Oh how I enjoyed this book - except for Rufus!

It is well written, the pace is spot on and the characters are truly believable. Can't wait for the next one! Hope Green is a place I want to visit again and again!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in order to review it. I expected to enjoy it but really found it rather bland and unoriginal. It's so like other similar books, pleasant but not really fresh. I enjoyed the read on a long train journey but was glad when both the book and the journey ended.

I absolutely adored the first book in a new series set in Hope Green.
Sam is a little disillusioned with life back in London and decides that a trip to visit Nana Peggy is in order. She lives in a wonderful little village where everyone knows each other- but the new vet seems to be a bit abrupt.
I can imagine what we have in store over the next books- and I can't wait to hear more about the villagers and the vets surgery.
Is this the perfect place for Sam to take stock and will she find answers to all her problems? I loved everything about this book and can't wait to hear more.

I was just getting into this book, I'd had a bit of a bubble at one point (a sad bit) and was settled in for a good read. So it was like running off a cliff when I got to the last paragraph. I am now waiting for part 2 to be released so I can see what comes next.

Sam is a vet receptionist in London. She is disenchanted with life and doesn't know what she wants to do next. Yes, Sam has her fantasies, but doesn't everyone dream of a rosy future.

A chance remark by her boyfriend makes Sam rethink her holiday plans and she winds up going to her Nana's instead of her boyfriends parents for her Easter holiday.

There she settles into village life so quickly and totally, that it seems Sam might end up staying there. But, the tale ends while Sam is still just on holiday. So I am waiting to see still.

This is an enjoyable read, however, it feels more like it should be part of a bigger work along with the rest of the story (to follow) and I felt a little cheated when I came to the end.

Ever been between books and fancied something light and cosy; which didn't make you start questioning your IQ level? I'm sure you have! I most CERTAINLY have, this being one of those times. I had just finished a book that left me with goosebumps where goosebumps ideally should not be. I wanted a story which wrapped my mind in a soft blanket and fed me marshmallows, but it's those types of books you'll only know once you see the cover.
Sheila Norton's book was THAT sort of books. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on the cover that it would be the book that I could cosy up with. Isn't it amazing how you just know that a book is going to be just...right?

Of course, a part of me was concerned that my expectations were too high to begin with. But honestly? I needn't have worried, at all.

Sam works as a receptionist for a city vets. The thing is, she doesn't want to be a receptionist for the rest of life and is adamant that she wants to become a vet. The thing is, her boyfriend thinks that she is living in a dream world. A girl can dream though, right? Nana Peggy to the rescue! Well, Sam is hopeful. A change of scenery, a wise woman; just what the doctor (or vet) ordered..or is it?

I really did feel sorry for Sam at first as she oozed innocence and just wanted to be happy, but things seemed to be going from bad to worse for her. Seeing as 'Escape to the Country' is the first part to the Hope Green series, we only get to find out so much. The majority of the story consisted of background information and mainly getting to know Sam. It was such a comfortable read, so comfortable in fact it seemed to end far too quickly haha! I really am looking forward to seeing where Sam's life is headed and getting to know more of the characters.

A very promising start to a highly intriguing serial. Definitely the cosy read I had hoped for!

Thank you Ebury Publishing!

a lovely, easy read book with well described characters, with whom its easy to connect . The ending is left in the air, I am keen to read the next in the series to see what happens. The author has cleverly left the ending open to provide the opportunity for many sequels.

Lovely Sunday afternoon read - gentle story with characters you both identify with and care about.
Can't wait to rear Part 2 now!

This story is the start of a very promising series by Sheila Norton. From the first page it is exciting, gentle and captivating. I didn't realise it was going to be so short but then it only makes you want more. I have never read any of Sheila's books before but will certainly do so now. Great story. Well worth a read.

A very enjoyable well written albeit short read. It's easy to tell the narrative skill of the author, I just wish the story hadn't ended on such a cliff hanger because of course I'm eagerly awaiting the follow up

I very much enjoyed this first instalment of the Vets at Hope Green story and am looking forward to reading more about Sam and how her time in Hope Green develops.
The characterisation was very good and I could picture everyone well and the setting also.

Lovely feel good book. Enjoyed reading it and am very interested in following up with the rest of the series

Sam has taken some time out from her busy job as a receptionist at a vets practice to spend some time with her nan who lives in a village called Hope Green, where everyone knows each other. Sam is newly pregnant but she is the only one who knows this and she doesn't think her boyfriend is going to be impressed. A few days after arriving in Hope Green she meets the new, seemingly grumpy vet when her nan's dog needs a check up and subsequently dies.

A good novella to start the story, and I am keen to read on. Quite a cosy, 'escape to the country' read with interesting characters introduced.

