Schöner, ruhiger Liebesroman

Wer keine Lust auf allzu dramatische Liebesromane hat, in denen es andauernd hin und her geht, sondern lieber ein ruhiges Buch mit netten Charakteren, viel Charme und einer schönen, sich langsam entwickelnden Liebesgeschichte lesen möchte, ich beruhigt zugreifen.

Das Buch spielt in einem kleinen Ort und primär in einem kleinen Laden, der in diesem Ort liegt. Der Laden läuft schlecht und ist in die Jahre gekommen, es scheint keine Hoffnung mehr für ihn zu geben. Das ändert sich allerdings, nachdem Amber zu einem kurzen Abstecher in das Ort kommt. Eigentlich wollte sie nur eine gute Freundin ihrer Mutter besuchen, doch schnell setzt sie ihre Fähigkeiten als Dekorateurin ein, um die Schaufenster des Lebens neu zu gestalten. Amber fühlt sich in dem kleinen Ort und mit ihrer neuen Aufgaben wohl, doch eigentlich ist sie ja nur für einen kurzen Abstecher da. Und dann ist da noch Josh, mit dem sie die Tage verbringt und für den sie bald Gefühle entwickelt. Aber ist das Grund genug zu bleiben?

Das Buch hat mich mit seinem Charme und der Liebe zum Detail verzaubert. Die Charaktere sind nicht nur nett, sondern auch interessant. Es passte gut zum Rest vom Buch, dass sich die Liebesgeschichte langsam entwickelt hat und andere Dinge (der Laden, neue Freundschaften, die Entwicklung des Orts) Raum zur Entfaltung hatten.

Mir hat das Buch wirklich sehr gut gefallen, dafür gibt es 4,5 Sterne, die ich auf fünf Sterne aufrunde. Und jetzt muss ich mal schauen, was die Autorin sonst noch so geschrieben hat.

It's lovely to have a new read from Alison Sherlock to sink into and I know this is going to be a wonderful series.

Amber Green has been 'persuaded' by her mother (in the way that mothers do) to travel from New York to New Zealand via England to visit her godmother Cathy - also her mother's best friend. When she gets there she finds the village of Cranbridge has changed from the lively village her mother remembers; Cathy's shop has fallen far behind the times and is struggling to survive. Cathy's son Josh is in despair about their failing business and Amber realises that her experience in retail, albeit on the design side, may just be of help. Can they work together to turn around the shop's fortune and, along with it, the village?

I've come to expect warm-hearted tales from this author and this book does just that. With a fine array of varied and interesting characters, I hope there are many more to come in this series. I really like how it is set close to where the Willow Tree Hall series is set, and there was a slight mention of that which I loved. There are no surprises in this one, just a beautifully written and smoothly flowing tale which begins a series I look forward to reading. An enjoyable and satisfying novel which I'm very happy to give four stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This is one of those heartwarming books that leaves you with a nice cosy feeling, it is also the first book in the Riverside Lane series and has left me wanting to read more.

Amber Green is visiting her godmother who also happens to be her mums best friend. Amber has vague recollections about the village of Cranbrook, but on her arrival, she finds a village that is past its sell-by date, it looks run down, neglected and not welcoming. The local shop looks no better and is a shop with everything but nothing that anyone wants.

Be3ing given an unexpected chance to get stuck into helping bring some order to the overstocked shop means she will be working with Josh. He had put his life on hold to help look after his mum and Gran and is stuck in a rut. Working together the two find a happy working relationship.

I liked the way the author showed how it is not only in larger towns and cities that loneliness occurs, it also happens in smaller communities. What was once a thriving community has long since gone, but there is a need for somewhere central, could the shop be just the place.

This was such a heartwarming story and one that had me willing the locals on, and especially willing Amber and Josh to make the shop a hub. There are some wonderful characters and I am hoping that I will see some of them in future books.

This was a wonderful way to pass a Sunday afternoon as I found myself captured by the village and residents of Cranbrook. A lovely read and one that readers of contemporary fiction and romance will really enjoy and it is one I would definitely recommend.

I’m sad to report that this one also didn’t make the cut for me. I was totally looking forward to a small town romance, and sure, I got SOME romance, but it just wasn’t enough. When I got to the 30% mark, I had to pause and ask myself if I really wanted to keep going bc I literally got NOTHING from the plot at that point. Like absolutely nothing had happened that made me want to invest in the rest story. I feel like this is rude, but it’s what I genuinely feel and I just wish the characters would have interacted more or at the very least demonstrated some sort of emotional connection between one another to give me that HEA I always yearn for bc that ending?! Literally, when she confesses her love, I CRINGED SO HARD AT HIM, CRINGGGEEDDDD.

