A gorgeous and simple story of finding your feet and moving forward, it's emotional and sweet and incredibly well written I felt every emotion; pain and loss, yearning and overall sense of love.

This isn't so much a romance, it's all about a woman who has had to face a tragedy and now must forge a life for herself. The chariasters are realistic and relatable; Leanne could be your neighbour, best friend or sister she is a kind and life weary woman who we see starting her journey to happiness and self discovery. Her story is inspiring and insightful and will certainly tug at the heart strings.

I reallyenjoyed this book, it's a little slow paced for my liking but nothing which would effect my reading and overall enjoyment of the book.

I've haven't read anything from this author before but I will certainly be seeking out more of her books, I really enjoyed her sensitve, stylish and engaging writing.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. An interesting novel by a new author in my personal reading-sphere! I am sure others would enjoy it too. Good character portrayls, descriptive setting and gripping plot.

Have not had a chance to read this yet, but will keep it on my list for a rainy day! Appreciate being offered the reading copy!

A heartfelt tale that hit very close to home, so my emotions were heightened.
This is genuinely lovely to read, with themes of “making do” and recycling, some delicate, slow burn romance. It is not a book that dwells on grief, it provides hope.
Katie Lovell has written a wonderful story with characters to just fall in love with.

Overall this was an enjoyable quick read. I felt it had a lot more depth and emotion than other books in a similar genre. The characters were all really likable and fun. There was a lot about friendship and community which I loved, and also a lot of hobbies such as gardening, books and crafts which was lovely. The romance was obviously very slow and subtle but this worked perfectly and I've have been quite annoyed if it was any more fast-paced given the situation.

A really lovely heartwarming story, about moving on after becoming widowed.

For Leanne didn't really have much choice, she needed to move into cottage that she had bought with Richard, believing it to be their forever home, just months after he dies, as circumstances meant she couldn't stay living where she was.

On getting to Seaglass Cottage by herself it soon becomes apparent that although it will look fabulous once its done up properly, that its kind of a wreck, but with no money, she has to try to do something.

Meeting the locals in the village and starting to feel some sense of community is great for her, and soon it becomes apparent that Leanne is far more resourceful than she thought, and really is able to make do, and learn new skills.

I really enjoyed seeing how Leanne was able to turn things around, this is not a sad book mired in grief, rather a hopeful one of how you can turn your life around, from the most terrible of situations.

It's just such a cosy story, I loved seeing how Leanne developed, how she coped and all the new friends she was making. There are two special mentions I'd like make - Milo is utterly adorable and always a joy to see him in scenes, and also I really really want to visit the ice cream parlour on the beach front, what delicious sounding flavours there are.

I really enjoyed reading this, and am delighted to see that Katey Lovell had in fact released a new book. I just hope the wait isn't as long for her next one.

Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

Sea Glass Cottage was Leanne and Richard’s dream house. They were going to renovate it together and it was to be their forever home.

However after the death of Richard, Leanne finds herself broke and broken. She hunt the skill nor the inclination to complete the renovations by herself.

Enter some special people from the local village who are willing to help Leanne fix the cottage, and maybe even her heart.

A warm and very moving story.

A heartwarming story about community, DIY and lots of food.
I would have loved some flashbacks into Leanne and Richard’s life so he was more of a rounded character and so we could see Leanne as she was with Richard. I felt that I missed out on some of the most important parts of Leanne’s life.
Lots of craft and DIY in this novel which is great if you’re the crafty type. You’ll know your way around a sander and how to bolt a backdoor!
Overall though a great story that will have you reading until the end to find out what happens to Leanne and her little seaside cottage.

A lovely easy read which I really enjoyed. This book has a lovely cast of characters who I really liked particularly Leanne who I was rooting for right from the start. Set in a gorgeous seaside location which has a fantastic sense of community spirit - the sort of place where I would love to live. As a keen crafter myself, I loved all of the crafts and DIY in the story. A story of new beginnings and friendship.

Highly recommended, I highly recommend this lovely book. Perfect for a holiday read or for an afternoon on the sofa.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

A heartwarming story! Exactly what you need after reading a few crime thrillers. Such a lovely story and relatable characters.

When Leanne buys a house in a little seaside town with her husband she thinks all her dreams have come true..
A few months later, and, with her husband dead and the money she thought he had set aside in insurance policies vanished she has to fight to build the life she had hoped for.
The little town is full of people who allow her to fulfil her dreams and who help her out.
I did enjoy the book very much, but in a few places felt I would have liked to have know more of the back story or that a storyline wasnt fully explored.

From the title to the lovely characters, this book mixed up a great plot story that I enjoyed more than I expected.
Meandering a broken heart is always hard but love and feel good moments will always be around the corner or just in front of us if look better.

Really enjoyed this book - it was a feel good read but wasn’t all straightforward for the characters involved. Lovely message about the importance of community.

I so enjoyed this book! From such a lovely beginning, the story changes following Richard's untimely death and I so felt for Leanne. The struggles she endured were in a way difficult to read (from the point of view of it being a difficult subject, not from the point of view of how wonderfully the book had been written!), but the neighbourly and community spirit shown by the residents of Rockgate Bay pulled her through. I just felt like I wanted to move into this village myself to experience all that love and support!

