Sunshine After the Rain is the absolute perfect title for this one. A book I could really get into. I've found all of the author's books to be heartfelt and heartwarming at the same time. If possible, this one even more so. A book I simply could not put down. Dealing with subjects we can all relate to I felt as though the book was talking to me. The characters are ones I agreed with and could also feel empathy for. Though there are sad parts the book has a lovely and happy ending. Themes of second chances, refound romance and just overall good feelings I can highly recommend this book.

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

Thanks NetGallery for this chance to Read a Jessica Redland book.

I laughed and cried throughout this beautiful story.

After a tragedy that took Mel's & Flynns 18 year old son in their home town Willowdale.

Mel up and left her husband Flynn and her family and moved to Newcastle.

Fast forward afew year's later Mel returned to Willowdale for her mother's 80th. She noticed how much of an outsider to the family she felt and her mother's health had changed .

Needing some fresh air Mel walked around the Village and realized just how unhappy she is in life and misses been close to her parents. Thought's of moving back started.

Mel gets offered her dream job helping with the renovation designing at Willdale Hall, she has always had a big passion for this place.

With the decision made to move back to Willowdale a whole new chapter awaits her. From her x husband who she isn't ready to talk to but been a small town she is bound to bump into Flynn.... and rebuilding her relationship with her Mum & Dad.

We all have that one person who is our magnet and keeps us together, it will pull you back no matter how long time has passed between you both.

Such a beautiful story where we get to meet the lovely characters of the hall again plus some new characters. A story full of highs and lows, love and loss. A total rollercoaster of emotions, just as I'd expect from this amazing author

I loved this new book in the Escape to the Lakes (Book 4) series by Jessica Redland! It was all about healing from emotional trauma by changing your mindset from focusing on the past (the things you can’t change) and looking ahead to positive choices instead. It was a very hopeful and emotional read. I enjoyed following along Mel’s journey to emotional healing. I also liked the second chance romance between Mel and Flynn. It was a great example of what true love really is. It was also wonderful to revisit characters from the other books in the series. They felt like old friends and added to the community spirit of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Jessica Redland’s Sunshine After the Rain is a heartwarming addition to her Escape to the Lakes series. It is a gentle exploration of healing, family, and rediscovery. As always this story has the picturesque and special backdrop of the Lake District, we meet Mel who as she returns to her hometown of Willowdale after a seven-year absence, confronting past sorrows and embracing new beginnings.
Redland’s storytelling always captivates me as a reader, every book has drawn me in, made me love the characters and the community created. The wonderful depiction of Willowdale and its endearing locals make me wish I could be part of that world – get me to that quiz night! Mel’s journey—from grief to hope—is portrayed with authenticity and sensitivity, making her both believable and inspiring. I was rooting for her from that start, hoping that she would find her way again. As it is the next in a series it was lovely to catch up with past characters and storylines, you could read this as a standalone but it’s lovely to know what’s happened in more detail. Loved the inclusion of alpaca walks and catching up with how previous romances were blossoming.
Well written and paced carefully to replicate Mel’s slow and steady change, I feel nothing was rushed and that just added emotionally to key moments throughout. Overall, Sunshine After the Rain is a comforting read that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the power of returning home and being around those who know us best. The book is emotional, heartbreaking and warming at the same time. Fans of Redland’s previous works will appreciate this uplifting tale that reminds us of the sunshine that can follow even the darkest storms.

I've enjoyed this emotional and heartwarming series set in 'The Lake District'; this book is another excellent addition. It brings together the characters and settings we have met in previous stories and introduces Mel and Flynn, a couple who have suffered a tragic loss and lost themselves in the process. Mel exists rather than lives, filled with self-loathing. As the story progresses, it reveals the reasons for this and the outcomes. After many years of self-recrimination, Mel realises she needs help and is emotionally receptive to heartwarming friendship and familial support. It's romantic, sometimes heartbreaking, with flawed characters and believable relationships, a poignant tale about loss, love, acceptance and forgiveness, whose characters and events resonate.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This book is part of the Escape to The Lakes Series. It can be read as a standalone novel, but I recommend reading the rest of the series first, as it is such a lovely series. This book also catches up with some of the previous characters, which I absolutely loved, although it could give you spoilers if you have not read the rest of the books.
The protagonist of this book Mel, is in her 50s, I enjoyed reading about an older character, it made a nice change.
Mel could be perceived as a cold, unfriendly character. However, she has had an unspeakable experience, the death of her only child. It is only as we progress through the story that we find out how he died and why she is unable to come to terms with his death.
I do think that she is treated unfairly by her parents in the beginning of the book, although they are all in a difficult and unthinkable situation.
Jessica Redland often writes about hard hitting subjects, and this book is no different. However, she writes about it sensitively and thoughtfully. Despite the themes of death and grief, there are still a lot of uplifting and heartwarming moments too.
I loved reading about some of the characters from the previous books. It was especially nice to see Alice helping Mel to come to terms with the past.
I really enjoyed reading this book, I have loved the series and I am sorry to say goodbye to The Lakes and the characters, although I am pleased with how their stories ended.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Sunshine After The Rain by Jessica Redland

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

When Mel returns to Willowdale for a family event, she has no intention of staying. But surrounded by her family she begins to realise just how much she's been missing and also, how much healing she still needs to do.

