I had heard a lot about this novel and I was definitely not disappointed. It was such a wonderful read and I was completely immersed in the novel. It certainly was no bad thing that each chapter opened with a small, cute image of a hedgehog either!

What I found most surprising with this book, is how many different themes run throughout the story. It’s not like so many stories that I have read in the past where the protagonist decides to change the direction of her life and start something new. Oh, no. There is more to it than that. Sam’s relationship with Thomas is incredibly touching and equally sad at the same time. I loved watching their connection grow and knew that both Sam and Thomas needed each other – they just were not aware of it.

Whilst there is such a positive relationship, the stark contrast with Sam and her mother is just as negative and painful. I actually felt sick with anxiety and worry when reading the scenes with Sam and her mother, because the relationship is so cold. It is only towards the end do readers become aware of why Sam’s mother is such a horrible person, but that still did not redeem her, in my opinion. I could not believe how badly she behaved towards her daughter; I felt the need to speak my mind! Of course, this was all part of the story but I do think it reflects Redland’s brilliant characterisation.

As you would expect, Sam’s path to establishing the hedgehog sanctuary was never going to run smoothly. With challenges from Gwendoline’s estranged family that has significant impacts on the land, to seeing her best friend and ex-boyfriend marry, Sam is definitely up against it at all times. It was impossible to not feel sorry for her, especially as she felt so alone: her “best friend” had managed to turn most of her family against her and Sam was forced to seek new connections.

I loved how the new relationships that Sam establishes are so meaningful. It really added a hopeful element to the story and restored faith in humanity – especially because of her mother’s attitude. Reading this book, I always found I had a smile on my face because it was such an enjoyable read. As the focus was not completely on the hedgehogs, it meant that the plot was rather diverse and interesting. This, of course, added to the length of the book, but at no point did I find the narrative was prolonged.

I am so excited to be able to review the sequel that is coming out next year! It feels so natural to want to find more about Sam and how her sanctuary is progressing. Furthermore, I want to know more about all the other character around her because they were so significant in the story. Redland has created a lovely setting with cute animals; it would do the hedgehogs an injustice if they did not return.

With thanks to Boldwood Books, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my treasured finds of this year- I absolutely adored this story. There were aptly some very prickly characters in this book and it was great to see how they developed over the course of the book. Some thawed throughout and some still had those prickles very much in evidence.
Samantha is dealing with such a lot- her ex boyfriend is marrying her difficult cousin, her mum doesn't ever engage pleasantly with her, despite her best efforts . When she gets lost carrying out an errand at the wedding, she comes across an elderly gentleman who needs medical help.
I loved the way that he thawed towards her as she refused to take 'no' for an answer. He grudgingly said she could bring more grapes if she insisted on returning. You could just imagine it! Their friendship emerged as Samantha proved what a beautiful soul she was.
This book has everything- difficult family relationships, romance in the air, heartbreak and a wonderful hedgehog rescue centre. There are some very sad scenes and you are drawn in because you care so much about everyone.
Samantha doubts herself, due to the difficult life she's living. But she proves that she's there for everyone.
I fell in love with the characters, the rescue centre and the beautiful writing. I was over the moon to find that it was part of a series and jumped into book 2 straight away.

Fell absolutely in love with this book and couldn't get enough (I was impatient for any free time when I could delve back into this story!). The writing was so flowy, and Samantha's character, although I wanted to shake her sometimes for being such a pushover, had a humanity and innocence to her that I just couldn't help rooting for. 
Some things did feel a little too convenient in there (meeting Rich and becoming BFFs with him and his partner, Josh needing a new vet, that sort of thing), but I also love that Ms. Redland didn't wrap it all in a tidy bow at the end. It did have a happy ending on almost all fronts, but that's just it - life doesn't always have happy endings everywhere, but you take what you can get and make the most of it.
I think it's that message which resonated most with me and made me enjoy this story so much. Cannot wait for Book2 now as I really want to be back with Sam and her entourage

As Samantha Wishaw watches the love of her life marry another woman, she’s ready to give up hope of finding her happy ever after.

But when a chance encounter leads Sam to find friendship in Thomas – a lonely, grumpy elderly widower living at derelict Hedgehog Hollow – her life is about to change forever.

This is the first book I have read by Jessica Redland so I didnt quite know what to expect, but this book captured my heart immediately. 

A truly charming story, full of characters that are lovable and relatable at times. The story has such a perfect plot that the little twists and turns thrown in along the way truly engross the reader from beginning to end. I adored this story and I look forward to reading other books by this wonderful author in the future.

I very much enjoyed this book.  It has a good story and excellent main characters.  I would definately recommend this book.

