Adira has spent her whole life under pressure to be better, first by her mother, then her college, now her job as a barrister in London. The only one that teaches her to be herself is her grandmother Edie, with her bohemian lifestyle and knowledge of medicinal plants. After being forced to represent one too many rich, entitled, and cheating men through divorce, Adira has had enough. She quits her job, buys a campervan named Sheila, and decides to travel for a year. Searching for a relaxed small town vibe, she tries several places, but they're either too touristy, too unwelcoming, or just not quite right. Then Sheila breaks down outside Lilacwell and she parks in a nearby field.
Jasper has a promising career in Dubai, but when his ailing Uncle Fletcher needs help, he comes back to his hometown. He's always been closer to his uncle than his own father, and he's set to inherit the estate, the Laurels, when his uncle is gone. At first suspicious of the strange yet enigmatic woman his uncle had welcomed onto his land, Jasper determines to keep a close eye on Adira. But the more they're thrown together, the more he realizes she's just what he and this close-knit community need. But can he convince her to stay?
This was a cozy and charming travel romance that made me want to give up everything and travel myself. I liked the grumpy uncle matchmaker and the stalker side story that made things more interesting.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

‘I think you were meant to find Lilacwell, don’t you?’

The answer to that question is a resounding yes! This book was perfection - an in between read that really ticked all the boxes. Putting it simply, it tells a story of when you have had enough of your job and the rat race and decide to leave, buy a campervan and embark on an adventure - now that is something we have all felt at some stage in our lives. The sweet aspect of this book is that Adira (main character) doesn’t get that far as she falls in love with the most wonderful village and its occupants.

‘… she realised what she didn’t want. To be here, stuck in this car park, stuck in this city and stuck in this job.’

I was attracted to this book because the questions Adira was asking herself about her path in life and needing time to reassess her priorities was totally relatable. Add in ‘Sheila’ (the campervan) with the most charming Lancashire village and the tale is just so enchanting. Another aspect I appreciated about Sasha’s book is that it was multidimensional - this is not just a romantic chick lit - far from it. Sasha’s inclusion of topics such as the cost of maintaining an English manor, setting up a new business, working abroad, the problems of aging and caring for the aged, workplace issues - truly, it is an impressively written book that touches on some highly relevant issues. I love it when a book such as this offers the reader that little bit extra.

‘He’d come to realise just how much his memories had played a part in his life, and not always in a positive way.’

The only issue I had was the changing in voice at times - it would suddenly flip to an alternate speaker and I had to backtrack to check who was actually speaking/thinking. However, this was a minor transgression to what is essentially a fabulous piece of escapism. Full to overflowing with a quaint village, charming characters that effuse such sincerity and friendship in the quest to find happiness.

‘Destination reached,’ she whispered in his ear, ‘I’ve found what I’ve been searching for.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

This is my first read of a one of Sasha Morgan's books and what a treat it has been. It is well written, with heart-warming characters and plot, which makes for a lovely book.

I enjoyed this book as it’s a perfect summer read. At times I felt I’d read something like this before as it’s a tried and tested formula. Girl unhappy with job, boyfriend, leaves job and boyfriend, gets a camper van drives around and arrives at a perfect location and finally falls in love. Don’t get me wrong I love that but, it’s been done so many times before. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Sasha Morgan always does have such a lovely way of spinning a gorgeously feel good tale, and this book is no exception. If you are new to Sasha's books then this is a great one to start with and then I highly recommend you read the others too. Adira was such a lovely character her and Jasper were so adorable together. I also loved the feeling of freedom this book gives you, but also the fact that It makes you realise that it's not what we don't have in life but what we do have that matters and we should all count our blessings more and be grateful and feel blessed by what we do have in life.

Escape to Lilacwell was a pleasure to read from start to finish. I was obviously crazy jealous that Adira was able to pack up and go on an adventure. We have all had those days where we wish we could just that, so it was nice to live vicariously through her for a bit. It was somewhat amusing that her grand adventure did not end up getting her that far which I guess just shows it doesn't matter where you are, just what you do wherever it is you go. Adira was open to whatever came her way and that was why she was able to create a new, happier life for herself. Adira may also be somewhat too good of a person to really exist, but I liked her so much I'll forgive that. I liked her and Jasper together, they just sort of fell into their romance so naturally. Jasper's assistant was a piece of work and I kind of wish we got to hear the conversation with her bosses after her behavior came to be known. I appreciated that Jasper didn't wait to get home to clear up everything with Adira and figured out how to get a message to her. I also liked that Adira was willing to listen. The one thing I could not understand was why Jasper's parents stayed together for so long. I get why she didn't leave her husband when Jasper was young, but she could have at any point after that. Fletcher's story was so sad and I felt bad for him when he realized how much of his life he had wasted because (since this was not a scifi story) there was no way to correct that mistake. I wish there had been more of friendship between Adira and Rory to better explain why she invited him to the party at the end. I was left with the question as to whether or not there might be a second book so we can get to know him better and see if he too can find love? I'd definitely be interested in that book.

