If I had to sum up this book in one word I'd call it charming, and in the best possible way. The Things I Know by Amanda Prowse is the story of Thomasina, better known as Hitch, who lives with her mum and dad on the family farm. Despite being in her twenties and longing for more freedom and independence she feels unsure of how to get what she wants. Her lack of confidence is caused in part by her physical deformities, but she has also been protected by her family for so long that she is not sure she can strike out on her own. When a guest to the farmhouse B&B , Grayson Potts, captures her attention because of his eccentricities the two soon become friends. Can Hitch break out of her shell and go after the future she really wants, even if it means risking rejection and a broken heart?
This was such a heartwarming book, and as I said full of charm. I loved seeing a romance featuring a character with physical disabilities and I particularly loved that she was more than just her flaws, she was kind, determine, brave when she had to be and smart when it really counted
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thomasina ‘Hitch’ Waycott loves living and working on the remote family farm and B&B. But she also wants more. To see the world. To own her own home. To fall madly in love.

But 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.

When Grayson Potts comes to stay, he’s unlike anyone Thomasina has ever met. He’s aloof, eccentric and exceptionally kind. He’s also totally unconcerned with the physical flaws that have always defined Thomasina.

The two form a bond that neither has had before. It’s possible that it could become something more, but Thomasina also wonders if it’s too good to be true. By putting her heart on the line, Thomasina may open herself to heartbreak. But she may also open herself to so much more. 

Amanda Prowse has once again created a beautiful story of two people that are very different to those around them, it is these differences that bring them together and they form an unimaginable bond within hours of meeting that, it seems, nobody can break but, to be together, there are many obstacles they have to face, are they strong enough to face the battle ahead and will their love conquer all? I absolutely adored Thom, her character showed great strength, borne from everything she had had to face through her childhood and beyond and Gray was such a sweet man, these two together showed that anything is possible and even though you may not think you're perfect, you are always perfect for someone.

This author, as always, had me reeled in from the first page and I was praying it would be the happy ending they both so deserved, but you'll have to read it to find out for yourself, I would recommend that you do. I'd like to thank Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for the auto approval. I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 stars!

Born a little bit different “like someone held the instructions upside down or lost a part when they opened the box”, Thomasina “Hitch” Waycott just wants to find love and be loved. Born with a cleft lip among other deformities, she learns at a very early age that words hurt. She lives on a farm/B&B with her parents and brother, who gets to experience things Hitch can only dream of. Until she meets a handsome stranger, just a little bit different.

You will fall in love with Thomasina as you see her struggle and grow. Your heart will break with her as you see kids and adults can be cruel. You will watch this caterpillar grow into a butterfly as she opens her eyes and finally sees the people around her. But, all the while, you will cheer for her to get what she wants. This book is full of wonderful characters, realistic situations, transformations all the way around. I hope this book makes you look at people who are different in a whole new light.

For me, this book is reminiscent of “Eleanor Oliphant” with its quirky characters. But this book was so much more relatable for me. Thoroughly enjoyed this read, my first by this author, and look forward to reading more of her books.

I received an ARC of this book. Opinion is mine alone.

Another amazing book by Amanda Prowse. Every time she writes she brings the characters to life. I wish Thomasina was real, I would love to meet her. You become so involved with the characters and want to know what is going to happen to them next. I loved the lists she made. Grayson’s character is written beautifully and with love. I really hope this book is just the beginning of the story, I would love to read what happens to the characters next.

I loved this book, true to Amandas style of writing. A lovely love story and great to see how the 2 main characters can come together beat everything going on in their lives deal with all the ups and downs life throws at them and move on to have a great life together.
Loved the story lines including the alcoholic mum and the bully cousin I felt it was very true to life, how people have a lot of bad things going on in their background or behind closed doors and they keep it all at the back of their mind whilst they try to lead a life or keep a job.
Loved it great ending

Another character driven book by Amanda Prowse. Hitch and Grayson are characters who find it difficult to fit in with society but they have hopes and dreams. A romantic read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Thomasina, otherwise known as Hitch, was born with a clef palette and other disabilities. She has always been insecure because of her disabilities and has stayed home working on her family’s farm and B&B. This is a wonderful story of her finding her confidence and making peace with her past. I always enjoy Amanda Prowse’s writing. Her characters pull me into the story so completely. I was really hoping for Thomasina to spread her wings and find true happiness. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