Really enjoyed this book.  I’ve read a few from this author & they never disappoint.   Heart warming amazing characters.  I did find it sad about her mum but shows real life & not everything has a fairy tale ending.

this is such a sweet summer read. i'm really glad i read this one and got to read it earlier than everyone else. thanks netgalley for supporting me!!!

This was Samantha’s story .
It was a fantastic read though at times not an easy read, her family were challenging and I found myself hating her mums treatment of her 
It had a strong storyline with many twists and turns which engaged the reader. Locations were beautifully described, relationships  fully explored and throughout the story was the realisation that there are some relationships that just can’t be fixed 
A superbly written story that will keep the reader engaged to the end 
I would recommend this book 
Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood books and Jessica Redland for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

I swear it wasn’t the word HEDGEHOG that made me want to pick up this book, but it certainly played a role.  See, I love hedgehogs.  Adore them.  I have stuffed hedgehogs, hedgehog dog toys and hedgehog figurines.  And of course you can see the beautiful hedgehog book sleeve I have from @bookinasweater in my photo.  I could go on and on but hey, let’s get back on point here.

When the love of Sam’s life marries her cousin, Sam is more than heartbroken, yet you would never know.  As the only bridesmaid in the wedding Sam is nothing but dedicated to her cousin Chloe and keeps her feelings hidden well.  When on a mid-wedding errand for Chloe, Sam gets lost and wanders into a nearby farm for directions.  When she finds the owner of the farm collapsed on the floor, being the nurse that she is, Sam is in her zone and saves the elderly man.   From this a friendship develops, and though Sam originally was lost when she stumbled onto Hedgehog Hollow,  it turns out that it just may be the place she needed to allow herself to be found.  

Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow is truly the feel-good read it’s blurbs claim it to be.  You walk into this one thinking you are getting a cozy romcom like book from the title, but what you get is so much more.  A book about love, loss, heartache, difficult family, and finding yourself again.  Veteran author Jessica Redland  has given us the uplifting and inspiring read we all need right at this tumultuous time.  

This is my first Redland book, and it reads like a Hallmark movie.  I laughed, I cried, I felt like I was there.  And it has hedgehogs, did I mention the hedgehogs?  This is more than the cutesy cover and title, this book is moving and heartfelt and encouraging.  It covers family drama like its your own, and leaves you walking away fulfilled.  I can’t recommend this read enough.   Clearly  5 stars from my perspective.  (This one is available now and if you are a kindle unlimited member this one is free at the moment).  

Oh yeah,  and hedgehogs….. did I tell you there was hedgehogs??

It was for me the first time reading a book by Jessica Redland, so I didn't know what to expect but I am so happy to have given a try with this author because I can say that I absolutely adored this book! It was so well written, and the storyline and characters are so charming! It's a very cute and charming book and there is always something happening, you will never get bored! I read this book super fast as it was so entertaining! A real page turner!!!!

This is such a warm and uplifting read that will stay with you long after you finished the last page.
Samantha Wishaw is being bridesmaid to her cousin, and best friend. This is torture for Samantha as nobody knows that she is still in love  with the groom even though they broke up a while ago. 
The torture continues at the wedding reception. All Samantha wanted was her own happy ever after. 
Things begin to get better for Samantha after she saves the life of Thomas, a grumpy elderly man who did not want saving. He lives in the rundown Hedgehog Hollow. Thomas is not happy with Samantha he just wants to be left alone to be miserable and grumpy. But there is something that draws Samantha to Thomas, she feels the need to help him, even if he doesn't seem to want her too. 
The more time that Samantha spends with Thomas the more they both seem to get along and soon the two of them build a relationship of sorts. 
The more they get to know each other, the more they learn and secrets and mysteries are revealed. 
Thomas proves to be an amazing distraction from her life and when she finds to the dream that Thomas and his wife Gwendoline for Hedgehog Hollow and is determined to make it happen. 
With her life starting to take on a different path Samantha is beginning to realise that maybe she can make her own happy ever after. 
This is such a wonderful read that I adored from beginning to end. 
The writing style of the book is just magical and it takes you on a real emotional rollercoaster that could have you reaching for a tissue.  
I really enjoyed getting to know Samantha, she has had difficulties in her life revolving around relationships, especially with her mother which really do drag her down but she does her best to rise above it all. 
Thomas was a wonderful character to get to know. It is clear how much he adored Gwendoline and why he doesn't want to let go. 
I found reading about Samantha's mum quite difficult. She is incredibly cruel and nasty, but the relationship that Samantha has with her Dad is fantastic and they are so close. 
This is a wonderful read that will lift your heart and make you smile.

What a beautiful, emotive read this book proved to be, a story of someone who seems to keep getting figuratively kicked when she’s down by those who really should be loving and supporting her. Despite this, she’s always there to help and support others, prepared to go that extra mile to help someone else even if they don’t appreciate it at all.