P.S. Again, this is just my opinion and if you happened to love this story, please let me know what parts you enjoyed most bc I’d really love for you to help me love them lol -JH

I love the descriptions of the village that Amber visits. Cambridge Village sounds so quaint and my idea of heaven.

I have recently read a few books with a shop or some other kind of business and I have come to the conclusion I love them and I would love to own each of the shops that I've read about, this is no exception.

There are a few parts on the book where I laughed so hard I thought I might pee my pants, oh gosh it's brilliant. Alison has really captured the awkwardness of some situations and the comedy of them really shines. I felt like I was transported to the little village and I was part of the story. Some of the situations that Josh and Amber find themselves in are hilarious. The moving of the tractor was my absolute favourite.

I love how Amber can change a negative into a positive with her design eye.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the transformation of the shop, it's brilliantly described and again I felt like I was there with them painting and cleaning and sorting.

Amber's drunken antics were brilliant and again the way Alison describes the situation it's just superb and so comedic.

At chapter 32, the drama and sense of community is stunning. During this virus I have felt like there is more of a community feel and a sense of helping one another so the connection with this part in the book is very close to home for most at the moment.

This book had me laughing, crying, on the edge of my seat and feeling like I was totally emersed in the story, like I was there with them.

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts by Alison Sherlock was a sweet, cozy romance set in the charming village of Cranbridge in England. It felt like a Hallmark/Lifetime movie with some HGTV thrown in for good measure! It was fun seeing Amber and Josh’s story progress. Amber’s feeling of isolation in the big city and floating through life seem very relatable in early adulthood. The other characters in the village were sweet and truly added to the story. It did take me a couple of chapters to get drawn in but it was worth it! This book would pair well with a hot drink, fireplace and cozy chair.

The book started out slow but it grew on me. Took some time for me to be attached to the characters. I do like a small town romance though so I ultimately enjoyed it.

A mixed bag, didn't particularly like the main characters and it would have been nice for some of the minor characters to be more prominent as I liked them more. Slow to start but soon gathered pace.

A Sweet Story about Finding Home and Losing your Heart.

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts is a lovely story about loneliness, friendship, and community.

Amber was a British expatriate in New York, working as a window designer for Saks 5th Avenue. She is very lonely in the big city but finds comfort in her creative work.

When she is fired, and her working visa is revoked, she realizes she has no home to go back to, as her parents had moved to New Zealand.

Lost and a little hurt by the situation, she ends up going to visit her godmother Cathy in Cranbridge, a small and deserted English town. She planned to stay for a few weeks to get herself together before following her parents to New Zealand.

But plans changed when she started to help Cathy and her son Josh to take care of their dilapidated and near-bankrupt shop.

Amber was so talented and yet so full of doubts about herself. Josh was in turmoil, trying to shield his mother from the problems and, at the same time, having a hard time to convince her that things had to change.

The story is lovely. All characters were facing challenges and trying to cope with change. They were good, honorable, relatable, and I was immediately invested in their happiness.

The author inserted some relevant themes throughout the story without overdoing it: senility, grief, illness, bullying, loneliness, and even environmental concerns.

Overall, a romantic and engrossing read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 07/14/2020 as part of the book's blog tour*

Amber visits her godmother in the neglected village of Cranbridge after losing her job as a window dresser in New York. Here she finds her godmother still grieving for her husband, worried about her health and refusing to face up to the fact that the family shop is on the verge of bankruptcy. She also meets Josh, her godmother's son, worn down by the financial struggles of the family and the loss of his own dreams of building a sustainable business. Together Josh and Amber find a way forward through these problems and maybe find something more.
I enjoyed this story of resurrection of a struggling village and the transformations that Josh and Amber put in place. Both characters were likeable but I sometimes found Amber's blushing and self-doubt a little annoying. However, there was a great cast of minor character with some really likeable characters such as Grandma Tilly and Stanley and some more humorous characters in Dodgy Del and Mike and Angie at the pub. Set in Autumn and the run up to christmas but a really great read.

I liked this more than I expected. The beginning was a bit slow, and at first Amber is anything but likable but she grows a bit. The village characters were cute and the plot worked well. Felt a tiny bit rushed overall.

Still a good cosy read.

i like the small town romances.. i like the small shops the quirky people that lives in the small towns.I like the feel of fitting in. It is a feeling of coming Home. i liked this book , But it was a little shallow for me.But a quick summer read. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest opinion

A bit slow to begin with and the characters a little annoying but it soon picked up and I quite enjoyed it.

