This is a gentle, sensitive story about tragedy, loss, healing and hope. It will warm your heart despite being incredibly sad and is a stark reminder that life is for the living.

Luke adores his young wife Helen, and when she is tragically taken from him in a freak accident, he has no idea how he can every pick up the pieces and carry on with his life. In the aftermath of Helen’s death, Luke takes comfort from the online site where she posted her beloved photographs and shared anecdotes with fellow photographers about their craft. He particularly focuses on one individual that he knows his wife had developed a friendship with and who had been a big inspiration to her in pursuing her work more positively. Known only as BB (Beautifully Broken), he discovers that Helen had recently purchased a gift that she intended to send to this person, but never got around to doing so. He decides that this is something he can do in his late wife’s memory.

But finding BB is no easy task, and eventually after some amateur sleuthing of his own, with the help of his architectural background and knowledge, Luke manages to narrow down the area that BB lives in – accurate to the actual village itself! And he sets off with Helen’s gift to do this one thing that his wife never got around to doing. He doesn’t factor in the possibility that maybe BB doesn’t actually want to be found, and maybe that’s why she hides behind her photographs.

Orla hides herself in Lorford Castle and has done so for two years now. She’s had her fair share of misfortune, and knows that she’s better off far away from people and the hurt they can cause. But when Luke shows up and tells her that her online friend (Trees and Friends – Helen’s online handle) is dead, she isn’t sure what to do. Should she let him into the castle and her life? Can two broken souls help each other to heal again?

Told with warmth and compassion, and accompanied by a truly wonderful cast of supporting characters (including a fabulous dog), The Beauty of Broken Things is about how it just might be possible to put ourselves back together once we’ve been broken beyond all recognition. And maybe a crack and a chip might still show here and there, but therein lies the beauty! Our scars are what make us who we are, and our perfect imperfections are what make us whole again.

This is a really gorgeous 5-star read, told with Victoria Connelly’s unique empathy and consideration for the human spirit and its ability to endure extreme hardship and return fighting, stronger than ever!

Two fantastic characters who you love from the word go and can’t help but feel sorrow for after what they have been through.
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A wonderful story that hits you right at your core if you’ve been affected in any small way by fear, isolation and anxiety.
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And a lifetime missing out on so many small joys in the world because of being too terrified to face it.
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I think it’s safe to say that every single one of us are broken beauties in one way or another.
An absolute must read!!!! ❤️ #blogtour

I was immediately attracted to the description of this book. Two broken souls brought together by tragedy and together finding a deep connection that helped them to discover a sense of belonging again.

Orla lives alone in a remote castle, choosing to see no-one, not even Bill who tends her garden. She gets enjoyment from collecting damaged porcelain and photographing them to show off their exquisite beauty.

When a young man calls by she refuses to answer the door and asks him to leave. However, Luke needs to see Orla to explain why her friend Helen (his wife) hasn’t been in touch. He has sad news that her online friend has tragically died and needs to pass on a gift that Helen wanted Orla to receive.

I loved the descriptions of the ancient castle and the remote windswept beach where Orla walked her dog One Ear. The detailed imagery of the delicate china teacups and vases with a hairline crack or tiny chip made me think of the history behind the pieces. Orla saw that a minor imperfection didn’t alter the beauty of the piece. In fact, she cherished the items because they became truly unique. I loved the analogy between damaged porcelain and broken souls, which was exquisitely written.

The connection between Orla and Luke was extremely poignant. They gave each other comfort and helped to restore confidence. There is drama in the plot and relatable characters, especially Bill and his wife Margy who were warm and caring. This is a captivating read that steals your heart. A simple but stunning story, wonderfully crafted by a talented author.

The tone of this book was different to the Book Lovers series, but I loved it and it showcased Victoria Connelly's ability to write a more emotive, slightly darker novel delving deeper into the subject of grief and adapting to a different life after tragedy.

One thing this has in common with the series is her knack of bringing ideas, objects and hobbies alive with the descriptions inciting all the reader's senses. In the Book Lover's series it was reading, music and colour. The reader experiences the joy and pleasure along with the protagonist, and in this instance; it is photography and gardening. The beautiful prose allowed me to capture Helen and Orla's passion for photography and the smell of the garden and allotment. I became immersed in the plot immediately with the opening scenes with Helen. She may only have been in the opening chapter but the essence of her is the thread binding the two central characters and I would love to know more about her and experience life in her eyes for a while. Her viewpoint was uplifting.