Sometimes getting lost can help change your life for the better, even if you don’t realise it at the time! This is the story of Samantha Wishaw, who gets lost whilst trying to do a favour for her cousin Chloe for whom she’s being a bridesmaid.  Sam ends up at Hedgehog Hollow where she finds Thomas, an elderly widower, collapsed. Sam’s a nurse and calls for an amubulance. This introduces her to a paramedic who will become a supportive friend and helps her get back on route to the wedding reception but that’s when everything hits the fan and her dysfunctional family show their true colours.

Sam’s Dad is lovely but the rest of them, especially her Mum, are absolutely awful to her! I just couldn’t believe how they treated this kind young lady yet, despite this, she carries on striving to help others and rarely retaliates despite terrible provocation. It is heartbreaking . . . . but keep on reading as this is a delightful story of overcoming the negativity of those around you, helping others, discovering true friendship and romance as well as helping others achieve their goals. I admit to spending a lot of time with tears running down my face as I read this story. Sam deserved so much more praise and support from her female relatives. She definitely made a huge difference to Thomas and I was rooting for her throughout the story and loved the ending. I will definitely be looking out for other books by this author in future and have no hesitation in highly recommending this book.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and crying my way through it! I have to say this is now one of my all time favourite books.

5☆ Utterly Charming, Uplifting and Heartwarming Must Read!

When I picked up the blurb for this story and it featured hedgehogs I was sold!
Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow is a utterly charming, uplifting and beautiful story.

Samantha isn't having a great time, she's attending her cousin Chloe's wedding which should be a happy and joyous day, except it's not. As the man her cousin is marrying is the man Samantha is in love with! Rough right! My heart went out to her!

But then she meets Thomas. The grumpy man who owns the Utterly charming Hedgehog Hollow. I mean who wouldn't fall in love with a place called Hedgehog Hollow that literally has Hedgehogs.
The two reluctantly become friends and Sam's life begins to start looking a lil brighter. Not only does Sam need Thomas, but he needs her too!

I love Jessica Redland's books and once again she didn't disappoint.
Her characters were wonderfully developed and relatable. The setting was charming.

This is a heartwarming story of friendship, family, drama, Ups and Downs, relationships and finding love.
If you adore animal's as much as I do then you won't be disappointed there is quiet a bit of animal love to go around!

If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading Redland's books then I highly recommend you picking up a copy of Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow you won't be disappointed!

Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Even hardened cynics won’t be able to resist Jessica Redland’s enchanting new novel, Escape to Hedgehog Hollow.

Samantha Wishaw has had it with relationships. After watching the love of her life marrying another woman, Samantha has come to the conclusion that a happy ever after is simply not in her future. However, could Samantha’s fortunes be about to change forever after a chance encounter with grumpy widower, Thomas? Elderly Thomas lives at derelict Hedgehog Hollow and he wants Samantha to help restore it to its former glory. Desperate for a distraction, Samantha gleefully accepts and gets ready to roll up her sleeves and do some serious work. But it will not just be elbow grease and back-breaking labour that will prove to be Samantha’s salvation…

When she had accepted this mammoth task of making Thomas’ wife Gwendolyn’s dream a reality of transforming Hedgehog Hollow from a dilapidated ruin into a majestic location once again, Samantha never imagined that she would end up finding not just a refuge from her own troubles and worries, but somewhere she feels she belongs – not to mention the love and fulfilment which have eluded her so far. Hedgehog Hollow is about to make Samantha’s dreams a reality, but only if she has the courage to take a leap of faith and a chance on happiness.

Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow is a sparkling, heart-warming and charming tale that makes for perfect summer reading. Feel-good, romantic and deliciously witty, Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow is a brilliant novel about renewal, healing and second chances that ticks all the right boxes.

Jessica Redland writes escapist and enjoyable novels set in wonderful communities you would just love to move to and Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow is certainly no different. Witty, entertaining and a joy from beginning to end, Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow is a treat you cannot afford to miss.

When I saw the cover and title, I thought to myself "this looks like a cute and sweet romance story" and "I need it". So obviously, I requested a review copy because I knew I would be in the mood for a book like that. Unfortunately, my expectations weren't exactly met. My biggest issue was Samantha's family. They made me so angry and it tainted my enjoyment of the book. 

Honestly, Sam seemed a bit pitiful because she let herself being the victim and never stood up for herself. She put everyone else's needs before her own and yet, she still found herself being blamed for loving her ex-boyfriend. Because apparently, giving him up to her cousin Chloe and giving them their blessing to be together (even though she was in love with him and thought he would be her future) wasn't enough. It was a pain to listen to her family treat her horribly and I just wanted to shake them all. If that part would have been shorter, perhaps I wouldn't have felt so frustrated. 

