📖 Book Review ~ The Country Village Summer Fête by Cathy Lake

 

Zaffre
10 June 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Emma Patrick's life is spiralling out of control. On the cusp of her 50th birthday, she suddenly realises that she doesn't have many meaningful relationships in her life. She's single, successful, living alone and thinks she's loving it, but being so focussed on work and always online means she's lost any real connection to people.

When Emma gets a call to say her ageing father is becoming increasingly confused, she decides that she should go back home to the countryside to spend some time with him. But returning to Little Bramble, the village she grew up in, after all these years, is filled with complications of its own and people she'd rather avoid.

As Emma starts to settle in to her childhood home, she finds herself loving village life - much to her surprise. When the opportunity to get involved in the running of the summer fete comes her way, before she knows it she's embracing jam making, cake baking and bunting. And with romance brewing, Emma begins to doubt the glamorous life in London that she worked so hard to build.

📖 My thoughts..

If you imagine the quintessential chocolate box English village then Little Bramble would be right up there with the best of them. When Emma Patrick receives a call to say that her elderly father is ill she makes the decision to leave London and head back to her childhood home in Little Bramble. However, once back in the place where she grew up painful memories from her past start to emerge but as Emma is drawn back into village life so she starts to look towards a different sort of future.

I loved my first visit to Little Bramble in The Country Village Christmas Show so I was especially excited to return to this lovely place again, not just to meet up with old friends but also to make new friends, especially Emma, and the lovely Connor.

There's a real summery feel to this story especially as Little Bramble is gearing up to its annual summer fete so some of the story is taken up with the preparation and all the little niggles which go with putting on an event in a small village but also it's about the people who live there, some are more likeable than others but they all add their own individual charm. There are some lovely thoughtful moments between Emma and her father which make the story all the more heartwarming but it is in the will they, won't they relationship between Emma and Connor where the heart of the story lies.

The Country Village Summer Fête is every bit as good as I wanted it to be, light, lovely and deliciously summery. It's the perfect escapist read for a blue sky, fluffy cloud sort of day.

About the Author

Cathy Lake is a women's fiction writer who lives with her family and three dogs in beautiful South Wales. She writes uplifting stories about strong women, family, friendship, love, community and overcoming obstacles.

Twitter @LakeAuthor

@ZaffreBooks