I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting my read this book.
It was definitely a different set-up for a romance, with one of the main characters having a child so young. I like that Gemma had real problems like, money issues, occupation and lack of relationship. Her ex was really annoying and I hope that the issues with him were sorted.
Sam had a good back story as well. He seemed like a lovely guy and I wished there had been a bit more scenes with them getting to know each other.
An easy summer read.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
The summer of wishful thinking by Eve Edwards is an easy book to read,. It just flows along at its own pace and the storyline and the characters are easy to listen to and enjoy. It is a romantic tale, set in a castle with its own gardens which have been neglected and are being restored by the owner, who falls for his new tenant.
An easy to read romance.
Highly recommended.

This was an interesting set-up for a romance novel. Gemma is approaching 30 and a single mom with a 14-year old son. Do the math to see what a struggle she’s had in her life. She’s a registrar in a small English town who does weddings, funerals, and baptisms. Sam is a former policeman who has tired of the depressing struggles of that life and retired and bought a castle with the hopes of restoring the gardens and castle to make it a wedding venue.

Gemma rents out a cottage on the grounds and proceeds to fall for the handsome new “lord of the castle.” Sam can’t help being attracted to this plucky young mother.

I enjoyed the growth of all the characters shown in the story. Gemma’s rather unpleasant son turns into a model teen when he’s hired by Sam to take care of Sam’s father who suffers from dementia, but still loves gardening and imparting that knowledge to his young helper/caretaker. Gemma learns once more how to pick herself up and carry on. Sam learns to get past a personal tragedy and open up his heart to a new romance while also accepting help.

The book was a good read, but it also made me roll my eyes and suspend bushels of disbelief. How did this former policeman have enough money to be an honest-to-god castle. Why did he suddenly think he could host weddings? Real lords who inherit castles can’t afford to keep them up, but a former policeman has the wherewithal to tackle the job? I’m not buying that. And Gemma seems to have been on her own raising her son since she was 15 since her parents supposedly didn’t help her out. How did that happen? Did she really not get any help with a place to live and money to take care of a baby? I would have liked to have known a lot more about how she achieved that?

But if you can throw these plot questions out and just enjoy the story, you’ll have fun.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Summer of Wishful Thinking by Eve Edwards
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This book was an easy quick light hearted read. It has the classic enemies to lovers plot line.
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The main character is Gemma, a young single mother, who’s life is complicated by her ex husband/ baby daddy drama, her family dynamics with her parents and the threat of losing her job. She moves into a cottage on castle grounds which are being renovated by Sam, ex-cop with his own family issues. She thinks he is a grump, he thinks she is flakey.
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I enjoyed the characters of Sams dad, William, who suffers from dementia as well Gemmas son, Leo, who helps to take care of William and the friendship they develop.
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I found Gemma and Sams relationship a bit annoying at first cause Gemma lies about being fine with a “nothing serious” relationship when clearly she wants something more which I find sends a bad message to women/ girls. And I also found Sam to be a bit dense...
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Thanks to Harper Impulse & Eve Edwards for the ARC of this book!

This was a great romcom story to read while quarantining. A lighthearted read full of hope and also such a quick read!

Great book.
Great plot. Perfect read whilst socially distancing. Got me thinking about my own wishful thinking.
This is as gorgeous as the cover.

Gemma is a local registrar which makes her realize whats she's missing. Sam is the opposite due to tragedy in his life Gemma rents a rundown cottage on Sam's estate.

A big thank you to Netgalley for picking me to review this book. I quick read about love, life and dilemmas. The main character Gemma is handed one hardship after another. At 15, she became a single mother and it was all downhill until she met Sam. Sam, ex-cop from London has just purchased a castle in the countryside. I pictured Sam as Daniel Craig, strong handsome closed off to anything dealing with love or commitment.
I Just realized it was 1am 🤷‍♀️ I’ve been reading all night and I want to keep reading the main character was just in a car accident. I mean everything will be ok because she’s in love with the guy who owns the castle. 😍😂😬 A quick read, with not much depth. Sometimes British novels are perfect even if they are predictable 🤷‍♀️

A refreshing read! Eve Edwards once again takes the ordinary and does magic. Gemma is a lovely character. So full of good cheer and brimming with pithy humour, Gemma braves the world with her son Leo and strives despite the odds to make a home wherever she lives. Sam, her landlord, comes across at first as grumpy, staid, and a regular stick-in-the-mud. However, unexpected depths of character are unearthed as the book progresses and through his many flaws and impulsive manner, his genuine kindness shines through. It is difficult not to fall in love with Gemma and Sam; and the beautiful grounds where their story unfolds.

This story is peppered with diverse supporting characters that add colour and fresh dimensions to the idyllic setting. The narrative is compelling, handling difficult questions with candour. The featured chipped garden gnome captures the spirit of this book that is relatable with a generous helping of fairy dust, hope and the enchantment of new beginnings.

