This is such a lovely, gorgeous book. I really enjoyed reading it. It is the second book in the Applewell series of books. It can definitely be read as a standalone book. The characters of the first book do feature, but only as minor characters. It is nice to catch up with them though.
Lottie and Henry are both likeable characters., I especially liked Lottie, and I enjoyed reading about her creations. I would love to be as creative as she is.
Applewell sounds like such a lovely place to live. Reading about it makes me want to live somewhere like it.
This is such a heartwarming and uplifting read. I was sorry to finish reading it. I really hope that there is another book in the Applewell series of books.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Another lovely book by Lilac Mills. A very easy read with comfortable characters in husband and wife Henry and Lottie. On the face of it they are happily married but underneath it is a different story.

This book is about Lottie and Henry. They're married and three children. Money is tight and Henry loses his job and doesn't have the heart to tell Lottie about it. So he goes out every day pretending to go to work but he's really looking for a new job.

Will Lottie find out he's lost his job? Will Henry find a new job or will he come clean to Lottie?

I absolutely loved this book and couldn't stop reading it.

Lottie is tired – tired with her family, tired of trying to make ends meet and tired in general. Mum to three child, she has to stretch the family budget as far as it will go but still things are difficult and the prospect of their house extension grows further and further away, Lottie starts reworking broken household items and selling them on.

Husband Henry has been made redundant and can’t bear to break the news to Lottie just before Christmas. Instead, he pretends to go to work as usual while frantically job hunting. The race is on to find another job before Lottie finds out.

What a lovely story this was, and I whizzed through it in just a few days as I really adored the writing style and the characters felt real and believable although there were times when I wanted to shout at Henry!!

Since reading the book I have discovered it is the second book in a series, which was a complete surprise as it is a lovely stand alone, heart warming tale and I will definitely be adding all her other books to my TBR shelf!

I enjoyed this book and read it quickly in just a day.
It was refreshing to start the story from Henry's point of view. So often in the books that I read, the main character is female. It made a nice change for that not to be the case. While we did hear from Lottie in subsequent chapters, my alleigance was with Henry from the outset. I was constantly willing him to come clean with his wife about his redundancy before it ruined his marriage.
Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for the ARC to review,
Opinions are my own.

With thanks to #NetGalley and #Canelo for an ARC of #MakeDoAnd MendInApplewell by #LilacMills.

Lottie and Henry are married with three children. Money is tight, but Lottie is a whizz at stretching the budget and a dab hand at a bit of upcycling.
Henry, doesn’t have the heart to tell Lottie he has lost his job. So every day he leaves the house and searches for his next opportunity, desperate to give his family the christmas and the life they deserve.
Can Henry find a job, or will Lottie find out his secret?

The story is told in alternate chapters from the perspective of Lottie and Henry. I always enjoy this approach in a book.

Lottie and Henry’s story is tangled, but despite their flaws and difficulties communicating, they love each other deeply.

This was such a sweet, warm and charming story. You’ll be drawn in and smothered with these beautiful characters and the joy of christmas.

This is book two in the Applewell Village series.
Publication date 26/8/21

A charming five stars from me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Make Do and Mend in Applewell is another feel-good book by Lilac Mills and I really enjoyed reading it. Henry Hargreaves is made redundant and is reluctant to share this information with his wife, not wanting to seem like a failure. Lottie is busy taking care of their three young children while Henry goes out to work and she does her best to up-cycle items and reinvent them, saving money her husband works hard for. Henry's reluctance to tell Lottie about his redundancy leads to her assuming all sorts of things about his recent moodiness and stinginess and as much as she tries to put her doubts to the back of her mind, the more they come to the forefront.

I thought the conflict between Henry and Lottie was really well written and I was torn between feeling for both characters; I couldn't choose. I love the way things were resolved in the end and the idea of up cycling and reinventing old pieces through the story was brilliant. The secondary characters were great and there were some moments that had me laughing out loud.

A very enjoyable and well written book. The characters came to life easily and were honest and down to earth in their search for being thrifty. Lilac Mills always gives us very good stories and this one doesn't disappoint. 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this eARC

This was my first book by this author and I found it quite enjoyable. I liked the way the chapters were written by each of the 2 main characters, Lottie and Henry, and we could see what each was feeling and thinking. The 2 main characters were very likable and the feeling of family values came across in the book

I did find it a bit infuriating that there was so much mis-understanding and not wanting to talk to each other about things that were going on, but I still wanted to continue reading to find out what happened in the end.

I haven't read the first "Applewell" book but this did not detract from my enjoyment of this book.

