals than people from Anthony the anti social ram, fifty the lamb who thinks its a dog and Tina Turner one of a trio of Alpacas who are total divas and very skittish. Carole Matthews humour shines through this book . I totally devoured it in one day. Can Molly, her motley crew of animals and her equally motley crew of staff and students find happiness and realise that having friends and help can be a good thing.

If you want a fantastic feel good read then Happiness for Beginners by Carole Matthews is definitely for you. It follows the story of Molly who runs Hope Farm in Buckinghamshire. It’s a refuge for waifs and strays including Anthony the angry sheep, high maintenance alpacas and a pony that’s allergic to its own hair. It also offers local children with special needs or those who’ve been excluded from school to spend their days at an alternative school. Add in a dashing actor and his wayward son and you’ve got a recipe for a perfect book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group and the author for the chance to review.

I really enjoy Carole Matthews novels, I haven't read many but the ones in which I have read have been really enjoyable and easy to read. This one really stuck out for me and I was so eager to read more about Molly and of course about Shelby and Lucas. I absolutely loved the idea of Molly working at a farm where they've all been rescued, that made my heart sing and my eyes water but it was really very lovely to read.

The cover is so beautiful and very Spring-like. It certainly catches your eye with the bright yellow background and I just adore the little flowers dotted around the cover, and the writing is really pretty! I also love Molly's little caravan, it's so quaint and cute! Overall, it makes for a really stunningly beautiful cover and I really, really like it.

What I enjoy with Carole Matthews, is that she gives a brilliant back story and I feel like by the time the third chapter comes around, we know so much about the main character and we know quite a bit about the secondary characters too. So already, right at the start of the novel we can really relate to those characters and I find that that works really well and helps you settle into the book easier and quicker as well. The setting of this novel also sounded so idyllic, I'd love to live somewhere where you never tire of the view and have all the animals and fields.

The whole book went so quickly for me, even though it took me a while to read it, I loved every page, not wanting it to stop. I loved Molly's character, she was so easy to relate to and I loved her chilled out vibes. Bev was also a funny one for me, I found myself laughing out loud at some of her quips about Shelby Dacre - and then of course what happens at the Hope Farm Festival with Alan had me laughing too! I also really felt for Lucas, he seemed so lost and misunderstood. I loved reading about the animals, such as Tina Turner the alpaca, I absolutely adored Anthony the Sheep and of course Little Dog (I also loved how they were called Little Dog and Big Dog!).

Overall, this was amazingly written and I'll go as far as to say that this was possibly my favourite Carole Matthews' novels to date. It was fun, heart-warming and overall just an easy read. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have read and reviewed honestly.

Every single time I review a Carole Matthews book I say "this is her best one yet, it doesn't get better" and every single time she replies with "hold my tea"! I swear this woman is the QUEEN of #ChickLit!!!

Carole has taken a lovely, quirky rom-com and added animal antics galore!!!

Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!!!

100 STARS!!!

Firstly I love this bright, attractive cover right? The colours and text just draw you in.

The first chapter just sets the tone so well, one of the most hilarious starts to a book I've read in a long while and once you finish the book you see it goes full circle. The animals are (not so) secretly the stars of the show, particularly Johnny Rotten the alpaca and Anthony, the world's most irritable sheep.
When I tweeted Carole my appreciation of Anthony the sheep she kindly replied with a photo of him in real life, and a smiley alpaca selfie which I just adore.

The underlying beauty of this book is that it is based on a real life farm that cares for a multitude of crazy rescued animals alongside running a charity supporting kids with additional needs, similar to the fictional Hope Farm. Carole and her publisher have been sharing some entertaining videos of her on the farm with the animals that provided so much inspiration for this story on their social media pages, I recommend checking them out.

I think I just want to be Molly Baker, she's down to earth, low-maintenance, positive and caring and living dawn til dusk surrounded by her animals and nurturing kids that society has kind of let down and forgotten. As a parent carer to a kid that has struggled with formal education because of additional needs, I can most definitely relate to this aspect of the story; it was done sensitively, accurately, and most of all with so much positivity. It delivers the message that children who don't fit the mould, who have challenges, who act out are actually those who often are very intelligent, very creative, very soft-hearted, they just need kindness, attention, and to have their self-worth acknowledged. I respect how this was portrayed in the book and some of the more finer details of autistic communication etc.

This book is about the characters, the animals and those that work on the farm foremost. It also has a romance element to it, but I think the real heart tugging moments are those between Molly and Lucas; they share such a special bond and the story charts the depth of her commitment to him when he needs that the most, which was truly moving. I wasn't particularly blown away by Shelby, he is a man with many faults, isn't particularly good at compassion and lets his son down badly, however he is a celeb so caught up in that narcissistic whirlwind, and is grieving himself, so he redeems himself by admitting he's completely wrong at everything, hurrah!

If, like me, you'd love your own little homestead or fancy being surrounded by alpacas you'll absolutely love this book, and if you're looking for a heartfelt, funny, whimsical read this is a top bet!

This was my first introduction to Carole Matthews work and overall I would say it was a fairly good introduction. This was a proper feel good, chick-lit style book. I enjoyed the premise and the story. The short chapters kept me reading and kept the story moving at a good pace. The animal cast were the stars of the story for me.

Overall a decent read which you don't really have to think much about.

Arc provided by netgalley for an honest review.