I've really enjoyed my return to Wychwood-on-Lea and to the area of Willoughby Close. I first encountered the setting in the first book of this series, A Cotswold Christmas, but you don't need to have read it to enjoy this one. They are both completely standalone, although there are a couple of recurring characters.

I loved the story of Ellie and her daughter Abbie who have moved to Willoughby Close in search of a new life. Abby is 11, was bullied at her old school for being a bit of a nerd, and now she is dreading her new school. She never really has friends and Ellie is very worried about her.

Ellie had Abby very young, is divorced from her cheating husband, who has moved to Australia, and is looking forward to settling into her new home and job. She hadn't counted on Oliver being her new boss. Oliver is a rather stuffy Oxford professor and is socially awkward.

I really felt a part of the story, and Abby was my favourite character. I loved seeing her come out of her shell a bit with two unlikely friendships, one with the Lady in the big house at Willoughby Close, and the other with Tobias, who is Oliver's nephew. She is a reasonably mature for her age, and I love some of her nerdish tendencies, and also the way she interacts with her mother.

It is obvious who the romance in this book will be between, but it takes the majority of the book to build up to anything, with the tension increasing, but neither Oliver or Ellie wanting, or daring to acknowledge their feelings.

Meet Me at Willoughby Close is a lovely enjoyable book, in a series that I'm starting to really get into. I am liking the way the stories are coming across, and already looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tule Publishing for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A Cotswold Christmas introduced this series, but you can certainly read Willoughby Close as a standalone. Willoughby Close is a little collection of charming cottages on a large estate of a lovely royal-ish elderly lady. I have a feeling a collection of charming people will inhabit them all by the time the series is finished!

For now, we meet Ellie and her daughter Abby. Ellie has a new job at the University, and Abby is looking forward to making a fresh start where friends are concerned.

I so love how Hewitt wrote professor Oliver — the guy Ellie works for. He’s nerdy and introverted and stays true to himself. Hewitt did a phenomenal job developing Ellie, as well. Ellie is a little nervous and quirky, and she’s quite unsure of herself most of the time. That could be annoying, but not here. Hewitt made her real and relatable. I like Ellie’s mom side and her romantic side – she appears to the reader as a whole fleshed out character with different facets – just like a pal in real life!

I also really like how the new neighbors moved in and they’ll be the focus of the next book in the series. And how the Close’s superintendent is a flirt! This is a fun read that touches on some harrowing issues in just the right way.

https://randombookmuses.com/2017/01/11/review-meet-me-at-willoughby-close-by-kate-hewitt/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1878315046

Enjoyed the book, but wasn't enthralled by it. It was quite an emotional book to read. I hadn't read the 1st in the series, and hate when you jump in like this. But i'm definately going to go back now ande read the 1st in the series and come back to this book then. Which may increase my rating.

I would like to thank Kate Hewitt, Tule Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie’s adult life has been about making the best of crappy circumstances. Getting pregnant at seventeen, dropping out of school, marrying a deadbeat husband, divorcing a deadbeat husband, trying to be a good single mother. She wouldn’t change it for the world; Abby is her everything. It comes to a point, however, when she needs a change. She moves to the Cotswolds, enrolls Abby in a new school, where hopefully her daughter will make friends and not get bullied, and begins a new job as an administrative assistant for the history faculty at Oxford. One thing that hadn’t been part of her plan for a fresh start: a love life. Her attraction to her boss, Dr. Oliver Venables, surprises her so much that she denies it for quite some time. But seeing him every day…getting to know him… She can’t resist wondering what it would be like to love someone so unlike her ex-husband, someone she could trust… And to her utter shock, Abby encourages her to find out.


While reading this, I visited Hewitt’s website, because I was curious about her and about the first book of this series, the characters of which make brief appearances here (but don’t worry, it completely stands alone). I noticed two things: 1) she was raised in America and moved to England as an adult, and 2) her work is marketed as an “intensely emotional read.” Nothing wrong with either of those—but they made me view the book in a different light. “You shouldn’t judge a book by its author,” snaps the harpies. I’m not; my perception was altered, is all. “How?” they snarl. “How could it possibly matter?” Well, I’ll tell you.

