Nina is sad that they are closing the charity shop that has been a lifeline to her since the death of her husband two years ago. She vows to keep in touch with her co-worker and friend Kelly, so when she hears about a meeting to save Sparrow Street’s Community Garden she invites Kelly along. The two of them get involved in the campaign to keep the gardens open to the public and the improvement works carried out by the community. As their plans take shape she finds her horizons broadening. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Try this one if you're looking for a lovely novel about people pulling together in a good way. It takes a village, doesn't it, to make a community and that's what Nina finds in the Sparrow Street Garden. She's lost a lot in the last couple of years, starting with her husband who died, and then her job. But, she also found a friend in Robyn and a purpose in bringing the garden back so that it won't be sold. This nice story is about the people unites and about Colm, the gardener who you just know is going to be her love interest. While you might be able to predict what will happen, you'll enjoy this for the characters- there's a mixed bag of people all of whom feel quite real. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Oh, and it's Christmas!

A poignant and heartwarming Christmas story that made me smile and root for the characters.
It's full of emotions, gripping and entertaining, one of those book you cannot put down.
There's a lot of character development and the characters are realistic, relatable and likeable.
The plot is well crafted and I appreciated how the author was never over the top with the Christmas atmosphere and the emotional part.
I liked the other books by this author and I liked this one.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Cute story and perfect book for the holiday season. I loved Nina's friend Robyn. She constantly made me laugh. I wasn't shocked when it was revealed who was destroying the garden. Why would someone want to destroy the hard work of others??? Loved the characters, especially Nina's neighbors on Sparrow Street. They were definitely a funny and strange assortment of people. Especially Ada and Martha, the eight year old twin sisters, who have a penchant for puppy posters and baking inedible cake. Poor gruff Ron, he just missed his wife terribly. He wasn't such a bad guy under that rude and miserly exterior. I was happy to see Nina give love a second chance. Gray will always be with her and he would never have wanted her to be alone for the rest of her life. I can't forget about Colm!!! He was the gorgeous gardener, there to save the day(actually to prune, weed and restore the garden) and of course help Nina mend her broken heart.

Definitely recommend the book. Loved the characters, writing style and story. The book is full of friendship, love, loss and moving on and a bit of romance. It's a feel good story. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I always look forward to a Tilly Tennant book, and even more so to her Christmas stories. For me, they never disappoint. This one has the most marvellous snowy cover that echoes the story within perfectly. Once I started reading the pages inside that gorgeous cover, I found it difficult to put this book down; it kept me coming back for more right to the last word.

As the title suggests, this story is set predominantly in Sparrow Street in the town of Wrenwick, where Nina and friend Robyn become involved in the renovation of the community garden. Both ladies have been widowed at a young age and come up with the idea of using the space to establish a garden of memories where local people can hang a lantern in remembrance of a loved one. Sounds simple, but there are a few hurdles they have to surmount along the way, such as vandals who delight in destroying all their hard work. When soft spoken Irish gardener Colm appears on the scene to help in the residents’ endeavours, Nina finds herself attracted to a man for the first time since her husband died. She must decide whether she can overcome the feeling of guilt and betrayal of her late spouse and give in to her heart. Then the situation becomes further complicated when Colm’s long-estranged wife suddenly returns home. Struggling to get the garden completed in time for its Christmas opening ceremony and at the same time trying to work through her personal problems seem all too much for Nina.

What a wonderful book this is, with its engaging storyline and believable characters with everyday problems that we can all identify with. Instead of just tutting at the council for wanting to sell off their garden, these residents have pulled together to save their piece of green space and make it into something meaningful. I loved the community spirit in the story, with even the grumpy neighbours continuing in the face of adversity. Of course, who couldn’t understand Nina’s attraction to the handsome Irish gardener whose wife had abandoned him and his daughter. At the same time, we can also understand her inner turmoil. This is undoubtedly a love story, but with so much more. Being set in the run up to Christmas adds an extra sparkle to proceedings. This would be a lovely read for a cold autumn day and a perfect addition to someone’s Christmas stocking.

