Heading Home to Lavender Cottage by Alison Sherlock

Heading Home to Lavender Cottage by Alison Sherlock 

Publication Date: 9th Jan 2023

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction 

4 Stars 

One Liner: Lighthearted and heartwarming 

*****

Harriet returns to Cranfield, a sleepy little village, to sell her aunt and uncle’s cottage. The Lavender Cottage in Cranfield is the only place she calls home. 

Already devastated by her beloved aunt and uncle’s deaths, Harriet is stunned to find that the lavender fields planted by her uncle will be razed to build an industrial warehouse. She decides to protest and bring the community together with the help of her friends Libby and Flora. 

Joe Randall has negotiated countless deals for his family business and never thought about what it meant for the people whose lives changed forever. Cranfield brings him strange peace, and Harriet’s determination to save the village makes him question his work. 

With both of them having to face their personal issues, can Harriet and Joe find what they want in Cranfield? Can the lavender fields be saved? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Harriet and Joe. 

My Thoughts: 

I wanted a light yet touching read to end the year on a happy-ish note. I’m glad I picked this one (last-minute choice). The writing is easy to read and flows well. 

The pacing is steady. I could finish 300+ pages in a couple of days without speed reading. The setting is peaceful (that’s what lavender does!), and the characters are sweet (but not without flaws or issues). 

Though the book deals with topics like death, grief, failure, insecurities, inferiority complex, etc., it’s not preachy or heavy. 

The romance is a slow burn and sweet, a natural progression as the story moves forward. I also like that Harriet and Joe manage to sort out their issues without dragging them out for too long. This comes as a welcome move, especially when both of them are used to suppressing their emotions and putting on a confident/ positive façade. 

The community spirit, which is crucial in small-town books, hits the mark with ease. The secondary characters are distinct enough and have definite personalities. I’m hoping they’ll get even better in the coming books. 

I do wish Harriet’s parents had a little more space and that I could read more about Harriet’s life with her aunt and uncle. 

To summarize, Heading Home to Lavender Cottage is a feel-good book with some lovely characters. It is a light and heartwarming read, perfect for a cozy afternoon. This is the first book in the series and a standalone. Looking forward to the next books with Libby and Flora’s stories. 

Thank you, NetGalley, and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.  

#HeadingHometoLavenderCottage #NetGalley

***

P.S.: The cover is beautiful, but Harriet is a redhead. I’d have liked it more if that teeny bit was synced between the cover and the book.