Olive is recently orphaned, and Margery is her long lost friend. When Margery inherited her late uncle’s store and boarding house, she hires Olive as the housekeeper.

Soon there is a group of great characters under one roof. The most interesting one is Juniper, Margery’s 11 year ward, living with the affects of the polio she fought at a young age.. I really liked these people and being a part of their lives.

This was a sweet, good read. An entertaining way to spend a few hours. I liked it a lot. Did I love it - no. It was more of a library book to me than a buy now.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and to #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Orphans of Mersea House. This is a heartwarming story that mainly follows, Olive, a recently orphaned “spinster” whose path looks pretty bleak now that her parents are gone. But all that changes when her long lost friend, Margery, returns to town with an idea that could benefit both of them. Margery inherited her late uncle’s store and boarding house and hires Olive on as the housekeeper of the boarding house. Soon there is a small conglomerate of lovable characters under the one Mersea House roof. The most lovable of all, though is Juniper, Margery’s 11 year ward, living with the affects of the polio she fought at a young age. But is this unconventional living situation fit for a young girl?

Overall, this was a nice read. It wasn’t groundbreaking or over emotional but a calm sort of comfortable read. I loved the rag tag bunch that ended up in Mersea House and their various stories. I also loved that the author depicted many of the characters pretty progressive for the the post WWII era.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a slower, casual, heartwarming read.

The Orphans of Mersea House
by Marty Wingate
Pub Date: August 9,2022
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. If I would use one word to describe this book it would be heartfelt.

The setting is England in the late ’50s where Olive has lost her brother and boyfriend in the war, her father has passed, and just now her mum. She’s come to a point in her life where she has nowhere to live or work.

Olive’s best friend growing up, Margery, returns to the little seaside town from London, to claim an inheritance and offers Olive work and a place to live as caretaker and overseer of a lodging house.

The cast of characters is full of intrigue and secrets, and they all pull together when Margery’s ward, who is afflicted with polio, comes to live at the house.5 stars

Two weeks after her Mother's death, 37 year old Olive Kersey is on the verge of losing the only home she's known and has no real job prospects. Her childhood friend, Margery Paxton, finds her and offers her a job and a place to live, Margery inherited a shop and beautiful home, Mersea House, when her Uncle Milky died. While Margery will run the business, she needs Olive's help setting up and running the boarding house she intends to make of Uncle Milky's Mersea House. Olive agrees and the adventure begins. They acquire boarders plus 11 year old Juniper who is a polio survivor and needs braces and "sticks" to walk. There's mystery and romance among the boarders, nosy neighbors and helpful children, too. Friends appear who will change Margery and Olive's lives forever. The story is set in post WWII England with many references to city life during the war. A charming read that I really enjoyed. Predictable, but enjoyable and engaging. A sweet story of love and perseverance. You will love it and I recommend it! Thank you Net Galley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

I love books about orphans and adoption. This book, despite the title, isn't really about that. Yes, all of the characters have lost their parents, but being 37 and running a boarding house doesn't really fit into my usual orphan-related historical fiction category. Yes, there is also an 11 year old orphan living in the boarding house, so I guess it should fit into my category but it still really doesn't. In general the book was kind of boring and very focused on the day-to-day comings and goings of the main character who helps manage the boarding house. Another reviewer said something along the lines of: "this book is about a bunch of people drinking warm drinks" and they are not wrong... it may not be the premise of the book, but it also kind of sums up what to expect action-wise, this is not a book with plot twists and turns, not much really happens.

I think the thought behind this book was that characters would find themselves in getting to know the other orphans who are in the story, all with their own secrets and fear of letting other people in. It is a typical post wwii historical fiction, picking up the pieces after the war and dealing with contemporary issues such as polio or unemployment. If you're interested in a low-key historical fiction about a quiet town in the UK where newcomers are exciting and people just live their day to day lives passing by each other, then here you go!

I appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Lovely tale of post-war Britain by Marty Wingate. Mersea house holds only one orphan child, but the adults that make the boarding house their home are all orphans in their own way. Juniper comes to the home, having lost both parents and having become the ward of the home’s owner. She also suffered polio as a child and must wear braces to walk. Will she find a forever family among the many adult “orphans” who can Mersea their home? Will Mersea be deemed a fit place for her by the authorities? Will the local bizzy body spoil everything for her? Just many of the questions that are answered in this satisfying read.

