Rebecca has done it again. As you may already know I loved Rebeccas Van Life series Rosie's travelling tea shop and Aria's travelling bookshop, so when the opportunity to request Escape to Honeysuckle Hall on @netgalley popped up in my emails I jumped on it and squealed when I was approved! (Thanks NetGalley and @hq.)

As I said, I loved the van life series and had high hopes for this book and I was not disappointed! This book had me in stitches!! Cluck Norris is hysterical (if you know you know 🐔) and Esterlita is the kind of gem we all wish we had in our lives. I really enjoyed the little mystery element to this one as well, even though I had my suspicions, the revela was perfect.

I'm sure you've worked out by now that my go to genre is Fantasy and Sci-fi and I wouldn't usually go in for Romances.... Unless they were under the right circumstances and Rebecca slays those circumstances for me! Her stories always seem to feature heavily on the friendships the protagonists have and I am so here for that! That's the chemistry I love! Women supporting women and the way we can be our natural (goofy) selves with those we hold closest! Her stories are funny and warm and cute and the romances that bud aren't in your face and the absolute be all and end all, they almost take a back seat to the friendships and I really love that.

I admit that @rebeccaraisinwrites books are definitely becoming my go to when I want a break from the amazing fantastical worlds I delve in to, my go to when I want something real but equally magical ☺️

I cannot recommend this and her other books enough, even if you think they might not be your style I can pretty much guarantee you'll find something in them that you can relate to or take from them.

There is just so so much to love about this book I wouldn't know where to start...

... well there is the extravagant proposal in the opening chapter that drew me in instantly and had me almost wishing there was far more about Orly's initial job.

... there's Esterlita who from the moment she entered Orly's life, was a colourful breath of fresh air and I honestly think deserves a book of her own! She's easily one of my favourite secondary characters I've come across in a long while.

... there is the mystery about who on earth is leaving Orly mystery notes, trying to scare her out of her fabulous plan of offering retreats for people who are burnt out

... there is the first retreat with its great mix of campers, all of whom I loved and was invested in, even though they don't feature until around the last third or so of the book, I really loved their personalities.

... And there is Orly herself who is a fabulous leading lady, who is after experiencing some humiliating heartbreak is now following her dreams with Honeysuckle Hall, and I just loved everything about her.

This is a book that has so many threads running through it, which combined make one incredibly engaging and entertaining story.

Oh and I forgot to mention what really drew me instantly to Orly is her hobby. It's a hobby I don't recall seeing in any other books, but given it is one I indulged in as a child at the very least, I was rather happy to see it represented at last, but I'll leave it you to discover what she enjoys doing in her spare time.

I had a lovely time reading Escape to Honeysuckle Hall even with its rather menacing chicken, giant spider and gorgeous carpenter - with at least 2 of those providing rather memorably funny moments!

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ebook to review! This book is a great comfort read and centres on self-discovery and self-improvement with romance being a secondary theme.

The book starts with Orly who runs an event planning company for celebrities and billionaires and makes the impossible a reality for their special days. Orly does the hard work behind the scenes while the other partners (her fiancé included) schmooze the celebrities. She’s lost her passion for the business and dreams of living in the countryside and doing something that makes a difference rather than meeting the extravagant demands of rich people.

After a few mishaps and her life turning upside down, Orly finds Honeysuckle Hall available to buy and renovate and she takes the chance to start afresh. This book focuses more on relationships between characters and dialogue rather than a solid plot. That being said, it is a sweet and wholesome read and leaves you feeling warm inside.

A very quick to read, lighthearted and predictable romantic novel. It started fine but then the plot became a bit ridiculous. I did not take to the main character and although the diverse characters of the 'villagers' were a bit far fetched they lifted the story. It was not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the advance copy.

I really did escape into this book. It’s a great, happy story with some twists along the way. I loved the characters, although there were a couple of characters I’d like to have known more about, but that didn’t take away from the story. I’d recommend this book to family and friends.

When Orly’s boyfriend and business partner dumps her for a celebrity fling, she finds solace in tacos, tequila and tears. One terrible hangover later, she’s packed her bags and swapped her London apartment for the overgrown grounds of Honeysuckle Hall. After years spent catering to others’ whims, Orly is going after what she wants: a simpler life, surrounded by nature. Her plan to set up countryside retreats for burned-out city-dwellers means she soon has the social life she’s been dreaming of – and gorgeous carpenter Leo is always around when she needs something fixed… As Orly’s new life blossoms, so does her friendship with Leo, and she wonders if she’s finally found somewhere to put down roots – until she discovers a series of anonymous notes, warning her off. Was she wrong to trust Leo? Or is someone else trying to sabotage her future?

This was a quick, easy, romantic read. It gripped me enough to keep me reading and kept me entertained enough for me to enjoy. This would be the perfect book on a beach or holiday or around the pool. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

A lovely light-hearted read.

