Secrets of Willow House is completely delightful!  Forced by her doctor to take a vacation or risk a heart attack, interior designer, Maeve goes to Ireland to visit her Aunt Philomena.  Phil, as she is known, asks Maeve for help sorting out her late husband’s computer files and  help her determine where the money in that secret bank account came from.  Just what was her uncle up to in his retirement?  The answer it would seem is quite a lot...but I give no spoilers.  Along the way Maeve meets some very interesting people that bring a new perspective into her busy life.  Readers also become surrounded by the sounds, smells, and traditions of Ireland, always a plus.  This is a well written story with developed, relatable characters, and I greatly appreciated the lack of major angst that can bog down otherwise good stories.  In short, I totally enjoyed the time spent reading.  I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book.  Most highly recommend.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are entirely my own.

What a wonderful read this was! I may be a little biased, since it takes place in Ireland in beautiful county Kerry, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be the only one enjoying this lovely book. It’s almost the definition of feel good – reading it felt like sunshine. Like the smell and taste of a pint of Guinness.

”’I’ll drink to that,’ Maeve said and took a sip from her glass. It tasted both sweet and bitter, with a slight fizz. Just like life, she thought.”

It was great to be transported back to Ireland through Susanne’s words. The characters in this book were lovely, not stuck-up or annoying or Mary Sue-like. Not at all. They felt like honest, real Irish people and it was the first ‘feel good’ novel I’ve read this year that actually made me feel good.

When we first meet Maeve McKenna, she’s living and working in busy London. She’s an interior designer with a burn out and her doctor is ordering her to slow down, to take a break and get some rest. Her boss reluctantly agrees to give her two weeks of leave and Maeve decides to go back to Ireland. Her home. She wants to stay with her sister before driving down to the Ring of Kerry, but before she knows it, she’s already in Sandy Cove and staying with her aunt Philomena Duffy.

Phil’s husband Joe died a little over a year ago and he left his wife some mysterious secrets. She needs Maeve’s help to figure it all out because she can’t deal with it on her own. The two of them were very close when Maeve was little, but they’ve grown apart over the year. Being back in Sandy Cove is making the two women reunite. Maeve falls in love with Ireland all over again and starts to wonder whether she’d prefer a life in rural Kerry over a glamorous one in London.

Of course, there’s a bit of a love triangle in the story. There’s posh and wealthy literary agent Stephen Taylor back in London, who wants to take her out to fancy parties and buy her dinner. But there’s also Paschal Sullivan, a marine biologist who runs a second hand bookshop in the summer when he’s not giving lectures at Cork University. Yes, it might be a predictable trope, but isn’t that what we all want in a chick-lit novel? I was just really glad that nothing had happened between Maeve and Stephen before she and Paschal started messing around. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, then it’s cheating. 

The author did repeat herself a lot, though. I think the thought proces of ‘should I go back to London and my life or should I stay here’ was mentioned at least ten or fifteen times. I get it, it’s a big part of the book, but nevertheless it got kind of annoying at times. Doesn’t make it a bad book, though. I still really enjoyed it – I finished it rather quickly, and that says a lot. I just couldn’t put it away, I suppose! 

So, I’m giving this book four well-earned stars and I’m hoping others will enjoy it just as much as I did.

"'I'm beginning to take to this drink,' she confessed.
'Be careful,' he warned. 'It can be addictive'"

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.
Having read a lot of Susanne's  books before this comes as no surprise that this is one Excellent  read, out of tragedy  comes hope and a whole new life for two amazing  women.
This is a totally  captivating  book from the first page I laughed out loud at many parts and shed a few tears in others a real hug in a book, it's warm and inviting  yet tells a story of tragedy  I can highly recommend this book to family and friends  and deserves  5 stars.

Secrets of Willow House is the first book in a new series by Susanne O’Leary.  Interior designer Maeve McKenna relocated to London from Dublin after a very bad breakup. She has worked her way to the top levels in Ava McDonald’s upscale design firm. But she has worked herself to the point of exhaustion. In fact, her doctor has told her she must take time off to regroup or pay the health consequences.

Although Ava does so grudgingly, she relents and gives Maeve two wee off. Maeve decides to spend the majority of the time with her Aunt Philomena in Sandy Cove, part of the Kerry Ring in Ireland. 