I enjoy reading historical fiction. The author does a great job of developing the characters and creating a sense of family. The relationships among the townspeople in Southwold, Suffolk are touching. Set in the late 1950s, it is interesting to see the polite interactions between the characters and it has you wishing for a simple time and a gentle life by the sea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Such a gentle, lovely story! The author really got the voice of the period and did a marvelous job of describing the English seaside town and the period fashion and styling.
There was little tension or drama and would be the perfect read for someone looking for sweetness and charming characters.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. this is my honest review.

when her mother dies, Olive, a 37 year old, is on the edge of poverty and miserably lonely. she is left with two choices, either apply for a caretaker job or become Mrs. Constance Binny company.
but Margery, her childhood friends returns to town to claim her inheritance, a small shop and a Mersea house witch she wants to turn into a lodging. she hires Olive to act as a manager for the lodging. but in a turn of events, Margery finds out that she has become the guardian of 11 year old Juniper, her late ex-husband's daughter,
but everyone has a secret that will be revealed and a very stunning story will unfold right Infront of our eyes.
a very touching story with a happy ending and definitely enjoyable.
I do recommend reading this beautiful novel.
Thanks to NetGallery for providing my copy.

I loved reading this book. This is a new author for me which I look forward to reading more from in the future. This is a well written story that the author brought to life with their attention to details. I enjoyed being pulled into the story by the author's writing skills that just added to the story. I enjoyed how the characters are relateable and just made the story for me. They are written with alot of heart and transported me back in time to after the war. This is a story about lost love and finding a promise land. This story brought out different emotions in parts and made the story entertaining. I enjoyed the growth of the plot throughout the story as well. This is a fast paced story that was hard to put down. It kept me coming back for more. This is a must read and I highly recommend it.

This book has been such a breath of fresh air. I've no idea when the first 70% have flown and the rest (because life got in it's way) seemed to go too fast. It's just my fault, I'm a fast reader, but also the author's fault 😁 . The writing style has such a beautiful flow and it makes you want to know every little detail from the Mersea House. I've fell in love with Juniper and Olive and Charlie and Billy and all the other characters.
Fully recommend it!

5 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

In 1957, several “orphans” come together to form an unconventional family in Southwold, England. Olive, a 40ish-aged woman lost her brother and boyfriend in WWII, her father died shortly thereafter and her mother has just died leaving Olive without a home or a family. Margery, Olive’s best childhood friend has just moved back to Southwold from London after losing her last relative, Uncle Milkey. Since Margery has inherited her uncle’s home and retail business, she plans to run the store and turn the house into a boarding house and asks Olive to manage it. They quickly take on two boarders, both with secrets and mysterious pasts but also without families. Finally, Juniper, an 11-year old girl disabled by polio moves into the house after Margery finds out that she is the girl’s guardian as per the request of Margery’s ex-boyfriend upon the deaths of him and his wife.
This unlikely group of people quickly become a family that sticks together, bring out the best in each other and defend themselves and each other against adversity and especially rumors and gossip. The main character, Olive is central to all of this and is very clever in how she diverts and diffuses tense situations, at one point saying “I’m a subversive” and her adopted family (as well as the reader) all see this trait as positive. The book is very charming and Olive is extremely likable and it’s heartwarming to see her find romance and create a new family. I found the book very enjoyable and the author’s writing style to be warm and easy-going but never boring. I would have liked more backstory on Hugh and Abigail, the other boarders as their stories were only touched on briefly. My only disappointment in the book is the lack of explanation around why Margery is so timid and stand-offish with Juniper as well as lack of her backstory as well. But overall, this is a book I would recommend as a pleasant and enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Thank you to Marty Wingate and NetGalley for the ARC of this lovely novel. I enjoyed this book so much! It has a wonderful, dynamic and interesting storyline with unusual characters. The characters are not cliched and things are not obvious. There is a sense of anticipation but in a nice unhurried way.

