Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland is the first book I’ve had the pleasure of reading by this author, and it certainly won’t be the last. I’m such a huge fan of cosy, warm, uplifting fiction and this story fit the bill perfectly for me. It had everything from romance and blossoming new friendships, to heartache and toxic family members. It was a joy to read and a wonderful story to lose myself within, with a whole host of fun, warm & welcoming characters who carved themselves a little space in my heart by the end. With a tightly-written and seamless plot, I found myself flying through Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow in a way that only happens when I’m totally convinced by, and in love with, the story.
Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland follows Samantha Winshaw as she stumbles her way through life, trying her absolute best to remain positive, upbeat, and sparkly. From the marriage of her cousin to the man Samantha has been head over heels in love with for years, to the toxic, confusing relationship Samantha has with her very own mother, this is a character who has a hell of a lot to contend with throughout the progression of this book. Samantha’s adventure really beings to pick up pace when her path crosses with that of Thomas, a grumpy and rather rude yet lonely elderly man who is, despite his protestations, in need of help desperately. It is here, after this chance meeting with Thomas, that Samantha’s life is turned on its head and takes her completely off-course but in the best way possible.
I adore a story in which we experience the mental & emotional “glow-up” of a character. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing somebody discover what it is they really want from life, and what it is that truly makes them happy. Samantha Winshaw experiences some hardcore heartache in this novel, and I couldn’t help but to feel sympathy towards the woman who so desperately just wanted to somebody to love and accept her for who she was. After all, isn’t that what we all want? Somebody who knows all of our flaws and accepts them with no questions asked? It seems that in Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow, it’s not only the romantic sort of acceptance and love which Jessica Redland writes of, but the maternal sort of love too. My heart ached for the love which Samantha craved. It was something she had never known yet always yearned for, and remained a great mystery to me throughout my reading of this book. I was intrigued as to what had caused this huge rift between mother and daughter, and really hoped that it was something Samantha would find an answer to before I reached the final page.
There was such a lot going on within this book which gave me plenty to sink my teeth into, and plenty to think about, too. Another aspect of this story I particularly enjoyed was the fixing up of Thomas’s home. I’m no fixer-upper personally but it really is something I love to read about in fiction, and with this home, considerably more so. Hedgehog Hollow was such a beautiful house but it was in dire need of some TLC. What I also loved was how Samantha helped Thomas to overcome the loss of his dear wife Gwendoline. This was such a tender and moving aspect of this story, one which moved me immeasurably and had me close to tears on numerous occasions. The gradual shift in Thomas and Samantha’s relationship was excellently done by the author and I loved every moment spent watching it evolve.
Of course, what really lies at the heart of this story is Samantha taking on the late Gwendoline’s dream of running a hedgehog rescue centre at Hedgehog Hollow. Not only does Samantha bravely take on this task but she also does so with a whole lot of faith and trust. With the support of her new friends and her dishy potential romantic interest, this was such an exciting part of this novel and I wanted nothing more than for Samantha to make Gwendoline’s dream come true and bring the rescue centre to life. I also found the facts about hedgehogs highly enlightening and enjoyed learning about these prickly but cute creatures as Samantha geared up her new role as hedgehog rescuer.
Jessica Redland is clearly an accomplished and capable writer. Her style is addictive and so incredibly easy to gel with. It made me feel as though I’d left reality behind and was now living in Samantha’s world instead. I was completely swept away by the goings-on in the pages and was highly entertained by each new chapter and each new event that took place. Reading this book was an adventure in itself!
Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland was a truly uplifting, emotional and beautiful story of love, family and new friendships. It was gorgeously heart-warming and it opened up a whole new world of characters to meet and problems to solve and I loved every moment spent at Samantha’s side as she tackled each issue that tried to stand in her way. Jessica Redland has clearly put a ton of love into this story and it certainly shows in the writing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope that there will be more to come from Samantha in the future.
With thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book, that of which has no reflection on me providing a fair and honest review.
Read on to find out more about Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland.
Can love really be found when you stop looking for it?
As Samantha Winshaw watches the love of her life marry another woman, she’s ready to give up hope of finding her happy ever after.
But when a chance encounter leads Sam to find friendship in Thomas – a lonely, grumpy, elderly widower living at derelict Hedgehog Hollow – her life is about to change forever.
Glad to have a distraction from family feuds and matchmaking, Sam vows to fulfil Thomas and his wife, Gwendoline’s, dreams of restoring Hedgehog Hollow to its former glory, and to open a hedgehog rescue centre.
Throwing herself into the task at hand, little does Sam realise that the keys to love and happiness may also be found at Hedgehog Hollow, when she least expects it…
You can purchase your copy of Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland here.
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