It was 1924 and thirteen-year-old Nora Doyle and her best friend Kitty were happy with their lives and families in the small Irish town of Ballybun in County Cork. Nora had her Mammy, Daddy and two brothers, Stevie and Malachi at home, with her grandparents not far away. And she had Kitty. The girls spent all their time together in the holidays and one day they discovered a hole in the fence of a big property on top of the hill. Nora’s Mammy had forbidden her to go anywhere near the house, so it was with feelings of guilt that she followed Kitty through the hole and into a secret garden on the other side. It was there they met Eddie who was the son of the groom. He nurtured the garden and soon Nora was spending a lot of time there with him, weeding, planting, dead-heading roses, learning a lot about plants.

Nora had always loved reading and books, so when a friend offered her a job with her sister in Dublin at her bookshop, Finnigan’s, Nora knew that’s what she wanted to do. She had needed to get away for a while – there were secrets that were breaking her heart. She didn’t want to leave her family, but she must… What would Nora’s future be?

Wow! I have loved everything I’ve read by Sandy Taylor and The Girl From Paradise Alley was no exception. What a fabulous read! With laugh out loud moments, the girls’ distinctly Irish ways and comments, the deep friendship between Nora and Kitty and the powerful love and respect within Nora’s family, The Girl From Paradise Alley has cemented Sandy Taylor firmly onto my favourites list. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this is another great book that really deserves more than 5 stars. It is a heartwarming as well as a heartbreaking story all at the same time. Nora Doyle and Kitty Quinn are two thirteen-year-olds growing up in Ballybun, Ireland in 1924 who are best friends and seem to be joined at the hip. As the girls mature and finish school, they begin their careers. Kitty goes to work at Bretton Hall and Nora leaves for Dublin to work in a book store. The story takes on a lot of different threads which are all tied nicely together in the end by this author. I absolutely loved this book and how this author wove all the characters and story lines together without it being confusing. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. Warning: Keep the tissues handy!

The setting is Ireland in 1924. Nora Doyle is a thirteen-year-old girl, living in a rural area where the struggle for survival is very real.

She and her family live in a small cottage that is cold and cramped. She wants to escape being poor, but she doesn't let it stop her smile.

One day as she and her best friend, Kitty, are watching another funeral procession they notice the big house on the hill. Nora really wants to see the place where her mother worked at one time and has now forbidden Nora from ever going there but won't say why.

When Kitty talks her into sneaking into the garden, the adventure begins. They find an opening and in they go. The garden is beautiful and they aren't the only ones there. A boy named Edward is there. The three form a fast friendship that has Nora spending all the time she can in their secret garden. But Nora is sneaking around going against her mother's wishes. And Edward is the key to a family secret that could change Nora's life forever.

This one tugged on my heartstrings. The brutal hardships, the loss, and even the friendships.

Well Done! The author pulls us in and doesn't let go. I like that.

NetGalley/ February 5th, 2020 by Bookouture

Life was very different for Nora in the 1920's than it is for a young woman of the same age now, and I found it really interesting reading. The author had clearly done a lot of research into that time period.

Nora and Kitty were best friends and the trials and tribulations of their teens and young womanhood are the basis of this book. A small village in strictly Catholic Ireland, a century ago, was the setting and the girls were in quite childish and yet forced to grow up quickly, at the same time. Kitty finds a hole in a fence and they find a garden, and a young boy called Eddie. The story of the girls, mostly from Nora's POV, and Eddie, is beautifully written. I can feel Nora's anguish as things happen in her life.

Life was tough in Ireland at the time this book was set and Nora's life is a reflection of that. I found myself getting very moved, at different points in the story.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

The book starts when Nora and Kitty are thirteen, best friends and have slipped through a hole in the fence to the grounds of Bretton Hall, the big house in their little rural corner of County Cork. The two are gossiping and mimicking the attendees to a funeral procession, and in breaking in to be closer to the place they both hope to work in the future, they meet Edward, the groom’s son. Full of adventure and a bit of the forbidden, the three see the walled garden, learn about the plants from Edward, and the first bonds of a lasting friendship will be sown.