Luke's grief and bewilderment leapt off the page as he makes the decision to find his wife's elusive friend. The setting of his destination is stunning and has given me another place to visit on my Bucket list. Along with Orla's fear of the outside world it gave an insight into mental health after trauma and life-changing experiences. It handles the raw pain of grief in a sensitive manner. I loved watching the blossoming friendship between Orla and Luke and the emotional journey they go through to heal.

All characters have depth, including those with smaller roles like Bill and his friends. The community spirit made me long to live in the village with him and his wife. It is the small details like her knitting that add to the depth of characters bringing them alive.

This novel is about true love, friendship, courage and learning to live your life appreciating every snapshot small and large.

It is set in a beautiful location and there are many memorable characters to cherish including One Eye, the dog who I would love to own.  It is an emotional read which left me feeling warm, upbeat and full of hope and also longing for more.

I must say, it's wonderful to com across a book that is all about the relationships with none of the romance. Not that I hate romantic arcs, but it's just that there's more than one kind of relationship in this world and it's refreshing to see story about an honest adult friendship developing out of the ruins of tragedy. The Beauty of Broken Things offers a tender exploration of community, both in person and online, and the days in which is can bring us together as well as drive us apart. And above all else, it offers a sweet and gentle look at loss, grief, trauma, and recovery and the vastly different ways it can be experienced - obvious or otherwise. 

On one hand we have Orla, a reclusive woman who was the victim of an acid attack, who has since locked herself away in a ruined castle as a means of shielding herself from the world. She is lonely, isolated, and lives under the weight of a debilitating fear. These circumstances are compounded further by a well-meaning mother who aggressively shields her daughter from any potential threat, engages in a touch of gaslighting and emotional manipulation, and might just want to keep Orla dependent on her for all her emotional needs. 

I found Orla to be a challenging character to read because she was incredibly well written. The fear and anxiety that have come to define her bleeds off the page and into the reading experience, as does her reluctant desire to live a life that offers just a little bit more - even if it scares her to death. I found myself cheering every little step she made towards recovery, zipping through those sections when her fear was legitimized by real threats, and growing closer to her as a character with every tentative new relationship she added to her collection of broken things. 

On the other hand we have Luke, who comes at Orla's carefully constructed walls with all the grace of a siege engine fuelled by the newly discovered desires of his deceased wife. Where Orla would have been happy to have never built another relationship again, Luke is determined to be the real-life friend that Helen never could have been online. He's stubborn, sweet, and is most definitely using his spur-of-the-moment adventure to East Anglia as a means of avoidance when it comes to dealing with his own trauma. Now add in a castle that need a little (or a lot) work, and Luke thinks that he has the perfect opportunity to repair the owner as well as the landmark. The only problem is that he doesn't expect Orla and the community of Lorford to start carrying out the same kind of emotional work on him. 

I really appreciated that Luke's perspective was present and not just Orla's, as it provided a subtle balance between the emotional expectations and coping mechanisms experienced by men and women. It's clear from the start that Luke's stoic approach isn't working, and that he's denying himself a desperately needed emotional journey. And the camaraderie found between Luke and Orla allows for them both to break down their walls, and the stereotypical expectations placed on those in their respective situations.

The Beauty of Broken Things is written in exquisite prose that draws you in from the very first page. It will make you laugh, make you cry, and it will most definitely leave you rooting for our broken beauties as they take their first steps towards healing and recovery.

If you're craving real characters, genuinely human experiences, and the purest form of friendship I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This story reminded me of a Japanese tradition, Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery with powdered gold, because for them being broken it’s only part of the story of the piece, not to be thrown away.
Luke Hansard has just lost his wife, he doesn’t know how to return to his routine or what to do with his life. When he discovers that her wife loved photography, he tries to reach Orla Kendrick, a friend of her who doesn’t want to be found.
This is the story of Luke and Orla, how they start healing each other with photography, not takes photos of landscapes or babies but of broken things, because we all should learn that something that is broken doesn’t mean that is irreparable, it has an special beauty on it, you only have to find it!
I really liked this story, I felt connected with Luke since the beginning, I know what it means losing someone and the disconnection with the surrounding, the unknown of what to do or how to cope with sadness. It’s special the connection between him and Orla, they are broken souls, they need someone/something to awake them to the new reality and help them to continue with their lives. The pain will never leave, but it will not be so devastating, the memories will not be so bitter, but much sweeter and in time they’ll have them with a smile.
I’ll have to say that this had been a lovely read, I loved the characters and the atmosphere of the story, it was like being inside the book and the characters my best friends. The Beauty of Broken Things is a story to heal and grow, make any reader remember that everything can be healed, you only need the “correct” tool. Ready?

