Lovely book about unexpected friendships and love. It was a completley captivating read with lovely characters and a lovely area to live in and how a dream from many years ago can come true after an unexpected meeting.

This story had me by the heartstrings the entire time.
Sam had more than a little bit of ups and downs, but with the kind words of her Gramps ringing in her ears, she never truly gave up.  She had a wonderfully giving nature, always thinking of others before herself, and yes, sometimes it was to her own detriment, but there's never a wrong time to be nice.  There's never a bad moment to show compassion, turn the other cheek, or even if it means a happier heart in the end, cutting ties.  She gave up so much in her life, unknowingly of course, and in the time we get to know her, she still loses even more, but we also get to see the blessings her good nature eventually returns to her.  Everyone gauges riches differently, but to me, she was top notch.  She may have wanted different things from her life, yet by book's end, she can see the forest for the trees, or perhaps better put, the meadow for the flowers.  The lives she touched and was touched by, the friendships she lost, gained, and rebuilt anew along the way, the familial connections that gained new strength as she added new members to the clan by choice versus blood, and finally, yes finally, her chance at true, meaningful love.

I had a wonderful time in Hedgehog Hollow and despite the bad times she experienced, the good always won out.  Take a trip to a place overflowing with character and characters. A place where good people look out for each other, and there's always room for one more at the table.  A place where home truly is where the heart is.

Sam has some great challenges in her life  Men problems - Mom problem - self esteem but she is the kindest person you will ever met.  She meets Thomas and rescues him and in the process rescues herself.  You will love this story of the Hedgehog Rescue and fall in love with the characters. Great Read!!

Good storyline. great charcters, the story flowed really well, and it was a fun read. I sat and read this in the garden and it was a great way to while away an afternoon.

I cannot lie the title of this book drew me to it. It sounded too cute to pass on. And it was a complete and utter delight. The characters were engaging and the plotline was well done. And there was an abundance of animals!

Oh, i knew from the get go this book was going to be a me book and it was. It was just a delight but heart breaking in parts too and i certainly cried at least 3 times for Sam.

We meet Sam, her cousin is marrying the love of Sams life, her mother isn't speaking to her and tensions are rising. When Sam is asked to head away from the wedding to grab a gift she ends up lost and a chance meeting changes everything. She comes across an old man who is really not well, but Sam been the caring woman she is - tries to help. This encounter changes Sams live and plans to restore Hedgehog Hollow take over and she throws herself into the task at hand.

I loved Sam, she is the ultimate leading character, her transformation is wonderful. Life is throwing so much at Sam and she is the kindest most caring character i have come across. She deserves her shot at happiness and i really rooted for her.

It was such a delightful read, the narrative flowed and so much happened yet it never felt rushed. The descriptions were just lovely, i could picture every single thing.  Yet the thing that stood out the most was the way Jessica has written emotions into it. I felt every single thing Sam felt, i was weeping hysterically, i was beaming and cheering YES GIRL in other moments.

A wonderfully written read that makes you want to hold the book close, and share it with the world too. Beautifully written, heart warming, and sweet.


I was gifted an e-arc for the blog tour, you can get a copy here -

This book was wonderful. I read it in one sitting, as I had to find out what was going to happen to Samantha, her family and Hedgehog Hollow. Samantha has had to get back up several times after being down, but what she experienced at her cousin's wedding, had me wanting to reach through the pages and smack a few people. She and her father had an amazing relationship, but her and her mother had a severely strained one, and she never knew why. Fortunately for Sam, she was able to find a teaching job in a new town and planned to move there to leave all the heartache behind. Hopefully, her life will change for the better.

This is such an amazing story. Samantha's life and experiences broke my heart. She is such a sweetheart, smart, generous, friendly, yet she seems to be the brunt of such bad behaviour from others. When she meets Thomas, her life begins to change and we see a new woman emerge. One who sticks up for herself and things she believes in. I loved her new life. She makes wonderful friends, has a job she loves and a surrogate grandpa. Unfortunately when the heartache you are suffering is caused by family, it is hard to leave it behind, but she has her father in her corner. All was not roses though, she suffers more setbacks and troubles that once again had the tears flowing. This story had my emotions all over the place. I was rooting for Sam and wanted her to find her niche, along with a happily ever after, but she had to fight for it, and never give up. This was a well-written and plotted story that was full of great characters, some tense situations, forgiveness, new beginnings and second chances. I definitely recommend this one to anyone who loves an emotional story with a HEA.

