This is a dual timeline book, one part set in 1942 and one in present day. In 1942 Gloria is 17 and lives with her mother after the death of her father at the start of the war. They live in a small English village and have been told they will be boarding GI officers in their home.
As the GI's enter the village in trucks Gloria and her friend notice some of the trucks going in a different direction and realise the black GI's are separated from the whites and going to a different camp.
The Americans expect this segregation to also happen in the village pub,shops etc and are shocked when they realise that the villages won't abide by their American law.
In present day Phillipa and her husband Marco buy the house where Gloria used to live with the intention of setting up a restaurant. While digging the garden they come across a cherub which looks as if it's sitting on a small grave. This opens up old wounds for them both and causes friction.
I enjoyed this book. The 1942 story was very emotional when it comes to how the segregation of black people was expected to continue in another country even in the time of war when fighting the same enemy. It was also a very sad part of the book and I would have liked more of this part of the story.
The present day part didn't really keep me glued to the book quite so much. I didn't like Marco's character very much and this maybe is the reason why. I thought he was very self centred and was acting in an ridiculous way. He also made his wife feel awful which of course I didn't like.
It all added to a very good story with the best ending possible. Loved it.

The Garden of Lost Secrets was an emotional rollercoaster. There were situations that broke my heart. There were times I cringed in disgust. The ending had me dancing in joy, which is something that rarely happens with me when I read WW2 Historical Fiction.

The story is dual time line taking place in present day and during World War Two. The present day story helps navigate the reader into the past. The author does a lovely job of transporting the reader to situations in history that we usually don't hear a lot about. A time we don't usually talk about.

The Garden of Lost secrets helped me understand how the British dealt with the "Black GI." What I didn't know was that the laws they had in America were transported to England. Thank you Kerry Barrett for giving me greater understanding into the relationships between the different races and the different nationalities. My aunt was one of those land girls that fell in love with a "Black GI."

The ending makes all of the tears worth while. It explained things that the story didn't share. My heart was healed. I was reminded that although the war was horrid, and many lives were lost other lives were created and happily ever did exist after the war.

This is such a lovely story set in a dual timeline of 1943 and the present Honeyford Manor links both time lines .A story of love and loss ,friendship and always hope .A joy to read .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion

I had not read any other books by this author so didnt know what to expect nor her style of writing.

This is a dual timeline book dealing with pregnancy loss and failure to have a family in the present day and racism and prejudice in WW2 Britain.

The treatment of Jerome was horrendous - even if the village did rally round in his defence. I suppose though that this was how society was in WW2.

I found the book very slow and found it hard to get into - it livened up when they started to look into the family tree of the 1940s family on finding the 'memorial cherub' in the garden of the house.

It was heartening to see a reference to the 'late Queen'. I noticed the reference to 'Facetime' in one paragraph and then 'Zoom' later - I wonder if in the future people will ask what these were?

A slow burner for me that didn't captivate me completely

I enjoyed this dual timeline novel, it’s a good read. However I was not bowled over by it, as I have been by other work by this author. I really enjoyed Gloria’s story in 1943, with the arrival of the GIs in the small village where Honeyford House is situated. The differing attitudes to the black servicemen in the village was surprising. The US officers were very hard on them, treating them like second class citizens, whereas in the village, although opinion was divided, for the most part the villagers treated all the servicemen the same.
My heart broke for young Gloria, and the tragedy of her young love. I loved her story.
What I did not enjoy was the switching back and forth in the timelines with every chapter, till further into the book. This device pulls the reader out of the narrative at the end of each chapter. It became much more enjoyable when several consecutive chapters were devoted to either Gloria or Philippa.
The story of Philippa and Marco, the present- day inhabitants of Honeyford House, was not so engaging. I found the character of Philippa to be very irritating at times, and the constant references to the previous heartbreak in the marriage of she and Marco became a bit laboured.
Sometimes dual timelines work very well, with both storylines equally interesting, however I didn’t feel that was the case with this one. The ‘will- they- won’t - they’ open the long planned restaurant was not really holding my attention. This part definitely needed a more interesting focus.
It took almost to the end of the book before we learn how the two narratives are linked. The drawn out, endless explanations of how Philippa and her new friends researched the previous history of the house were boring, to be honest, and added little to the story.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I’m a big fan of dual timeline stories and this one was brilliant set in WW2 and the present. The characters were great amongst the story of love, friendship and the war. A real page turner for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early review copy in return for an honest review.

