After the death of her husband , Ottile needs a fresh start. She finds herself emerged into village life. Will she fit in and win over the hearts of locals? Turbulent times along the way but has she finally found her fresh start?

Ottilie Oakcraft, a recent widow, begins anew as a nurse in Thimblebury, finding solace in her idyllic home, Wordsworth Cottage. Embraced by her neighbors and connecting deeply with geriatric patient Flo, Ottilie starts to heal. When a natural disaster threatens her home, villagers rally to help, especially Flo's grandson Heath. Although Ottilie feels drawn to Heath, she worries about dishonoring her late husband's memory and keeps her distance. This warm story explores Ottilie's journey through grief, the supportive village, and a slow-building romance with Heath. It's the first in a new series by Tilly Tennant.

I enjoyed some parts of this book especially the community togetherness aspect but I felt that the romance portion of the book was a bit rushed. It almost felt like an afterthought of sorts. I wanted to know more about Heath in the same way we learned about Ottilie. All in all it was a good book but a bit slow paced at times so if that’s what you’re looking for then it should work from you. Thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review

After the tragic death of her husband Ottilie Oakcroft leaves Manchester for a new start and moves in to Wordsworth Cottage, a rural retreat in the heart of the Lake District. Reeling from Josh's untimely death and the fact that it may have been international, as he was a police officer and dealing with a dangerous crime family she feels the need to start over and go somewhere off the beaten track.

The village of Thimblebury has a very close knit community and Ottilie soon finds herself in the heart of it, even before she has officially taken over as the new village nurse. She makes friends quickly and when disaster strikes in the form of a flood in the village, she realises that she might have just made friends for life as all the villagers rally round to help her fix Wordsworth Cottage.

There were some great characters in this books like Flo, Magnus and Geoff who seem like real characters. I love the book club and cinema club, it sounds like an excellent place to live.

She then meets Heath who is the nephew of Flo, but he lives in Manchester. The pair have a connection but it is a very slow one. But Ottilie is feeling guilty about having these kinds of feelings again and Heath has just been through a bad breakup, so I guess it is understandable, I personally would just have liked a little more burn. But I am guessing we will have more books to come in this story and their journey has only just begun.

I also love the fact it was set in Manchester briefly and the Lake District. I live in the North West of England, so have a close connection to both places and visit Windermere often. So know the beauty and pull it holds. Like most people once they visit I wish I could up stick and move to the idyllic landscape.

Thank you to NetGalley and Books On Tours for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I do find with Tilly's books they can be a bit "hit and miss", this for me was a miss, I did enjoy the story line and the characters were well written, it just seemed to be padded out, there was lots of "thought process" which sometime went on for a few pages, I did find myself skipping to the "talking" parts of the book, saying that the end seemed rushed and abrupt, but that maybe because it is going to be part of a series, not a cliff hanger but certainly more to be written.

Cute little story set in a cute little village. A little bit of drama to get the story moving, but it’s nice to read a slower paced book from time to time and enjoy what daily life brings.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.
I really thought I would love this book- a step away from my other reads. This would be a cosy read following Otillie after the death of her husband. However I feel the start and middle really dragged on, there was no real chemistry between her and heath and it kind of was all wrapped up in the last couple of pages.
It is a new series, so there might be more in the second book

I loved the cozy vibes of the lakeside small town in England, and a lot of the side characters were fun and interesting. But the romance between the main characters felt really off and forced because it was all extremely hot and cold up until the last 10 or so pages - clearly, there is going to be a second book, but it made this one feel unfinished.
The writing was TOO cheesy and I REALLY struggled to get through it. The FMC was almost TOO perfect and never did anything wrong, so her POV only started to get really repetitive over the course of the book. Unfortunately, I probably wouldn't read others in this series.

Tilly has given us yet another great book, and I can recommend you read this. Set in the Lakes in a small village we follow the the story of a woman with the problems of life.. A must read book with 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

After losing her husband, Ottilie Oakcroft moves to the small village of Thimblebury, in the Lake District, where she has bought Wordsworth Cottage.

Ottilie was a nurse in a large Manchester hospital, but can’t bring herself to live there anymore, following her husband’s death. She is now going to be working from the local doctor’s and for some of the surrounding villages.

She very quickly comes to know her neighbours and soon realises she will never be off duty! When a flood threatens to change all of Ottilie’s plans, the neighbours all come together to ensure they keep their nurse.

This was a lovely and easy story to read. I couldn’t help but feel for Ottilie & sympathise with her pain, she had been through so much.

I loved the characters in the story, having grown up in a tiny village myself, everything about this story was spot on - especially the different characters. They made me smile, and also took me on a trip down memory lane.

I liked the on/off feelings between Ottilie and Heath, I understood Ottilie’s alarm at the thought of being with someone else after losing the love of her life.

