A Secret Gift, by Amanda James, is a lovely, mystical story of Hope and Joy. Joy works as a caregiver in a senior living facility in Cornwall. One of her dear patients, a lady named Hope, is nearing the end. Before she does, Hope passes along a special gift to Joy, who she had identified as the perfect person to continue the mission of identifying those in need of positive energy and those with much to share. The jar full of pebbles Hope bequeathed to Joy was simply the vehicle used to transfer this energy from one to another.

Although Joy doesn’t immediately buy in to this “gift”,once she meets and helps a young man down and out she begins to be a believer. As she proceeds, Joy begins by thinking it was just a coincidence when the first transfer works, but eventually understands the gift she has received and the power it has to transform lives.

This is such a delightful story. One part mysticism, one part humanity, and all a wonderfully delightful story of hope and joy! I very much enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it!

I must admit when I started reading this book I didn't think I would enjoy it as not my usual sort of thing. I persevered though and couldn't put it down after a few chapters. Well done Amanda for a brilliant read, hope to read more of your books in the future.
Joy is a carer at a local residential home in Newquay. One of the residents is Hope, 94, who hasn't been well over the last couple of weeks. As Hope nears the end, she tells Joy a secret so that Joy can continue helping the people who need it most. A lovely heartwarming read for a cold autumn or winter day.

I had not read any books by this Author before but I was invited to read this book via Netgalley by the Publishers.
This is a very unusual and original book. It is very well written and easy to read, it definitely won't be the last book that I read by this author. I really enjoyed reading it. It is a very heartwarming and feel-good read. I highly recommend it.

What a strange storyline, but a surprisingly lovely read.
Magic pebbles are what brings new friends, challenges, job, and love in this story.
I was pleasantly surprised with how I enjoyed reading this book and would love to read more from this author.

You must read this book. It covers love, loss, being gifted a secret that can help people become less troubled and turn their lives around.
Set in Cornwall it is a book to consume on winter evenings with a mugs of hot chocolate and enjoy every word.
Fabulous.

A beautiful story with an unusual storyline involving Joy who was given a gift from an old lady in her care. I really loved the concept of this story and Joy's wish to help as many people as she could. It was a heartwarming read with a touch of humour. It was unusual and very much an original story which was a joy to read.

A cute and magical little read. I like the whole idea of being able to "collect" good auras and help people who have gloomy ones. I just wish some of the sections with certain characters were longer or more involved, because it seemed to move on to a whole new character rather quickly. Overall, though, a cute read.

♥️The cover of A Secret Gift is just beautiful♥️
What a unusual yet compelling story. Grief, loss, friendship and second chances are the key elements in the story. Throw in magic crystals and you get a very sweet story I loved reading.
The setting is in beautiful Cornwall.
The characters are engaging and interesting.
The story was heartwarming and heartfelt.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A really gorgeous read, easy to get in to, with some lovely charecters wrapped around a simply lovely story, loved every minute of it

This was a magical story full of hope, friendship, love and second chances!

Joy was lost after her husband passed away. She went to work at a job that met her needs, but wasn't her passion. She loved the people at the facility, but she really wanted to be working with kids in a school setting. One of her patients that she cared for, Hope, had become a good friend. When Hope passed along a secret to Joy, it opened up a whole new world for Joy, one that she didn't know was possible.

I enjoyed this story.

A SECRET GIFT by Amanda James
Joy Pentire is working at a Care Home in Cornwall, three years after her husband Sean died young. She lives alone with her cat Sebastian and although she loves working with the residents, her life is not as happy or as fulfilling as she would like it to be. But somehow she seems to feel powerless to change it.
Then, one day, one of the elderly residents, Hope, passes on a secret gift – one which will change Joy’s life in all sorts of ways…
I absolutely loved this book. I hadn’t read any of Amanda James’s novels before, but have since bought another one. In A Secret Gift, she weaves a tale which has so much goodness in it, it is a real feel-good story. The novel is heart-warming, uplifting and magical. In places, it seems like a modern-day fairytale, though in the best possible sense. I found the story unusual and original and the characters are believable and wonderful. Who knows, there may even be a Prince Charming in the pages too…
9 out of 10

4.5 Stars

Heartwarming, emotional, original and full of Cornish charm and magic, Amanda James’ A Secret Gift is an unforgettable, haunting and captivating tale readers will be completely enchanted by.

Three years ago, Joy Pentire’s whole world had come crashing down around her ears. Her firefighter husband had died and Joy hasn’t been the same since. Time might be a great healer, but Joy is still wracked by despair, sorrow and anguish. Joy simply cannot imagine living a life where she isn’t still persecuted by her grief, but could an encounter with Hope, one of the residents at the nursing home where she works as a carer, help her to stop living in the past and to forge forward with her life?

Hope is not an ordinary resident. She is a woman with a secret gift; a gift she would love to pass on to Joy. When Joy receives this unexpected present from Hope, her entire world is transformed. At long last the dark clouds that have hovered over Joy for three years have started to lift and in her Cornish hometown, Joy feels renewed and ready to start this new phase in her life. Joy’s unexpected inheritance will lead Joy to new opportunities, new friends, new love and a part of her that she had given up on which she had thought lost forever.

