The School of Starting Over by Lisa Swift

My Review:

What a brilliant read this proved to be, it will definitely be one of my favourite reads for 2020 and I can’t recommend it highly enough. My advice is read the book, not my review!

Anyway, for those of you that are still reading this . . . . Nell Shackleton has made a big change in her life, moving to Humblebee Farm on the Yorkshire moors and starting a new job as the reception teacher at Leyholme Primary School. She’s moved from a prestigious, highly rated school to this little village school. Her new home is falling to pieces, has a leaky roof and a ram has moved in! She names the sheep Colin and he’s one of my favourite characters in this fantastic story, along with Red, the mischievous cocker spaniel belonging to villagers Stevie Madeleine and her four year old daughter Milly. The new acting head teacher at the school is Xander Scott and he’s certainly not sure he wants his new role! When Nell and Xander meet there’s an obvious spark between them but he’s so unsure of himself and shy you wonder if he will ever get the courage to ask her out. Actually his growth in confidence through the story is brilliantly portrayed and lovely to follow.

This whole community is superbly developed, with characters to love and others to dislike, especially the Chair of Governors – but I’m not telling you any more about him! It is a heartwarming story with laugh out loud moments but it also has some very moving moments and plenty of surprises in store for readers. Having been a primary teacher for more years than I care to remember, this story brought back memories and I found it very easy to relate to. The mix of staff, pupils and parents, involving the community in events and so much more was so true to life – though the twists in this story were, fortunately, nothing I’d encountered in real life.

This is a superb read with a delightful community, fabulous characters and a surprising twist that I definitely didn’t see coming. It is a heartwarming story, a real page turner and a book I highly recommend you read. I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

Synopsis:

Nell’s going back to school… but now she’s learning lessons of the heart

Reception class teacher Nell Shackleton has a plan. At least, she had until she arrived at her new home of Humblebee Farm, a dilapidated farmhouse on the Yorkshire moors. But so what if the roof’s full of holes, the back door’s hanging off and there’s a sheep in the front room? Because sometimes a new beginning means starting at the bottom… right?

Xander Scott is one of the youngest headteachers Leyholme Primary School has ever had. But managing over-zealous parents and their semi-feral kids proves a tricky task for shy Xander – as does keeping his mind on the job when his feelings for the new Reception teacher become more than strictly professional…

At 43, Nell’s new friend Stevie Madeleine has given up on love. After losing her wife, Stevie’s decided that her four-year-old daughter Milly and cocker spaniel Red are the only girls she needs in her life. That is, until larger-than-life dog-walker Deb arrives on the scene. But will the secrets of Stevie’s past stop her new romance dead in its tracks?

Meeting Xander and Stevie brings joy back into Nell’s life – but when old secrets start to surface, there may be some hard lessons to learn for them all…

A gorgeously uplifting and hilarious romantic comedy that will delight fans of Milly Johnson, Holly Martin and Heidi Swain.

Purchase Links

AMZ: https://amzn.to/39nNxOJ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2uwXzhC

 

Author Bio 

Lisa Swift is a romance author from West Yorkshire in the UK. She is represented by Laura Longrigg at MBA Literary Agents. Her first book was published by Hera Books in August 2019.

As Mary Jayne Baker, Lisa also writes romantic comedies for Aria Fiction.

Lisa is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

 

Social Media Links

https://twitter.com/LisaSwiftAuthor

http://www.lisaswiftauthor.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/LisaSwiftWrites

Follow the tour:

Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for providing materials for this post and organising the tour it is part of.