Orly runs a very successful, but stressful, business catering to the whims of those who have money to throw around, but had been feeling unsettled recently. So when her fiance and business partner made a mess of a job and then ran off with a 'celebrity' and dumped Orly, she decided it was time for a big lifestyle change.

She'd always wanted to move out into the country, so she sold her shares in the stressful business and bought Honeysuckle Hall, with plans of turning it into a retreat for those needing a bit of R&R. A camp but for adults instead of children, and starts getting the Hall back into shape, with the help of the eccentric Esterlita and the handsome carpenter Leo.

There are a few mysteries around, someone isn't that keen on Orly being there, but she ignores the 'warnings' and carries on regardless.

I did think parts were a bit.... silly(!), and I did think Esterlita appearing the minute Orly moved in was a bit odd, but she really grew on me, even though she was as mad as a box of frogs!

I really enjoyed the way the story developed, with Leo and his crew renovating the Hall and Orly welcoming her first group of paying guests.

The story really grew on me and by the end I was sad to leave Honeysuckle Hall. A real feel-good book.

Review of Escape to Honeysuckle Hall by Rebecca Raisin

This is the story of Orly, who after being spectacularly dumped by her boyfriend and business partner packs her bags up and leaves London for the solace of rundown Honeysuckle Hall. Her plan is to renovate and turn it into a location for people needing to relax. The love interest comes in the form of handsome carpenter Leo. Could this be where is finally finds her purpose?
I really enjoyed this story, well written and good character development. Heart-warming romance with a nice dose of humour thrown in. Recommended.

Always loved reading books by this author and this one didn’t disappoint! The beautiful setting of Honeysuckle Hall and all the weird and wonderful characters to go along with it. A quick and easy read.

Orly has been in a negative relationship with Harry, doing most of the work, and carrying the can when he messes up. Her work as a partner in Excès has been demanding and unfulfilling. She needs change, and when Harry runs off with someone else and Honeysuckle Hall, a rambling overgrown mansion, comes on the market she decides to buy.
The story is about Orly’s journey to finding herself and starting a new business concept which is more meaningful than her previous work of pandering to the outrageously expensive whims of the rich and famous. Character driven and drawn by a skillful, talented author, Orly is motivated and determined to succeed against all odds. Her friend Maya, although wondering whether she is doing the right thing, is totally on her side. Esterlita, her quirky new friend introduces herself at Honeysuckle Hall, and adds lots of zany character. A real sisterhood of friends determined to find Orly a new man. When Leo – a handsome, hard working character enters the scene, all decide he is perfect for Ory.
With grit and determination from Orly working hard to improve the Hall, along with humour and a threat of danger with mysterious notes being found in the hall – this book has it all, and is a pleasure to read. Although the book lacks a little pace in the middle, I enjoyed reading.

This story is a sweet, highly enjoyable romance read. The writing flowed well and took me along with the characters in this delightful story. It is well written and kept my interest with its humour, storyline, characters and a few twists, for good measure.

Orly works with the rich and famous fulfilling their every whim and desire. She is engaged to her business partner Harry, a rat if ever there was one. So when everything goes pear-shaped she quits and decides to start an escape camp for people who are definitely famous or rich. That's when the fun starts.

Orly is lovely, determined to break away from her old life and start this new venture. She has a definite vision and isn't going to let anything or anyone stop her. She is a bouncy, happy person whose character I liked and admired.

The story has plenty of good secondary characters from "The Firecracker", the Filipino woman who makes Orly and her life her business to sort out, to Leo the carpenter/odd job man who can literally turn his hand to anything. He is sweet and kind, just what Orly needs. Maya her best friend is great, bubbly, enthusiastic and a great balance to Orly's worries.

I did enjoy this story, its characters and the few unseen twists. It's very readable but for me just need to be a little more surprising as I guessed the plot. Also, the continual use of the term Darling whenever the women from London spoke became a little grating at times. Having said that, it was still an enjoyable read.

I very nearly put this book down and didn’t finish it. Main character Orly was part of a very shallow, showbizzy kind of lifestyle due to her job and I just thought that I couldn’t read a whole book like that. But, it soon changed, hence the title of the book and I’m glad I stuck with it.

Orly ends up in a disaster of a breakup from boyfriend Harry as he leaves her for someone famous. Not wanting to be a part of that any more she ends up buying this big estate house that needs renovating and moves out to the a small town to start a new life. I loved Orly’s determination to make her idea work and I liked that it wasn’t something really crazy, It was something actually achievable due to her previous job.

Escape to Honeysuckle Hall is full of some fantastic characters with a new love interest, Orly’s best friend from home and new people she meets as she gets to know people in town. The additional characters really added some funny moments that made me giggle.