A love lost hits my heart with a thud especially in December, and memories of the happy times causes my being to lurch. When a book has a blurb which has the residents coming together to build a garden with a memory tree for the lost loved ones, I am intrigued.

I started reading the story of Nina, a widow who worked in a charity shop with Robyn. The shop came to a close, and they were jobless. Soon they embarked on converting a neglected patch of land into a garden when Nina realized that there were many lonely souls that December just like her. Their friendship healed her. Disaster struck and Colm came to the rescue and brought the hints of second chance romance with him. But the past was not willing to let go of its grip...

Having read many of Tilly Tennant's books, I knew I was in for an emotional ride. This story too had a thread of friendship running in it, which simply delighted me. The characters were many and charming. The love and caring shown by them, warmed my heart.

Nina and Colm were broken by their past, but looking forward to the future. I loved their tentative steps toward each other. Their story tugged on my strings of emotion, making me feel all gooey and mushy. I love a second chance romance between hearts that were broken and hence cautious.

The book was filled with the spirit of Christmas. The healing power of friendship was shown beautifully in the prose. There was love and romance, fear and heartbreak, loss and sadness. But all of those were bound in a thread of hope and a willingness to take risks. Tilly's writing made me feel as if there was hope for me too.

A beautiful read!!

I absolutely love Tilly Tennant’s books, her characters are always so relatable and real, and The Garden on Sparrow Street is no different.
In this we meet Nina and her friend Robyn who were brought together by the deaths of their husbands and the time they spent in the local hospice. After the hospice’s charity shop, where both Nina & Robyn volunteered, closes down the women look to find alternative ways they can support and raise funds for the hospice. With the help of Nina’s neighbours on Sparrow Street they set about changing a nearby derelict piece of land into a community garden with a memory tree to commemorate lost loved ones (or lost hated but tolerated ones in the case of Robyn’s husband).
This book doesn’t shy away from how the death of a partner, or parent, changes the lives of those left behind and how it can be a struggle to make sense of life without that person. It is a heartwarming story of family and friendship and how the understanding support of a friend can help someone overcome obstacles life throws at you. Nina and Robyn’s friendship is extremely special and that shines through Tilly’s writing of their interactions. However, just when I thought the book was going to be all about friendship and gardening along comes Colm, a handsome gardener who not only helps Nina rebuild the garden that was sadly trashed by vandals but also rebuild her heart that was shattered by the death of her husband.
This book is like mulled wine: festive and warms you up inside.

Nina is a widow of two years who works in a charity shop with her good friend, Robyn, also recently widowed. Next thing they know, the charity shop closes and they start looking around for something to do. As well as looking for paid work, they get together with their neighbours and attempt to turn a patch of unloved land into a remembrance garden for their lost loved ones.

This is a nice tale of neighbours coming together to help each other, moving on after loss and even some romance! It's a book that is an easy, relaxed read.

4 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Really wonderful christmas story. Full of charm, romance, great characters, and magic settings this book will get you in the mood to put your christmas tree up early, it did me anyway. Lovely story, i would really recommend it.

Loved this book, loved the characters and the plot. The writing style completely sucks you into the book. I can’t wait to read more by Tilly.

A perfect heartwarming weekend read, for Nina, losing someone is hard enough, coming to terms with death and going forward is at first a pathway to guilt which then gets easier with the help of family and friends and the possibility of a second chance at love. Will it go smoothly? What do you think?

Such a gorgeous story that has love, loss and friendship.

The perfect Christmas story that will stay with you long after reading.

Nina is still grieving some two years later for her husband, Gray. She found solace with work in a local charity shop where she met fellow widow Robyn. But the shop is closing and in the run up to Christmas it seems that life is going to be bleak for Nina. 

Whilst looking for work, keeping an eye on her widowed father, Nina throws herself into helping her local community and in particular the Garden on Sparrow Street. She thinks that the garden should be a place for people to come and remember and not sold off to the highest bidder by the council.