Going in blind to all but the synopsis, I soon realized this was the most British-sounding book I’d ever read. I thought I had a good grasp on Britishisms (Sophie Kinsella! Sherlock!), but it seemed like I was looking up a term or a phrase on every other page. Which is fine—I was fascinated to learn more about the culture. I was like, “Wow, this must be what British fiction looks like before it’s edited for the American market! Cool!” And then I found out the author was raised in America. Now, I know nothing but a few general statements about Hewitt’s life, so making these assumptions is completely absurd. I know that, and I know she has to know volumes more about life in Britain than I do. But knowing she didn’t grow up talking like this, knowing at some point, probably not too many years ago, all of it had been foreign to her, too… It smeared my perception of the novel with a sense of spectacle, a sense of emptiness, of falsehood. It could be that she was fully immersed in writing through the voice of a young British mother. It could be that she’s honestly adapted to British culture and this is how she thinks and speaks now. But I couldn’t help feeling…fooled.

I wonder if I’d have felt this way if I’d read the previous installment first. It was about an American woman taking holiday in the Cotswolds and finding love. Huh.

Next, I cannot agree that this book was an “intensely emotional read,” and that heightens the sense of false advertising. I thought it was definitely emotional, but it was hardly intense. In my mind, “intense” is almost synonymous with “dramatic,” which tends to have bad connotations, but it’s not always a bad thing. If nobody liked dramatic and intense and over-the-top, comic book and fantasy films would not be dominating the film industry right now, and shows like Sherlock and Game of Thrones wouldn’t be so popular. But no, I found this narrative light and down-to-earth and heart-warming—all good things! As someone who tends to blow things far out of proportion (example: my reviews), I admire how she kept the story grounded to a point of realism, and yet kept it from being boring. Not what I would describe, though, as an “intensely emotional read.”

Or even particularly romantic, for that matter. This book was caught between romance and women’s fiction, as often happens these days. It’s practically become its own hybrid genre. I loved that Oliver veered from the typical overly confident, overly sexualized alpha male hero. I loved that he had doubts, that he wasn’t good at being social, that he reverted to a bitingly stern persona when he was uncomfortable. His arc, however, began as meek and timid and ended as…well, a little bit more bull-by-the-horns, anyway. He didn’t seem to gain much confidence; he mostly became impatient with himself, and there’s where I had a problem with his character—and a similar problem with the plot. Ellie and Oliver’s entire relationship was one gigantic misunderstanding—or perhaps, more accurately, a string of them. I expected them to reach a point where they knew each other well enough to know, or at least be suspicious, when one of their attitudes takes a startling one-eighty, and think, “Oh, man, something’s wrong. I really need to talk to him/her.” Instead, they took everything at face value, mostly out of cowardice (both were terrified things wouldn’t work out perfectly; because, of course, everything had up to that point—not), and allowed themselves to silently wallow in miserable uncertainty. Oliver never reached the point where he swallowed his pride and declared his feelings—almost a couple of times, but almost doesn’t count—but Ellie managed it…and then reverted to willfully misunderstanding and not asking for clarification. It became really frustrating, and now I think on it, Abby is probably the character who gained the most emotional maturity throughout the course of the story. And she’s eleven.

I liked Ellie better as a mother than as a single lady. Abby was always, always first in her thoughts, as it should be, and I’m glad Ellie was strong enough to give Nathan (her ex) what he deserved; it’s not easy saying no to something that’s familiar, to something you’ve loved your whole life. But he wasn’t healthy for them, and she recognized that.