Being back at Willow House where she and her sister, Roisin, had spent their summers while they were growing up, it quite bittersweet. Her Uncle Joe passed a little over a year ago and she finds her aunt in a dilapidated home sitting atop a lovely cliff.  In helping her aunt find joy and purpose, the most amazing things happen for them both.  Aunt Phil finds new purpose and Maeve finds a very different direction.

This was a lovely book, just the beginning of a very promising series by Susanne O’Leary. With rich characters, lovely scenery, and a wonderful place to discover, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

I want to talk to you about Secrets of Willow House by Susanne O'Leary, which I am giving a deserved 4 out of 5 shamrocks. Thanks much to NetGalley and to Bookouture for sending me this lovely, lovely novel in exchange for my honest review. This is hailed as a "heartwarming and uplifting page turner set in Ireland," and disappoint it does not!

Maeve McKenna is on the verge of a nervous collapse. She's overworked and exhausted as an interior designer at Ava McDonald Interiors. At almost forty, her life isn't exactly how she pictured it. Her ex-boyfriend, Lorcan, cheated on her and started the family he said he didn't want. Instead of owning the design company she's dreamed of, she's working for a woman who can't say no to a job, no matter how many projects they're currently working. 

Maeve finds herself longing for the simplicity and serenity of small-town life in the tiny town of Sandy Cove outside of Kerry, swimming in the Atlantic, sunbathing on the beach, spending her summers at Willow House, and basking in the warmth of her Aunt Phil's and Uncle Joe's love. 

When her doctor prescribes two weeks off, Maeve seizes her chance to escape her busy London life and spend time with her widowed aunt. 

Philomena Duffy lives year-round in the home her great-grandfather built in 1912. Willow House is the home she shared with her late husband, Joe, before he passed the year before. Just when the loneliness starts to become unbearable, Phil gets the outstanding news that she her beloved niece is coming for holiday. The timing couldn't be more perfect, because she's started to go through Joe's belongings, and there are some mysteries that she needs Maeve's help to solve. 

Two weeks at Willow House are the balm that both aunt and niece have unknowingly needed, and together they explore their pasts, presents, and futures in a, yes, heartwarming and uplifting narrative of two women with the world before them. 

Will Maeve head back to London feeling energized and ready to revel in her brilliant career and perhaps kindle a new relationship with the posh Stephen Taylor? Or do the secrets of Willow House reveal an entirely different plan, complete with the town's summer bookkeeper—the wildly soulful Paschal O'Sullivan—and the project of a lifetime? 

When Phil learns of her beloved late husband's long-kept secret, she also finds herself at a crossroads. Will Joe Duffy's secrets break over Phil, carrying her away with them? Or is there more to his story? 

What don't I love about this book? Pretty much nothing. Maeve seems much younger than she is, but what's wrong with that, right? She ages as gracefully as her aunt! 

This is the perfect summer beach read. I wanted nothing more than to cozy up in the sand with my sun hat and dig into the Secrets of Willow House. (I wouldn't say no to some fresh Irish seafood, either.) Lively, entertaining, and lighthearted, this story had me laughing and smiling on the whole. It's not a complicated story, but it's brilliantly told. You can simply enjoy the read and where the story takes you, which is exactly what I'm looking for when I pick up a smart, witty read that I can breeze through. 

And come on! Ireland? You all know how I feel about my ancestral home. At the last page, I shut off the Kindle, marched up to my husband, and announced that I was moving to Kerry and never coming home. Fortunately (and unfortunately), this is not the first time he's heard this, so it's a bit like calling wolf. BUT I'M SERIOUS THIS TIME. (Emphatically throws passport, bathing suits, flouncy hat, and books into suitcase.)

Secrets of Willow House is set to be published on March 25, 2019. Pick it up and add it immediately to your summer reading list. Enjoy this literary holiday on the shores of Kerry. (Or better yet, go there and bring this book with you! And take me along as well, if you don't mind!)

As requested by the publisher, the link to this review can also be found at ahjoyediting.com/bring-the-joy

Thanks to Netgalley for me advanced copy....

"Sighs" Pascal and Meave are so into together, she stayed with her Aunt Phil at Willow house who is very close together since she was little girl along with her sister.. I'm glad that her aunt started her writing career since her Husband Joe died of hear attack..Sad!

Can't wait to read another series in this book!!!

This is a brilliant holiday read which takes you away to the beautiful Emerald Isle. The author transports you to Ireland with her descriptions of the land and the people. 