I would heartily recommend this book to anyone looking for a feel-good story! I just hope that I would show the same level of compassion if I was ever in that position.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book and I look forward to reading more stories by this author.

I hate "this meets this", but this really is "PS I Love You meets DIY SOS/Homes under the Hammer."

It's heartbreakingly beautiful. and set among such a gorgeous backdrop. There's so much heart, love, and community in this novel. It's perfect for cosying up on the couch with an oversized blanket – or perhaps bringing it to a cottage by the sea, your very own Rockgate Bay.

Oh I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. It had heart, it had community, it had all the feels and I just loved spending time with Leanne over the course of this novel.



Leanne is just a great character to travel this book with. She is hurting and she is healing but she is also determined to be an independent woman. I just loved the strength that she had been if she couldn't always see it herself. I also really loved the way she valued her friends old and new and was willing to try new things in order to be a part of the community.



This book has such a strong sense of community and that is something which is often missing from our modern lives, particularly those of us that live in big cities. I really enjoyed getting to know the town of Rockgate Bay and its residents. I could definitely recognise them from the community I grew up in. Of course the fact that this is a seaside town, gave this book a certain holiday feel and I loved that having lived in a seaside town during off season.



There are crafts galore in this book so whether you are into crafting and DIY or whether you just like to live that life vicariously through fiction characters like me, there is something here for everyone. I did feel like getting behind a sewing machine after reading this, but I'm thinking that might be somewhat ill-advised and I'm not sure where I'd find one.



I just adored this book, it made me feel warm inside and I loved watching Leanne grow over the course of the novel. Highly recommend.

I found this book to be enchanting. I knew from the start that Leanne would find a happy ending but, it’s how she gets there that makes this book special.

A lack of funds and DIY know-how are only minor issues in the grand scheme of things. Leanne knows nobody in the seaside town of Rockgate Bay and everything that she owns is in danger of becoming ruined if repairs to Sea Glass Cottage are not forthcoming.

There is a huge amount of work required at Sea Glass Cottage and Leanne finds herself camping in the one room that is in better shape than the rest.

Leanne’s Mum urges her to make friends and fast so, when faced with Milo, a friendly Golden Retriever, she is annoyed that his handsome owner is less than friendly.

At the library, Leanne meets Mary and an instant friendship is formed which will lead Leanne into becoming a part of the community at Rockgate Bay.

With so many jobs required to get the house into shape, Leanne visits the local diy shop where she comes face to face with Harry, owner of the shop and Milo, the friendly Golden Retriever.

It’s immediately apparent that Harry has a very low regard for Leanne and Leanne takes an instant dislike to him. Fortunately, Leanne’s need for help is greater than her dislike for Harry and a fragile truce is built.

I don’t like to give away spoilers so, I will leave the review there. If you are looking for an uplifting story, this is a sure thing and you won’t be sorry you picked it.

Learn more about Katey Lovell here. Follow Katey on Twitter.

A heart tugging story.
The characters Leanne and Harry sound lovely. The story was clean so would appeal to everyone.
A very easy book to snuggle down with after reading a few crime thrillers.

Emotional, uplifting and immensely enjoyable, Make Do and Mend a Broken Heart is a wonderful story about hope, fresh starts, moving on and healing that will touch your heart and soul.

Leanne and Richard had the world at their feet. With their future stretching out in front of them, they thought that they had years and years together which they could spend together renovating the dilapidated old seaside cottage they had recently bought. Leanne and Richard had such hopes and dreams for the future. Nothing and nobody was going to come between them and tear them asunder. They were going to spend their entire lives together and grow old and wrinkly together – until fate intervened. Heartache and despair was around the corner and in just a couple of months, Richard had been cruelly taken away and Leanne was left all on her own.

Leanne never thought she would end single and living a life without the man she loved with all of her heart. Now, she finds herself not merely alone, but also flat broke and faced with a ramshackle house she has to restore without having a single clue about how to go about all the repairs which she has to do. Worse, the house echoes with all the loneliness and misery which has engulfed her since the death of her beloved Richard. Leanne is about to throw in the towel and give it all up, until help comes from a most unexpected quarter.

With the help of a friendly woman who runs the local library and the reluctant assistance of the man who works in the local hardware shop, it looks like Leanne should not give up hope just yet. As the cottage she had bought with Richard starts taking shape, she wonders whether her heart will ever heal… and whether a second chance will be around the corner.

Katey Lovell has penned an enchanting and emotional read that will make you smile and shed a tear or two. Make Do and Mend a Broken Heart is a heart-warming, poignant, witty and captivating read sprinkled with humour, pathos and romance which features a fantastic heroine you simply cannot help but root for.

A first class tale about finding the courage to start over, taking a leap of faith and new beginnings, Make Do and Mend a Broken Heart is a must-read by Katey Lovell.

A heartwarming, poignant and well written story that moved me and made me smile.
i loved the style of writing, the fleshed out cast of characters, and the setting.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last as I really appreciated this story.
It was an engrossing and entertaining read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.