Starting a dream job at Willowdale Hall, going on walks with Emma and her funny alpacas and reconnecting with those she loves, Mel slowly begins to see chinks of light and a more hopeful and happier future ahead.

And as Mel begins to feel stronger, she also feels brave enough to face the most painful part of leaving home…the one man she has always loved. With his help, can she finally banish the dark clouds forever and see the sunshine after the rain?

My Opinion

Jessica Redland is an author that I enjoy reading, so I am always on the lookout for upcoming releases. Sunshine After the Rain was an enjoyable and uplifting read. Another book by Jessica Redland that is easy to recommend as it is beautifully written. Whilst I am up to date with this series, I feel that Sunshine After the Rain can be read as a standalone.

Rating 4/5

Enjoyed it but it wasn't my favorite in the series. I loved the story, writing style and most of the characters. I pretty much liked everything and everyone except for Mel. Mel was the center of the whole book. There was something about her that just rubbed me the wrong way. She isolated herself from her loved ones for six and a half years. Mel was fifty-two years old, but at times acted like a teenager. She wanted to bury her head in the sand and ignore problems. Mel always runs away from issues. She ended up causing so many more by not getting help. She desperately wanted to blame someone for Noah's death. There were also so many issues between Mel and her parents. Her mom completely forgets about her during the birthday speech. I loved Flynn. He was the perfect husband and ex-husband. He never got rid of Edgar the Elephant. Flynn never stopped loving Mel. She pushed him away and he built the perfect house. They dealt with loss in complete opposite ways. I loved the recap of the past characters. It gets hard to remember everyone. I loved seeing characters from the previous books. Beautiful story about loss, family, friendship, forgiveness, love and so much more. This was definitely the darkest book in the series.

Definitely recommend the book. It wasn't my favorite but I still enjoyed it. I love the village of Willowdale. There's something about Jessica Redland's books. I always fall in love with the characters (except for Mel) and feel like I'm part of their life. I want to live there and be best friends with Autumn, Emma and Rosie. I want to go to Thursday Quiz night at The Hardy Herdwick and constantly walk those alpacas!!! Hopefully there's more books revolving around the Lake District. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Boldwood Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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

After living away from her home, following the death of her son Noah, Mel is back in Willowdale, it’s her Mum’s 80th Birthday party and this is the first time she’s been here since her son died and her marriage ended, but she’s feeling as though she shouldn’t be here.

Her ex-husband Flynn had always held some hope that she would be back and maybe start their relationship again.

Then, when her mums health isn’t good, she feels that maybe she should have done more and visited her parents or come back quicker.

When she’s offered the job she’s always dreamed of doing, at the stately home, this helps to mend the gap between her and her family. Slowly she starts to find the answers to the questions she had about Noah’s death and she behons to heal.

When she meets Flynn, he hopes that they can, soon, talk about what happened and maybe restart their relationship.

Once again Jessica has written a fabulous book, which will keep you turning the pages. I absolutely loved the setting, the alpacas and the characters.

I highly recommend this book.

What a tear jerking, heart healing story.
When Mel & Flynn’s 18yr old son dies out of the blue it leaves everyone in shock, but nobody foresees the break up of Mel’s marriage or her leaving the family home and moving away.
While working in her new location and living in a flat with no home comforts so to speak Mel feels like something is missing, when she returns to her hometown for her Mum’s 80th birthday party their is a surprise for her in the form of her childhood dream potentially coming true, but it means she will have to move back to the area to make it work.
The only thing is her ex Husband still lives in the area so the chance of bumping into him is highly likely, can she deal with that after all the heartache that’s happened?
When Mel’s mum suddenly dies it puts everything into perspective for her and the family so puts her ‘‘big girl pants’ on and takes the plunge of 2nd chance happiness.

Another great book by Jessica,love this series and was happy to receive this book. Sad that it’s last in the series. Mel stays in Newcastle but hates it,she has just broken up with her boyfriend, who was getting too serious. Her family stay in Willowdale in the Lake District. She left 7 years ago but hates her life and would like to go back but she has bad memories. She was married to Flynn but when their son Noah died she couldn’t handle it all and left and got divorced. She never comes back to visit her family but it’s her Mums 80th so she feels she must come to the party. She is close with her sister Georgia and she persuades her it’s time to come home. She gets a job at Willowdale hall and Rosie and Oliver let her stay there while she is helping renovate the house. Flynn still stays in the area and she dreads bumping into him. So many of the characters from the previous books appear,Emma with her alpacas and Rosie’s Mum Alice. You must read it and see how things work out for Mel,does she get her happy ever after,there are lots of twists and turns,I couldn’t put it down.

I love this series and particularly enjoyed this book, i liked Mel as a character and revisiting other characters we’ve grown to love

Sunshine After the Rain is the fourth book in the Escape to the Lakes by Jessica Redland.
I enjoy Jessica Redlands book and was looking forward to getting back into this series.
Being back with Mel and catching up with her life was filled with so much emotion for me as I read. This is also a book that can be read as a stand-alone.
Thank you NetGalley, Jessica Redlands and Boldwood Books for the ARC of Sunshine After the Rain. This is my personal review.