Enjoyable story with interesting complex characters.
The premise of the story was intriguing and unique. The story has so much going on....overcoming loss, prevailing through tragedies, finding friendships, learning to trust others and conquering life’s obstacles.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.

An insightful, sensitive and heart-wrenching exploration of love, loss and grief, The Beauty of Broken Things is a tale imbued with hope and heart readers will not easily forget.

Luke Hansard feels as if his life ended on the same day that his beloved wife Helen passed away. Others may say that time is a great healer, but each day is agony for Luke. He feels Helen’s loss keenly and acutely and he simply does not know how he is ever going to function without the woman he loves by his side for the rest of his life. Desperate to keep her memory alive and to ensure that Helen is never forgotten, Luke reaches out to a woman his wife often mentioned; a reclusive photographer with an unusual interest in beautiful but broken things: an online friend called Orla Kendrick, who prefers to keep the world at bay and simply does not want to found…

Orla has always felt an affinity with the broken treasures she collects and which she keeps in her fortress in the ruins of a Suffolk castle which she calls home. Hiding from the world has become second nature to Orla. Alone in Suffolk, nobody can see the physical and mental scars that have certainly left their toll on her. Her haunting past had almost destroyed her and Orla does not plan on ever leaving her sanctuary. She is perfectly happy to spend the rest of her life in the shadow of the ruins – until Luke tracks her down and slowly begins to beckon her into the light…

Luke wants to help Orla out and to aid her in shaking off the shackles of the past that are keeping her imprisoned in her castle. Orla cannot continue to live in isolation and she must step out of the shadows and embrace life in all of its glory and splendour. But when the past rears its head again, will dangerous secrets and life-threatening jeopardy end up breaking the two of them…forever?

Will Luke and Orla remain trapped in a cycle of grief, fear and despair for the rest of their lives? Or will they manage to find the courage to take a chance on happiness and a new beginning?

Victoria Connelly’s The Beauty of Broken Things is such a beautiful book. Exquisitely written and superbly told, The Beauty of Broken Things is a heart-warming, poignant and emotional tale about courage, loneliness, heartbreak, hope and second chances that will have readers reaching for their tissues, yet it is not a sad book.
The Beauty of Broken Things is a novel about healing, facing up to the past and finding the inner strength to keep taking chances that is uplifting, inspirational and incredibly moving.

An immensely gifted and versatile writer, Victoria Connelly has outdone herself with her latest novel The Beauty of Broken Things.

The book begins with Helen travelling home from her dull admin role in London. She talks about her love of the photography social media platform Galleria, where users share square images with thoughtful captions and quotes. She has finally decided to take the leap and go self-employed, selling her photographs. Unfortunately, the photo she takes of an oak tree from the train window is the last she'll ever take. The train crashes shortly after. A few weeks later, her widowed husband Luke remembers a gift that Helen had bought for a friend she met through Galleria, Orla. Luke finds Orla's address and goes to visit her, to give her the gift and tell her the sad news.

The Beauty of Broken Things focuses on dealing with tragedy, whether that is the loss of a loved one or an assault by a stranger. Luke and Orla become friends and support each other through their personal difficulties. Orla is terrified of the outside world after surviving a horrific attack, and Luke supports her to find her life again.

It also emphasises the power of friendship. Helen and Orla only knew each other as usernames — yet their friendship was as life-changing and powerful as those with people they knew face-to-face. I really liked this element of the book. I have many friends that I only know through the internet, yet I still consider them to be 'real' friends. Despite the internet being such a big part of our lives, this isn't an area usually mentioned in books, film or TV.

The Beauty of Broken Things is beautifully written, and I enjoyed every page of prose. I loved Victoria's descriptions of Orla's fear of going outside — whether the rising panic as she attempts to walk to Luke's van to go for a drive or the stress of the doorbell ringing. Luke's grief is also described in a sensitive but heartbreaking way. Her writing brought me to tears a few times as I could feel his pain! I loved how Orla and Luke both begin to help each other through their own difficult situations — and begin to live again.

I see myself a lot in Helen. I felt like I knew her so well from the first chapter (written from her POV) and through Luke and Orla's memories of her. I loved the section at the start where she is thinking about going self-employed. "If she didn't do it now then when? Nobody was going to come up to her and offer her a more fulfilling life, were they? She had to go out and find it herself."