I would reccomend you this book if you want to be inspired and to realize that you can get up even after the life hits you multiple times. But just keep in mind the trigger warning. Full review can be read on my website

I loved this story so much, I have never read any of Jessica's books before but I am certainly going to be reading them from now on. This book cover looks so summery and inviting which made me delve in straight away.I read it in a day as I didn't want to put it down. I loved the story line and really warmed to Sam, the strong bond she has with her grandad reminded me how my grandad and I are together which was nice. I loved Thomas even though he was grumpy to begin with you knew deep down that he had things on his mind that he didn't want to talk to any one about. It upset me how lonely some people can be. Sam's dad seemed nice too, shame about her mum but everyone has their own story shame she took it out of Sam her whole life. I loved the idea of setting up a hedgehog charity, I can really see Sam excelling at that, I am glad after all she has been through there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I would love a follow on to this book as I would love to hear more about the hedgehog side of things and go back and meet all the characters again. I loved it and it definitely deserves more than 5 stars.

This was an unexpected delight that transported me for several hours.  It was engrossing and engaging.  I purchased two copies for family members as surprises, they too loved the book.

I have read, reviewed and liked a recent rerelease of the first books of the Whistborough series. I had high expectations for this book because of my previous experience. 
The leading lady here is quite simply put a charming doormat. She has a heart of gold and puts everyone's needs before hers. The worst part of this situation is that she does not see herself in that role and therefore, cannot correct the situation. This lack of self-realisation goes on till she is pushed off the deep end, a majority of her family turn on her in the most atrocious of ways.
Her growth through the book is the more appealing part of the story as is the seamless writing. The hedgehogs are a bonus, but they only feature as a concept and are only physically present at the very end. Sam lives with the need to keep people around her happy, which includes being there when the man she hoped to live happily ever after with marries her cousin. On the same day, her paths cross with an older man who will change her life. The people who stand by her make for a very entertaining read and even an uplifting one. On the flip side, her mother's relationship with her seems almost caricaturish because if the final reveal is true, the behaviour should have been extended to Chloe (the cousin) too, which did not happen. Also, I wish the rushed romance was not part of Sam's story because she is so much more exciting and vivid without that thrown in there. Maybe if there were a second or third book, I would have liked to see the gradual entry of a man in her life then. 
Finally, I should say this did make me tear up in many places and overall was satisfied with the content but given the draw that my previous reads by the author held, this wasn't one for me. I have already queued two more books by her and will get to them in the next month and am looking forward to it.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley. My review is entirely based on my reading experience, as well as my prior reading of the author's books.

In this warm and inviting tale, there is an undercurrent of dysfunctional family life and the bitterness left from deceit and disloyalty. However, it does not detract from the overall hopeful tone and the strength of the central characters light up the story. Sam's intrinsic kindness and determination to find the best in people shine through and she is an immensely likeable character.

During the story you get to see Samantha develop and mature as she works out what she wants to do with her life. There is a feeling of fate putting her in the way of certain people at the right time, as if everything exists for a reason. The plot has plenty of content. There is a lovely touch of romance which emerges but probably the most touching parts centre around Sam's relationships with her Grandfather and later, Thomas. That is when you see the depth of her heart.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book

This is a truly uplifting novel, enjoyable at any time of year although it makes for a perfect beach or sun-lounger read.
There’s a lot more to the book than the joyous, sweet title suggests. Yes, just as we want from romantic novels, there’s happiness in store but there are also some prickly (figuratively and literally) issues to deal with along the way. Family relationships frequently aren’t easy, and our key characters Sam and Joshua have more than their fair share to deal with. However, whilst not able to solve all of them they still discover that blood’s thicker than water and that there’ also endless love and loyalty within families too.
I particularly enjoyed the inter-generational friendships, and the wildlife element which was handled in a practical, non-cutesy way. The author has an easy, friendly, sparkly style, a wonderful imagination and lovely light touches of humour.
All in all, this is a super story which I’m sure you’ll enjoy no end.