The story of Gemma and Sam

An easy read in a great setting of a castle being bought back to life. Will it have the same effect on it's owner Sam, who has shut himself off for years.

Gemma is struggling with all life is throwing at her - will moving to a cottage in the castle grounds make life easier?

A great book, looking forward to more from this author.

I’d like to thank Harper Collins and Netgalley for this advance copy of this enjoyable book. I loved it from the start and there was loads going on with the story. Both main characters were great but my favourites were William and Leo. Their growing relationship was lovely and a great aspect to the story. The setting was fabulous- loved the castle but always wanted to live in a little cottage in a village so it really appealed to me.
This would be a great holiday read- lighthearted but gripping with a very satisfying ending.

Great book which i read in a couple of days, i think this would be an ideal title as a part of a series .

I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC version of this book.

The book follows Gemma and Sam with their own narrative for the story of their lives, love and dilemmas.

I really enjoyed reading about two characters that had difficult pasts that form them into their present selves. I loved their interaction and how they changed during the course of the book whilst acknowledging that everyone is a human being and that we all make mistakes.

Life isn't just white and black and that is the main strength of this book - The characters judge themselves thinking they could have done something better and they are trying throughout the story to handle that grey area of life.

The array of characters is well developed and you can read about a lot of issues that arise in today's society and we are finally starting to talk more about- dementia, teenage pregnancy, minimal incomes, suicidal thoughts, entrepreneurship, etc.

One of the reviews mentioned that Gemma friend, Diana is portrayed as a stereotype of a black woman - big bust, being sexualy mischievous, described as 'sassy'. On one hand I agree that stereotyping is not good for a book and not PC today in 2020. But also on the other hand who are we to say that maybe author herself doesn't have friends just like that and that sterotpyes often hold at least a little bit of truth?
This is something to discuss. :)
And I want to put down that I hate stereotyping in general.

Anyway if you would like to read a not-so-heavy book that deals with a number of issues whilst you can enjoy a sweet love story this is a book for you.

A quick easy feel good love story. Great likeable characters, nice flow. A first for me by Eve I look forward to finding more by eve!!

I absolutely loved it!!!!! Quick read and full of goodness on every page. Highly recommend this one.

This book was a feel-good, easy love story that pulled me in from start to finish. Eve Edwards manages to perfectly capture the vibe of a small British village that becomes the perfect backdrop for an heart-warming love story. The characters were engaging and complex, with their flaws and strengths providing much of the action for plot. This book is about getting a second chance, of choosing to take life by the horns and bend it to your will, no matter what has happened in the past and I think that this is a beautiful and important message to show in today's world, and a perfect summer read.

#NetGalley #TheSummerofWishfulThinking
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A Calamity of Stereotypes!

I was only half way through the first chapter when I realized this book is written by a white lady.

Di/Diana -sassy black friend... Says sugar, honey and girl a lot. Has "wild" boys and is over-sexed making everything a double entendre... This characature leads me to wonder if this author has ever met and/or befriended a black person.

Then there's is a gay wedding.... Elvis themed with an "histrionic" groom. Really?! Dramatic, Elvis-loving gay men? Was this published in 1982? (Did I mention we're still in the first chapter at this point?)

Ok, bad first impression, but I'm not a quitter, so here we go with the rest of it... Gemma and her son Leo move into a run down cottage on a castle estate owned by Sam. Sam is restoring the castle, cottage and grounds in addition to looking after his father who has dementia.

First impressions Sam and Gemma do not like each other, but that quickly fades when their respective father and son bond over gardening. The story is actually quite sweet. I didn't really connect with the characters much and while the stereotyping did calm down after chapter 1, it was hard to forget.

There's also a weird theme ongoing in the book about how women shouldn't ask men questions or expect direct communication about their feels... Like just watch and interpret... Ummm, Eve Edwards needs some girlfriends STAT or it's a pen name for Edward Eves who really wants his wife to STFU.

The attention to historical detail and description of the village and gardens were very good.

This charming book is perfect for that Sunday when you just want to curl up with a good story. A British rom-com that doesn't fail to include castles, rundown cottages, romance and a bit of mystery. It was lovely reading a book where the characters love their jobs, have normal life circumstances, and there aren't crazy plot twists just because.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a contemporary romance dealing with two main characters, Sam and Gemma, who have been burned by love before. They are essentially co workers and therefore spend a lot of time together which leads to falling in love. The book is a sweet easy read.

I received an ARC in exchange for honest review. This was a lighthearted romance novel that was a fun, easy read. The characters were very likeable and realistic, the plot was easy to follow but engaging enough to keep reading, and it had a classic happy ending! I read this book just after having a new baby, and it was the perfect book to read - it didnt require a lot of concentration but was distracting, uplifting and enjoyable!