After loving a previous book by Barrett. I had high expectations for this.
Sadly I found the dual timeline an issue here. While it usually doesn't bother me. I struggled to get invested in either story. Part of me wishes it was just one time frame focused on.

Another winner from Kerry Barrett.

This is the story of Philippa and Gloria, who live in the same house 80 years or so apart.

Philippa and husband Marco have bought Honeyford House and plan to renovate it and run a restaurant from its rooms.

A partially collapsed ceiling leads them to a decision to build a pergola and have diners eat outside, so Philippa decides to tidy up the garden. In doing so, she discovers a little stone cherub in the undergrowth. Looking more closely, she finds an area marked out in stones, with the cherub’s base at the head.

Could this be a grave? Or a memorial to a lost person? The area is quite small so Philippa and Marco worry that it may mark a baby’s grave.

The discovery disturbs them both as they have a sad history of failed IVF and baby loss. Marco tries to cope with the discovery but it really preys on his mind.

Local woman Vanessa befriends the pair and when she breaks her ankle whilst helping build the pergola, Philippa and Marco are thrown together with her 12 year old ward, her grandson Alex.

Having a child in the house and thinking about the ‘grave’ and their own losses prove too much for Marco and he heads back to Scotland to stay with his family for a few days.

The dual storyline is that of Gloria, who was 17 in 1942, and living in Honeyford House.

Her mother has struggled to deal with the death of her husband, Gloria’s father, killed at the beginning of the Second World War. Honeyford is awash with GIs and some officers are even stationed in the house.

When some GIs come to build
a sentry hut at the gates of the house, Gloria meets some black GIs and sees first hand how some of the white soldiers treat them. She’s not impressed and makes her feelings known.

In doing so she shares a moment of solidarity with Jerome and their friendship blossoms from then on.

This story deals with prejudice, racism, fertility struggles and baby loss and is deeply moving and very sad. The treatment of the black GIs, especially Jerome, is shocking.

Ultimately though, there is friendship, healing and love and it’s a beautiful, well written, intriguing and interesting story.

I absolutely loved it and although I was desperate to find out who or what the cherub marked, the route to the reveal was so entertaining that I deliberately slowed myself down when reading it.

Just a really good story.

Definitely read it, it’s worth it.

An absolute pleasure to read. Loved the dual time-line and the story just flowed. I really didn't want to finish this one but, I wanted to find out what was going to happen. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I fully enjoyed reading The Garden of Lost Secrets book which has two parts the first in world war 2 and then in the current time. It makes you want to know more about the characters, their secrets, the mystery, romance, war, prison, and new ventures. It explained how it was during the Second World War for when people fell in love with people from different backgrounds, and how they were treated. At also covered about how the history has an impact of lives today, when a new couple buy a property to convert into a new venture as a restaurant.

*4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

A very interesting read. Highlights what people will go through to be with someone they care for no matter what. A surprise ending. Great characters.

A book full of feeling, love, joy, sadness & happiness in equal measures! I loved it.
1942. Gloria Henry is missing her friend Patty who has joined the Land Army. When she sees American troops coming into the village who are to be based at RAF Eden it sparks some interest. Making it her mission to speak to them, she soon becomes friendly with Jerome.
Due to America's regulations at that time for segregation the black troops were housed at a different base.
The segregation rules upset some of the villagers, which in turn caused problems with the troops which led to some causedGloria to make some decisions, would they be the right ones?

In the present day Marco and Philippa Costello have just bought Honeyford house with the plan to renovate and open a restaurant & hotel.
It turns out to be a bigger job than first thought as some jobs take longer, not helped by possibly having to get planning permission. They enlist the help of Vanessa who becomes a regular visitor along with grandson Alex.
When Philippa starts work on the garden she unearths a memorial, or could it be a grave? Will uncovering the truth lead to more problems!
It’s a beautiful sensitive story. First time with this author, I’ll be sure to watch for more.