Ultimately this is a story of hope. The Beauty of Broken Things is a wonderful book about not letting fear or grief control you, or prevent you from doing what you love. While there were sections in which I cried my eyes out, I also finished the book feeling positive and grateful for the things I have. It's a must-read!

This review will be published on the below-mentioned book blog and other social media on 29 June 2020.

Book Title: The Beauty of Broken Things

Author: Victoria Connelly

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publishing Date: 06 June 2020

Line Summary:

After the tragic loss of his wife, Helen, Luke Hansard is desperate to keep her memory alive. In an effort to stay close to her, he reaches out to an online friend Helen often mentioned: a reclusive photographer with a curious interest in beautiful but broken objects. will these two broken souls be able to heal?

My Review:

After reading fellow book blogger's reviews on this book I had very high expectations for it. Let’s say its worth every hype! I love this book! The plot is a simple, tragic yet uplifting linear story. The characters are deep and felt connected with the reader. The narration is lucid,slow-paced, and emotional! often times I cried at the mourning lines !! I can’t decide is it fully because of the narration or me being very emotional! But the words definitely had a strong impact on me ! Especially the grief caught me so much than the fear and anxiety of other character! The brilliant story of two broken hearts get solace on one another and find a beautiful way to mend. Though I felt very sad in the initial chapters, it shows the way to come out of it in the end! Such a heartwarming, compelling story! There is no romance at least not in a contemporary way but we could feel the moving love throughout the story! Emotionally engaged, a deep story that I enjoyed so much!

Thoughts while reading :
The narration is one of the great things in this story! The way the beauty of photography pictures described in the beginning is lovely. I won’t get surprised if someone pickup photography after reading this book! I fell in love with those beautiful pictures descriptions!

Often times I felt a lump in my throat or tears in my eyes when I read about Luke’s grief! Somehow the story made me emotionally engaged and so the words are powerful enough to make me cry!

The dog character!!! It made me yearn to have one! The way it’s part represented in the entire story, is awesome! Very subtle but definitely made the dog owners related a lot!

The land and village description are also blissful! It made me imagine how it would be to live in a castle with a sea outside your doorsteps and a warm beautiful village surrounded by it! Oh !! I wish I could visit this place!

The climax breaking episode is remarkable! I seriously consider doing this in the near future!

After finished the story, I felt quite calm and happy which I think the very sole purpose of the story! The beauty of broken things, make us realize the beauty of our broken life!


Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher#amazonpublishinguk for this ARC. This review is straight from my heart, not biased in any way.

I adored this book! It shows the power of gaining strength from others which allows you to heal and move on from tragic events - ones you think you will never get over. And it's also made me want to start a collection of 'broken things'! Finding beauty in things that are imperfect - very difficult in this world we live in where 'perfection' is what is craved. And those imperfections are what keeps Orla hidden away after an appalling tragedy. Even her own mother thinks it's for the best that she is kept out of public view! So Orla just has the company of her dog, and her imperfect collection of china - forever fearful of the outside world. But through her photography she reaches out to many others, one of those being Helen who admires her work and dreams of setting up as a photographer herself. The women build up a friendship through internet messages - until one day the messages stop coming.

Luke is married to Helen and is devastated by her sudden and tragic loss. He feels rudderless without her and finds out so much about her that he didn't know about through her journal. So through photos, he tracks down Orla to pass on a gift that Helen bought for her and that starts an amazing bond between them both that starts the healing process. Isn't it amazing how some are quick to want to help heal others before even beginning to heal themselves? Sometimes the ones doing the saving are the ones that need saving themselves!

As Orla opens up about her past, you totally understand why she is so reluctant to trust others but as she starts seeing the goodness in people she gains more confidence and starts thinking about rebuilding her life once more. And through helping Orla, Luke is made to face up to life after Helen and it was emotional at times watching them both go through the healing process. It's a beautifully written book and the characters are so well crafted that you can't help but not take them to your hearts.

It's a lovely touching novel and inspiring to watch the progress they both make in helping one another through the tougher times of grief and fear.

This is such an emotive read, absolutely fabulous IMHO. It is a story of two people struggling to cope with very different life changing events who are brought together by tragedy and, despite adversity, move on with their lives. They are both emotionally scarred and their wounds are still healing. It is only after meeting each other that they can endeavour to help each other.