Josh and Amber both live their lives under the thumb of their families. Amber is moving back with her parents after she is made redundant at her job in NYC. Josh lost a promising career in environmental design after his father dies, and his mother faces a cancer diagnosis. Now he runs the failing shop, his parents and grandparents before him owned.

Amber stops in the small village of Cranbridge to visit with her godmother before she flies on to New Zealand to figure out what her next steps in life will be. Josh and Alice immediately hit it off, but because of both of their insecurities, the romance has a slow, faltering start.

As sweet romances go, I like the storyline. Shop failing, small town, characters in love are putting together new lives. I like the village of Cranbridge and the many locals who add humor to the story. The writing is strong, and I kept reading, regardless of how frustrating the characters were. Both Josh and Amber struggled with speaking up for themselves, and what made the story enjoyable also made it hard to relate to these characters. A couple of times, I wanted to sit them down and say, "Josh likes Amber, and Amber likes Josh. Now kiss."

The tension in the romance could have been more substantial; regardless, I enjoyed the book, the setting, and the characters, so I was able to overlook the minor frustrations.

A perfect book to recommend to readers who enjoy small-town reads, and chaste romances.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a great feel good read, great characters, good storyline and set in a fabulous location. Loved it.

Left me with a smile on my face and a keen desire to read hopefully more Riverside Lane books.

Set during the autumnal months, this is a story that will warm the cockles of your heart, give you a big fuzzy feeling of contentment as you read it.

Set in the village of Cranbridge, it features Cranbridge stores, a one stop shop for anything you may need, well if you actually come into the shop and try to find it!

It's a shop in great need of an overhaul and fast as its struggling. Amber is only intending to be in the village for a few days to see her godmother, but fate conspires to keep her there for a bit longer.

Her first meeting with Josh was rather memorable, and its up to them to try to reverse the shops fortunes, and I loved seeing them working together.

You will have to read for yourself to see just how everything turns out.

I love Alison Sherlock's writing style, her way with words and just lovely stories.

A wonderful story to read curled up by a fire!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which i have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I loved this book from the minute I met Amber Green. You can really relate to her no job, her parents have upped and moved yet again to now to New Zealand and she decides due to no life really she may as well see her parents. But no her mum decides she wants her to make a stop off in England to see her godmother and her mums best friend. So to please everyone except herself see arrives in England tired, cold and fed up even more so when she finds that her luggage is on a flight to a sunnier destination. However arriving at her godmothers she is stunned to see how rundown and depressing it is. After an unfortunate dip in the local river with a handsome guy who happens to be her godmothers son she is greeted with love and affection but not from him. As an outsider she sees how tired everyone and everything is, she would love to help but due to having no confidence in herself she keeps quiet for a while at least. Then due to an unexpected change of heart from her godmother. The son Josh and Amber are left in charge of the shop. They develop a friendship and begin to change the shop for the better. Amber begins to realise that she is becoming more confident, enjoying company and most of all making friends. Josh just happens to be the icing on her cake

Charming lovely story.The town Josh&Amber drew me nin.This is such a wonderful feel good story highly recommend this book this author.#netgalley#boldwoodbooks

A big thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books for this ARC.

This book was such a charming read. The characters were lovable and the village was very quaint and adorable. It was as a bit slow in the beginning but it picked up after. There was a lot of heart-warming moments near the end and I have to admit it even brought tears to my eyes! A great read for anyone who wants to travel through their books and experience a sugary sweet romance!

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts is a short novel about a woman named Amber who visits her godmother on her way to New Zealand to be with her parents. Amber lacks a lot of confidence and doesn’t know what to do next with her life. When her godmother leaves on a trip, she and her godmother’s son, Josh, are left to take care of the family shop that hasn’t been doing well. Josh and Amber work on giving it a new face while the two of them get closer.

I really enjoyed the premise of the story. It was something that I was really interested in reading. A lot of the tropes in this book were predictable, I wasn’t particularly shocked that something was happening. There’s nothing wrong with the tropes, the story just felt too expected. All in all, I really enjoyed the restoration and renovation of the store. It was great. I loved meeting all the different characters but our main character, Amber, fell a little flat. And for a romance, there wasn’t really a lot of romance in the story. There was barely any romance until the end. There was so much potential for them to fall in love and I’m a little disappointed that the story wasn’t able to live up to it. I did enjoy reading it for a quick escape, but I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who was looking for a romance story.

A huge thank you to Negalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC to review.