4.5 stars
This is the second in the series of the Cornish Country Hospital and it’s been lovely being back with Esther, Danni, Gwen and the team at St Pirans.
As always Jo Bartlett has written a story full of warmth, the importance of family and friendship and although this story covers hard hitting topics such as mental illness and loss, these are covered sensitively and with compassion.
The slow burn of the friendship between Esther and Joe was wonderful and the support he was able to give her professionally really interesting.
I really enjoyed the storyline from Caroline’s pov - her struggle with the menopause was such an important story to cover and again handled with care.
I’m really hoping it isn’t too long before we get the chance to return to St Pirans in the not so distant future.

This is the second in the series and the story continues where the previous one left off. This one focuses on Esther, who has broken off her engagement and is rooming with her best friend Danni, who are both working at St.Pirin’s Hospital. Joe Carter, Danni’s brother returns from Australia after a breakup and to take a new job at the hospital. Joe and Esther grow closer as they work together to help a troubled patient. Esther’s mother is settling into retirement with her husband who is losing his zest for life and does not want to do much of anything.


I enjoyed the second installment in this series. It was fun to see the continuation of Esther and Danni’s friendship, as well as all of the goings in at St Pirin’s. The story of the troubled patient was pretty intense but well done. It was an interesting read about love and loss, mental health issues, second chance, and slow-burn romance set in a small town in Cornwall. Hopefully, there will be more in the series. Definitely recommend this read!


Thanks to @boldwood @netgalley @rachelsrandomresources for the ARC

After just reading the first book in this new series by an author I enjoy reading very much I was more than eager to dig into Finding Friends at the Cornish Country Hospital and get an update on the characters' lives. Though this is a series it can be read as a standalone, but why would you do that when both books are so much fun.
The first book has Danni's story and now we have Esther's story. Esther was going out with Lucas, Danni's ex but the jerk cheated on her. There is so much going on in this book, so many side stories that I am hoping to see a continuation of one that will develop into out next book in the series. There is also Caroline, Esther's mom. They say retirement can be really rough on a couple not used to being around each other all day long. As Caroline tries to engage her husband in activities to spend time together and have a closer bond, he seems to be pulling the opposite way, away from her. It was very realistic seeing Caroline and her husband's story as often times happens with long married couples. They both has misconceptions about how the other feels and secrets are so damaging in relationships.
Danni's brother Joe is in town from Australia and working in the same hospital. Things seem to be a great match with Esther but how could things possibly take a romantic turn when he will be here for such a limited time?
Once again, I enjoyed the realistic hospital setting and meeting the patients. There is a bit of a charged atmosphere with the hospital staff dealing with mental illness, as kindness is thought to be so much more. It had me feeling creeped out a bit.
The author does such a great job of drawing the reader into the character's lives and having you right there with them. Such a strong story line, it kept my attention and had me eagerly reading it. I am hopeful there will be more in this series because I am not ready to let these characters go quite yet.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

As a fully fledged fan of Jo Bartlett books, I couldn’t wait to return to The Cornish Country Hospital for the second book in her latest series. Whist I am a lover of reading a series in order where possible, you could happily read this as a standalone ( I do recommend all books by Jo anyway though!)
This time we focus on Esther and how she is coping following her recent break up from (the awful) cheating Lucas. As she is Danni’s best friend we also get to see how her romance with Charlie is progressing from the first book in the series.
I love Esther’s characters, I did in book one and even more so now. She’s lucky to be near family, but doesn’t necessarily see that things are not exactly rosy there either. Caroline, Esther’s Mum, was looking forward to having a fun filled returement with her husband, but he no longer seems bothered by her or anything she tries to do.
We also meet Joe, Danni’s brother, who sounds swoon worthy in every way. He and Esther have always got along but Esther has always fancied him, could a close friendship be in jeopardy if romance takes hold?
Fantastic, as always. I loved finding out more about each character, they have ups and downd, things aren’t smooth sailing for anyone. A traumatic event brings Esther and Joe closer together, but in her eagerness to help others Esther also puts herself at risk.
A engaging story about friendship, kindness and being there for those you love. Things are not always going to be simple but with some support you can make your way through any difficulty. It has brilliant storylines, drama, tension, romance as well as humour at times (Good olf Gwen!)
I really like this new hospital setting and look forward to reading what’s next.

