If you want to feel good- read this book! Thomasina and Grayson have both faced challenges in their lives, both physical and emotional. She's safe on her parents' farm and inn but she's had to put up with so much teasing over the years due to her differences that her best friends are a chicken and a dog (nice, but not the same). Grayson comes to stay and when he seems a bit off to others, she sees more there. Lovely atmospherics, positive energy, and terrific characters make this a very good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. You're going to root for this couple!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A beautiful love story about two people who are different and don’t quite fit in.
Heartfelt and emotional this story was so poignant and I absolutely loved reading it.
Hitch’s character is sweet, and she is engaging and so strong. Limited largely by her own perception of how people view her and not realising that her differences make her special.
Grayson is kind and a really good person who has been taken advantage of. His lack of confidence is endearing.
A great story told with so much compassion and empathy. Amanda Prowse does it again!! Thank you

I just adored this book. Most definitely my favourite Amanda Prowse book.
It shows that it's ok to be different and that there is love out there for everyone making you "The me I'm supposed to be".

Thank you to Amanda and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I am a huge fan of Amanda’s books and have read them all. I particularly love how she can create characters who are so relatable and yet her research into the core issue of the book is comprehensive and elicits such empathy from the reader. I have laughed and cried my way through most of her books and come away knowing more than when I started. This most recent book is still true to that theme and I loved getting to know “Hitch” and Grayson. I diid enjoy the focus on feelings and how the behaviours and hurts can limit people’s confidence and life opportunities. I missed the level of detail present in other books about the impacts and insights into the “conditions”. Without spoilers I can’t really be more specific but both Thomasina and Grayson deal with very challenging and prevalent issues. I think part of the problem is that Amanda Prowse is so talented and insightful that she could develop the real life issues she raises in a series of separate books.......E.g. disability, alcoholism, family dynamics, bullying. I really do hope that’s the plan and maybe Thomasina is our new Poppy Day....I’d love that!

Wow yet another great read from Amanda. I loved getting to know Hitch and her family. The way Amanda writes you can picture yourself right there in the book. Also Grayson and the family problems he has, this is so believable and true to life. A fab book that I can highly recommend

I don't think Amanda can write a bad book! I fully fell in love with thomasina and Grayson. This is a love story, a story with morals, a story about a perfect girl meeting the perfect guy, at the not so perfect time. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if someone says you are beautiful, believe them and don't let them go. 10/10.

These are the things I know...

I know this is an utterly gorgeous book.

I know that this is my first read from Amanda Prowse but it definitely won’t be my last!

I know that my heart is warmed from reading this beautiful love story.

I know that I’m very sad that I can’t keep reading this book.

A love story between two awkward misfits who met by chance and together brought out the best in each other and enriched not just their own lives but the lives of those around them. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the storyline and would highly recommend this book and author to others.

A brilliant 4.5⭐️

Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

With thanks to Netgalley and Amazon for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The Things I know is the third book I have written from Amanda Prowse. I think Thomasina `Hitch` Waycott is my favourite protagonist ever.

Hitch was born prematurely with a host of birth defects. For as long as she could remember everyone called her Hitch because of a scar on her mouth when she had cleft palate surgery. I wanted to be Hitch`s friend when I read this.......

` These are the things I know... I know my name is Thomasina Waycott. I know I was born a little different, like someone held the instructions upside down or lost a part when they opened the box`

Hitch lived and worked at Waycott Farm with her parents and cousin Emery. Hitch was smothered by her well meaning parents but she longed for a boyfriend, get married, go to New York and own a pair of sparkly red shoes. However living in the small village where she grew up, Thomasina knew that would be unlikely.

All that changed when Mr Grayson Potts came to stay on the farm whilst he was on a course. Grayson was a numbers man who found comfort in patterns and routine. Grayson was lonely and was still damaged after his father left him as a child. Although Grayson was a successful broker, he was socially awkward and found it hard to make friends.

With the help of Grayson, Hitch learned to love herself and become Thomasina. However when Grayson was about to propose something tragic happens that might destroy her new found confidence.

I loved Thomasina and Grayson, they were perfect for each other. I felt so sorry for Thomasina when she was mocked by Tarran in the pub. I could understand why her parents protected her as a child but they unknowingly undermined her confidence. I was so pleased when Thomasina finally gave Tarran a piece of her mind.