The untimely and tragic death of his wife, Helen, is devastating for Luke Hansard. It is only when he discovers a present she had purchased for BB, an online photographer friend, that he has a new purpose in life. He’s determined to deliver the present and to let BB know about Helen’s passing. Discovering just where BB lives is a detective story but even when he finds that out and endeavours to deliver the present he is shocked that BB is actually Orla Kendrick and that she is a recluse. He sets out to follow Helen’s dream of helping Orla get back out into the world little realising just why she has chosen to shut herself away or the danger he is putting her in….

This is a powerful, moving read with well developed characters, a delightful, supportive community and a superb story to escape into. It has elements of mystery, suspense, discover and danger in an enthralling story of supporting and healing. I didn’t want to put it down until I’d finished it! It is another brilliant story from this talented author and one that I have no hesitation in highly recommending.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and thoroughly enjoying doing so.

The Beauty of Broken Things is a breath-taking story that grabbed me from the first page. Helen and Orla are online friends both interested in photography and are brought together by Helen’s fascination with Orla’s love of beautiful but broken antiques. They’ve never met and when Helen is killed in an accident her husband Luke discovers a damaged but beautiful vase that Helen had hoped to give to her friend.

Devastated by the loss of his wife, Luke takes time out from his business and tracks down the mysterious woman behind the photos. He discovers that not only does Orla live alone in a vast castle in the magnificent Sussex countryside with only her rescue dog for company, but that she has a tragic past of her own that she is trying to hide from. Luke decides to try and help the reclusive Orla find a way to move on with her life and in doing so is forced to face his own demons.

This is a beautifully written book of heartbreak, learning to trust others and finding strength when all seems lost. Both characters face the devastation of losing the future they had hoped for themselves but through each other discover that although their lives might have changed beyond all recognition that there is still hope for a new life that might be different to the one they imagined but which doesn’t necessarily have to be any less enjoyable than the one that was taken.

The Beauty of Broken Things is a heart-wrenching, hope-filled story and I loved it.
My thanks to Lake Union Publishers and NetGalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

I LOVED this beautiful heartbreaking novel The Beauty of Broken Things, by Victoria Connelly. The beautiful setting in the Suffolk countryside brought the story to life for me as did the characters that were relatable and that I enjoyed reading about. The story is about the harrowing loss of someone we love and how we go on as survivors after a painful and tragic loss. The story is also about hope and moving on, about new friendships and moving towards healing after a painful past and tragic traumatic events.

I found the writing beautifully expressed and I really enjoyed the pacing and the introduction of the characters as they go through moving forward and the hope for healing. As someone who has experienced loss, I was able to relate to the difficulties and how the painful events can either lead to a spiral downhill, or learn to navigate the new and hopeful tomorrow. This book did just that in a beautifully told story.

I recommend this book for an emotionally engaging read you will not be able to put down once you start.

I look forward to reading more from author Victoria Connelly.

What an emotionally riveting story this was! Luke lost his wife Helen in a train accident, and Orla had a secret haunted past. Both Helen and Orla followed each other on the photography app Galleria. Helen had bought a gift for Orla, and Luke brought it to the old castle that Orla resided in. This was their journey of healing and finding life's simple joys.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union - Amazon Publishing UK and the author for an early copy.

Heartbreaking, hopeful, and absorbing!

The Beauty of Broken Things is a moving, sensitive tale set in the idyllic Suffolk countryside that takes us into the lives of Orla Kendrick and Luke Hansard, two strangers whose budding friendship helps them learn how to support, heal, grow, take chances, start anew, and grieve the tragedies they’ve each endured.

The prose is emotive and smooth. The characters are vulnerable, scarred, and compassionate. And the plot is a captivating tale full of love, loss, family, tragedy, courage, community, contentment, anxiety, and unconditional friendship.

Overall, The Beauty of Broken Things is a pensive, tender, evocative tale by Connelly that reminds us that life can be unpredictable and full of curveballs, but it’s how we approach, handle and survive all these messy, complicated, highs-and-lows that truly make all the difference.

I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you to the blog tour organiser and the author for inviting me to take part in this tour and thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I don't usually read much contemporary fiction, but this book surprised me from page one. I was really enjoying the first chapters and then it veered off course and became something else entirely that I hadn't expected and I actually ended up having a lovely time reading it, it was really impactful and inspirational.

We follow Orla and Luke, both of them now lonely and having to come to terms with their lives, being on their own and not knowing how to be happy anymore. The story is mainly about Helen and how she brought these two together, but I really loved seeing their relationship evolve, especially as it was only a friendship, and I think that made a world of difference in me enjoying this book.

