I’ve often found that people who grow up with very little are the very ones who have gained the most from what life has to offer. Mary Kate Ryan is a perfect example of someone who had empty pockets but not an empty mind.

When her circumstances changed due to an unexpected inheritance, Mary Kate could have chosen to keep it all to herself. Instead, she reaches out to the less fortunate. Living in abhorrent conditions herself, Mary Kate knows all about the horrors of low income living. Using the inheritance, she buys a beautiful Georgian home and extends a hand up to those in similar situations she herself experienced. A large portion of the book is devoted to those who come to stay at 24 Merrion Square. Your heart will be warmed and you’ll be inspired to pay it forward ~ share a little kindness. If the past 2 years has taught us anything, it’s that we all need each other’s support to survive. I feel like bursting into song ...'What A Wonderful World'...can you imagine what it would be like if we were more like Mary Kate Ryan?

Set in 1950s Dublin, The Irish Boarding House is a wonderful exploration of second chances and kindness.

I was gifted this advance copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Mary Kate Ryan was abandoned by her mother as a baby and was brought up by her grandparents. But when they died, she was on her own and ended up going from one boarding house to another. With no money and her future looking glum she decides that she wants to end her life in the local river. But someone must be looking down on her. She is contacted by a solicitor Mr Renson, telling her that the mother who abandoned her all of them years ago has died and left her an inheritance. She first doesn’t believe in it. But decides to take the money. But instead of squandering the money she opens a boarding house to help women less fortunate than herself. Helping women in need and doing good. In a way thanking God for the gift that she has been given.
Thank you Bookoutre for a copy of The Irish Boarding house by Sandy Taylor. This is another beautifully written and heart-warming tale set in Dublin in 1952. I have all the authors books and she never disappoint.
I really enjoyed each description of each character and the ups and down of the lives and how they come to be at the boarding house and Mary Kate’s kindness to them, asking nothing in return. This made me laugh at times and I had tears at the end when some of Mary Kate’s dreams came true. Yet again this is another 5-star read from the author. Everyone needs to read one book by Sandy Taylor. You won’t regret it.



@NetGalley @bookouture

Excellent read with a heartbreaking story following the lives of people who find themselves staying in the boarding house.

I enjoyed this story about a boarding house in Dublin, where the characters that come together are unexpected. Mary Kate, the main character, gets an unexpected inheritance and decides to open a boarding house and provide for others, based on her horrible experiences with boarding houses.

I enjoyed all of the characters, and the story was very sweet. Some of the characters and stories seemed random at first, but it all became clear as the stories went on. The main character grows throughout the story, and all the people that come into her lives at the boarding house are influenced by her kindness.

I received a copy of this from netgalley and I'm very glad I had the chance to read it.

1952 Dublin, Mary Kate Ryan left as a baby by her mother with her grandparents living in a small cottage in Tanners Row. When they both died she is turfed out of the cottage and for the next fifteen years lives in boarding houses, her grandpa always told her to wait for a letter in a box number at the post office, and after checking one day a solicitors letter brings her wealth, her mother is dead she has left property in London, Mary Kate has always wanted the boarding house in Merrion Square, her wishes are coming true, a house for women that are alone, pregnant, on the run a safe house filled with love and friendship. this is the beginning.
I loved this book, enchanting tales, with some sad and happy moments that will touch you as we see Mary Kate as she gives so much love. Page after page you will be engrossed into this amazing story.
so much enjoyment right to the end.

The Irish Boarding House by Sandy Taylor is the first book I have read by this author, and it won't be the last. The book had me laughing and crying. Such deep descriptions and the characters really jumped off the pages. Mary Kate’s mother abandons her as a baby and Mary Kate is then brought up by her grandparents. She finds out she was left an inheritance and transforms the house into a boarding house for single women.

The novel is well written with great characters who tell their stories of hope and a better future.

I would highly recommend The Irish Boarding House. I rate this 5 out of 5 stars!

#TheIrishBoardingHouse #NetGalley @bookouture

I have to say never have I read a book that can have me laughing one minute and breaking my heart the next.Sandy Taylor is such a wonderful writer I have loved all her books.5* although it is worth far more.Have tissues handy when you read this book.

Absolutely loved this book a story of how those in need come to be more that just lodgers, wonderfully written and some fab characters, great storyline
Loved it

A lovely book filled with kindness, second chances and most of all hope. Abandoned by her mother, Mary Kate was raised by her grandparents. When her grandparents died, she was thrown out of the little and humble home she had ever known. Not having any other relatives or friends, she moved to Dublin she barely survived on menial jobs and lived in a series of awful boarding houses. As she pondered how meaningless her life is and as the depression sinks in, she thinks about ending her life. Yet, in quite a surprise a letter finds its way into her life, telling her that her mother had died and she was left a huge amount of money. With her new found wealth, she buys an old boarding house that was in shambles, and with her newfound wealth, turns it into a boarding house for single ladies. As you read the story, you meet the women whose lives have also been touched with challenges of their own. Through the kindness of Mary Kate and her acceptance of those who are "down and out" as she once was, you see how relationships and love of human kind heal the women, giving them second chances in life. This heartwarming novel was excellent...the storyline is uplifting and lovely. During these times where there is so much trauma and dissention in the world, it was so good to read a story such as. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Kudos to Ms. Taylor for such a wonderful story.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Bookouture and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Enjoyable from the beginning. Laughter, tears, heartfelt all in one beautiful package.