The best part of this book was when Sam saved and met Thomas, an old man who lost his wife and had lost his will to live. They connected and were adorable together. Sam managed to give him a bit of happiness and it warmed my heart. When Thomas was gone and left her his property as heritage, I was hoping to finally meet the love interest but we were already 60% in when that happened. I felt like the romance with the veterinarian was a little flat. 


<i>(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Sam has always been “overlooked” - from her family’s insistence on a childish nickname to watching the love of her life marry someone else, nothing is ever quite as she would hope. Between dealing with family drama (lots of it) and her own heartache, she’s needing something different and new, where she is in charge of her destiny.  Surprisingly enough, a grumpy widower named Thomas also happens to be at the wedding, and piques Sam’s interest – particularly as he lives in a place called Hedgehog Hollow that has ACTUAL hedgehogs.  (It was also one of the reasons I GRABBED this title when available – who can resist the cute little pincushions?)  
 
Hearing Thomas’ story and how he still mourns his late wife stirs something in Sam – and she’s soon discovering that the friendship with Thomas, and the project to save the Hedgehogs is just what is needed to allow her to move forward.  Very much a story of two halves, where we often find Sam straddling a line of razor wire that is her relationship with her family members – from a mother who dislikes her (actively), aunts who use her, cousins who take everything from her that they can and a wholly ineffective father – dealing with Thomas’ grief seems to be simple in comparison. 
 
Understand that while the first half of the story unpacks the issues and dramas, and we get lots of background information as Sam untangles her own fraught family relationships while discovering friendship, support and no judgment from Thomas as his dreams for Hedgehog Hollow slowly become hers.  It is not a story without some tears or anger –but the characters come to life, with heart, desires and hope ever-growing, and the story is uplifting and life-changing for Sam – and readers are left wanting more.  A lovely story from Redland, and consistent with other books I have read from her that drag you into the story and allow you to escape and enjoy the hours spent reading.  
 
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=” /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I absolutely jumped for this book on seeing the gorgeous cover and was thrilled to be rewarded with a book that gave everything I love in a book-animals, a life change and the promise of a beautiful story.

This is the story of Sam, who we meet at her cousin Chloe’s wedding. The only thing is, Chloe is marrying the love of Sam’s life! I beyond fell for both Sam and her lovely dad very early on, but was perplexed by the emotional beating the two of them took throughout the book, in particular by selfish relatives that had me shaking my head and frowning regularly.

I willed both of them on and cheered for Sam when her second chance came in the form of the loveliest friendship that was formed with the brilliant Thomas, an elderly man who was bereft after the death of his lovely wife. I’ll admit Sam’s own love story wasn’t totally necessary for me, the relationships of the day were most definitely our father/daughter team and the earlier grandfather/granddaughter relationship (and of course her beautiful friendship with Thomas). All in all a beautifully told story with a beautiful lead character. Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood books for the book in return for an honest review and for allowing me to be part of the blog tour.

Rating: 4/5

This was a good read, a book that I wasn't expecting to have drama and angst but it was the right amount and at the right time.

Samantha story was kind of sad, I was sad that nobody will ever make any effort to understand her, I feel like she was always so miss understood and her family was never there for her.. her father was the only one who constantly gives her support but he mother was a terrible character for me.

Samantha is trying to recover her life after a fall in her path, but life and her family are making this situation almost impossible is like everything she does is wrong no matter how much she is trying to recover the love of her mother, if it ever exists but nothing seems perfect or right for her mom, she is angry, and always complaining about Samantha making her feel not welcome almost like she didn't love her at all.

Sam is just trying to recover her family, she is nice and is always trying to make people happy, even her best friend Chloe's was never really there for her, she also turned her back on her when things got bad. Sam suffers so much after seeing the love of her life marrying her best friend.. but life will bring so much more to Sam that eventually, she will find herself again.

This was a roller coaster of emotions, I cry a few times especially when Sam got hurt by her mom, she was a mean woman no matter how many excuses she tries to say, there is no amount of excuses to make feel your daughter that way .. completely unacceptable.

many great secondary characters that gave so much to the main characters 

Great book great story, a great book I really recommended.

“Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow” presents readers with the story of Samantha, who seeks to resolve the loss of her boyfriend (the jerk married her cousin) as well as her relationship with her mum. Samantha encounters obstacles as she courageously gets on with her life and learns to stand up for herself. In the process, she befriends an elderly gentleman who completely changes her life (no spoilers here!), meets a new man, changes jobs, and finds everlasting love and friends who care about her. 

Readers should be prepared for some ups and downs, tears and smiles as they navigate life with Samantha. This is a clean read, without strong language or graphic sexual descriptions. The characters are likeable, and differences among people are dealt with in a sensitive manner. The plot moves along well, and short chapters encourage readers to keep on reading.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.