I have read a few of Jessica's books now and I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of them.  I read the synopsis for 'Finding Love At Hedgehog Hollow' and it certainly sounded like another first class read.  I wasn't wrong either because it truly is an amazing read and I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of the story.  I adored this book but more about that in a bit.
I absolutely loved the character of Samantha Wishaw and I took to her from the very start.  In fact, Sam felt more like a friend than just a character in a book.  She is a lovely lass, who has prioritised the wellbeing of other people above her own wellbeing.  She has bent over backwards for other people with very little thanks.  In fact people have used and abused her and then dropped her.  Sam is a nurse who is dedicated to her job.  At the same time, she is also passionate about animals.  The majority of Sam's wider family just sound like a toxic bunch of passive/ aggressive bitter and twisted numpties.  I won't go too far down the road of why and how the family treat her but needless to say it is the sort of treatment that made me want to jump inside the pages of the book to give certain people a darn good slap with a wet flip flop.  I was keeping everything crossed that things would work out well for Sam and that she would find the happiness that she so deserves.
I was drawn into this amazing story right from the very start.  I found that I was simply unable to put the book down.  Not because it was glued to my hand because it wasn't, but I was so desperate to find out what happened that my Kindle travelled everywhere with me.  I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.  Despite my best efforts to ration how much I read in one go so I could prolong my enjoyment of the story, I soon raced to the end of the story.
For me, part of the reason why I enjoyed this book was so much is that I drew parallels between Sam and myself but also Sam's family and my own family.  Like Sam, I have bent over backwards for people who didn't appreciate my efforts and I have prioritised their wellbeing over my own wellbeing.  Certain members of my family are toxic and passive/ aggressive, only getting their kicks when they treat somebody or something like dirt.  That's enough of the personal stuff so back to the review I do go.
'Finding Love At Hedgehog Hollow' is a first rate read and it is superbly written, although I have found that to be true of all of Jessica's books.  Jessica has one of those writing styles that is easy to take to and easy to get used to.  In fact, reading one of Jessica's books feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book.  I hope that makes sense.  Jessica grabs your attention with a unique title and combines it with a bright and breezy cover, before compelling you to read the synopsis (I mean that in the nicest possible way) and then you simply cannot resist starting to read the story within the covers of the book.  That's how I felt at any rate.   Once Jessica has your attention she will not let you have it back until the moment that you read the last word on the last page.   In Sam, Jessica has created a lovely and truly wonderful character and Jessica describes Sam so well that she seemed just as real as you and I.
In short, I simply adored reading 'Finding Love At Hedgehog Hollow' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.  In fact I would go so far as to say that 'Finding Love At Hedgehog Hollow' is right up there on my list of top reads of 2020.  I will definitely be reading more of Jessica's work in the future.  The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow turned out to be quite different from what I had expected. In fact, it surpassed all my expectations.

There are so many themes running through the novel — kindness, jealousy, infidelity, loneliness, estrangement, and love. It’s a wholesome story but not removed from reality.

It doesn’t set out to right all wrongs, instead it sends a message that there are some things that cannot be remedied because that’s just how life is.

The overwhelming sentiment is that of kindness, but it also points to the fact that usually people take advantage of kind-hearted people and consider them pushovers to be manipulated at will.

The novel is extremely well-researched as it shows from the details about hedgehogs and setting up and operating a rescue center. There’s also an entire poem dedicated by the MC to another character!

It was difficult to read about how (and later why) Samantha’s mother treated her with such indifference. Unfortunately, the bitterness between the two spans the entire novel.

There were many twists and turns in this novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought the title pointed to a new love that the MC found at Hedgehog Hollow, but it turns out that that’s not the entire picture.

I’ll leave it to you to find out!

(I received an ARC from Rachel's Random Resources in exchange for an honest review.)

Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow was my first book by Jessica Redland although it's not the first featured on my blog. I did the blog tour for the Whitsborough Bay series which has extracts of the books. 

The charming setting of Hedgehog Hollow as well as the cast of characters who are likeable and some not so much, is realistic and true to life. Gorgeous cover and I loved the cute hedgehog images at the start of every chapter, they were a gorgeous touch to the eARC. 

I'm so glad this was first in a series so I got the characters' history and backstory rather than coming into the series late and not having that. 

Jessica has a gift for creating setting, incorporating animals and real life issues. Do not be fooled by the cute cover, for this is not a truly escapist read because of some of the issues covered. That said, I think that makes it realistic and all the more gripping. The pacing was good. 

Thanks to Jessica Redland, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars.

I saw the cover reveal for this book and thought it was the cutest thing ever! Such a pretty cover ❤🦔

So when I was offered the chance to take part in the blog tour I jumped at it.

And I wasn’t disappointed.

Samantha is such a lovely, kind and relatable character. She sees the best in people even when they are quite unpleasant to her.

The book begins with poor Sam having to be bridesmaid for her frenemy/cousin Chloe. Chloe is marrying Sam’s ex-boyfriend, the man she thought was the love of her life. And Sam is expected to look happy for them even though her heart is breaking.

Getting lost on the way to the reception, she ends up helping Thomas, an old man and this act of kindness changes her life.

Her relationship with Thomas and Hedgehog Hollow is absolutely delightful. He is rude and grumpy but Sam’s relentless kindness and persistence gradually wears him down and a lovely friendship develops.

Sam learns that it’s alright to walk away from toxic relationships no matter who they are with, and find happiness and a sense of purpose as she focuses on Project Prickles – setting up a hedgehog rescue centre.

I don’t want to say anymore because this book is lovely and I don’t want to spoil it. But as the title suggests, Sam finds love and more at Hedgehog Hollow.

This is a fantastic, heartwarming and joyful book. It’s the perfect cosy read. And to make it even better there are little hedgehogs at the beginning of each chapter!

Oh, what a delightful book!  It has been a long time since I've read a book that captured my attention like this one. Despite the title, it isn't really a romance.  I would categorize it as woman's fiction, since the story revolves around one character -- Samantha Wishaw.

I relate to Sam.  She reminds me of myself, and many women I know, who go out of their way to help others, even if it means putting their happiness on hold.  We see this at the beginning of the book, where Sam is the maid of honor at her cousin's wedding, the beautiful and slightly spoiled Chloe. It's a heartbreaking ceremony for Sam, but she's there anyway to support her best friend and cousin Chloe. You see, Chloe is marrying James, Sam's ex-boyfriend.  Sam thought was her dream man, until James admitted that he thought the passion and spark was missing in their relationship.   So when James meets Chloe and the two hit it off immediately, Sam steps aside so her best friend - can have happiness with the man of her dreams. 

Chloe's past relationships have ended in infidelity, so she mistrusts men.  A meddling great aunt stokes a fire of jealousy in Chloe, leading to a misunderstanding at the wedding. A furious Chloe bans Sam from her life, telling her best friend that she never wants to see her again, and Sam should stay away from her husband.  To make matters worse, all of Sam's family -- except her father -- seem to blame Sam for ruining Chloe's wedding day.  This includes Sam's own mom, who has always favored Chloe over Sam. 

Sam decides to put some distance between her and Chloe, and takes a job in a small town far from the bay community where she grew up.  There, she meets a series of people who help her grow and realize how special she is.  One of them is Thomas, a grumpy old man who has been very lonely and heartbroken since he lost his beloved wife Gwendoline 20 years ago.   Thomas doesn't want do-gooder Sam in his life and tries to chase her off with his anger and grumpiness. But something compels Sam to hang in there and ignore his gruff, angry attitude.  As she persists to shower him with kind little gestures (like bringing him food and feeding his cat), Thomas begins to open up about his life with Gwendoline. Through his stories, the two discover an amazing coincidence that cements their relationship. Sam helps Thomas overcome his loneliness and rekindle the joy that he lost many years ago. But Thomas helps Sam, too, and she becomes a stronger, more confident woman who no longer allows others to ridicule her or make her feel unimportant and insignificant. 

