The Butterfly Room is a multigenerational novel told in dual timelines. It has romance, drama, and suspense.

I have never read a book by Lucinda Riley so I didn't know what to expect. But as I started reading, I was pleasantly won over by the author's moving and emotional writing. The story follows Posy a now 70-year-old woman living in the house she grew up in. The story goes back and forth between different times; 1940 and 2006. We see Posy during her childhood and adulthood, which helps a reader understand her as a character.

I really enjoyed the writing because it was so easy to relate to. And it is just a poignant novel. You can feel the emotion as Posy faces so many tough details and secrets.

I give The Butterfly Room 4 stars. Wonderful writing with a relatable heroine.

I love Lucinda Riley. The stories she creates are magical. However, I don’t know what happened here. The writing is very lyrical but there did not seem to be much of a story. The story was very drawn out. All of the actions happened due to miscommunication. If the characters communicated with each other, there would not have been decades of tension. Thus, drama was created for nothing. The characters could have been happier a lot earlier. This, this did not seem to be very romantic because there was no communication between the characters. The secrets were also very predictable. Thus, this was a forgettable novel and very disappointing. After reading, I went back and read The Seven Sisters all over again. Lucinda Riley is still one of the best writers of the early 200s, and she will be greatly missed. However, this book is not her best.

Didn't really enjoy this book, it had a lot of promise but went off track along the way. Three stars

What a wonderful read. This author is new to me, but I'm definitely looking into more of her books. Kept my interest throughout. Highly recommend.

I am a sucker for an unforgettable romance! Lucinda Riley is a gifted author. A big thank you to Netgalley for sharing this one with me.

What a wonderful libronovella. Posy Montague, has two sons, one of them is an “entrepreneur” and the other has been years away from home and now has returned to the UK. Posy lives in her family home alone and her passion is the garden that she started when her sons went to boarding school. Their little family is growing with daughter-in-law and grandkids and then with friends and unexpected relatives and long lost friends … and it all started when Posy was just nine years old and her elders decided to protect her by lying to her. But even if the lying had been done with good intentions, truth must come out. All the twists and turns, surprising contacts, and emotional moments make this one a wonderful read.

A wonderful book, the story will stay with me for a while. Definitely, a book to recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Posy is a widow and mother to two grown sons and is turning 70. She lives in her childhood home, Admiral House in the English countryside. She can’t keep the house repaired and the gardens need help as she has decided it’s time to sell. This is a multi generational story beginning in the 40’s to today. This is another wonderful story by one of my favorite authors. Lucinda Riley throws in history with a great story. If you’ve never read this author it’s a perfect introduction. I received a copy of this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a great story about a woman in her seventies and her home is crumbling around her and she must make the hardest decsion ever and have to sell it. It was her home with all her memories. She raised her children in that home. When all of a sudden a love from the past shows up who broke her heart some fifty years ago. Will she fall in love with him again, will she sell the house. Read this lovely fun book to find out.

Thank you to netgalley and Blue Box Press for the ARC for an honest review.

After a slow start, the change in time and characters made this a page turner for me. There were hints of something that had happened in the past and I was desparate to know what the secret in Posy's past was, but every character had such a compelling story that I did mind when the story moved from one character to the next. I felt that every character got a good ending. Really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to now from the author.

Enjoyed this book! It started off good then It got somewhat slow for me. I normally do not give up on a book and will finish till the end. This book I thought about giving up but I didn't I kept reading and it got really interesting. This become a very mysterious book that made me want to keep reading to find out what kind of secrets there were. I honestly did not realize what the secret was going to be and was very shocked when the secret was told. I loved the storyline and the characters. Once I got into this book I felt apart of it. The author's descriptions in this book were greatly detailed and made it easy for me to visualize everything.

This is such a charming family story that it will leave you uplifted and better for knowing these fine charcters. I enjoyed this story that is told from two different times. We are introduced to Posy growing up in a beautiful home with loving parents in the 1940's. The setting is a picturesque village of Southwold Suffolk. Her life is idyllic until her Father is sent to war. Then the author seamlessly takes her readers to 2006 when Posey is considering giving up her childhood home that she loves due to her age. Admiral House is where she wants to stay and she fears what will become of it if she sells. She has two children now adults but very different from her without a care for the house or for her. She hopes to spend time reconnecting with her children while making decisions on the rest of her senior years.