When Olive’s mother dies, Olive starts working for an old school friend who was an orphan and had just inherited her uncle’s house and store. Margery and Olive work together well. Margery runs the store and Olive looks after the house which is big enough for a boarding house.
They acquire a couple of people Margery knew from London. Not long after Margery and Olive set up the boarding house Margery receives a letter informing her that she has been named as a guardian for a young orphan, Juniper Wyckes, who is eleven years old.
Olive loves looking after Juniper and the other guests, the only problem she has is Mrs Binny, an annoying woman who used to be a neighbor of Olive’s. Mrs Binny likes to gossip and has a habit of always appearing at the wrong moment.
I loved the characters and the way they all interacted. This was a romance about village life, boarding houses and people who needed a safe haven away from prying eyes.

What a special little book this is! Warm and wonderful, its like comfort food on a rainy day. Set in a post WWII English seaside village, it is a chronicle about Olive, Margery, and Juniper, an 11-year-old polio orphan come recently to live with Margery at her newly inherited boarding house. The war has taken something from everyone, villagers and boarders alike, and this story is how they learn to move on and make new lives, new friends, and even new families, after the war is over.
I really loved the true English atmosphere of this narration. I loved trying to figure out what washing tongs were and what a hob was. I enjoyed evening drinks in the lounge and having ‘afters’ (dessert) after supper every evening. And how Olive would place her order with the grocer every morning, to be delivered every afternoon by a local lad on his bicycle. She tipped him with bread and jam and a farthing for his pocket.
I ADORED this story. Not just because of its quaintness, but also because even thru all its simplicity, there are still modern-day concerns. Bigotry. Spiteful rumors. Medical misunderstanding resulting in a shunning of the afflicted. True apprehensions the author manages to instill in the well wrapped guise of historical fiction.
I happily give this work five stars. Thank you very much to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Marty Wingate for allowing me early access to this wonderful novel for my honest review.

What a great easy read. Set in the 1950's, when the war was still fresh in people's minds, underlying prejudices are forever in people's thoughts.
Two close friends set up a boarding house, where faces from the past as well as people with hidden pasts come together and form solid friendships.

Olive, a late 30s something single woman, has just lost her mother, after already losing her brother and father. Having never owned their family house, only renting, she is at a loss for what she will do next. In comes her childhood best friend whom she hasn't seen in years to offer her a place to live and a job working as the housekeeper at Mersea House. From there, her life is on the complete upswing taking care of permanent lodgers and holiday weekend lodgers at at the boarding house. This is a light hearted book about creating the family around you - it doesnt matter if you're blood related, but you take care of each other.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early read of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It was the description, “Mersea House holds its own mysteries—and its own dangers,” that got me curious about the book and request a copy from NetGalley. But if there was any mystery and danger, I don’t know where in the house it was hidden because I didn’t find it.

The story takes place in 1957 England. Olive Kersey lost everyone she loved either to the war or illness, and just as she becomes lost, penniless, and alone, her childhood friend Margery Paxton returns to town to claim her inheritance—Mersea House—and offers Olive a job as a housekeeper. With two lodgers moving in, Mersea House inhabitants create an odd family of their own. The unexpected turn comes when Margery receives a message that her late first love left his daughter, eleven-year-old Juniper who survived paralytic polio, in Margery’s care.

For the longest time, I couldn’t put a finger on what the book was actually about. Olive? Friendship? The house? Drinking hot beverages in Britain? That’s the thing about the story: Not much seems to be happening, yet something is always happening—someone’s always at the door and Olive is always serving tea or coffee. It just often feels… insignificant.

At the same time, I was not particularly invested in any of the characters in the book. Margery irritated me because she seemed to run away from her responsibilities and shift them onto Olive. Olive’s personality didn’t leave a very strong impression. Because the story followed Olive, there wasn’t as much of Juniper in the book as I wished. And then there were the many other town residents who I had a hard time remembering let alone distinguishing.

Only once I got to the end, to the author’s note, did I find out that the whole book was actually inspired by—SPOILER ALERT—stories about people who survived polio. Yet Juniper’s storyline didn’t feel that significant, rather just a (welcome) interruption to all the door-knocking Olive responded to and all the drinks she kept serving.

Put it this way: If you’re sipping on tea or coffee while chewing shortbread, and want something to read while hoping that the local gossiper won’t come knocking on your door because you’re too polite to tell her off, this book will definitely fit the mood.