Overall, a fun read that is worth sticking with.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book.The build up to her decision to change track in her life was interesting and the story about Honeysuckle Hall was delightful.

There are many readers who will enjoy this book but I'm afraid it didn't catch on with me but I wouldn't write it off completely. The book started off fine and I was interested enough to see how it was going to pan out but then it went from the sublime to the ridiculous and totally beyond the realms of possibility. Apart from that I wondered if this was written for the American market as there were so many Americanisms and inaccuracies plus the characters were almost a caricature of eccentric Englishness.

Another fabulous read from the pen of Rebecca Raisin. This is excapist fiction at its best, something we need right now. Orla. A cheating partner. A chance to run away and start afresh. An interesting array of supporting characters. 5 star delight between the book covers.

I loved the cover and synopsis of this book so was pleased to get a preview copy to read.

The opening chapters were great - Orly (lead character)’s business Excès sounded fun and the initial disaster was quite funny.

The final chapters were good too… with some lovely characterisations and a touching story of love and loss.

However the bits in between were lacking. It was like an artist had blocked out a painting, coloured the corners but not gone back to finish the middle.

Some things were just a bit unfathomable. Orly managed to sell her business, buy a small stately home and move out of London into said home (or rather the gatekeeper’s cottage of said home) in 6 weeks. There was no real plot reason to make it all happen so fast but it made the story feel unbelievable.

As did the master joiner who was free to start next week and who also appeared to be a tree surgeon, electrician and gardener as well. The cottage Orly moved into sounded derelict but with some painting all was fine and Honeysuckle Hall had conveniently been kept in a state of repair despite no one living there for years. I just didn’t understand why it was necessary to include some of this far-fetched information. It was a distraction.

The lack of research into the adult adventure camp was odd too - a throwaway line about how Orly had worked on the promotion of a similar venture before or how she had been researching this for years would have dealt with the problem but no…

As for hiring someone to be camp lead which involved kayaking and hiking over waterfalls without any references, a cv or any nod to health and safety was just silly.

None of these things was as distracting as the frequent Australianisms that peppered the language. A high street with a ‘lolly’ shop and various other words I can’t recall now, really jarred.

I found the lack of attention to detail frustrating and distracting because Rebecca’s writing is lovely. And there WAS a great idea in there but the characters were two dimensional and Orly’s
self-flagellation over her feelings for Leo were teenage and silly.

I read Rosie’s teashop and it was lovely - Honeysuckle Hall doesn’t match up for me.

However, it is an easy read and loads of my fellow Netgalley readers have loved it.

When Orly's boyfriend dumps her for a celebrity she decides to go for her dream which is setting up a camp for adults. She then buys Honeysuckle Hall having not even seen it. Orly then meets her eccentric neighbour Esterlita.. Wonderful book

A charming rom com with laugh out loud moments. All a bit OTT but so well told it is easy to overlook the aspects that are a bit surreal! A delightful heroine, gorgeous hero when he arrives, and a quirky neighbour, plus a caring BFF. Most of all a well spun story. A light hearted read culminating in a happy ending to bring sunshine to a miserable day. I enjoyed it.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book comes across as though someone American is trying to write about England, but in fact Rebecca Raisin is Australian! Some of the language and mannerisms grate. Also there are definitely no gorges in Kent so possibly more research was required. The characters are a bit cliched and unbelievable while the plot is sometimes predictable. Not an author I will be looking out for.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I have to admit I am a huge Rebecca Raisin fan, especially Rosie's travelling tea shop and Avai's travelling book shop. So I was excited when I got the chance to review her latest book!

The story begins with Orly and her partner Harry who are part of a successful company who arrange luxury bespoke experiences to the rich and famous. In a world where money is no object and anything can be achieved. But after a brief fling with a celebrity Harry runs out on Orly.

Orly has always dreamed of running a retreat in the countryside, for burnt out city-dwellers. So that leads her to buy Honeysuckle Hall and leave London behind her. The story jumps forward six weeks and she has moved there, this was the most annoying part of the story.

This story was so many key parts that make it great as a whole, such as Freya the town busy body in a small town where " everyone is always hiding something and you have to be on the look out for it". Leo is the good guy inevitable love interest and best friend Maya is there by Orly's side throughout. The people on the retreats are also a detailed mix of great characters.

Then there is Esterlita, the firecracker who is Orly new neighbour. There is a lot reference made about Esterlita's Filipino cuisine but they are never explained further (possibly by adding recipes at the back). Does this make her become the 'token' Filipino character or is there more to her. I know she becomes a great friend of Orly "I sigh at Esterlita and her foibles, I've never known anyone like her before", also the Filipino superstition  Esterlita takes so seriously some might want more explanation.

I however loved this book all round its told at a great pace and I love its twists and turns, despite the slightly negative parts that i thought was only fair to point  out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.



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