I didn’t know this was book #2 of a series, but I didn’t feel I was missing out on anything having not read the first. I don’t know if the same characters are in the first book whether it’s just a theme or location that joins the series, but I definitely kept on track with this book as if it was a standalone book.

As most people who have read my reviews know by now, I love a good Christmas book, and am always looking for new titles to add to my dedicated festive shelf. No matter my mood or the environment, I can always rely on them to keep me warm and cozy and comforted.

The protagonist’s upcycling and thrift buying had definitely given me some insertion for the upcoming festivity, especially considering I’m still out of work and everything seems to be more expensive nowadays.

The village of Applewell sounds like such a quaint, gorgeous little village, especially during the winter months. Both main characters are likeable, regardless of their flaws, and very real. It’s a very real story with real problems and real relationships and real famous.

Make Do and Mend in Applewell - Lilac Mills

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Canelo and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Lottie has always been thrifty. As a mother of three, it's even more important that she stretches the household budget as far as possible. Luckily, Lottie’s penchant for taking broken items and upcycling them has worked wonders for living on a shoestring.

Henry can’t face telling Lottie he’s been made redundant. Instead, he pretends to go to work as usual while frantically job hunting. The race is on to find another role before Lottie discovers he’s another useless item for her collection – one that is beyond repair.

This is a lovely, heart-warming, Christmassy read. In a very realistic novel, Lottie and Henry struggle to communicate about his redundancy which leads to Lottie growing very suspicious. The chapters alternate between Henry and Lottie.

A well-written, engaging book that is such a sweet read. I would highly recommend this book, during the upcoming festive season.

Rating 4/5

Really enjoyed this story and all it offered, The characters were easy to relate with and you could understand both perspectives along the way.

I loved this book, it is engaging from the very first sentence. Well written and believable.

Little is a girl after my own heart, thrifty bit likeable.

A highly recommended read.

Lack of communication causes problems for Lottie and Henry after Henry is made redundant and keeps it from Lottie. Thrifty Lottie is made suspicious by his bad mood and reluctance to spend any money at all. A sweet read but left wanting more.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

As a mother, with three kids, Lottie has always been frugal, making the money she has for buying household things stretch as far as she can.
She loves making items that are broken or no longer required into something which has another life, and is saved from being dumped. This has certainly helped her with making ends meet.

Her husband, Henry, has again lost his job and doesn’t want to tell Lottie that once again he’s been made redundant. So, everyday, he makes out he’s going to work, but instead he’s looking for another job. Desperately wanting to find a job before his wife finds out, he’s asks wherever he goes, even the local tip.
As Christmas is a time when we give to people, what will Lottie do when she finds out the lies that he’s told, will she give Henry another chance? Especially as she’s been imagining all sorts of things he’s been upto….
Will Henry be able to give his wife and kids what they want?

Recommend It.

I liked this book but the story just felt a little flat and drawn out. I was expecting a bit more drama. Worth a read but distinctly average in comparison to other books.

Lottie have a a mum of 3, always needing to stretch her pennies she’s learned to make do and mend. She’s married to sales rep
Henry who eeks a living out as an animal feeds sales rep. When I be of her brood breaks his bed on purpose and Henry is given a boat he realises just how talented his wife is.
Lottie thinks he is having an affair and getting these odd items to keep her busy.
She doesn’t realise he’s about to lose his jobs and just can’t tell her.

This book follows Henry and Lottie trying to fake it until they make it.
It’s a really sweet read and very enjoyable.
This arc was provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book by Lilac Mills, im very much interested in upcycling though i struggled with an 8ft boot bed

Reading this story whilst actually being near places mentioned in the book, made the story even more special. I loved Lottie and Henry and you could actually feel how much they genuinely loved each other. So when Henry loses his job so near to Christmas and finances being tight already with Lottie being a stay at home mum & having three growing kids to provide for, Henry decides to keep the job issue to himself in the hope of finding another before he tells his wife. But when Henry starts acting strangely, Lizzie counjours up all kinds of scenarios in her head. There are a few thought provoking moments in this story & some quite relatable ones too. A very enjoyable book.

Lottie is a stay at home mum with 3 children who is good at DIY and up cycling things and is finally getting a bit of time for herself now her youngest is at nursery
Henry her husband has just found out he is being made redundant again for the 2nd time in 6 months and just before Christmas but doesn't want to tell Lottie and worry her so decides to try and find another job before he tells her
If only he had told the truth, plenty of miscommunication causing all sorts of trouble which could have been avoided
A great book, really enjoyed it