But the girls have been told, frequently, to stay away from the big house: Nora’s mother was once employed there and refuses to talk about that time. Yet the friendship between Nora and Eddie strengthens, much to everyone’s dismay. With growth and upheaval, it’s soon up to Nora to make choices between her friends and family, while still not completely understanding all of the possible ramifications.

Oh this was lovely and fully of “it’s time” as there is an undercurrent of innocence and purity that seems to thread through even the most trying of situations. From Nora and Kitty and their friendship, to the true bond that she and Eddie form, all the way through to her own relationship with her family and some secrets that they reveal, the story is touching, clever and feels utterly plausible. There is plenty of atmosphere, as Taylor’s prose takes on the feel of the Irish Storyteller at the pub - allowing the moments to stand alone and be unique before other elements are coming into play. A lovely story that brings the place and people forward while allowing the reader to escape into the pages and stories.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aCd/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Thirteen-year-olds Nora Doyle and her friend Kitty Quinn sneak through a hole in a wall of that leads to Bretton House and that is forbidden to them. One of their forays is to witness a a funeral from a distance and poke a bit of fun at the attendees. When Nora meets Edward, who lives in the big house, the connection is instant. Nora spends more and more time there, especially in a garden where Edward can name every flower and plant. As drawn as Nora is to Edward, the house and the garden, she does not listen to her parents regarding this.

The teens grow older and then there is something that changes drastically that affects what Nora and Edward have. Nora really must choose between obeying her parents wishes and being there for Edward.

While the setting may seem simple by the description, this is by no means the case. This story is a powerful example of friendship that lasts several years. I found this book to be quite enjoyable, often funny at the beginning, but highly emotional as I continued to read. Sandy Taylor wrote a story that many will enjoy as she has the ability to pen words that flow evenly and remind readers of the power of love.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

Another great read and even better to realise it is a sequel. This can be read as a standalone but I thoroughly recommend the first book too.
This book has all the emotions entwined and is a truly great read.

It was a moving and engrossing read that I couldn't put down.
I loved the setting, the fleshed out cast of characters and the well crafted plot that kept me hooked till the end.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Thank you yto netgalley and bookouture for sending me this novel for review. The novel centers around Nora and her friend Kitty as teenagers who are leaving childhood to becoming young women. Kitty discovers a way to get into the backyard of a mansion and convinces Nora to join her. Even though Nora has been forbidden to go near the mansion she goes with Kitty. Once inside they are surprised by Eddie who says he is the groom’s son. Eddie shows them a secret garden which Nora falls in love with. One of her favorite books is The Secret Garden and Nora thinks this garden is just like it. Nora visits Eddie often and they work in the garden. Of course as expected Eddie is actually the son of the family who own the mansion. Eddie and Nora become fast friends. Nora has always questioned her birth because whenever she asks anyone about it people always change the subject. When Nora finally tells her mother about Eddie her mother takes her to London to a convent and explains how Eddie is actually her half brother. Nora eventually moves to Dublin to work in a bookstore which was her lifelong dream. She meets Joe and they strike up a relationship. Suddenly Nora finds out that Eddie and his parents have been in a terrible accident.at first she is told that Eddie has died but when she goes home she finds out he is in the hospital. She spends all her time with Eddie until his aunt takes him home and won’t let Nora see him. Eddie rebels and finally his aunt lets Nora move into the mansion to be a companion to Eddie. The old doctor retires and Finn takes his place. Finn is a man that Kitty had a crush on and that Nora had spent some time with.when they were teenagers. Joe meanwhile has written to Nora about her feeling. Nora writes back that she is uncertain about how she feels. Eddie eventually dies and Nora returns to Dublin. Joe and Nora become engaged but then Nora has second thoughts. She returns to her hometown and marries Finn. The novel is well written, the characters are well defined and the book is a delight.

Really enjoyed this book, couldn't put it down! Very sad and emotional at times and really played on my emotions but a fantastic read.

