The Village Green Bookshop

What a totally delightful book. It has everything you could ever want , in an easy flowing, well written, highly enjoyable storyline. The little village atmosphere runs throughout the book, with the characters of the village so warm, caring and concerned that you want to move there to experience it yourself. Jake is a one time professional football player that is forced to retire, due to a severe injury of a badly broken leg. He retired to this sleepy little village, having bought a derelict mansion and has it restored by local craftsmen to its former glory. Hannah is a mother to Ben, a 15 year old football fanatic , who whilst living in Manchester has got into trouble a few times through wayward so called friends. Hannah’s life is one of drudgery and bringing up Ben, although married her husband Phil is never there, using work as a possible excuse, or is it? Hannah has the opportunity to move to the sleepy little village and caretaker the village shop, so that her cousin Beth who, actual runs the village store can move to Oxford. The story rolls along at an interesting pace. The characters are delightful and so believable, that you feel you are there. Previous characters are mentioned and it is endearing to catch up with their cameo appearances. In all a superb well written, well edited, easy to read novel, about country folk, relationships and attitudes. Racheal is a superb author, with a wonderfully colourful and obviously delightful imagination that captures the reader right from the first sentence. The descriptions are astounding, and you can almost feel the rain, smell the flowered and touch the pages of the library, without leaving you place of reading.

Another smasher of a book by one of my favourite authors. Such a great story with characters who develop and destroy relationships as the story progresses. Highly recommended

I devoured this in a day and wasn't disappointed. Rachael writes with such warmth and ease and her characters are so natural. An engaging storyline and a lovely follow up to the previous book. Thoroughly recommended.

Jake and Hannah are quite strong main characters and you so want them to find happiness, preferably with each other.Liked Ben as well, proper teenager with all the awkwardness that goes with it.This is a book about failing relationships and also touches on domestic violence/abusive toxic relationships and how they follow a pattern that never changes; so, whilst it does not avoid difficult issues, it is all about fresh starts, hope, love and friendship.

Loved the story, the characters jumped off the page into my heart. That sounds shmaltzy but true! An absolute joy x

The usual new life, new man , will they won’t they, has he got another woman, cutesy village life story. Nothing annoying but nothing you need to read.

Wonderful characters that you fall in love with or dislike intensely as you turn the pages of this easy to read story. Lovely to have characters from The telephone box library reappear in this book. As you are drawn back into the village community.Big changes a foot and realisation of how things may need to alter to stop police arriving at your door to return a member of your family.Oh for a quiet life or would it all be cracked up to be?So if you want a easy fun and thoughtfulness pick this up but would recommend The telephone box library first which is another great read.

Having enjoyed the Telephone Box Library so much - I eagerly awaited this book.....I was not disappointed!A great way to revisit the Village with old friends re-appearing to compliment the story of new arrivals. so well written, I was drawn in straight away and could not put this book down - loved the characters and I think we were meant to be almost shouting at Hannah at the beginning....A warm love story woven into life's changes and village life - just brilliant!