Gathering other neighbours from Sparrow Street as well as her friend Robyn she sets about making it a garden of memories. Other neighbours, lonely for many different reasons help in the garden but when disaster strikes it seems that the garden is just another thing to be grieved. 

However when Colm a local gardener gets involved, Nina finds herself looking forward once more but can she ever get over the guilt of looking at someone other than her husband as she is more and more drawn to the garden and Colm. 

As Christmas approaches, it seems that it has come early for some people until the past comes back and makes itself ever so present. Will this Christmas be different for Nina or will she actually let her heart rule instead of her head?

This is an enchanting tale of loss, grief and moving forward and whilst Christmas is clearly featured the book is very much about the characters, their relationships and is not full on Christmas as some books can be at this time of year. The secondary characters are all interesting and amusing and the book moves along at a good pace as you see the heartache that many of them all go through as they rebuild not just a garden but build new memories for the future.  

An ideal book to start your Christmas reading season.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down.
Every Tilly Tennant book warms my heart!
With this author's books I always feel like I’m there inside the book, a part of the community. And there is a great cast of characters in this story
Nina has been working in the charity shop for the local hospice with Robyn. The hospice is where both their husbands were cared for during their last days after suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. They have a good friendship, very open and honest with each other and can say anything!
The shop is due to close down as the landlord has sold the building. Both ladies now need to find themselves new jobs, which proves tricky.
In the meantime Sparrow Street’s Community Garden is also in danger of being sold by the council, as it seems nobody is using it or showing any interest in it. Nina lives on Sparrow Street and remembers that her husband Gray used to love the garden. She comes up with a plan to transform it into a memorial garden.
A neighbourhood meeting is called and the community spirit kicks in. All hands on deck, neighbours with problems of their own, broken families, people suffering with grief and loss. You just don’t realise what people are going through. People give up their precious time, and it feels good to help out. A few setbacks with the garden, but it comes together beautifully in the end. We get a romance which is so gorgeous, lots of gardening and some unusual baking from some elderly sisters. Colm was dreamy!
Set in the wintertime but not overly Christmassy, thoroughly recommended by me.
Another lovely, heart-warming story by Tilly Tennant. A pleasure to read.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy in which I give my honest opinion.

My favourite thing about this book is the friendship between Robyn and Nina. They are there for each other no matter what, which is lovely to see.

I enjoyed this book, it is well written and has a great plot, with an ensemble cast, rather than just two main characters with a background cast.

I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance that reflects some of the complexities of real life, particularly second love, but still has the all important happy ending.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A perfect book for a rainy weekend
A lovely story of neighbours helping each other. A story of love, loss, grief and second chances.
An easy relaxed read

This is a lovely heartwarming story. There is loss and grief but also love and happiness and hopefully second chances. The story mainly focuses on trying to save a patch of land on Sparrow Street and to turn it into a community garden. With most of the residents helping out, we meet some great characters. I love Robyn and her attitude. I really love the idea of the special tree. Thank you Netgalley,Bookouture and ofcourse Tilly Tennant for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book.

I always get drawn in by Tilly Tennant's novels. The storyline and the cover make me want to read it and I'm never disappointed once I start. This particular cover is so beautiful - I couldn't wait to dive straight in! The dark colours with the snow falling looks so wintery and beautiful and I love the lights and snow covered houses.

This story will make you feel so warm and cosy and wintery. It's perfect for cosying up on the sofa with a hot chocolate. I loved the characters, it was heartwarming and unputdownable.

The Garden on Sparrow Street is the story of Nina, who is struggling to move on after the death of her beloved husband. With the introduction of Colm, Nina finds herself slowly finding love again. From the perfect front cover to the heartwarming story inside, this book was an enjoyable and entertaining read.

Tilly's books I love. Captured the characters amazingly well as if I was part of the story. Read it too quickly. Keep them coming.