I liked the characters as people, even if I didn’t always like their actions. However, the plot was even more unfortunate than an overused cliché of misunderstandings. As a whole it was predictable and riddled with convenient devices. Lady Stokeley (despite being my second-favorite character, next to Abby) was a convenient babysitter when Ellie needed someone to watch Abby. Jace, while providing a contrast to Oliver type-wise, was a convenient Mr. Fix-it for Ellie and also a babysitter. Jeannie, another woman working in the history department, was conveniently nosy. Actually, now that I think on it, I’m not sure what purpose her character served. Jemima, either; she conveniently provided Ellie with the misunderstanding that Oliver was married. Sure, Ellie forged a connection with her emotionally, but it wasn’t necessary. All of the other children and mothers were conveniently assholes. I’m not dismissing bullies, god knows the world is full of them, but surely not EVERYone ignored/disliked Abby and Ellie. They only made a small effort to become part of the community. And the one mother/daughter pairing that was given a name (belying their significance) conveniently moved next door, making it easier for Ellie and Abby to reconcile with them…suddenly, off-screen. Lastly, Marmite, their very flatulent dog, was used to introduce Lady Stokeley and create sexual tension between Ellie and Oliver. (If you don’t trust your dog to stay close and behave, maybe you should put the leash on BEFORE leaving the house.) (Also, they joked about his name, which is a reference I didn’t understand, even after I looked it up. I think the substance he’s named after is stinky, and that’s the joke? I have no idea.)

But for all that, Hewitt’s writing style is very good. The pace was great (until I got frustrated with Ellie and Oliver continually underestimating one another), and the story flowed so smoothly that the hours flew by while I was reading.

Overall… Hewitt appears to be very talented at constructing a narrative, if not telling it.

Really liked this story. Ellie, a young divorced mother of an 11 year old daughter, move from northern England to work at Oxford. Lots of baggage, including a deadbeat father and the daughter struggling from being bullied. Ellie works with Oliver, a stuffy professor, who has baggage of his own. Between the two of them they slowly begin to work together towards a HEA. I liked the characters, the story line and the writing of this one, and had a hard time putting the book down. Very easy and interesting to read, and I eagerly await the next book in the series coming out soon. Highly recommend this book and author.

Ellie and her daughter Abby are on the way to their new home. It is a cottage in Willoughby Close. Ellie has decided that she and Abby need to start a new life.

Abby is 11 years old and has been bullied in school for the last several years. She has become closed off and has almost no confidence in herself. Ellie wants to find a place that will be more supportive for Abby.

Ellie is divorced from a husband who was never a real husband. He never worked and he cheated on her. He has never taken an interest in Abby nor has he devoted any time to her. He has recently taken off on a trip to Australia. Ellie will be starting as an administrative assistant at Oxford University. There is an entire new world opening up for her and she is looking forward to it. She is hoping for rainbows and unicorns. Unfortunately, life is generally lacking in rainbows and unicorns.

Her first assignment at her new job is to be a typist for a professor who is writing a book about children in the Victorian Era. Oliver Venables is a man who has become so immersed in his job that he has little time or connection to anyone or anything other than work.

Ellie and Oliver are two people who have so many inner demons it is painful to see. Each of them lack any confidence in their ability to have any kind of relationship with another human being. Ellie does not even feel confident in being able to help Abby past the bullying.

I liked Ellie and Oliver and I hoped for the best for both of them. Abby is a terrific kid who when she is given the opportunity, shows that she is much smarter than she has ever let anyone see. All 3 of these people made me want to keep turning the pages in order to see what will happen next.

The plot is driven by human beings acting like human beings. No one is perfect, no one is powerful and everyone is very believable.

I have recently discovered Kate Hewitt and her writing. It is evident she has been looking at people and finding them very interesting. She treats everyone tenderly. Whether they deserve it or not. Not everyone is likable.

This is a part of a series, but it is perfect as a stand alone read. We are superficially introduced to the lead character in the next book, and it is evident her story will be an interesting one.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book very much because, despite two of the most emotionally crippled and communications challleged protagonists I've read, well, maybe ever, the author managed to make it all rather charming in a very dysfunctional, very British way. There were several places I laughed out loud; Marmite the dog was a terrific foil for our painfully insecure heroine and her angry tween daughter. And Ellie, when she wasn't swirling in a turmoil of insecurity and low self worth, was very funny. Bringing some relief from all that were a host of interesting, sympathetic secondary characters that I came to care about.

But Oliver & Ellie were the focus and it was extruciating to go through the ups & downs of will she/won't she? Does he or doesn't he? with them. Until the very end they were incapable of having an honest conversation, even with themselves - I wanted to shake them both. It's not my favorite conflict for a book, but it was handled well and thankfully they both grew and changed enough to get out of their own way by the end.

Another lovely book in the Willoughby Close series. It's a nice short story that is perfect for a bit of escapism.