Sixty-two year old Elsie Maple is living a small, solitary, insular life. Alone in the house for the past twenty-eight years, she has become a creature of habit, ritual, and routine. She has become so set in her ways that she dislikes any disruption from her planned activities. Even her jigsaw puzzle has a time slot on her “To Do” chalkboard. She crosses things off the list as she does them. No one ever visits. She has no friends – only acquaintances.

Until…. Samantha and her ten-year old son, Billy, move in next door. Samantha is a single mum who works irregular shifts in a restaurant. She enlists Elsie to babysit Billy after school. This unremarkable request will spark a cosmic change to both their lives. For one thing, despite adhering to her scheduled tasks, Elsie finds herself not following them quite so closely. AND, after getting Billy to help her in the garden, she discovers that he is quite ‘green-fingered’ which creates a bond between them.

Billy is one unhappy boy. His Mum has made him move to this small village away from all his friends in London. They seem to be poor all of a sudden. Billy’s Mum will not buy him a mobile phone and they don’t even have a television! He feels particularly hard done by and this is exacerbated by the fact that he is being bullied at his new school.

Initially he is loathe to spend time with the crotchety old lady, but once he discovers her garden he begins to warm to spending time next door.Until that is… one day he digs up an old, rusty, red tin. When Elsie sees what he has unearthed, she yells at him and he vows to not go there again.Elsie, upon seeing the tin, is overcome with emotion. The tin holds her secrets. Secrets she has been holding close to her chest for almost three decades.

MY THOUGHTS

I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying Elsie and Billy as their relationship evolved over time. This was a ‘feel-good’ novel about ordinary people coming to terms with loss, loneliness, change, regret, and memories.

A delightful mixture of literary fiction and women’s fiction, this story will warm your heart. Yes, it was fairly predictable, but the characters were so engaging that it didn’t really matter. The pace was fairly slow, yet it almost seemed as though you were experiencing the events with the characters. And that’s what good fiction strives for, surely.

Recommended!

This book is heart-breaking to read. The characters of Billy and Elsie could not be more different, more ill-suited for friendship, yet something special happens between them. They both need someone, a friend, a confidante, and they somehow find that in each other. A 10 year old boy and a 62 year old woman should not fit together. But these two do, not always easily, but they do.

Elsie is very set in her ways and doesn't accept change easily. When Billy arrives and shakes things up a bit, Elsie struggles to cope and sometimes to control her emotions. Billy isn't keen on having an old lady as a babysitter and he wants to be more independent. Thrown together out of necessity, they make the best of a bad situation and get a long the best they can. Over time, things change and they begin to confide in each other. They learn about each other.

The story, as it unfolds is sad and haunting but also full of hope and love. I adore the letters that Elsie writes, and I loved the "treasure map". It was wonderful watching their relationship change and evolve through the story. I cried bucket loads!

Well done, Ruby! Another emotional, beautiful book!

This is a book where the content is every bit as beautiful as the cover. There are bad things and good ones, sad moments and happy ones but the overall effect of the story is comforting and reassuring.

The main characters are an older women who is living alone and very much in the past, and a ten year old boy who has been swept suddenly into a new life with nothing much for him to hold on to. The two of them strike up a bond and it is alternately heart breaking and delightful to watch them.

The author writes really well and keeps the momentum going throughout the book. I carried on reading late into the night to finish it and was totally satisfied with the ending. If you want to read something which makes you feel better about life in general try this one.

This is truly one of the best books I've ever read! I loved it so much! I love characters like Elise. She is so prickly and such a misery until see meets Billy her new ten year old neighbor. They forge a unlikely friendship which is beneficial.to Bily as well as Elise. This book is beautifully written and tells a wonderful story of love, loss, family and friends who become like family. I wish I could give this novel more than five stars because it honestly deserves it.

What an absolutely beautiful book. One of those stories that you read and you find yourself saying “Aaaaaaah …”!

Billy is ten years old. He’s not a happy soul. He’s been uprooted from the life he knows, literally overnight. Taken out of school, away from his best friend Liam, and from his Dad without any reason that he knows of. He’s in a strange place without any of his familiar things and worst of all, his Mom has to work, which means he can’t stay home on his own after school and has to go and stay with the grouchy old lady next door. He’d much rather do his own thing, but it’s rather frowned upon for little boys of his age to be left at home on their own, unsupervised.

Elsie is 62. She’s set in her ways and is quite content (I wouldn’t call it ‘happy’) to hide away in her house with her set routines written on her chalkboard, tea in her special tea-pot, custard creams and jigsaw puzzles. She’s used to her own company and doesn’t think anything of making the odd remark or two to her dead mother who used to share the house with her. So she’s not quite prepared for a ten-year-old boy to throw her orderly world off its axis.