I am a huge fan of Jo and her work and I have been for a few years. Although I haven't read every single book that she has written to date, I hope to rectify that in the not too distant future. I must admit that I have a particular fondness for the series set in The Cornish Country Hospital. I read and loved the first book in the series and I have been impatiently waiting for the second book to be released. Well ladies and gents the second book in the series is called 'Finding Friends At The Cornish Country Hospital' and it was released on 26th March 2024. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Finding Friends At The Cornish Country Hospital' but more about that in a bit.

I was drawn to this book by the fact that I saw Jo's name on the cover of a book that I knew I hadn't read yet. As soon as I started reading, well that was it. I knew that I wouldn't be doing anything other than reading for the rest of the afternoon because I knew that I wouldn't be able to put the book down for any length of time. My Kindle wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. Part of the reason why I enjoyed the story so much has to do with the fact that I loved the main character of Esther Hamilton and she ended up feeling more like a friend rather than a character in a book. The more of the book that I read, the more of the book that I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I had to keep reading to find out if Esther got the 'happy ever after' ending that she so deserved. I was so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of 'Finding Friends At The Cornish Country Hospital' and I had to say goodbye to the hospital, the staff and most importantly Esther herself. I found 'Finding Friends At The Cornish Country Hospital' to be a delight to read from start to finish.

'Finding Friends At The Cornish Country Hospital' is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Jo Bartlett. Jo has an easy going writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Jo's books often feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. Jo's love for her characters shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem just as real as you and I. I love the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes the Cornish Country Hospital and the area in general. In fact if I was to close my eyes, it would be easy enough to imagine that I was at the hospital with the sights and sounds of such a place going on around me. This was one of those books that took me on an emotional journey and I found myself going through the same emotions that the characters went through. I love the way in which Jo makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action. That's how I felt anyway.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Finding Friends At The Country Cornish Hospital' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Jo's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

If you read the first book in the Cornish Country Hospital series and enjoyed it, then I am sure you were excited to return and see how Esther is now doing.

We met Esther as Danni's best friend in the first book so needless to say, we also get to see how Danni is when hearing Esther's story. Esther was just as easy to love as Danni. Esther really is a nurse with a heart of gold, but does she perhaps take her job and caring a step too far and what will happen when someone gets too attached to her? I loved that it was Esther's story, work, drama and romance, but also her parents' story. I really did not want to put this book down until I had found out how it would all end.

Another great read by Jo Bartlett and the second book in the series and it didn't disappoint. An easy and enjoyable read with some great and very likeable characters including Esther and her story which I rally enjoyed. There is so much in this book to like from the friendships made, starting again after a breakup and all the happenings at the hospital.

A well written book that took me no time at all to read. It is fun but also covers some poignant topics and happenings in everyday life. It has a bit of everything and is a book that can be enjoyed by any reader. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Jo Bartlett - Finding Friends At The Cornish Country Hospital

Welcome back to The Cornish Country Hospital, for book 2 in this delightful series.
Finding Friends At The Cornish Country Hospital can easily be read as a stand alone story, but I think you’ll always get more from a book if you read a series in publication order.

#FindingFriendsAtTheCornishCountryHospital is primarily Esther’s story. Esther is a nurse in the hospital’s A&E department. She loves her job despite the occupational hazard of bumping into her slimy ex boyfriend who also works at the hospital. On the plus side, Esther’s best friend Danni, is a doctor at the hospital too.
Esther is a competent and compassionate person. These qualities could well lead her into the sort of danger that will threaten her life.

Danni’s brother. joe is back in town. Sparks fly between him and Esther. Love is off the table for then both though, especially as Joe’s future plans mean he won’t be around for long.

The two other characters who play a big part in this story are Esther’s parents. They are both facing their own difficulties and have seemingly drifted apart from each other. Can they open up and reconnect before it’s too late?

I expected this book to be a light hearted, feel good read. And in many ways it was. However, the story does go to some dark places and explores a number of tough issues.
I enjoyed the combination of light and dark. It was well written and appropriate to the tone of the story and indeed the series.

#FindingFriendsAtTheCornisbCountryHospital is an engaging read. Easy to fall in to, and hard to put down.

I liked the range of characters. Most were immediately likeable. Some were frustrating and one or two needed a good kick in the shins!