The storyline itself goes along at a great pace, slow enough that you can enjoy the read yet not so much that you lose concentration. I found myself connecting with all of the characters, that is a sign that the author ‘gets’ her target audience extremely well.

I would highly recommend this to those looking for a great read, whether that be for a holiday or at another time of the year. Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a copy.

This is a great summer read book, especially if you are thinking about going to Ireland on holidays. This book will put you right in the mood for the Irish scenic countryside! The book was a little predictable but if you enjoy heartwarming romances like Cathy Bramley, you'll enjoy this book!

Maeve is working herself to death in London, as an interior decorator to the stars (and rich yet undecided) she’s working eighteen hour days on an endless day of putting out fires, organizing deliveries and gently coaxing clients toward the ‘best’ choices for their new décor. But she’s now experiencing panic attacks and sleepless nights, and a weight loss that has alarmed her doctor who prescribed she get away and relax for a few weeks. The past few years have been a never-ending round of work, work and more work. But her recent dreams have brought her to Sandy Cove and Willow House, a favorite childhood hideaway owned by her beloved aunt and uncle. She and her sister Roisin had spent many summers there enjoying the simpler things in life, and now with her uncle having died and she not able to go to the funeral, she’s decided to visit her aunt, Philomena, and regroup and recuperate in the old house.  A quick visit with her sister to borrow her car and head west, and Maeve is soon in Willow House – the old place is in need of repair and work, and Aunt Phil has discovered a worrying ‘mystery’ amongst Joe’s things, things she couldn’t face sorting through in the years since his death. 

Willow House has provided everything Maeve needs – scenery, beach, memories from her childhood and a quiet place to regroup as she thinks about the ‘new man’ she met before leaving London, and the Irishman that owns the ‘bookshop’ who stirs her interest and feels ‘familiar’, as well as intriguing.  From digging through Joe’s laptop to discovering his real “secret’ that could be the saving of Willow House and all of the repairs it needs, she’s also been coming to grips with Phil’s alone-ness and her own desires to stay in Sandy Cove.  Maeve is also finding herself fitting right back in to the way of life at Sandy Cove: swimming, quiet walks to town, reading with Phil to the old ladies in the “communal house’ they occupy, even nights in the pub or stargazing all bring her a sense of peace and home that was missing in London.  But, not the most daring of creatures, Maeve is, despite her not wanting to, planning her return to London and the rat-race. 

Oh this was a lovely story: with Maeve coming up on forty and finding that what she dreamed of as a young girl – designing and decorating  - isn’t quite the ‘lark’ she thought it would be, and her boss, with her inability to say ‘no’ to a job, the boss’ increased deterioration of mood, vacillating and overly demanding clients and the expectations that none of her time is her own, have her dreaming of the day when things are different.  And, with the push, the opportunity and a promise of something more with the boy who kissed her and disappeared when she was 15, never to be forgotten – she’s taking the chance to start anew in Sandy Cove.  A lovely vacation read with plenty of heart and opportunity, choices and chances, and lots of laughter and healing make this a book that is hard to put down and harder to forget.  Grab this for an escape into places that everyone wants: timeless, accepting and supportive, with heart, laughter and love sure to put a smile on your face. 

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-akZ/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Lovely!!!  Suzanne O'Leary has  given us a memorable and  lovable cast of characters, a wonderful old house by the sea and Ireland - What's not to love?!

After a failed relationship and a job that has left her exhausted, Maeve decides a change of scenery is in order and  heads to Sandy Cove and her aunt Philomena. Philomena is feeling a bit down herself, rattling around in her decaying home after he loss of her beloved husband. The two women take solace in each other, and Maeve beings to believe she can see a future in Sandy Cove and begins attempting to restore the old grande old home. I love this story for its setting and its characters, the women are the stars of this story and men play only a secondary role. No one is looking for a white knight to save them, and that’s my kind of fairy tale

Gentle ~ Appealing ~ Atmospheric
tl; dr: Middle-aged woman takes a break at Irish coast only to find a completely new path in life. 

This book is exactly what the cover and title promise: a beautiful house and a better beach. This is an ideal holiday book. Appealing main character, caddish guy, amazing guy, and a kind cadre of supporting characters. The writing is solid, but the appeal is really the atmosphere. You can almost feel the sea air when you read this book. Perfect vacation fare. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.