Billy and Elsie’s worlds are about to collide and neither are prepared for the changes that this will bring.

Billy crashes into Elsie’s life in the way that all curious little boys will do. He’s inquisitive and energetic, but he has a sensitive side too and Elsie is surprised to find herself warming to him, especially when she sees how unhappy he is at school. As they slowly get to know about each other and Elsie realises how much of herself she’s tucked away and hidden from the world she wonders if she still has a chance to find the happiness that was so cruelly taken away from her many years ago. She swore she would never allow herself to feel for anyone every again. She’s only ever been hurt by the ones she loved, but this child creeps his way into her heart until she believes that it might be possible to come out of the shell she retreated into so long ago.

This is such a moving story that will pull at your heartstrings. You will want to wrap your arms around both Elsie and Billy as they learn to nurture both themselves and each other in a world that is not always kind, but that sends you people who show kindness, care and love when you are most in need of it.

As Elsie learns to navigate life outside the four walls of her home, interacting with people, rather than avoiding them, approaching challenges, rather than avoiding them, she also helps Billy to understand what it is that has led his mother to make the decision to start a new life away from a man she has come to fear. And Billy realises that as much as he denied it, he knew deep down all along why they had to leave.

Sometimes friendship comes from the most unexpected people in the most obscure places, but it brings sunshine into your life and changes your world for the better.

Ruby Hummingbird just has the knack of writing books that put a smile on your face. If you haven’t yet read The Wish List of Albie Young, then I suggest that you do so, because it is one of the most charming and uplifting books you’ll ever have the pleasure of reading. She writes about sadness being turned into opportunity and inspiration not only to the person who is despondent but to those around them, whose lives that person ends up touching and improving.

Once again Ruby has produced a 5-star read that will leave you with that warm and fuzzy feeling. It’s about connection, understanding, empathy, authenticity and heart.

I have a soft spot for fiction featuring curmudgeonly, lonely old ladies and Elsie is a wonderful character in this delightful yet heartbreaking read. She’s like a Miss Havisham in that time for her stands still, broken by losses in her life, choosing to shut herself away from the world. She has her own peculiar routines that shape her day, loves her garden and has a fondness for custard creams! I knew I was going to like Elsie from the start and could totally relate to her decision to keep herself to herself, preferring solitude over social interaction and the possibility of further hurt. I wanted to wrap her up in a hug and sit with her, eating custard creams (my favourite too!) whilst she revealed her past. I wanted to be her friend. Instead it’s young,energetic but lonely Billy, the boy next door who gets to glimpse the life Elsie leads,thanks to his mum needing a babysitter. Over time, despite many ups and downs he learns to love this woman as much as she learns to open her heart to him and other people. The discovery of a buried tin of ‘treasure’ in Elsie’s back garden is what kickstarts this unlikely friendship, which slowly blossoms and casts a spell over the reader. I positively basked in the warmth this novel generates, a read that is bursting with light and hope. Proving that friendship can cross the generations, Elsie and Billy each have something to pass on to one another;Elsie her love of gardening and Billy the opportunity for Elsie to come out of her shell and enjoy what life has to offer.
Beneath this blossoming friendship lies much heartache. Elsie, Billy and his mum have all been damaged by life in some way which makes them very relatable characters. Elsie has chosen to live a sheltered life, in thrall to the past whilst Billy’s mum has taken the brave step of escaping London and an abusive husband.
I thoroughly enjoyed entering Elsie and Billy’s lives for the short while it took me to read this book and would feel very lucky to have a neighbour like Elsie. Appearances can be deceptive and beneath Elsie’s grumpy,standoffish demeanour lies a good heart full of love, making sense of those wise words warning us not to judge a book by its cover. Family isn’t necessarily confined to blood relatives and I very much felt Elsie proves to be a wonderful surrogate granny for Billy, providing friendship and lending a listening ear when he needs it most. By unearthing the tin of ‘treasure ‘Billy truly opens up a can of worms which has positive consequences for all involved and for Elsie acts as a means for finally laying ghosts to rest.
An easy, ultimately uplifting read that did bring a tear or two to my eye, I can highly recommend adding this title to the top of your reading pile. My thanks as always to the publisher Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. This is a gem of a story. Told from the perspectives of Billy and Elsie this is a story about friendship, family, love and new beginnings. A wonderful read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is my second book by this author and it introduces us to Elsie and Billy. They live next door to each other and have nothing really in common, but one day they forge an unlikely friendship. Elsie is an older lady who lives alone and has daily routines which rule her life. Billy is 10 years old and has recently moved to the area with his mother, Samantha. He is being bullied at school and is having a pretty rough time at the moment. When Elsie offers to look after Billy, the discovery of a mysterious tin box at the bottom of her garden takes them on a journey to unravel Elsie’s past.