This story has a big heart and shouts loudly about the beauty of love and friendship.

A fab book, and I can’t wait to read what comes next in the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources, Netgalley and Boldwood Books for a digital review copy of this title.

It's Esther's story in the second book in the Cornish Country Hospital series. It's unnecessary to read the first book to enjoy this one, but the characters are complex, and the relationship dynamics believable, so read it if you can. Making a single life without Lucas is going well for Esther until someone from her past returns, and their chemistry signifies more than friendship between them. The medical setting is integral to the story and well-researched. The sensitive exploration of the medical events through the characters immerses you in the characters' lives and makes what happens to them matter. The final chapters are poignant and suspenseful and lead to a positive conclusion. I hope more stories are set in the Cornish Country Hospital, as it's proving to be as addictive as the Cornish Midwife series.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

this is a book about friendships....

esther is finally getting back on her feet after her break up with her cheating boyfriend and though they work in the same hospital she is starting to feel more positive each day and her friendship with danni her best friend is something she is happy about

life couldnt get any better until the day she found out that danni brother joe was back from australia and working in the same hospital, esther had always had a thing for joe but didnt want to ruin the friendship she had with danni but a girl could dream....

but things were going to spiral for everyone and not in a good way....

not a bad storyline

As someone who has spent a lot of time in hospital and has a real fear of them you would think that I wouldn't want to read about them but strangely I love books and tv shows in a hospital setting. Finding Friends at the Cornish Country Hospital is a brilliantly plotted story with the right amount of tragedy and fun. In this book we follow A&E nurse Esther as she is coming to terms with her break up from her fiance. With her best friend Danni's brother Joe in town she is struggling to hide her growing feelings for him. Meanwhile her parents are going through their own turmoil as neither of them are there happy selves. I love how passionate and dedicated Esther becomes towards her patients she is definitely the kind of nurse I would want looking after me as she truly cares about everyone. Amidst the drama happening in A&E there is plenty of outside dramas beautifully woven through the pages to enjoy. Although the book is part of a series it can be easily read as a standalone. I am loving this series and I think it would be a great tv series. It reminds me a little of Grey's Anatomy.

My sincere thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Finding Friends at the Cornish Country Hospital. I give my unbiased opinion of the book in the following short review.

This book is the second in a series of standalones that take place at the Cornish Country Hospital. I did not realize this when I started the book and even though I was able to follow the story, I think I would have enjoyed it a little more had I already been introduced to the characters. This particular book follows Esther, a nurse at the hospital, and her mother Caroline who is navigating what seems to be a midlife/retirement crisis that her husband is going through. Mental Health is a strong theme throughout this book, and I thought it was well written. There is a definite friend group at the hospital who get along very well and have some great banter when they gather. There is a little romance as well as some suspense thrown in to make the story move along quickly. This was definitely one of those books where I wanted to jump into the pages and shake some sense into a few of the characters more than once, but overall it was an easy to read and entertaining women's fiction story. I will have no trouble recommending it to fans of this genre.

I didn't like this book quite as much as the first in the series, but it's still really good. I loved getting to know more about Esther and her parents - Esther played such a big part in the first book and didn't get an especially happy ending at the end of it. I was also curious to get to know a little more about Danni's brother as he too played a part in the Danni's story. I love Jo Bartlett's ability to bring in the medical part of these character's lives - it's so great to get to see the characters as more than just two parts of a romance. I also appreciate that she doesn't make the characters pull off miracles with patients; they can't save everyone and that keeps everything in more of a realistic situation. I'm also a fan of Jo Bartlett's ability to pull in characters from previous books in a way that allows you to see their stories continue as well. And it's always fun to see what Gwen is getting up to! The romance between Esther and Joe is a pretty slow-burn. It's obvious there is something strong between them right from the start, but their actual romance is pretty subtle. I also liked that they had feelings for one another prior to the Dillon situation otherwise I would have worried it was just the stress of that situation that served as the foundation of their relationship. I wish he had mentioned to her a little earlier that he was considering staying so that she wouldn't have felt insecure about it. As for Esther's parents I kept wanting Caroline to just have it out with Patrick and get into an argument with him. She so often pushed her anger down rather than telling him what his behavior was doing to her and how it was making her feel. It was like she was afraid to cause a fuss and was more wiling to burn the whole thing to the ground by getting involved with another man (who was a pretty icky guy if you think about it). I was so glad when she came to her senses. It was probably a good thing that she had to face the consequences of her actions because it really ended up serving as the catalyst to get the truth from Patrick about what was going on with him and getting them to actually talk. I wish it hadn't taken Esther getting kidnapped for them to get back together, but I have a feeling it was imminent even without that. I'm not sure what characters we will get to meet in the next book, but I'm really hoping there is a next book and this wasn't designed as a 2-book series. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next at this little hospital (and maybe know that Lucas finally gets his comeuppance).