This may be the most emotional one of this series so far. Mel has endured heartache that would have broken most people, and in truth, she is battered and bruised if not actually broken. As the synopsis explains, she left the safe haven of her Lake District home and family seeking a fresh start and a chance to recover in Newcastle. But the intention and willingness never matched her reality, and she had become stuck in a spiral of heartache and endless loss. My heart broke as I read and felt her pain, but the more I read, I felt bereft at what she had experienced and how those experiences had decimated her relationships with those she loved the most. I would defy even the hardest person not to be moved by the pain that lifted from the pages.
I loved Mel and immediately knew she would be a wonderful asset to the Willowdale community if she could simply allow herself to heal. Returning to the heart of her family, she soon realises that she has a lot of bridges to mend before she can relax into the family fold once more. Mel’s family was tightly knit, with plenty of characters who maintained the connections that she had missed—parents, sister and brother-in-law, and the irreplaceable cousins and their children.
Finding a place at Willowdale Hall, she introduces her vision for the hall's future and forges friendships with the wealth of characters who live there and in the village. Catching up with characters from earlier in the series is a pleasure that I enjoy with Jessica’s writing.
It’s impossible not to hope that she can find peace from her heartache, and maybe with her former husband, but there’s a lot of healing needed to repair that bridge.
Jessica Redland has a gift for examining the frailties of human relationships and delving deeper into her characters' backgrounds. Mel’s pain was unimaginable, and possibly the most significant source of heartache for any person.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this beautiful book to you, but make sure you keep tissues handy as you will need them.

Melanie ran away seven years ago after a tragic incident, leaving her family and husband behind. Now she has moved back after a family event reminded her of what she was missing and takes up her dream job at Willowdale Hall.
This is a story of how grief can affect you and its long term effects, but also on hope and reconciliation. Melanie comes across as a tortured soul, but the location and the people around her gradually helps her with healing. As usual the location sounds wonderful, although this is part of a series it is easily read as a standalone, but does make me want to read the others as well. A great read for those who enjoy character driven stories.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my copy of Sunshine After the Rain by Jessica Redland in exchange for an honest review. It publishes May 15, 2025.
Another lovely book in the Escape to the Lakes series from the wonderful Jessica Redland. Heartfelt and heart wrenching, it doesn’t get more compelling than this. I loved getting a glimpse into old characters’ lives, while getting to know a brand new cast.
The character development is top-notch here, and you’ll be holding your breath through certain chapters!
This one is definitely Jessica’s masterpiece.

Straight away I was drawn into the storyline and enjoyed reading about Mel, who is in her early fifties and just finished a relationship, her mum and dad live in Derwent in the Lake District and she has just travelled over for her mum's 80'th birthday celebration party. She soon noticed that her mum was having mobility problems at the party, something she never aware of. Soon she makes the decision to move back to the Lake District, but what about her ex? Is this going to be an awkward situation! But she gets the job of her dreams at Willowdale Hall, somewhere she has wanted to work for a long time, but Mel has a large hole burning deep in her heart from what happened here years ago, made even more poignant because it involved her teenage son Noah. Is she going to be happy working and living here? But when her mum has some possibly bad news she doesn't know what to do for the best. Is she destined to be on her own forever or will she find happiness again? But more importantly will she find the sunshine after the rain in this great five star read.

This is the type of book that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside as you read it. I can really recommend it, Jessica Redland is always an author you can rely on for a compulsive storyline that you can't put down. A totally absorbing and captivating book that covers all emotions, I loved it.

#Boldwoodbooks
#Netgalley
#SunshineAfterTheRain
#JessicaRedland

Another brilliant book by Jessica, I have loved this series. It’s has everything you need to escape and enjoy a story about love, friendship and belonging. I recommend this one!

Sunshine After the Rain
by Jessica Redland

Melanie’s life took a devastating turn seven years ago when her only child, Noah, tragically passed away at the tender age of 18, leaving behind a world filled with unfulfilled dreams and possibilities. As she navigated the aftermath of his loss, she was engulfed in a tumultuous sea of guilt, plagued by the haunting realisation that she hadn't recognised the subtle changes in his behaviour, the signs that something was amiss. Originally from the idyllic village of Willowdale, nestled near the serene Derwent Water in the Lake District National Park, Mel made the courageous decision to relocate to Newcastle just six months after Noah’s death. This move was both a desperate attempt to escape her pain and a hopeful search for a fresh start.

However, the impending return to Willowdale for her mother’s eightieth birthday serves as a powerful catalyst, compelling Mel to confront the emotional walls she has painstakingly constructed since her heartbreak. The familiar sights and sounds of her childhood home stir up long-buried memories and unresolved feelings, forcing her to grapple with the grief she has tried so hard to avoid.

This beautifully crafted story intricately explores the depths of grief and despair, while also illuminating a journey towards healing and hope. Jessica Redland once again masterfully weaves a remarkable tale that resonates deeply, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of love, loss, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.