Elsie and Billy are both lovely characters. On their own, they both obviously have their own issues, but when they are together their characters connect so well. Their stories bought tears to my eyes, watching and feeling the loneliness and unhappiness that they were both experiencing. However, there were also moments of fun and happiness which bought a smile to my face throughout the book.

The author has described Elsie and Billy’s relationship so well, capturing how an older lady and younger boy would behave. Considering the author is none of these (going from the author’s photo!) how she gets into the minds of these two characters so well is pure genius! The mystery of what secrets the old tin box holds was captivating and this, and the characters, had me hooked very quickly! The characters are genuine, the storyline is realistic and there are a lot of lessons to be learnt throughout. Told from the points of view of Elsie and Billy, this story held my attention and kept me turning the pages quickly just to get more of their stories.

One last thing which did delight me (and you probably think it’s really silly!!) was the mention of a little place in Reading called Calcot! I’m from Reading and lived in Calcot for many years and never thought I would see it mentioned in a book!! This was a wonderful heart-warming, life-affirming read which was filled with so many different emotions. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next! It has a real feel-good factor and I would definitely recommend it to brighten up any day!

The Garden of Lost Memories by Ruby Hummingbird is a heartfelt story about unusual friendship, long buried secrets and new beginnings.

Elsie is an old woman now, she was raised, home schooled and lived with her mother. It was always just the two of them But when the mother dies Elsie finds out that her mother had a life changing secret that she never told her daughter. Elsie now lives in the own world, with her mother's ghost, her memories and her loneliness.

Billy is a ten year old boy who has just moved in next to Elsie. She sometimes baby sits him while his mother works at the restaurant. Billy was forced to leave his home, his father in the middle of the night and his mother is not telling him why. He is bullied in the school, has no friends and no one to talk to. but an old lady.

As they spend more and more time together and find some things they both like, they will open up a box that will change both of their lives forever.

This is such a moving, warm and deeply touching book. I couldn't put it down and kept reading to see what will happen next. Elsie's sorrow and loneliness is so palpable and Billy's anguish and pain is so real I just wanted to reach out and hug them.
At the beginning story is pretty slow paced but it allows us to get familiar with the characters and then it picks up and everything begins to happen.
I fell in love with the protagonists and rooted for them throughout the whole book.
I highly recommend it.

Really enjoyed this insightful story of two ill-matched people, Elsie whose life is perfectly ordered and Billy, the kid who moves in next door. This exploration of loneliness and friendship is moving as against the odd they form a fragile friendship that could shatter at any moment. Slowly, they come to realise that they need each other. This beautifully-written, character-driver story will tug at your heartstrings as we learn through Billy's 'discovery' of a hidden tin in Elsie's garden, the secrets that have lain buried for years.

This is a beautiful and touching story, it has been utterly impossible to put down has really tugged on my heartstrings. This has been beautifully written and is just the perfect escapism read. 
This author has pulled me in from the very beginning and I have devoured this book in just one sitting. This is full of unexpected joy and friendships. There are a number of ups and downs within the book. 
I cannot wait to read more by this author, she has a remarkable talent of pulling me into the story and making it utterly impossible to put down. I have loved the characters and plot and have been desperate to find out what was going to happen. 
This is without a doubt a five star read, although I do feel that this is deserving of more than five stars in order to show how fantastic the story is. I highly recommend this one.

A novel very obviously targeted to appeal to fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, this work focuses on the development of a friendship between Elsie Maple, in her 60s and traumatized by her past, and Billy, age 10, who moves in next door to Elsie when his mother takes him and flees her violent husband. There are trials and tears but everything works out well in the end with happiness (much of it apparently connected with wealth) and positive personality and relationship changes for everyone. While the third-person narration for Elsie's story was ok, the first-person narration for Billy's was uneven. Sometimes the author succeed in making him sound like a child, but too often the narration slipped into a far more mature and worldly voice, making it seem as if Billy's first-person narration was shifting between his actual youth and later childhood memories.

While I'm sure some readers will weep over this one, I found it derivative and manipulative, mawkish and tedious.

I received this book "The Garden of Lost Memories" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I thought that this was a nice story. The friendship and sometimes disagreements between Elsie (62) and Billy (10) were entertaining. Their lives are changed for the better just by knowing each other. A heartwarming story.

I loved this book. Elsie is an older woman who is set in her ways and in her routine until she meets a new neighbor who has left her abusive husband and is trying to support her 10 year old son, Billy. Billy doesn't quite understand why he is living in a new place or why he is stuck being babysat by Elsie, but he starts to feel more comfortable when Elsie teaches him how to work in her garden and he discovers a box that has been hidden for years. I thought this would be a little too light for me at first, but I liked how the characters developed throughout the story and the relationship between Elsie and Billy. It was a nice feel good story to read, even though not all of parts of the story are happy.