What a truly delightful novel this is, although it is only Part One so really just giving you a chance to sus the place out and a who is who for the story line. Little Sam, as her family affectionately still call her, loves her job as a receptionist at quite an exclusive inner city Vets. London though isn't a cheap place to live so she decides that she has had her fill of the rat race and her obnoxious boyfriend but the icing on the cake is when she discovers something she wasn't expecting to find, enough is enough and she decides on a break away from it all. An Easter visit to her Nan at Hope Green on the Dorset coast sounds like the perfect retreat.
Little Sam is such an easy character to like, a lady with an huge love of animals and compassion for people. There is such a wonderful array of people in the village. A place where everyone knows everyone else and all of their business too. Brilliant colourful characters that have already established themselves in my mind. There are a couple of story lines that have taken off quite nicely and although some of this story seems predictable (I will see) it is making perfect reading. A lovely story so far with exciting times ahead.
I wish to thank Netgalley and Penguin Random House Ebury Publishing for an ARC of this book which I have chosen to review.

I have loved every book of Sheila Norton and have read them for years. Her characters are really well written and I can often recognise them in people I know. The Vets At Hope Green is quite good. Sam is a receptionist in London, a job she loves even though she really wants to be a vet. Instead of going with her boyfriend to stay at his parents she goes to Dorset to stay with her Nan in Dorset. While there she meets the vet. Why is he so rude and dismissive? How can she find him so attractive? Sam has her own problems to face up to but still can't help trying to find out more. A good start to a solid story.

It took a while to get into the book as it seemed to take ages to get to the point. Hopefully the other books in the series will make things clearer

This first instalment of the story manages to pack in so much emotional turmoil, taking the reader into the story from the very start. It is told from the point of view of Sam, who works as a Vets’ receptionist in London. She’s moved to the city four years ago and is starting to feel unsettled with all aspects of her life, including her relationship with her boyfriend who seems to have very different aspirations and expectations for the future.

Disgruntled, Sam decides to go to stay with her Gran in the picturesque Hope Green for a fortnight. She makes a startling discovery just before setting out, giving her lots to consider. Anticipating having time for thinking, rest and relaxation, village life has its own amazing characters and scenarios which are brought to life in the reader’s imagination. It is a great start - and I can’t wait to read the subsequent parts to the story as this, obviously, leaves so many questions awaiting answers and I just want to know more about what happens next in Sam’s life!

If you love to read about animals, human interest, emotional quandaries and superb scenery, look no further, this story starter, set in the glorious Dorset countryside, will take you there!

Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC of this novel. This is my honest review.

This is a lovely little short story about Sam, a woman who is feeling a bit fed up of London life. Her relationship with her boyfriend isn't as great as it used to be, her job as a vets receptionist has lost its appeal, and she finds herself yearning for the more simple and quiet life in a pretty rural village, living in a cottage with pets and eventually kids. The only problem is her boyfriend wants the opposite. He loves life in London and doesn't particularly like kids or animals. So Sam decides she needs time to think. Is the relationship with her boyfriend really worth sacrificing her own happiness and dreams for, or should she put an end to things? Instead of spending Easter at her boyfriends parents house, she instead decides to go to stay with her grandmother, Nana Peggy, who lives down in Hope Green, a picture perfect, pretty little Dorset village. However, before she leaves for London she makes a surprising discovery which could have a huge impact on her future.

This is the first book in a series and it's only short. It ends with Sam finding out more about one of the locals of Hope Green, which definitely makes you curious about where the series will go. The book is slightly too short to have really got into the story and the characters. Although saying that, it does end with so many possible scenarios and unanswered questions/cliffhangers; about Sam, her grandmother, Joe the mysterious moody vet, David the cheery dog walker, and Sam's boyfriend, that it makes you want to read the next book.
If you enjoy books about escapism and starting afresh in little villages, such as Lucy Diamond, Jenny Colgan etc, then I think this series would be a perfect uplifting read. I am looking forward to the next book to find out what Sam decides to do, and whether she goes back to London or decides to escape to the country forever.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Random House UK-Ebury Press for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I loved the book,about a women going to stay with her Nana because she not happy with her boyfriend,I won't spoil it,a must read

Nothing here to get upset about.
A gentle heart-warming account of idyllic country life presented to Sam who is having doubts about her relationships, her career and her own desire to live in a rural landscape away from London.
Nothing to stimulate you here.
A pleasant story of good natured folk wishing the best for everyone, although there could be some currency in the village Casanova, the stressed post mistress and the over worked vet receptionist in Hope Green.
Nothing here to surprise.
A young woman needs a break from her boyfriend, finds she has lost the ability to share her hopes for the future as they no longer seem common goals. She is relieved when she can scuttle off to her Nan's in Hope Green where she has spent many happy summers and can now consider her future.
Plenty left to say here.
This is part one of four which in total would comprise a whole book of some 320 pages. It just about standalone as a novella but clearly has more to say and resolve. At times, you feel you can write the story but the author finds scope to take back control although it seems it should ever be so. So perhaps not a mystery but a gentle story of hope and ambition unfortunately punctuated by romance, actual and in the character's mind.
I enjoyed the relationship between Sam and her Nan and loved the element of caring for animals. This isn't James Herriot although I did read all in the series of All creatures great and small. It has its own voice and while it isn't quite my book of choice it will appeal to many and the shorter parts bringing the whole may well encourage a younger or non-reader to embrace this series. I hope so.

This was an excellent novel. With brilliant main characters and a wonderful plot, this book is a real page turner. I would highly recommend this book.