This is the perfect story for pandemic reading. It sweeps you away into the family and the descriptive writing of the home and its importance. I enjoyed this book and read it cover to cover. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity.

This book is a bit different than Lucinda Riley’s typical novels - rather than being dual-time period historical fiction, it’s mostly set in the present, with just the occasional chapter flashing back to the past, plus the portion in the present is split between 4 main characters, with the occasional perspective of even more! The past sections are all from the perspective of Posy, from her girlhood in the 1940s through her early 20s, while the present day portion includes Posy (now in her 70s), her son Nick, a woman Nick meets named Tammy, and Amy, who is the wife of Posy’s other son. Each of them, and the other people in their life, have their own issues, secrets (kept secret from the reader for most of the book as well), and/or romantic travails. It’s a bit of a soap operatic book - some contrivances, some plot points that are a bit overbroad or wrapped up too easily. Lucinda Riley is one of my favorite authors, but this is the weakest book of hers that I have read - yet I still enjoyed it. 3.5 stars.

What an enchanting story. If you enjoy love stories, one with passion and amazing settings, then this book is for you. In it, Posy Montague is about to celebrate her seventieth birthday. She lives in a beautiful home and remembers the days of her childhood catching butterflies. The scenery of this book is captivating and you feel pulled into this character's world. A timeless story of hope, love and memories, this is one book you don't want to pass by. Highly recommend!

I've received an ARC from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, this is a sweet second chance love story. It had a slow start but I was hooked soon after. I liked the switch between the past and present which helped me get a better understanding of the story. I felt it had too many descriptions in some parts of the story and it had me wishing for a better pace. The dialogues between the characters felt forced and I couldn't get any emotional connect with the characters because of it. Though the story is cliche, I would have enjoyed if it hadn't felt like too many love stories. It had some elements of domestic abuse, infidelity that I felt could have been handled better. Overall it is was a good attempt but the character portrayal felt too forced to fall in love with the story.

The Butterfly Room is my first book from Lucinda Riley

"Posey is almost 70 years old. She realizes she must think about leaving her longtime home. When the man who broke her heart years ago appears again, she is reluctant to trust him. Unkown to her, he carries a devastating secret..."

Some wonderful writing by Riley. Book is a bit long. A bit of a slow build. Previous fans of her writing should enjoy this one.

EXCERPT: Admiral House, Southwold, Suffolk, June 1943

. . . I tripped up the stairs that turned round and round quickly before Daisy returned. When I reached the top, I put my hand to the knob of the big oak door and twisted it. Daisy clearly hadn't locked it, because it opened, and one step later, there I was in Daddy's secret office.

It smelt of polish, and light illuminated the circular walls that surrounded the windows Daisy had just cleaned. On the wall directly in front of me hung what must be an entire extended family of Red Admiral butterflies. They were lined up in rows of four behind glass enclosed by a gilt frame.

As I took a step closer, I was confused, because I wondered how the butterflies could stay so still, and what they had found to eat inside their little glass prison.

Then I saw the heads of the pins that stuck them to the backing. I glanced at the other walls and saw that they too were covered with the butterflies we'd caught over the years.

With a groan of horror, I turned and pelted down the steps and out into the garden. Seeing Daisy approaching from the house, I turned and ran around the back of the Folly and into the woodland that surrounded it. When I was far enough away, I sank down onto the roots of a big oak tree, gulping in breath.

'They're dead! They're dead! They're dead! How could he have lied to me?' I shouted in between sobs.

I stayed in the woods a very long t,until I heard Daisy calling for me. I only wished I could ask Daddy why he'd killed them when they were so beautiful, and then hung them up like trophies so he could look up and see their deadness on the walls.

Well, I couldn't ask, because he wasn't here, but I had to trust and believe there was a very good reason for the murders in our butterfly kingdom.