In a seaside village recovering from the losses caused by World War II, Olive finds herself grieving the loss of another member of her family, her mother. Orphaned in her late thirties, Olive is unsure of how to proceed. Since the passing of Donald, her brother, in Dunkirk, she has seen her family deteriorate & pass on; facing the world on her own after having remained stagnant her entire life, she is at a loss of where to go to move forward. At the arrival of Margery, her childhood friend, a series of events unfold which sees the main character & a slew of others walk through the doors to Mersea House wherein a surrogate family for all those in transition, seeking final repose, & those in need of love, find themselves settled.

This is a book which will very certainly not be for everyone. I say this with no ill-will but, nothing happens in the story. The entirety of the plot is focused on Olive & her repositioning herself in life after being faced with the death of her mother whom she had been caring for. The reader moves through her habitual actions as the housekeeper at Mersea House, which was transformed into a boarding house by Margery, having had it bestowed upon her by her late uncle Milkey. The lodgers, the townsfolk & the primary characters all join together to ensure that this story flows in such a way as to ease any worries the reader might have when entering their fictional world. Any obstacles presented throughout the plot are lessened by the overall sentiment that the author has induced within the story; that of tranquillity, hope, calm & tenderness.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book, however, it is not one you choose should you be seeking a plot-driven story. For example, Juniper has had both her parents pass away in a number of years & finds herself at Mersea House as Margery’s ward. Much of her stay at the house presents the uncertainty of Child Services approving Margery as an appropriate guardian for Juniper. The obstacle presented reflects the possibility that Juniper would be taken back into foster care. Though this possibility is real, it resides alongside other questions the reader might pose & yet not have answered. Such as, why was Margery chosen to be the guardian of her ex-lover’s child? Would Child Protective Services (CPS) allow Olive to adopt Juniper from Margery’s care whilst the case is not completed?

There are other such questions that are left unanswered by the end of the book but, as it stands, it appears that Wingate may have left the ending of the book open for the possibility of a second instalment. Should this be the case, I will eagerly await the follow-up.

I do not wish to dissuade anyone from choosing to read this book, however, I think that highlighting certain points remains important as, I myself, wondered if something more were going to happen during my read. This does not take away from the enjoyment of reading a story in which nothing ‘bad’ interrupts the flow of the story but, this is not something that every person might seek to want to read & that’s OK.

Overall, I found this book to be a breath of fresh air. I adored Olive & rooted for her success from the start. She is a character who is easy to love; she is kind, thoughtful, well-spoken, self-sufficient, motivated & independent. These are qualities I like to see reflected in female characters—someone who is strong-willed without being a bully—& in the 1957 setting, it was wonderful to see a full cast of characters approach topics such as sexuality, parenthood, marital status, etc. in progressive ways. I suppose we might have our own society looked on from future generations with a similar sense to the one we hold for those of the past. It’s easy to assume that the lump sum of people thought or acted a certain way & I’m sure many of them did, such as many still do to this day. However, for the sake of those people who did stand with reason, & for the sake of those who did live differently than the ‘norm’, I am glad to see a story reflect happiness on to their narratives.

I am glad to have read a book in which I found myself eager to peek into the lives of lovely characters & their cozy seaside abodes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press & Marty Wingate for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

#TheOrphansOfMerseaHouse #NetGalley

The Orphans of Mersea House is about family. Not the family that you are born with but the family that you make out of necessity and need.
Olive. now officially an orphan after her mother passes, is almost destitute when her childhood friend comes back to town to take over her deceased uncle’s general store and home. Margery offers Olive the opportunity to be the house mother to a new boarding house in their seaside town of Southwold on the coast of Suffolk England.
Along with Olive, Margery invites Hugh and Abigail into board. Each in their own way are orphans of World War II and learning to build a new way of life. To make Mersea House complete, Juniper, an orphan of Margery’s old beau, is left in Margery’s care.
With Olive at the helm, the residents of Mersea House become one big family. Dealing with all of life problems, like Juniper’s polio…Hugh’s life style….Abigail’s loss and guilt and Margery’s shame and secrets. Like all small towns, everyone’s business is always on display, and this house gives them plenty to talk about.
Marty Ingate gives the readers a quaint story that warms the heart, characters to fall in love with and an ending that reminds you that the most important family is the ones you gather close to you through life.