Helen and Orla met through Galleria, an online social media hub for photos a lot like Instagram, and they both shared a passion for photography, Helen on the more natural side, and Orla concentrating on items that are broken. This is a really important part of the book because I thought that it carried the message that even though something is broken, it is beautiful. You'll understand more how important this is if you decide to pick this book up.

I loved seeing these two characters get to know one another, but also how they both came together to help one another, how Luke helped Orla get out of her castle and get into the community, to trust herself and others and to find confidence in who she was and her passion. I loved the setting, it was lovely to have a book set in Suffolk as it's just a county over from where I was born, so I definitely felt like I knew the coastline and tiny village that these two spend their time in.

I really found this book to be pleasant and impactful and I really enjoyed reading it, the writing style was fluid and the author's voice was lovely, it was quite simplistic but I thought that it got the message across beautifully. I gave this book 4 stars and I would recommend to people who like contemporary fiction, but to be aware of topics of loss, death, grief, loneliness, illness, hospitals and an incident of an acid attack, if you are sensitive to these and feel like picking this one up.

Thank you to the author and Rachel for my copy of The Beauty of Broken Things!

Even though I had signed up for the blog tour, I wasn’t sure about the book. However, my mind was made up by the time I had reached around 23% of the way–this is a beautiful novel about healing, having faith, and the power of companionship.

This should teach me not to have any preconceived notions about a book based on the blurb and the cover.

Through the pain of losing a loved one, Luke reaches out to a stranger (Orla) who gradually becomes a dear friend. Orla’s attempts to reintegrate into the normal world and her transformation from a recluse to a self-confident woman are realistically described.

It is clear to readers just how difficult some commonplace things like answering the door, meeting strangers, or stepping out to the grocery store can be for people who have faced traumatic experiences.

An empathetic, heartwarming story about two unlikely friends helping each other pick up the broken pieces of each other’s soul, work through the trauma, and emerge whole from the experience.

This story immerses the reader in the characters from the first page. Helen is likeable and about to pursue her dreams when fate intervenes. Helen is integral to the story and resonates throughout. Luke is lost and desperate to hold on to his wife's memory. Taking a present to her online friend is a positive way to do this, but it fraught with difficulties.

Reclusive Orla is hiding from herself and life, but with good reason. Luke visit draws her back into the world, painful though it is forcing her to confront her fears. I like Orla and enjoyed her courageous fight back to life rather than existence.

The community surrounding the cottage are positive and supportive of Orla. The analogy of seeing the beauty in broken things is the major theme of this story and shows the power of acceptance, understanding and life experience.

This is a lovely story of serendipitous friendship and overcoming fear. It shows that through acceptance and understanding, life can be beautiful, despite being less than perfect.

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

When he loses his wife in a terrible accident, Luke tries to find closure, by helping Helen's mysterious online friend. Orla has done a good job of hiding herself away from the world; so good in fact, that she may never have to see another person again.

I received a free copy from the publisher and Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

After he loses his wife Helen in a train accident, Luke struggles to go on. He feels smothered by everyone's pity and good intentions; and plagued by the thought that Helen wasn't as happy as she made out.
After discovering that her passion for photography had grown from a hobby to a professional ambition, one that was sadly never achieved; Luke decides to reach out to the mysterious BB, Helen's online friend and fellow-photographer.

Orla is a hermit, hidden in a remote castle. Since she moved there two years ago, she's hid behind the walls and refused to see anyone. Scared of people in general after a vicious acid attack that left her scarred for life, she finds beauty in broken porcelain, and has quite the online following.
When Luke shows up on her doorstep, she begrudgingly starts to accept the outside world; and in return she can hopefully help heal Luke.

I loved the setting in this book - the castle and the Suffolk countryside are as important as any character in the story.
It really is beautifully written and easy to read, despite the dark parts of Orla and Luke's history being the factor that brings them together.
I liked Orla's passion for photography, and her interest in how damage gives a history to delicate and beautiful porcelain.

There is a real emphasis on the importance of friends. I thought it was refreshing that the story remained focussed on the pure friendship that existed between Orla and Luke, and the rest of the villagers.

The not-so-good.
Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of Luke. As someone who is a complete introvert, and struggles to deal with social situations, I personally thought he was a bit of a dick in how he kept pushing Orla and not taking no for an answer.
Luke is using this jaunt away from home to hide from reality, so I thought he should have some empathy for Orla. He's constantly trying to push her to make huge leaps, because he knows best. I honestly wanted Orla to throw a teapot at him.

Overall, this was a 3.5 out of 5 for me. I liked the author's writing and would be interested in reading more of her work.