I fell in love with this story! It's a story about Thomasina (Hitch) Waycott and her struggle in life to be accepted. She has been made fun of and ridiculed her whole because of the way she looks. Different from all the other "normal" people but her heart is tender. All she wants is to be loved and cared for unconditionally.
I really liked the character of Thomasina. My heart went out to her and I really hurt with her when she was taunted so badly. I wanted to be her friend and show her that she has value and is important. I also liked the character of Grayson Potts. He came into Thomasina's life and changed things for her. The story really was like a fairy tale but there were also huge struggles to overcome. Life isn't easy and it takes courage to let other people in after being so hurt in life.
This book took me on a journey with a girl who had been dealt a difficult hand when she was born. I hurt with how much she went through. I became emotionally involved with her character and really felt the heartache she suffered because of mean and vindictive bullies. I also felt the happiness and strength when she found the fight in herself to stand up for herself.
I loved that Thomasina had her dog, Buddy, to be with her throughout the book. He was a loyal and devoted companion through everything. This passage expresses how much he loved her:
"Even Buddy, in tune with her emotions, seemed to have lost his playful bounce and had earlier crept by her side across the yard with his head low, ears back, as if able to sense her malaise, so in love with her that her sadness crushed him." I love that dog and his place in her life.
This book is a tale that drew me in and took me through the gut wrenching life of a young woman just wanting to have what other young women had. It also has the message that each person is valuable and that there is hope and happiness just by being who you are.
I thought the chapter endings were very unique and different. They were the thoughts of Thomasina and the things she knows. Each one was a bit of the chapter before...a kind of summary. It touched my heart as some were enlightening and some were hard truth.
"What I don't know is how different I am, and I also don't know how I can find this out."
"And I know that some days I'm happy and on other days I'm sad, but that's the same for everyone, isn't it?"
The Thing I Know is that this book will touch the reader in many ways. It did me, for sure. Thomasina and Grayson are two characters I will think about for a long time.
I want to thank Lake Union, Netgalley and especially Amanda Prowse for the honor of reading such a powerful, inspirational and touching story. It is most definitely 5 stars!

The Things I Know is a marvellous story of overcoming adversity to realise true happiness in life. It is very clever because it tells the tale through two imperfect but likeable individuals who both have characteristics that many people would not choose. What surprised me the most was how much I identified tiny snippets of my life being comparable to the main protagonists and then I realised that the 'disabilities' were just a representation of the 99.9% of us that don't have a fairytale life and we want the downtrodden heroine to succeed because really, we've all been in her shoes at sometime in our lives. I've read a few by this author and they get better each time. I prefer her more upbeat stories of which I class this as one. Great descriptions, clever writing and the mechanics of the story mean that it has an interesting and believable plot Perhaps we could have got into the action a tad sooner but the development of the story in the middle and latter third made it time worth spending to set the scene. I think that this will be one of the big hits of the summer, it has every ingredient to make it catch against a very broad set of readers. An easy 5 Stars from me.

What a refreshingly wonderful read! I absolutely fell in love with Thomasina and Grayson! I definitely recommend this book. I loved that all the characters were real and authentic and their story so very normal...in the best way possible. It also makes you question the limitations we place on people when we think we’re doing what’s best for them.

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

The Things I Know is a refreshingly unique story. At the start of the book our protagonist, Thomasina, copes with the stress of her daily life by writing in a journal. Through her journal Thomasina reveals the truths as she sees them. Some of her truths are absolutely heartbreaking. When she meets Grayson her world begins to shift. She sees life through a different lens and finds her voice.
Amanda Prowse packs a lot of emotion into one sweet story as it explores a variety of relationships including family, friendships and love. I love that this story to challenges some common statements used to excuse poor behavior. I highly recommend this story!

I’d like to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Things I Know’ by Amanda Prowse in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Thomasina Waycott, or ‘Hitch’ as she’s been known since childhood, works hard on her parents’ remote farm, putting up with unkindness and name-calling from her cousin Emery due to having been born with a cleft lip, misshapen hand and deformed foot. When a new guest, Mr Grayson Potts, come to their farmhouse for bed-and-breakfast they form a bond that neither have experienced before. Grayson thinks Thomasina is beautiful and she thinks he’s a little bit odd but also a little bit lovely. This is the story of their conquest over adversity.

What a lovely story Amanda Prowse has written! It’s heart-warming in the way it deals with an ugly duckling in her mid-twenties and a shy young man who’s a genius with numbers but knows nothing of life apart from living in a squalid flat with his alcoholic mother. It’s a remarkable novel, beautifully written with sensitivity and compassion, incorporating delightful twists and turns, and finishing with a touching and very happy conclusion. Thank you for producing another remarkable and tremendously enjoyable novel!

A beautiful story; of silent suffering, and the goodness that comes from being a good person. A story that depicts the age old saying, “It’s what inside that counts”.

Not the usual pack-a-punch tearjerker I have come to expect (usually have the tissues at the ready!), this was more of a heartwarming, endearing love story, showing love can win and no matter what is on the outside. How we, by nature, perceive people on first impressions or without really knowing them at all. I was deeply moved by this emotional story. How seeing the good in the world through someone who is deemed to be ‘different’ by the majority of people they meet, makes you think - how finding that one person who understands you, makes you feel loved, can change the world.