As I stood and began to walk slowly back to the house, I couldn't think of a single one. All I knew was that I never wanted to set foot in the Folly again.

ABOUT THE BUTTERFLY ROOM BY LUCINDA RILEY: Posy Montague is approaching her seventieth birthday. Still living in her beautiful family home, Admiral House, set in the glorious Suffolk countryside where she spent her own idyllic childhood catching butterflies with her beloved father, and raised her own children, Posy knows she must make an agonising decision. Despite the memories the house holds, and the exquisite garden she has spent twenty-five years creating, the house is crumbling around her, and Posy knows the time has come to sell it.

Then a face appears from the past - Freddie, her first love, who abandoned her and left her heartbroken fifty years ago. Already struggling to cope with her son Sam’s inept business dealings, and the sudden reappearance of her younger son Nick after ten years in Australia, Posy is reluctant to trust in Freddie’s renewed affection. And unbeknown to Posy, Freddie - and Admiral House - have a devastating secret to reveal . . .

MY THOUGHTS: I loved this multi-generational family saga beginning in the 1940's when Posy is a child and culminating with Posy's 70th birthday. The timelines do go back and forth, but do so in a logical and seamless way that in no way interrupts the flow of the story.

It has all the ingredients I expect of a family saga: a big old crumbling family home, mystery, sibling rivalry, romance, secrets, lies . . . But the biggest secret? I never could have guessed what it would be, and it left me stunned.

This is a big book at 628 pages, but it oozes atmosphere and I quickly became entrenched in Posy's life. Riley's characters are magnificent; from Posy with her inherent wisdom and dignity, to her sons, both very different and both of whom are facing disasters in their private lives, their families, and finally Freddie, a great love from Posy's past - they will all worm their way into your heart and occupy your mind from the first to the last page.

I meandered through the first half of this book, content to dip in and out of it between other reads, but once I hit the halfway point I devoured the second half in one sitting, totally engrossed, unable to put it down.

Be warned - you will need tissues. Close to the end I found myself sobbing violently, not pretty crying with tears rolling silently down my cheeks, but the full on waterworks as I railed against the injustice of fate. But I finished with a sigh of pleasure and a smile of satisfaction.

The Butterfly Room is my first book by Lucinda Riley. It definitely won't be my last. Spellbinding. ❤

⭐⭐⭐⭐.6

#TheButterflyRoom #NetGalley

'It suddenly struck me that I hadn’t really thought the future through; and now here I was in it.'

THE AUTHOR: Lucinda Riley is an Irish author of popular historical fiction and a former actress. She spent the first few years of her life in the village of Drumbeg near Belfast before moving to England. At age 14 she moved to London to a specialist drama and ballet school. She wrote her first book aged twenty four.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Blue Box Press, Author Buzz via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley for review.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

A bittersweet and beautifully rendered story of a multigenerational family, a house, and secrets. The author is able to extract many emotions from the reader with this story. The writing is beautiful.
Many thanks to Blue Box Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I haven't read this author before and took chance because the cover grabbed,im so glad I did. I enjoyed it from start to finish.

Posy story is brill upsetting tho.

You enjoy it.

Lucinda Riley's book, "The Butterfly Room," was as enchanting as well as it was intriguing. I was captivated by a variety of characters who were invested in a family home, Admiral House, set in the charming, countryside of Suffolk. Childhood memories and family complexities were intertwined in a story which embraced love and hardship.
Posy, the seventy year old mother, who resides in Admiral House shares lasting memories of catching butterflies with her cherished father and finding the secrets he kept in his room. After raising her family and enjoying many years creating a lavish garden, Posy must make a heartbreaking decision.
I was touched by her admirable spirit and the rock upon which her children stood tall.
Sam, her troubled, adult son was a constant source of concern. His family neglected and forlorned. Her other son, Nick's, unforseen return from Australia was complicating her world. The unforeseen return of her past love, Freddie, furthermore complicates her world.
The heterogeneity of each personality would be appealing to many aged readers. The author's writing set the stage to engage in each distinct personality.
Hence, I found pleasure in the secrets, mysteries and victories penned in "The Butterfly Room."