A beautifully written romance, that made me not only laugh, but cry too. Lovely descriptive writing that made me feel as though I was there in the village. This story really was a joy to read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ottilie Oakcraft is a new widow and is starting life over. She has taken a nursing job in new surroundings in the village of Thimblebury. She found the perfect home in Wordsworth Cottage and everything around her is quite idyllic. Hitting it off with her new neighbors and patients is really helping her to deal with her grief. The villagers are wonderful and Ottilie has one geriatric patient named Flo who she really finds a connection with.

Keeping busy might be enough to help Ottilie deal with her grief. Just as she is getting her bearings, she finds that she might be losing her home due to a natural disaster. The villagers are not about to let that happen and Flo’s grandson Heath is there for Ottilie in a huge way with helping her with repairs. While Ottilie reluctantly finds herself drawn to Heath, she feels she is tarnishing the memories of her husband, and feels keeping distance from him is a very good idea.

This touching story is so warm in so many ways. Ottilie, the villagers and the village itself are absolutely wonderful. As the story develops, there is a such a nice feel to it. There is a slow romance that grows between Ottilie and Heath, all while letting herself deal with her grief and be able to show herself grace, and allow permission to herself to be happy. I love that this book is the first book in a new series. I can’t wait to see the next story and characters that Tilly Tennant will be bringing to her readers.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

i dnf-ed this at 10%. i couldn’t get over how SLOW it was moving, and it just wasn’t for me. tilly tennant’s writing is nice, but just drags on and on.

This is the Ottile who was recently widowed. She sold their house and moved to Thimblebury village where she bought a cottage and was fitting perfectly into the village and had met most of the people. She went to many activities . As as she was feeling a part of the village, they had a rare episode of rain and her cottage flooded. She had no flood insurance so the only thing she could think of was going back where she came from, but the village wasn't going to let that happen.. They all worked to get her cottage restored.. She stayed with Corrine and Victor at the farm. Then there was Flo's son Heath. See what happens . A GREAT READ.

Really enjoyed this book. Was disappointed when it ended. Would love for it to become a series. .

A Helping Hand for the Village Nurse by Fully Tennant

Ottilie Oakcroft never thought she’d live in a place like Wordsworth Cottage. Nestled close to the river, her new home in the tiny village of Thimblebury means all her patients are just a stone’s throw from her front door. As they drop in for cups of tea and cosy chats she ignores all the jobs on her to-do list and gets to know her new neighbours.
Loved this book. I live in Cumbria and many areas are renowned for flooding so this title was very apt and believable , throw in some romance and people pulling together and it's a perfect read.

It's a beautiful book which brings the scenic, green, vibrant, and breath-taking view of the English countryside right in front of your eyes. More than the storyline, the way the author has narrated the settings and surroundings is unique and natural. The village Thimblebury plays an important character in the story. I wish the author had continued on and elaborated a little bit more on Ottille and Heath's love story. It's a good read. Going with 4-star.

I wasn't prepared for this book. it sucked me in and had me so invested. Parts of this book genuinely made my heart hurt. Ottilie sets up home in a tiny village, she's settling into her new life, job and home when disaster strikes. She has already faced so much devastation oin her life and can't see how to battle once again, the community come together to try and save the day and Ottilie meets a special someone.

Ottilie decided to pack her belongings and relocate from Manchester to the quaint village of Thimbleberry. Embracing a freshly available nursing position, she welcomed the chance for a new beginning. Her husband's passing in the hospital where she worked had rendered her unable to continue in her previous role. After settling into her new surroundings over a few weeks, a sudden rainstorm flooded her cottage, presenting repair challenges beyond her means. Facing the prospect of abandoning everything, she found unexpected support from her newfound community in Thimbleberry.

This novella offered a charming escape, though I felt it attempted to juggle too many storylines within its brevity. A deeper exploration of character development would have been welcome. Nevertheless, I found delight in the villagers and the picturesque village scenery. Having experienced floods in my own town annually, I appreciated the portrayal of community solidarity in the aftermath of such natural disasters. Despite their devastation, they often reveal the inherent kindness of people.

Gratitude to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this title ahead of its release on May 24, 2024.

This is the gorgeous first book a brand new series by Tilly. She is quickly becoming an author to watch. This is a beautiful story about Ottilie Oakcroft and learning to trust people as she is loved by the people around her. A prefect book for around the pool this summer.

This is one of my favourite authors and I was excited to see they had a new series out and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

This was a heartwarming and engaging read with great characters and set in the beautiful setting of the Lake District which is one of my favourite places so this added to my enjoyment.

I loved the community feel and how everyone pulled together to help each other. This was a lovely heartwarming read of making a fresh start and finding happiness and making
New friends.

Looking forward to the next instalment