A Year at the French Farmhouse
My Rating: 4
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Format: eARC*
Publication Date: September 29, 2022
Author: Gillian Harvey
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A Year at the French Farmhouse Blurb
Escape to France with this warm, witty romantic read.
After ten years of loyal service Lily Butterworth has been made redundant. Like any clever woman, she knows the cure to redundancy is a little too much wine and her best friend.
Only the next morning, Lily has more than a hangover . . . she has a whole new house – in France!
Seeing this as an opportunity instead of a disaster, she’s excited about finally moving to France, just as she and her husband always dreamed of. However, Lily is in for another surprise. Despite planning to move there for over 20 years, her husband never actually intended to go.
So begins a year in France, alone, renovating the gorgeous old farmhouse that is held together by wallpaper and wishes.
Will a year at the French farmhouse be just what Lily needs? Or could it be the previous owner, Frederique, that is the answer to Lily’s dreams?
‘A gorgeous escapist story of second chances. I loved it’ Alex Brown
‘Unputdownable. A Year At The French Farmhouse is the ultimate feel good novel. I was right there with the characters, soaking up the atmosphere, rooting for Lily and willing for everything to turn out right.’ Paula Greenlees
‘The perfect feel-good read. Uplifting, touching and really quite hilarious. It’s like going on holiday without leaving the house’ Tim Ewins
A Year at the French Farmhouse Review
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts
A Year at the French Farmhouse is one of those feel good books that takes you on a journey not only to a foreign locale, but to a renewed emotional place. A book that makes you remember that life is a full experience and adventures can happen at any time and any age.
You don’t have to be 25 to experience something new.
I guess that’s why I ended up enjoying Gillian Harvey’s creation so much. Lily feels a little bit like all of us when were are stuck in a rut of our creation. Pursuing contentment and security at the expense of our happiness, when life happens and we are forced to become who we always wanted to be. At least, for me, that’s the dream.
There are some definite Under the Tuscan Sun vibes but i would say only in the best way. Where I believe A Year at the French Farmhouse differed was the humor, there were just so many funny moments; real down to earth, this is how it feels to live as a woman today moments.
The renovation plot line was great, almost HGTV meets romcom. I seriously just had a good time reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys “women’s fiction.”
Conclusion
Women’s fiction lovers, especially those of us no longer in our 20s, will love A Year at the French Farmhouse.
*Special thanks to Gillian Harvey, Rachel’s Random Resources, and Boldwood Books for providing a copy A Year at the French Farmhouse in exchange for an honest review.
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