Amanda James’ A Secret Gift is a wonderful tale about second chances, fresh starts, the power of friendship and healing from the past sure to strike a chord with readers everywhere. Amanda James writes beautifully and sensitively about the devastating effects of grief, the struggles of putting one foot in front of the other when everything seems hopeless and the joy of living as opposed to merely existing.

Uplifting, poignant and simply magical, A Secret Gift is an extraordinary page-turner from Amanda James’ immensely talented pen.

Loved this book and everything about it, well written and a different sort of novel. 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

Incredibly heartwarming novel. Loved the setting in Cornwall, I felt like I was there through the author's descriptions. Joy Pentire is dealing with her own grief and yet accepts a gift from one of residents of the nursing home where she works that will change her life. Great friends, family and new acquaintances that send you on a journey of discovery, love and second changes. Very enjoyable read. You will definitely shed some tears.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own. Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this joyous and heartwarming book.

Set in beautiful Cornwall, near Mawgan Porth, a lovely place that I’ve visited before, this book has wonderful characters, scenic settings and a plot that’s both uplifting and enchanting.

It’s a quirky tale, and requires a little suspension of disbelief, but once I got into the story, I found the whole thing totally enrapturing.

I loved the main character, Joy, who is aptly named. She’s funny and kind and sprinkles a bit of Joy wherever she is.

She is passed on a special gift, which I won’t spoil by telling you about, but it makes for a sparkling and inspiring plot.

With some very touching and some genuinely funny moments, this gorgeous book just swept me along, and I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. A book that will make you smile, and make you think, I’d highly recommend it.

I wasn't sure when I started this book if it would be one for me but I am glad I carried on as it was one of the most delightful books I have read. Joy is a carer at a local residential home in Newquay. One of her residents is Hope, 94, who hasn't been well over the last couple of weeks. As Hope nears the end, she tells Joy a secret so that Joy can continue helping the people who need it most. A lovely heartwarming read for a cold autumn or winter's day/night.

The premise of this book is very interesting. Joy can see auroras around people that show what emotion they are feeling. She is able to borrow some of their auroras and pass them on to others via pebbles. Seems easy. You see someone who is sad and give them a happy pebble. But what is the downside of this wonderful gift?

What drew me to this book was the beautiful cover and the premise. What kept me reading was Joy and her story. I loved the idea of helping others. This is a wonderful story to get lost in!

Joy is a widow. . Since her husband died she has been unsettled and still grieving. Feeling unable to return to her work as a teaching assistant she has been working in a care home. Joy is a lovely woman and cares for the residents in such a way that she feels it when each one passes away.
One of the residents, Hope is nearing the end of her life and asks to speak to Joy. She gifts her a jar of pebbles and a secret . As Joy promises never to reveal what she has been told she thinks to herself that it is all very strange and writes it off as rambles from an old woman.
What Joy doesn't know is her life is about to change in ways she could never imagine. She will meet new people and experience feelings she has never had and all because of Hope.
The other characters are well written and I enjoyed their place in the story.

What an uplifting read this was. From the beautiful cover that entices you inside to the lovely persona that is Hope.
Apart from a first name, Hope is also the mood of the book. Hope that things will improve for all people in all ways. Hope that each day will get better and hope that love will find you.
I smiled all the way through this story and it made me feel different about certain things. I always love a touch of magic and find myself to be a true believer in all things that can't be explained.
I don't want to give any of this story away but while I was reading it I saw my husband was feeling a bit low and wanting to make him feel better I gave him a shell from a jar of shells I keep in the bathroom.
( well no pebbles around). I said ,"Ask no Questions" and he smiled .

What an absolute charmer of a book. I loved every bit of it from the gorgeous Cornish setting to the (mostly) lovely characters involved in the story. Our leading lady, Joy, is a delight. She has been left a widow in her twenties and lives alone with her cat, Sebastian (I loved Seb). Hope is an elderly lady living in the care home where Joy works and as she nears the end of her life she passes on a very special and magical gift to Joy who has no idea at first how to go about using it! As the story progresses and Joy begins to learn how to help people via her newfound gift she begins to love the fact that she can pass on good things to others who then, in turn, pay a good deed forward. This is a story full of love, hope, kindness and it makes you wish with all of your heart that this could be real. if there is a moral to come out of this beautiful story it is that we CAN all do our best to help others who are going through hard times by showing love, care, empathy - even without the pebbles! I loved that the older ladies in this story weren't portrayed as shuffling old dears with no concept of the modern age. Indeed, Grace and Hope were smart, feisty, modern thinking women who interacted well with those much younger than themselves. A sweet little touch was the names of some of the ladies - Hope, Grace, Faith and Joy. There is romance - of course - and plenty of will-they-won't-they between the prospective lovers. All in all this is a gorgeous, gentle and heart warming book that lifts the spirits and it left me uplifted and wanting more of the same. I highly recommend this book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for my honest and unbiased review.

A beautiful book of reflection and restarting your life after bereavement. Thought provoking with interesting well rounded characters, sad in parts but a lovely read.