Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Winter Garden by Heidi Swain. I have a review of the book to share with you today and if you like the sound of that then you can click here to order yourself a copy now! Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews!
Here's what it's all about...
Freya Fuller is estranged from her parents and has been following her childhood dream of becoming a gardener ever since. When an opportunity to design a winter garden opens up at a Victorian property in Nightingale Square, Freya jumps at the chance to make a fresh start. But while the majority of the residents are welcoming, local artist Finn seems determined to shut her out, and when Freya's family make a surprise appearance, it seems that her new life is about to come crashing down . . .
Review: Oh so lovely to be back in Nightingale Square and for Christmas this time. When I picked up the book I really didn't know there was such a thing as a Winter Garden, I assumed that the Grow-Well sites and the gardens of the house would just be getting turned over during the colder weather but NOW I want to get out there and plant some bulbs using Freya's trick. You don't have to be into gardening to enjoy this book, I'm not and I loved learning all Freya's methods!
Heidi Swain always does a great job of taking a character or characters who have had a tough time, they're a little down trodden and just trying to make the most of a bad situation and building them up over the course of a novel. This time we have Freya and her canine friend Nell and I loved meeting them both. What I really loved though was getting to watch Freya grow and change over the course of this book, I loved getting to see her blossom and also we get to see Nell getting a better life and loving her new surroundings too.
Of course we are back in Nightingale square for this book and so we get to revisit some of our old friends and catch up with them. It was fab to see how Luke and Kate are expanding their family and if you haven't read the other books with this setting, don't worry, Heidi explains how they all fit together and who is who so you can get to meet them all at the same time that Freya does. The character I really loved seeing was Chloe and I loved all that we get to learn from her. It was wonderful to see her blossom too and I enjoyed reading her side storyline.
It wouldn't be a Heidi Swain book without the kind of relationship will they won't they that gives you those new romance butterflies. Heidi makes use of my favourite romance trope in this book and I was rooting for it all the way. I also really loved that we got to see even more non-straight romance, I love when I can see diversity in a book that is organic and not just thrown in there to tick a box and so I love what this writer included for a certain resident of the square this time.
This book is very much a winter book rather than a Christmas book which feels a little bit different for this author however it has been ages since I have read a seasonal book that is just celebrating the season and not tied to a specific holiday and so if you are looking to kick off your Christmas reading with just a little taster, this one would be the perfect first winter book of the season. I am sure you will be cheering on Freya and Nell throughout just like I was!
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