This one was so charming!! I was captivated by the story the whole time and connected to the characters. I wish I could visit Lilacwell!! Definitely read this if you’re: itching to travel, looking for a cute feel-good summer read, and are in a reading slump. One issue I had with this was the overuse of the word “whilst”, but I’ll forgive it. There was also a weird sub-plot that I thought went a little over-the-top but I don’t want to say much about it since most of it takes place in the later parts of the book. Overall I loved reading this one and I hope to see a lot more people reading this once it comes out!

A very special thanks to NetGalley, Canelo and Sasha Morgan for this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review. Escape to Lilacwell will be published July 28, 2022.

A fantastic summer read, light and frothy and does make you think “what if I …” well, doesn’t everyone at some point want to escape the rat race and live in a campervan for a year?
This has a lovely happy ending, a jealous baddie and lots of warmth and love…everything you need for a lovely relaxing read on a sunny day!
Thank you to Netgalley the author and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Adina leaves her job and takes a gap year where she plans to travel. After stopping in Lilacwell, there are several things there that pique her interest, so she stays longer than intended. Jasper is one of those things. He’s back visiting his aging uncle and is struggling on what steps to take next for his life/future.

Lovely story set in the beautiful countryside, although there were a couple aspects of the book that were a bit too dramatic/angsty for me, as I tend to go for pure romcom storylines. However, for anyone who prefers a bit more drama in their books, this would be a great read for you.

4 stars

Sweet story. Adira was getting fed up of her london centric life as a lawyer. Her Grandmother suggested she bought a campervan and took a year off. So she does that and ends up al Lilacwell a country estate run by Jasper's uncle. Adira is excepted by the local community and because she's also got a qualification in massage is able to help the local Inn set up a spa space. Jasper realises that the estate needs more work and his uncle is not coping so comes over from Dubai. His possessive stalkerish PA is not happy and that's were the trouble starts.

Not that much passion but quite a realistic comtemporary romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How could I resist a sweet romance with my name in the title! I loved the premise, too. Living in a van for a year and being free to explore the countryside sounds like pure escapism. But unfortunately Adira doesn't get far - however she is exactly where she needs to be.

This is a perfect summer read, with a grumpy-sunshine romance, a wonderful community spirit, and a wannabe girlfriend who is determined to put a spoke in the wheel of true love.

A lovely feel good story, perfect for the summer days. Characters are great and you really get into the pages of the book and stay there

3 out of 5 stars

it was okay. boring in some areas though. i feel as though this book just wasn’t really for me. i didn’t really feel any connection to the characters, which is sad because i was very excited for this book.

What a beautiful summer read, I enjoyed this book from the first to the last page. Adira, a barrister in London, gives up her job and buys a camper van called Sheila to travel for a year. She parks by the river in Lilacwell not aware that she is on private land owned by Fletcher the owner of The Laurels. I liked Adira and her generous, helpful nature, together with Cassie and Jasper. The supporting characters are also well written. A good book to take on holiday

A fun romance about a woman who leaves her job and busy life behind to travel, but finds herself in a beautiful small village that steals her heart. I enjoyed the characters and found the story a sweet bit of escapism.

This book fixed my reading slump! I enjoyed it so much that I kept turning the pages. Adira's a very relatable heroine who finds her life lacking and sets out to fix it in a camper van called Sheila. Quickly she lands in the idyllic town of Lilacwell and gets involved in town life.

The romance between her and Jasper develops slowly and in a very believable way. Altogether a really enjoyable read.

This was my first book by this author and certainly won’t be my last this was such a beautiful poignant escapism read and once had started I couldn’t put it down and read it in almost one sitting. It was full to the brim of charming characters and gorgeous scenery with a delightful story of romance friendship and finding happiness.

I was disappointed to finish reading it as didn’t want the story to end but felt uplifted when I got to
The acknowledgments to find there is going to be a sequel which I am already looking forward to immensely.

Lighthearted summer romance based on leaving the rat race. Enjoyable. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

Loved this book, how escaping from the rat race in a campervan can bring happiness and a change of life, and how there was a reason she was drawn to lilacwell, loved this light hearted read really wish there was a follow on to this book

Adria decides to leave her lawyer job and travel around the UK in a van. Breaking down in a small town she meets Jasper and his uncle who make her feel at home. Good feel good story, perfect summer read. Didn’t care much for the stalker secretary of Jasper, so skimmed some of that. Otherwise highly recommend this book and author.