Thomasina is a strong character with a can-do attitude, hidden by a lifetime of put-downs and disabilities, mostly by outsiders – she is loved by her farmer parents and works hard at the family business but really has no life outside the farm. Her physical disabilities have made her feel less of a person, loved deeply by her parents but bullied at school and constantly put down by her own cousin and his mean friends. Until Grayson Potts comes to stay at the B&B she runs on the farm. He makes her instantly feel like the beautiful person she is on the inside. Grayson is, I would imagine, highly relatable to us all, we’ve all come across a Grayson in our lives – we may not understand his strange ways and direct matter-of-fact manner, but what it comes down to is that he loves Thomasina enough to try to change their worlds and the way they are perceived. I won’t spoil the storyline, I did feel sorry for Grayson with his home life and the way he is manipulated by his Mother and Aunts, I really just wanted him to stand up for himself but could see also that his nature leaves him not wanting to hurt anyone – even those who are hurting him.

These two very unassuming main characters make for two loveable and totally heartwarming people to consume yourself with. The book tackles more than love, it covers addiction, depression, prejudice, hate, friendship, family – not many books have that – and more.

Somehow, despite being different to Amanda’s most recent novels, it still draws you in and captures your heart from the very beginning, in true Amanda Prowse style. I wouldn’t expect any different from this author! I loved the farm setting; I knew that it would definitely be written in such a manner that you actually feel you are living the life, transported to that world, so well written was the book. It couldn’t be further removed from my life, yet I could so clearly picture every single aspect. A typical Amanda Prowse talent.

This book left me with a warm fuzzy feeling! I can't wait to read another book by this author. The rollercoaster of emotions this book too me on, is what kept me hooked.

"I also know that words are powerful things and they have weight"

A powerful prologue followed at the end of each chapter by a list of things Hitch/Thomasina knows.

Thomasina or "Hitch's" reflections on her life and the feeling of being trapped or jailed and her ultimate despair at the meaninglessness of her life are so artfully captured on the page that it made for slow reading in the beginning because I felt so sorry for her especially with the cruelty displayed by her cousin and the way her parents treat her - almost wrapping her in cotton wool. Although she doesn't seem to pity herself despite all her afflictions and problems.

But through her despair at her situation in life you discover that "Hitch" is made of a stronger stuff - she wants more out of life; to do something meaningful with her life; to move past the boundaries her parents and society have set for her; to bake cakes in her own kitchen for the man she loves, where ever he may be.

The tone of the novel shifts when she meets Mr Grayson Potts, a guest at their farm bed and breakfast. It becomes lighter and in him "Hitch" becomes Thomasina again and sees a kindred spirit who may just be able to help her break the boundaries down.
Both of them feel they don't fit into the boxes society labels "normal" and have their own struggles to face daily. But together each one's strengths seem to compliment and bolster the other one's weaknesses.

Together they help each other take a stand against the bullying they face until a devastating event threatens their fragile relationship and leaves everything teetering on a knife edge.

Another stunning offering from Amanda Prowse. I am honestly blown away every time at how she manages to get under her characters's skins so well and bring them to life as unforgettable characters. Thomasina may well be the best of her heroines that I have come into contact with to date. She has the knack of being able to highlight the people living on the edge of society that you don't really notice or want to notice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this wonderful story..

Hitch loves working on the family farm and B&B, but she wants more, to have her own home, see the world and fall madly in love. But fairy tales don’t happen to people like her because she has a deformed lip, crooked limbs and a weak heart. But then when Grayson Potts comes to stay, he’s unlike anyone she has ever met. The two form a bond that neither has ever had before hoping it could become something more. However by putting her heart on the line Thomasina (Hitch) may open herself to heartbreak but could also open herself up to so much more.

A lovely heartwarming story between two people who are a bit different, who proved that it’s possible to anything if you really want it enough. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a delightful love story between two young adults who are both a bit different from other people. They both have challenges that most people don't, and some of those challenges have to be overcome just to be able to be with each other. Join their tale, and cheer them on, cry a little bit and be lured into their curious homes to fall in love with them.

This book took my heart and has never relented in giving it back to me. I wanted a book full of romance and passion where love conquered all. Amanda Prowse didn't disappoint. Two people meet and fall in love and they look past each other's flaws because everyone has them. Falling in love with a person's heart is more beautiful.

This book was slow getting started. I felt that there was a lot of repetition of the main character’s, Thomasina’s, thoughts about her life and not much going on to bring the story forward. The story picked up as Thomasina met Grayson. I loved both of these characters. They both had problems to overcome to be able to make their lives what they wanted them to become. The ending was a bit too easy; everything coming together very quickly into a very happy ending. Despite some of the flaws, I did enjoy this story and would recommend it to others.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 easy to read stars

Not one of my favourites by the author I’m afraid. I think possibly because her other books have a twist, a sadness, that really gets to you. But I didn’t feel that with this one.

Gray and Thom were such simplistic characters for pretty much the whole book, and then the end turned into a hallmark movie, all sweetness, happy endings all tied up nicely with everyone having a personality and character re-evaluation.

The book however is easy to read.

A tad disappointing sorry.