The author, Jessica Redland, does a wonderful job of bringing us along on Sam's journey of growth and discovery. I cried when Sam suffered so many heartbreaks, especially at the hands of her uncaring, cold mother.  I supported her when she decided to take on a huge project--beyond her scope of knowledge and expertise--so she could fulfill Thomas and Gwendoline's longtime dream.    I cheered Sam when she persevered despite harrowing setbacks she encountered while working to fulfill that dream. And I was overjoyed when Sam finally found well-deserved contentment and happiness in her new home and community of friends. 

This is a long book --72 chapters--yet I read it in 2.5 days.  I couldn't put it down.  I highly recommend it to anyone who is searching for a book that will make you feel wonderful when you finish it. Because this book gives all of us hope, that we can achieve our dreams despite all odds if we persevere. 

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

P.S. Spoiler:  Yes, Sam does find romantic love at Hedgehog Hollow. But I think the true story is that she discovers another love -- love of herself.

I saw hedgehogs in the title for this book and as I love hedgehogs, I was like yep, I need to read that. 

Sam watches the man she loves marry another woman, not only that it’s her cousin and best friend! On her way to the wedding party she stumbles upon Hedgehog hollow and saves owner Thomas’ life.

Thomas is none too happy about this but Sam wears him down with kindness. Sam vows to turn Hedgehog Hollow into a hedgehog sanctuary that he and his wife Gwendoline always wanted and maybe even find true happiness along the way.  

I’ve read a couple of Jessica Redland’s Whitsborough bay series so I already knew that I was in for an enjoyable rollercoaster ride of emotions. I won’t deny there were certains parts of the story that even made me tear up a little.

Sam is just one of those sweet, kind hearted characters that you know deserves better than she gets from people. I couldn’t help but root for her happiness although there were a lot of times where I felt like shouting at her, ‘stand up for yourself woman!’

Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow is a charming and delightful read that will give you all those warm fuzzy feelings.

What a magical tale! Jessica Redland has spun A beautiful story packed with charm, compassion, hope and heart. Oh and I mustn’t forget all the lovely hedgehogs. The book kicks off with Samantha attending the wedding of her cousin chloe to The man that Sam thought she was going to marry. Rough, right? To pour even more salt in the wound cousin Chloe sends Sam on a wild goose chase to pick up a plant that she left at home that absolutely MUST make it to the wedding reception. Sam gets all kinds of lost on the way back to the wedding reception and when she gets there she finds out the plant is for an aunt that absolutely cannot stand her. Then this Aunt gets all rude, and then Chloe has the nerve to get mad at Sam when Chloe is married the guy Sam was dating first. Talk about a bad day... but wait it gets worse, to top it all off Sam’s mother *a true witch* finds it necessary  to throw even more unkind words at her daughter. Ugh! The silver lining to this very dark cloud is that when Sam was all kinds of lost she ran across a farm called Hedgehog Hollow where she pretty much save the life of the owner Thomas. A beautiful friendship develops between Tomas and Ssam even though Thomas is reluctant in the beginning. This begins Sam’s passion for the hedgehogs and turns her life around. Even though this sounds like sad start, there is so much more to this amazing story.

   Sam was such a wonderful character, so kind, so caring, so unselfish. I really did not understand why so many of her family members treated her so poorly, especially her mother? I really did like her dad, but I could not understand why he did not stand up to his wife, tell her  that she needed to treat their daughter better? Seriously all of the interactions between Sam and her mother were so painful. That’s why I think the relationship between Thomas and Sam, and then ultimately the hedgehogs was so special. There were also several other Great supportive people in Sam’s life throughout the story. There was also a love interest, a sweet and touching romance. This was truly a gorgeous story of hope, sprinkled with some sweet magic.

This book in emojis  🦔 💕 🦔 🐱 🦔 🏡 

*** Big thank you to Boldwood Books for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***