ARC provided by NetGalley

This is a beautiful story of friendship, love, and how letting people into our lives can transform us in the best ways. The author does a wonderful job showing us the perspective of both the main characters, especially Dan who is a person with a disability and thus has a unique viewpoint. The reader is left cheering on both characters as they work to make sense of their changing lives.

A wonderful story, so beautifully written I lingered over certain paragraphs and read them again just for the pleasure of it.

Enchanting story of the unlikely friendship that develops between a harpmaker and the housewife who happens upon his isolated workshop one afternoon. Perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove, The Rosie Project, and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Ellie stumbles across a barn one day and meets Dan who makes harps. He gives one to Ellie but her husband says she can't accept it. Ellie returns it to Dan and she begins visiting him to learn how to play the harp. The chapters alternate between Ellie and Dan. Ellie is in a difficult marriage and is lonely. Dan is not mentioned to be on the autism spectrum but through his words and actions he seems to be. It was difficult reading his chapters but in a way it helped me imagine how autistic people think. Along the way Ellie and Dan become friends and they make an impact on each other's lives.

Ellie is a disillusioned housewife searching for meaning in her life. Dan is a harpmaker, who lives a simple life, and when Ellie stumbles into his shop, he gifts her with a beautiful harp. As their life stories change, their relationship develops.
This story reads like a fairy tale with all the elements that create drama and reconciliation. The writing is simple. I'm not sure if it was intended that Dan's character resembles someone with Asperger's but his traits and mannerisms certainly suggested that. Ellie's character seems too simplified.
This is an easy read. There were some parts that did not hold together for me but the characters were likable.

Hazel Prior has delivered a heartwarming yet heartwrenching story of love and loss and what it means to truly be yourself. The story begins with, Ellie, a married woman in her mid-thirties that stumbles across a harp barn on the first anniversary of her father's death. With the help of Dan, the harp-maker, Ellie begins a new adventure in finding her own music and her own voice despite her husband's jealous and violent outbursts. The supporting cast of characters includes wonderful, strong sisters and quirky friends that blend well to paint a vivid picture of the Exmoor countryside.

Adorable story, perfect for a sweet beach read. Highly recommended for those that love quirky or off-beat characters and story lines.

A nice "lite" romance. Ellie stumbles into a barn in Exmoor and meets Dan, a harp maker. It just so happens that "learn to play the harp" is on Ellie's "to-do" list. Hoping to help her in that endeavor, Dan gifts Ellia a harp and the two forge a sweet friendship. Dan is a simple man, probably on the spectrum although that is never explicitly stated. The chapters from his POV are a delight as we see the world through his eyes. He loves his walks, the smell of coffee, making harps, and sandwiches. Lots of sandwiches. I recommend to readers of romance (although there is no "bodice ripping, so if that's your jam you will be disappointed), and readers who like a good character-driven story.

A beautifully written novel. The reader will find himself or herself rooting for Dan and Ellie.

Dan is a harp-maker, living and working in a remote barn in the English countryside. Ellie, out on a ramble, discovers the barn and falls in love with the harps made by Dan. Dan is socially inept, probably on the autism spectrum, although the author does not spell this out. He gives Ellie a harp. Ellie's husband, Clive, tells her she cannot possibly keep such a grand gift and makes her return it. Clive is a thoroughly unlikeable character. Ellie, who has been a doormat to her husband, feels the start of a tiny rebellion and independence. She spends a great deal of time at the barn, learning to play the harp, and nurturing the friendship which has sprung up between herself and Dan.

Dan cares for all living things, and rescues a pheasant about to be shot by a hunter. Naming him Phineas, Phineas becomes part of Dan's unusual family.

Beautiful writing set against the backdrop of the moors and the tender, innocent quality of the developing relationship give this novel heart. This book will not be read by everyone, but those who take the time to read it, will come away feeling better about humanity.

This is a quirky, original novel that reminded me a little of Where’d You Go Bernadette and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Like Eleanor, Dan isn’t great at reading social cues and gets anxiety talking to people he doesn’t know. He doesn’t care about money, only making harps. When Ellie stumbles into his place, she and Dan begin to talk, and she tells him she is a housewife. For some reason Dan doesn’t understand, she is sad. To cheer her up, he gives her a harp.

We the readers know that Ellie is sad because she’s in an unhappy marriage. When she brings the harp home, her jealous husband Clive freaks out. Thus, she brings the harp back, but secretly begins taking lessons from what Dan calls his girlfriend. Hanging out at the barn with Dan strengthens their friendship.

What happens is a relationship based on two good people who have misinterpreted things in life, but you hope that there will be enough understanding to get themselves out of bad relationships and into positive ones.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 6, 2019.

Dan is a harp maker, and when English housewife Ellie stumbles into his studio one day, he spontaneously gifts her with a harp. When she brings it home her scornful husband assures her that she cannot accept it. She does bring it back to Dan, but winds up signing up for harp lessons with his erstwhile girlfriend, Rhoda. I had trouble getting into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it, largely because of the quirky, multi-faceted characters. Readers who enjoyed A Man Called Ove might want to give this novel a try.

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did but the story of Ellie and Dan was captivating. A great story of friendship and love.

This book was a delight to read. The characters were charming, Dan in particular. The plot devolved into melodrama a little bit at the end, but overall this book was a joy to read.

Ellie and the Harpmaker is a solid first purchase for most adult fiction collections. A lovely read.

A really enjoyable read with main characters that I fell in love with. It was easy to root for a happy ending for the protagonist.

loved the characters in this book, a romance of a different kind, between a young married woman and a maker of Irish harps.

This. Book. Was. So. Good.

I also need to mention that as someone who has experienced being in a shitty relationship similar to Ellie's I did experience anxiety at times, when she would justify her husband's abusive/controlling behavior ultimately leading to the pinnacle (which I will not spoil in this review).

However, I LOVE Dan. And all the other characters really. Really well done story! Will be looking out for more work by this author in the future!

🦀🦀🦀🦀 Charming! A lovely, somewhat predictable, achingly sweet, heartache of a story. This was an enjoyable read. Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. #EllieAndTheHarpmaker #NetGalley

4.2 - unique, sweet story; great characters (both positive and negative); someone else used the term "lyrical" to describe - that's a perfect description

An absolutely heart breaker of a novel. Beautiful and haunting. Cannot wait to see what comes next from Prior.