Thank you to Net Galley for providing this ebook for me to read and review. “A Village Shop for Lonely Hearts” was the first novel I have read by Alison Sherlock. It was a nice romantic comedy about finding happiness when life throws you a curve. A story to take you out of the everyday. I enjoyed it while reading it but it wasn't unforgettable. I wanted to love it more but it just seemed so predictable and a little shallow. I could, however, see others really enjoying it and I would still recommend it.

What a great book, I loved everything about it. When Amber is made redundant from her job in New York her mother suggests she should visit her godmother Cathy who runs a village shop in Cranbridge. Ambers first impression of the village is how run down it appears with hardly anyone around. Although Cathy and her son Josh make Amber welcome she can’t help but worry about the state of the shop and is not surprised when she finds out it is in financial difficulties. However, Cathy wont hear of changes that is until she decides to take a holiday and leave Amber and Josh in charge

How they turn the cluttered unloved shop into the hub of the community is great fun and makes the book well worth a read. I also loved Stanley, the lonely old man who turns up every morning for his paper. Also grandma who had spent her life at the shop and was now lonely in her bungalow dreaming of her days behind the counter.

Cute and cozy. This feel-good tale is a lovely addition to collections where lighter women's fiction is popular, such as Heidi Swain and Jenny Colgan.

The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts by Alison Sherlock 14th July- Rachel netgalley
Amber has arrived near her old home. She has just left New York having been made redundant from her shop window dressing position at Saks fifth avenue. She is heading to New Zealand where her parents are. She has stopped off on her mother's request to stay a few days with her godmother- her mother's best friend Cathy. She and her son Josh run the village shop. Unfortunately this is now rammed full of random stock that Cathy's husband bought before he died. Josh and his brother have bailed the shop out once unbeknown to their mother and it looks like it is heading that way again. Every aisle is filled so customers can’t see what is there and the shop is dark and dismal. Cathy won;t hear a word against it and has daily rows with Josh as he wants to update it, they don’t even have card payment. Amber volunteers to dress the windows- a step forward. When Cathy heads off to visit mbers parents things change even more. I really enjoyed this. A little romance, a potential disaster, in fact many things- things that life throws at us and we have no choice but to deal with them. A heartwarming read with a smile.
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The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts is a cute short novel about a woman called Amber who, after getting fired from her job in New York, goes to visit her godmother in England before moving to New Zealand where her parents live. Amber is unsure about where her life is headed, lacks confidence and a sense of belonging to a community. All of that is changed when her godmother takes off on a trip, leaving Amber to help Josh, the godmother’s son, in running a small village shop on the brink of bankruptcy.

Some might say that the story is not the most realistic one, but… in all fairness, I did not care while reading it. The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts is heartwarming and touching. It shows the efforts of two people to bring the heart back to a quiet village full of lonely people. There was a romance part, but most of all this book gave me the warm feeling of seeing a community being built. It was lovely following the change of the run down store which in turn revitalized the lives of the many people living in the village but separated from any sort of a society. I really liked seeing characters like Stanley, an old man who goes to the store every day to buy his newspaper and chat a bit with the people there because he doesn’t have anyone else, and him ultimately finding a place of belonging through that store.

Amber was also a nice main character. I would not say that the depth was incredible, but then this is just a small feel-good novel, and it was refreshing to actually feel good while reading it. Amber was kind and creative, a bit too shy, but still likable. Josh was similarly sweet and nice, albeit a bit conflicted.

If you’re looking for something which can put a little smile on your face, look no further.

(Also, if you have any mild form of OCD, you might find it satisfying. They start with a messy shop full of scattered goods, and end up with a cute little family shop. While they were discussing getting it into shape, I was almost chanting “Do it, do it!”, because I couldn’t wait to follow the process of the place being fixed up.)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC.

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts is a lovely feel good story about helping each other in times of need. A quick and easy read which was enjoyable and entertaining.

After living a hectic life in NewYork, the village of Cranbridge is a little too quiet for Amber Green, but with the loss of her job in the Big Apple and a broken heart to boot, she has nowhere else to go. Her godmother lives in Cranbridge and Amber could use a little coddling. but it turns out that her godmother is facing problems of her own, the shop that Cathy and her son Josh own are facing bankruptcy. Can Amber’s skills as a window dresser save the day? This is just the time for a lovely story like this, a feel good story in dark and uncertain times is just the ticket

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Since losing her job in New York, Amber Green isn’t looking forward to visiting her godmother in the sleepy village of Cranbridge on her mother’s request. She doesn’t feel that she’ll like it. Or it’s ideal for her to go on route to them.
When she gets to Cranbridge she realises that the empty lanes and rundown shops, it’s not exactly a place to mend her lonely heart.

