I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Hattie's Home for Broken Hearts by Tilly Tennant Also by this author: Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn, The Man Who Can't Be Moved, Mishaps and Mistletoe, Little Acts of Love
Published by Bookouture on 10th July 2019
Genres: Chicklit, Humour, Love & Romance
Pages: 311
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
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Escape to the daisy-strewn windswept Dorset cliffs, to the donkey sanctuary at Sweet Briar Farm, where Hattie Rose is about to find, that in this world, the most unlikely opposites can sometimes attract …
Hattie was once thrilled to call the beautiful city of Paris her home. But when her heart is broken by her boyfriend and she loses her dream job, she bids farewell to the city of love and hurries home to Gillypuddle, a sleepy village on the Dorset coast. But as she returns home she finds her parents struggling to cope with a terrible family tragedy.
In a desperate search for a new start, Hattie takes a job at the donkey sanctuary nearby on Sweet Briar Farm where Jo, the taciturn owner, certainly loves her animals far more than humans. Hattie can’t help but fall in love with the donkeys (and the opportunity to get close to dreamy Canadian vet Seth) but Jo is harder to get to know and when she finds her boss sobbing in her sleep one stormy night, she knows that her new friend is hiding a dark secret.
And when handsome newspaper reporter Owen does some digging into Jo’s past he finds something that connects her to Hattie on a whole new level. Can Hattie trust what Owen says, especially when he seems intent on standing in the way of her blossoming romance with Seth? And can Hattie help Jo to start healing and the donkeys of Sweet Briar Farm?
Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via netgalley. I am a big fan of Tilly’s work and I was very excited to start this one.
Hattie Rose has just returned home from Paris. Her parents seem less than happy to have her home and want to push their own agenda on her almost immediately. I felt sorry for Hattie I really did. The constant comparison to her sister and her parents being so academic it must have been so hard for her. Hattie is a good person, she is instantly likeable and you really root for her.
Hattie goes to work for Jo, The owner of Sweet Briar Farm. Jo is running what starts as a donkey sanctuary but really its a sanctuary for all, humans and animals alike.
I really loved this book. I fell in love with the donkeys as quickly as Hattie did! They are amazing creatures and I fell for them hook line and sinker. I loved their different personalities, their different quirks.
This book is about so much more than romance and I think that is why I loved it so much. Don’t get me wrong I love a romance book but I also love a book about real life and the issues that come with it. This book deals with grief, loss, loneliness and family. On top of all that Tilly sneaks in a romance too. There are some really heart-wrenching moments in this book but there are also some really heartwarming moments too.
I have followed Tilly’s writing since her first adult book but this book has to be her best yet. I struggled to put it down. I was so invested in the characters and the story. I would love to carry on with Jo’s story in a sequel.
About Tilly Tennant
From a young age, Tilly Tennant was convinced that she was destined for the stage. Once she realised she wasn’t actually very good at anything that would put her on the stage, she started to write stories instead. There were lots of terrible ones, likeThe Pet Rescue Gang (aged eight), which definitely should not see the light of day ever again. Thankfully, her debut novel, Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was not one of those, and since it hit the Amazon best seller lists she hasn’t looked back. Born in Dorset, she currently lives in Staffordshire with her husband, two daughters, three guitars, four ukuleles, two violins and a kazoo.
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@bookouture Thank you so much for your review Emma! 💕