It’s 1924 in Ballybun County Cork. Thirteen-year-old Catholic girls Nora Doyle and best friend Kitty Quinn are gossiping like two old women about a funeral possession that has just gone by. When they talk about Bretton Hall a big mansion where one day they hope to work. Kitty has discovered that the fence has broken that leads to a beautiful secret garden. Kitty wants to go there but Nora has been told by her mother not to go there. Something happened there when she worked there. But to Nora’s dismay she won’t talk about. But Kitty persuades her to go and when they get there, they meet Eddie the groom’s son. He teaches her about the flowers and the birds. But Eddie is not all that he seems.
Wow Sandy Taylor has again. This is a beautifully written come of age story, that made me laugh but, also had me in tears. I loved the story of Nora and her family especially the relationship between her two brothers and the innocence of the two girls with their hopes and their dreams. I was engrossed in this book it kept me up all hours reading this. But, left me with a warm feeling inside. I highly recommend.

A wonderful readi was totally engrossed from the first pages.The characters the family another wonderful novel byDandy Taylor.#netgalley #bookoutture

Oh my word what a story, i loved this book, witty, enchanting, that will definitely pull at your heartstrings.as you read. Irish Catholic Nora Foley and her best friend Kitty Quinn both thirteen years old, both live for the day they can start work and leave school. dreams for Nora are to work at Bretton Hall an enchanting place with a secret garden that both girls start to visit and meet Eddie but her mother wants her to stay away from the place at all costs why? Dora cannot understand and forms a friendship with Eddie but he is not who he seems.County Cork 1924 starts the setting for this book. Dora is a very strong willed girl full of imagination of what she wants out of life ahead. there is nothing not to like about this book i highly recommend to all saga readers. wonderful read right through.

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.

Sandy Taylor wrote my favourite book, The Orphan Girl, that I read in 2018 so when her newest book popped up I knew I had to jump on it. The characters??? Oh Sandy’s characters have me in fits the whole way through! The banter, the phrases, it’s like being back in Ireland and that’s probably why I love her books so much.
Nora is a character that we met in The Orphan Girl and now we learn her story in The Girl From Paradise Alley.
Ireland 1924- Nora lives in the grey house of Paradise Alley in Ballybun. She lives with her mammy, daddy and brother. Life is grand in Paradise Alley, from going to school and passing the time with her best friend Kitty, Nora doesn’t have a care in the world. The one thing that bothers her though is that everyone else has a birth story. They know where and when they were born except for Nora and everyone seems to skirt around the subject when she brings it up. The only thing Nora has been told not to do is go anywhere near the big house where “The Honourables” live. When Nora meets Eddie and is invited into a Secret Garden at the big house she not only is going against everything she was told not to do but she is opening a door to a big secret in Nora’s family history. Pick this one up if you want to laugh, worry and cry all in one book. I already excited about what Sandy will come up with next!
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I really enjoyed The Girl from Paradise Alley. This book was a wonderful coming of age story about two young girls who are best friends. The story line is smooth and easy to follow, the dialect was a little different but it made the characters come to life and I found myself doubled over in laughter multiple times by witty Nora. The scene of her and Kitty first entering the garden and meeting Eddie is hilariously funny I could easily visualize it in my mind and it still makes me laugh thinking of it. The friendship her and Kitty have is wonderful and the friendship she forms with Eddie is priceless and beautiful. Rarely do I find a book that can double me over with laughter and break my heart with tears, but this book delivers! It has all the elements I enjoy, wonderfully vivid characters, a great story to tell, love, friendship, heartbreak and throw in a dash of comedy and realism and you have a winner. This book delivers and then some!

A welcome break from the crime genre I usually read. A sweet, easy and fast paced story. Was sad when it ended.

Another lovely book by Sandy of Friendship and Family i can highly recommend this book to readers Sandy is great writer and i love her books.

A story about friendship and supporting your family in rough times.This book takes place in a small Irish village where families are needy but rich in love and faith. The story depicts the coming of age of childhood friends Kitty and Nora. Their every days lives are vividly described and the reader sees their deep commitment to living righteously even when others are not. The theme of love prevails in this book whether it be brotherly, husband and wife, sisterly, courtships, friends and families. A heart warming read for all ages.

Another lovely story by Sandy Taylor. I have read and enjoyed all her books. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the arc.