Amber discovers that Cranbridge Stores, owned by her godmother Cathy and son Josh, is currently under threat of financial ruin,
she finds herself thinking that her skills as a window dresser might just be able to help save the struggling shop.

Following the recent health issues of her godmother, who decides to visit her son and Ambers parents, She and Josh are given the go ahead to change the shop from how it currently feels/looks to a more fresher look.

Then a disaster strikes the village, Amber and Josh unite to save both the shop and the village from flooding.

Can she overcome her fears, unite the village residents and can Cranbridge Stores become the heart of the village once more?

An enjoyable read.

Well, I feel sorry to say that I didn't like the book, for various reasons.

I feel sorry because it's my favourite genre (romance, as they say), I liked the blurb, the plot, the setting. It even started well, the first chapter. But then it gets boring. The storytelling is quite dull. It's like describing their daily life. It's too slow and repetitive. The characters say so many things but the dialogues are uninteresting. And romance? It's doesn't seem like a love story. It's all about decorating/renovating the shop. There's no chemistry between the protagonists. No interesting situations or dialogues. In fact, I didn't like the protagonists.

A fantastic read. One of those books you could not put down and when you were not reading it you were thinking about it. The story was great, I loved the description of the shop and the tractor. The way Amber stood up to the bully was lovely. A perfect book

Amber Green gets let go from her job in New York and visits her hometown of Cranbridge before going to New Zealand with her parents. In Cranbridge, she stays with her godmother, Cathy and literally runs into Cathy’s son, Josh. Cathy and her family own Cranbridge Store. The store is not profitable when Amber arrives. Can she and Josh save the store from going under and stay just friends?

This was such a cute and fun read. I really loved Amber and the way she was portrayed. I love that she worked in New York but was still down to earth. She also had some self-doubt which I think all women can relate to. I enjoyed this book!

After being made redundant and losing her job and home in New York, Amber is stopping off in Cranbridge, England to visit her Godmother, before going to New Zealand to stay with her parents. With no plans, other than to stay a week or two, Amber gets drawn into the village life and starts to use this time to reconsider what's important to her.
I couldn't put this book down. I was transported to Cranbridge Stores and wanted to peruse the shelves for the local produce whilst enjoying a coffee and a chat with Stanley and Tilly.
I haven't read an Alison Sherlock book before, and this definitely won't be the last. All of her characters are written so well, believable and likeable who end up feeling like your friends rather than characters in a book.

I loved this book! It was a real feel-good, easy read which warmed the cockles of my heart! We are introduced to Amber Green who, after losing her job in New York is on her way to live with her parents in New Zealand. She stops over in the UK, in the little village of Cranbridge where they used to live, to visit her godmother, Cathy. Cathy runs the local village stores with her son, Josh, but the store is not only losing out on custom to the big supermarket in the next town, but stuck in the past with Cathy’s outdated ideas of how it should be run.

Amber is lovely and her character really comes on as you get further into the book. She obviously has a big issue with confidence and self-esteem, but helping out in the stores whilst she is staying there is one way to try and improve this! Josh does initially come across as a bit of a grumpy young man, but when you begin to discover his story of how he ended up working at the stores, you do begin to understand why! I had brilliant images in my head of what this store looked like at various stages throughout the book, and as Amber worked her magic in organising the mess that Cathy had let it get into the shop really started to come alive!

It’s not all shop work and re-organising though as a storm hits the village and the store is threatened by the nearby river flooding! I loved this part of the book and showed the true village spirit which was sadly lacking until then! The supporting characters throughout the book were great, and they all brought their own little bit of charm to the storyline! Of course, there was always going to be the obligatory romance, and it was obvious who it was going to be between, but this made it all the more heart-warming as you just knew there was going to be a happy ending! My favourite character was Josh’s grandmother, who despite her aged bones was always trying to lend a hand, but instead was always being sent away to knit blankets! Can I also make a suggestion to Cranbridge Council to get that bridge sorted out as it’s obviously not safe!

This was a wonderfully written story filled to the brim with romance, love and laughter! I finished this is less than a day, completely hooked into the storyline right from the first page! Would definitely recommend!