I also liked Grayson who was completely Guileless, I had to roll my eyes when he explained his friend next door was a murderer. I disliked Grayson`s mother, she didn't deserve his loyalty.sure

The ending left me with a warm glow of happiness. I highly recommend The Things I Know and all Amanda Prowse`s books.

Wow! Where to begin? This is a truly beautiful book in so many ways. The characters of Thomasina (Hitch) and Grayson are just so loveable for a start. They may not be perfect, may each have their own disabilities and might not fit into what the world considers to be ‘the norm’ but they are innocent and lovely souls who each instantly see the beauty within each other while the world around them sees two eccentric or disfigured and socially handicapped individuals. Their simplistic personalities and philosophies are breathtakingly refreshing and one can only be humbled by their kind, loving and gentle attitude to life and to others around them. Hitch works so hard on her parents’ farm and yet she sees this as a labour of love, a love that she happily transfers onto her beloved chickens and her dog. When Grayson, with his own eccentricities and inability to ‘fit in’ with the world at large comes into her life the two become soul mates and so the romance begins. There are those bullies along the way who have always taunted and hurt Hitch and who then include Grayson in their spiteful verbal abuse and I really wanted them to get their come-uppance and for the young couple to triumph. Indeed, changes began when Thomasina gained in confidence as a result of being loved and appreciated for the wonderful person she is inside and from thereon insisted that her hurtful nickname be dropped and she be addressed by her real name. I raced through the pages of this book as I was desperate to find out how things would work out for the couple and whether they would overcome the many obstacles and setbacks that were put in their way. The dialogue between Thomasina and Grayson, and particularly Grayson, was exquisite in places and it was incredibly moving to read those sections. When an author writes the kind of prose whereby the words alone make a reader weep with the sheer beauty of it all – that is the most magical story telling. I absolutely loved this book and the characters will stay with me for a very long time. Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Amanda Prowse has done it again. Her wonderful novel, The Things I Know, is the beautiful love story of two very special people: Thomasina ‘Hitch’ Waycott and Grayson Potts. It’s a great read, I recommend it highly and give it 5 stars.

Hitch longs to escpae her life, but she’s needed on the farm with her parents. Her brother Jonathon was allowed to fly off to America, but Hitch, with her responsibilities and her physical limitations isn’t going anywhere. Her family farm hosts B&B guests, and one day Grayson Potts comes to visit. He loves Hitch for who she is, but circumstances keep them apart. Hitch longs for so much more than her currenltmlife, but is she brave enough to get it?

A beautiful, wonderfully told story about love, life and family. Thomasina is a great character and her quest for change was an emotional read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thomasina, or Hitch as she is known by, is an unlikely heroine; the original ugly duckling and Amanda’s skilful prose really brought her to life for me.

Her home and life is the farm and B&B where she lives and works alongside her parents, who have always protected her as far as possible from the outside world. But she longs to go to New York, find a boyfriend and buy those red shoes which she will never be able to wear.

Into her life comes Grayson, a man who is also a little bit different. He prefers his own company but in Thomasina he finds a kindred spirit and he doesn’t see her flaws just the beautiful and kind hearted woman underneath.

This book is not only a beautiful and, at times, heart-breaking love story but also about a woman realising that she is far stronger than what she, or anyone else, actually thought.

Utterly compelling!

What a page turner from the start to the end. I was on that farm every second. Such an emotional book which shows how victims of bullying can and often do have a hidden inner strength which, in time overcomes everything and they are the stronger person.

As I’ve said before Amanda just ‘gets it’ every single time. I do hope and look forward to reading a sequel

With thanks to Netgalley & Amanda’s publishers for ARC in return for an honest review

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

This was my first book by Amanda Prowse and I really enjoyed her writing. I loved Thomasina, or "Hitch", as everyone called her. She's let people treat her like the ugly stepchild all her life because of her physical deformities and generally just had low self-esteem because of it. Living on a remote farm and bed & breakfast with her family, she goes through her daily routine of caring for her beloved chickens and cooking and cleaning for her family and their guests.

One day a man named Grayson comes to stay and he and Thomasina have a connection. He looks past her physical deformities and into her mind and heart and sees the beauty within. In the short time that he stays at their B & B they spend a lot of time together and realize how much they like each other. But soon it's time for Grayson to go back to the city and his responsibilities there. It seems like an impossible situation and there's no hope for them to be together.