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's the second book in a series, but it can still be read as a stand alone.

Yet another great book by Jo continuing the Cornish Country Hospital series. It is so refreshing to read a book set in a different location i.e. a hospital.

Esther is the other half of the close friendship that was introduced in Welcome to the Cornish Country Hospital. Now thankfully free from her Ex, Lucas, she is sharing a house with her best friend, Danni. Despite Danni’s insistence that there would always be a home for her at the cottage, Esther feels like she is cramping Danni and Charlie’s style as they nurture their fledgling relationship. Then the arrival of Danni’s brother, Joe, throws another spanner in the works because there’s a chemistry between the two of them that can’t be ignored. Meanwhile, Esther’s parents are dealing with their own problems, or rather, not dealing with them!
I was delighted to return to St. Piran’s and catch up with the wonderful characters that we met in the last book and meet some new ones. In particular, I really took to Caroline and Patrick. Having planned to retire early, they now had everything that they had hoped for, but something was off, and their relationship was stumbling. I found myself trying to guess what the issue may be, and sadly found that I was right. Having lived through a similar scenario, I’m hopeful that they will have a happier outcome.
The main story centres around Esther and Joe, and the fallout from an incident at the beach which opened up the possibilities to examine the impact of loss and it’s toll on mental health. I could genuinely feel the tension rising as the book reached it’s breathtaking climax. In honesty, I needed a few moments to catch my breath.
Another faultless offering from an author who is staking a claim as one of my favourites.

This book is a a great sequel to welcome to the cornish country hospital. It can be read as a standalone but I would highly recommend reading the as a series. This books follows Esther it was great that she managed to get her own book it has old characters which is lovely to follow. If you like medical dramas you will defentently enjoy this book. It has a few different story lines and Esther's mum gets her own story which all links up at the end.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was exactly what I needed. It had the perfect blend of romance, drama, intrigue and the writing unwrapped it all really wonderfully.

I didn't feel as though any of the storyline was rushed or forgotten about and it made it really enjoyable to keep reading. Sometimes books with a lot going on are easy to put down, but this one I just had to keep reading because I wanted to know just how everything was going to unfold.

It has a perfect blend of characters and all of the stories within were well rounded.

I'd definitely recommend this book.

Esther is finally moving on after splitting from her cheating ex. Her job in a busy A&E keeps her on her toes and her friendships are everything to her too. When her best friend's brother arrives back, there could be hopes of rekindling perhaps more than the friendship they once had.
This is another lovely easy flowing tale that switches between the life dramas of Esther and her mother Caroline. Set in a beautiful part of the country with characters that are easily relatable to makes for a truly enjoyable read.

I loved this second book in this Cornish Country Hospital series.

And we get to know Esther a whole lot better in this book as she copes with the aftermath of splitting with devious Lucas. And since she is Danni's best friend we get plenty of time with Danni and Charlie too, who were the stars of the first book.

And the other view point of this book is Caroline, Esther's mother, who is having a bit of a hard time adjusting to retirement.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know both ladies, and there are some rather disturbing storylines that Esther is involved in. And I've always known Jo Bartlett likes to put a bit of drama into her books and this one was no exception.

I am loving this hospital setting, I've always been a bit of a fan of a medical romance, so seeing Esther, Danni, Joe at work and just the range of cases they are dealing with, was really great.

And if you are looking for laughs, then Gwen is still present, I think she is getting to be one of my all time favourite characters, you just never know what she will suggest next. And her heart is always in the right place too.

Set in the familiar three ports area, I am really enjoying this new series as it is starting to get into it's stride. More please, and soon!

Thank you to Boldwood Book sand Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.