I would like to thank Bookouture and Sarah Hardy fro asking me to read and review The Garden of Lost Memories by Ruby Hummingbird.
The Garden of Lost Memories is about two characters who are very different but are drawn together by chance. Sixty year old Elsie and ten year old Billy are neighbours and end up spending some time together. At first things do not start of well but as time goes on and they get to know each other their lives begin to change for the better and they learn things about themselves, however when Billy uncovers a red tin box from the garden he doesn't realise that he has relieved a secret that could change things even more.
I found this book captivating to read. Right from this first chapter I was drawn into the lives of Elsie and Billy and could relate to both of the characters despite the different age gap. Elsie is stuck in her ways but has a complex history that has lead her to be the way she is, then Billy stumbles into her life and a new focus creates real change for Elise as she supports Billy will school and the reason he ended up in the village in the first place.
At the heart of this story is a complex issue but the story is told from a sixty year olds view point and a ten year olds which is a heart warming experience and leaves you with a feeling that all is going to be alright. The ending of the story left me with a smile on my face and I could not help but chuckle. (All will be revealed once you read the story).
I will miss reading about Elise and Billy. The idea for the story was brilliant but these two characters are defiantly the highlight of this book.
An enchanting story that captured my heart.

A great stories for this bleak times. It's heartwarming and poignant, life affirming and engrossing.
I think that the author is a good storyteller and she developed a plot that flows and keeps you hooked.
The cast of characters is well thought and I loved them.
It was an excellent read and I hope to read other stories by this author soon.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Billy and Elsie both tell the story of how they came together and bonded in this lovely tale. Billy is 10. His mom moved him abruptly (no spoilers as to why), she works a lot, and he's being bullied at school. Elsie is 62, she's cranky, and she's got a lifetime of things she's kept to herself. She surprises herself when she agrees to keep an eye on Billy while his mom works. The two find common ground in the garden, where one day they dig up a tin that's been buried there for years. There's no big drama in this but it's a good tale. Hummingbird is a storyteller and the pages flow. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A book to cheer you during difficult times.

A beautiful heart-warming story that absolutely melted my heart. In these moments of an insecure world, I needed a story just like this. It was life-affirming and endearing. A friendship between a 10-year-old Billy and 62-year-old Elsie positively wrapped their strings around my heart.

Billy has moved next doors. His mother needed a babysitter and Elsie offered. Working in the garden, a tin was found buried which held the secrets of Elsie's past. A map of town long forgotten made the 2 unlikely best friends to travel to the past in their present while forging their future.

My second book by author Ruby Hummingbird, the story squeezed my heart, filling it with warmth as people from 2 different generations formed a bond. Both of them were kids at different moments. Emotions rushed through me as I saw them opening the windows of their life and sharing their insecurities.

Humor interspersed the prose with their antics, my throat was choked up at times. It was like a poetry in friendship, unfurling its lines and wrapping the words around me. Ruby was a wonderful writer who caused those sweet feelings to course around me.

A stunning prose, vivid characters, real emotions made this a captivating read. Truly needed to read this to forget my stress.

If you like a story with a neat, tidy ending, then this may be the book for you. I usually enjoy books featuring dual narratives, and that aspect of the book is well done.

🌱And a little child shall save them: Elsie's dreary life shaken but all for the good⛅

4.5🌟stars
Elsie and Billy's story has its share of ups and downs, but this is ultimately a lovely story of unexpected friendship and joy after a tunnel of sadness and despair. The stops and starts in their growing friendship were totally realistic. A young boy forced to hang out with an older adult he does not know - not surprising he is reluctant. And Elsie is cemented in a life of strict daily routines and defensive isolation. It was a big step for her just offering to help Samantha and her son. The story of these neighbors adjusting to and then relying on each other was special.

At the heart of this story is an old tin box which Billy sees as a bright adventure (one he needs to forget the bullies in his new school, his barren home life and the separation from his father) and Elsie can hardly bear to open. The box leads in to Elsie's sad and disappointing past, with tragic loss, disillusionment with the person she loved most, and roads not taken. For me, this part of the tale was the most bittersweet and, despite the book's happy conclusion, it left me feeling deep regret for the chances Elsie had missed. Elsie's letterwriting and her difficulty dealing with her past were moving, but I did wish that the story of her youthful romance had received more attention.

This is the second of Ruby Hummingbird's novels that I have read and they both struck me as special, not easily categorized, and focused on the joys and delights possible with the revival of meaningful human connection in an increasingly impersonal world.

Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.