The Irish Boarding House is such a sweet, emotional story. I was hooked from the first page and was sad when it ended, it was time well spent with it's characters.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Half a star was lost probably because it didn't hit me nearly as hard as Taylor's When We Danced at the End of the Pier ... but, then again, very few books have. That one still makes my heart flip and I get "warm-fuzzies" even when I just read my own review of it over five years later. The Irish Boarding House is lovely in its own right and I enjoyed watching Mary Kate and her new family, but I think I was just expecting that little bit of extra ... Pierness? Still, reading this was a most excellent way to spend an afternoon.

Teaser/review published August 26th at https://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-irish-boarding-house-by-sandy.html

So uplifting! If you’re looking for a book to cheer you up, this is the one. Yes there are sad parts, even then you will have a smile on your face at the terminology used. I got to the end deciding that I would read it again.
Mary Kate’s mother deserts her as a young baby and is brought up by her grandparents. When she finds out she has been left an inheritance her first reaction is to refuse. After thinking she has a vision of how to help other single women. Along comes Moira Kent followed by Orla, Polly & Colleen. The dialogue is hilarious, even when it’s serious.
I so hope Sandy writes another in the same vein.

This was a really great feel good story. I loved all of the characters and how they came together throughout the book. There was not really anything at stake, which was fine.

Well written with well developed characters and a riveting storyline. This book was emotive and heartbreaking, there were funny parts but for me it was the raw emotion of this book that made it so compelling. I loved it.

Mary Kate inherits some money and uses it to buy a boarding house. loved the story, funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

A truly wonderful irish story. Mary Jane has led a terrible life. Just as she is thinking about ending it along comes a change that will make the lives of many much better. You will love this book.

What a beautiful story of kindness, hope and second chances! I simply adored The Irish Boarding House set in 1950s Dublin. This is the first novel of Sandy Taylor’s I have read but it won’t be my last. She captured my attention from the first page. I absolutely love her writing style. There is a real warmth in the tone and care for her characters.

It was so easy to slip into this uplifting story and get carried away by the drama that surrounds the life of Mary Kate. She is such an admirable person and I found myself constantly cheering her on and smiling when things turned around for her. Life, at the start, was not easy for this woman. She grew up in poverty after being abandoned by her mother as a baby. But she was not without love. Her special grandparents raised and taught her the things of most importance in life. And although she missed a mother-daughter relationship, she blossomed into a wonderful nurturing person who went on to help many hardship persons who came her way. One might say her previous suffering shaped her heart in ways that proved immensely useful when she inherited a large sum of money.

At first, Mary Kate feels compelled to walk away from this surprise inheritance but then an idea sparks in her heart when a lowly deserted house captures her attention. In many ways this house is a character, a symbol of hardship at the start that becomes a vehicle of transformation. Mary Kate decides it is the perfect place to turn into a magnificent boarding house for single women. Her desire is to share her good fortune with others who need decent shelter and unconditional love and to escape the darkness of loneliness and despair. Even a dog, Guinness, becomes one of her rescues. She has lived in some terrible boarding houses with nasty caretakers after her grandparents died, and does not want that kind of life for others. So, she makes it her mission to offer the very opposite. The vision she has for this house leads her to friendships and relationships she would never have imagined. Plus, her desire to make the home into something grand, safe and beautiful with all the modern conveniences for those less fortunate comes to fruition. And what an intriguing journey it is through the lives of those she meets and works with. When the project is complete, many wayward and wronged souls find their way to her bright red door where hope and healing awaits.

This is a well written novel with exceptional unforgettable characters who tell their stories of how they are led to this woman who offers nothing but kindness, hope and a better future. We get various points of views, yes, but will not lose track for each story is so memorable and moving you will sail along on their sometimes turbulent and other times peaceful waves. To see how Mary Kate makes such a difference in their lives is frankly beautiful. It leaves us with memories, challenges and victories that will never fade. And there is one surprise you won’t be expecting.

There is so much to love about this novel and I highly recommend it to all who crave heartfelt, touching stories that sweep you away to a gentler, kinder place. A story where loving and helping your neighbour is number one. How many would do the wonderful things this woman has done with what she was given? Are her motives pure? Yes, the only satisfaction she seeks is to see another person happy. The Irish Boarding House is truly a refreshing reading experience. Without question, a 5 Star inspirational story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mary Kate Ryan never knew her mother. She was a infant when she had been left in the care of her grandparents. Her mother had disappeared early one morning and Mary Kate never saw her again. Her grandparents w loved and cared for her but eventually became ill and needed her care. Mary Kate, now a young teen, left school and cared for the grandparents till their deaths.
Then the landlord threw her out of the humble home she had grown up in. So off to Dublin she went. There she found menial jobs and lived in a series of awful boarding houses. A letter was delivered to her with instructions to visit the offices of a solicitor. When she got there, Mary Kate learned that her mother had died and had left her a large amount of money and property.
She was surprised but decided to use some of the money to buy a large rundown house in Dublin. With the help of the solicitor, a building contractor and the solicitor’s decorator wife, Mary Kate turned the house into a showplace. Then she opened it as a boarding house.
The women and children who eventually lived in the house became more of a family than boarders.
This is a heartwarming story about how a kind person can change the lives of others. It takes place in Ireland in the 1950s and may seen quaint to some.It is a place where few locals have better than a basic education and the Catholic Church is the center of everyone’s life. There are also several slang words that may require a look up for a better understanding.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is very heartwarming. It definitely is about second chances and hope. During the story the main character learns that she has been left with a substantial inheritance after her mother who abandoned her passes away. It was truly heartwarming how Mary Kate decided to use her inheritance and the property she received. Truly a great novel about the kindness of mankind in times of need.