Will Thomasina let Grayson get away when he's the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to her? She's rarely been away from the farm that she's lived on all her life and she doesn't have much money. I think you will enjoy reading how Thomasina finds her self-confidence and fights for the love of her life, even though there are some disappointments along the way. I would also love to see a follow-up book to this one...perhaps a continuation to the story of Thomasina and Grayson (hint-hint, Amanda)?

I highly recommend this book and give it five stars! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I was allowed access by netgalley to read and review. I love Amanda Prowse novels anyway and this didn't disappoint.

A love story about two people who are not quite 'right, I loved all the characters, especially Thomasina and Grayson. Their trials and tribulations before they met, and after made them who they were.
I love the description of the farm and the chickens and the food sounded delicious! The epilogue made the book for me, we got to find out what happened to all our favourite people which often doesn't happen and all the loose ends were tied up nicely! Wonderful, thought provoking yet feel good book for the summer. Loved it!

My 5* review for The Things I Know by Amanda Prowse. I was allowed access to this book via Netgalley to read and review, and because it was on my kindle I took it on holiday with me and I am so glad I did. I think Thomasina would have loved to have seen Skiathos with me and I felt as if I was taking her to see the world, just as she dreamed of.

"Thomasina ‘Hitch’ loves living and working on family farm and B&B. But she also wants what every other young woman does.... to see the world, to fall in love and to own her own home. However, those are fairy tales, and if her life is a fairy tale, then she’s the ugly duckling. Her deformed lip, her crooked limbs and her weak heart have kept her from taking chances. But that’s about to change. She feels she was born a bit different "as if someone held the instructions upside down or lost a part when they opened the box" as Amanda Prowse so delicately puts it."

When Grayson Potts comes to stay, he’s unlike anyone Thomasina has ever met. He’s shy, but kind and is also totally unconcerned with the physical flaws that have always defined her. He too has led a lonely difficult life and lives with his alcoholic mother and dreams of a life of his own away from the sad place that his home has become where he looks out of the window at a world full of light and possibilities, listening to the family living below laughing and thinking it must be a nice way to live - happy.

I was easily able to envisage Hitch's life on the farm with her Mum and Pops in my mind because I live in the countryside and worked on a similar farm near me in Golden Valley in the school holidays, picking potatoes, or whatever was ready for harvesting and doing odd jobs around the farm for pocket money back in the 1970's. The descriptions took me right back and I loved the fact Thomasina kept chickens and had a favourite called Daphne.

I drooled over the descriptions of some of the lovely pies, stews, breakfasts, bread and cakes that Thomasina created and really wanted to go and stay at the farmhouse and have a meal around the big table with them. The Author certainly knows a thing or two about living on a farm and how full on day after day it can be, but how lovely to be surrounded by countryside and animals, especially Buddy the faithful dog and Chops the "guardpig" as Grayson named him.

This is a beautiful story, so well and incite-fully written of two misfits finding that they fit together perfectly and can find happiness in each other's company and each other's arms and have the love, acceptance and appreciation that they have both wanted for so long (together with a set of their own cake tins, and someone to bake for, if they are lucky)

I love the fact that Thomasina keeps a jotter and writes in it at the end of the day to express herself when things were too difficult to say out loud. We know from this that she "wants to own sparkly red shoes that she will never get to wear but can look at whenever" and why not? I would gladly buy her those shoes, because by the end of the book i felt like I would love to be her friend, and make her feel loved, valued, appreciated and worthy of everything and anything she wanted, regardless of her disabilities and limitations.

I am a huge fan of Amanda Prowse books and leapt at the chance to read and review this book.

I love, love, love this book!!

It is another well written, heartwarming book with wonderful characters and a book I didn't want to end.

There is nothing else to add, just go and buy it, you won't be disappointed!

If you love Amanda’s previous books you are going to love this one. If you haven’t read any of her books then what are you waiting for !!

Thomasina (Hitch) is living on her family farm with her parents. Her brother is living in America and Thomasina dreams of travelling herself but her parents are very protective of her and she feels as though she can’t leave the farm. I absolutely fell in love with Thomasina and felt as though I was going through the high and lows with her.

One day Grayson arrives to stay a few nights in their bed and breakfast at the family home. Grayson and Thomasina hit it off straight away and suddenly she is dreaming of bigger and better things. Will this one event lead to Thomasina’s world changing forever ?

This is a glorious story from Amanda with lots of highs and lows. You will find yourself falling in love with the characters and going through everything with them, it’s as if you are really there is the farmhouse !! Love love love.

Thank you to Amazon UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.