Another blinder of a novel from Kerry Barrett. I am a huge fan and have read all of her books from The Missing Wife to The Secrets of Thistle Cottage.
Again, this novel is a dual timeline saga, this time based in Honeyford House in a quaint Cotswold village.
Firstly we have Gloria’s story during the Second World War where her family home, is commandeered as housing for the American officers and GI’s recently joining the war. The second timeline is present day and follows Philippa and her husband Marco, who have recently moved from the busy city and bought the derelict house with views to make it into a restaurant.
This book delved into the world of the Americans on UK soil, the conflict between the American military police and UK laws and the uncomfortable world of black and white segregation. In the modern era, we touch on baby loss too. Both stories have great depth and give a lot to both stories.
I would recommend this book highly.

A captivating dual-timeline and a compelling read that weaves together the past and the present, exploring themes of family, resilience, and the impact of war.

This dual time line book worked really well and flowed seamlessly from now back to the 40s. When Phillipa and her husband Marco move into Honeyford House they come across something in the garden which they believe could be a grave and they set out to learn more about the history of the property. The book also gives the viewpoint of Gloria who lived in the house with her Mum during the Second World War and what I particularly enjoyed about this book was the fact it not only introduced the American GIs but also African American and Jamaican soldiers and showed how difficult it could be for them, not only in regards to interracial relationships but in regards to the way they were treated as if they weren’t equals as soldiers, particularly by their own fellow countrymen but that segregation was not acceptable to some British citizens and they would be very supportive of the black soldiers. In regards to present day Philippa has suffered miscarriages and has moved with her Husband for a fresh start and to heal but as the story progresses her pain is still raw but you also get to realise that Marco is also hurting and that perhaps they have never really discussed it with each other and that finding the grave opens up old wounds.
The writing was very clever in regards to the flow and no confusion about how the stories entwine and I enjoyed this book. A beautiful story of love, resilience and heartache and I would strongly recommend reading this.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for a free copy of this book, with all opinions completely my own.

Brilliant book! Dual time line which worked so well,

Gloria lives in Honeyford House in the Cotswolds with her mother, it’s 1943 and the village has just opened up to American GIs, Gloria meets Jerome and falls in love however nothing is easy at this time and there are many hurdles for them to face… Philippa and her husband purchase Honeyford House in the present day and are keen to uncover the buildings history and a discovery in the garden pushes them both to the brink.

I thoroughly enjoyed Gloria’s story and the twists near the end of the book were great!

I will definitely be reading more of this author, this was my first and won’t be my last!

I really liked this story. It comes from a different perspective than most fiction I've read set in this time period. I thought the dual timeline was easy to follow as well. I will be reading more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC. Definitely recommend!

A fantastic book and storyline from Kerry Barrett. Gloria is a young village woman who falls in love with a black GI who has a different set of rules placed on him and ends up in prison charged with her raped. Although she denies this her world falls apart and so they loose touch.
Present day has Philippa and her husband Marco buying the house that Gloria lived in and their two worlds meet.
Thanks to Kerry and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

1943. Gloria Henry is seventeen and her mother Rose is lost in her own grief after her husband and Gloria’s dad Geoffrey was killed at the beginning of the war. When the American GIs arrive in the quaint Cotswolds village and it causes quite a stir, and an officer moves into Honeyford House. Gloria meets Jerome Scott, like her he loves to read, they have a lot in common and they start to fall in love.

The locals treat all American soldiers the same, but they notice those who are coloured are discriminated against by their own army, who enforce segregation and this causes tension in the village. When the pub won’t ban the coloured soldiers from entering and it creates major problems between the locals and white American soldiers and you can guess who they take out their frustration and anger on. One night it gets completely out of hand and with terrible consequences for Gloria and Jerome.

The story has a dual timeline, it’s told from the two main characters points of view, Gloria and Philippa and it’s very easy to follow.

Present day. Philippa and Marco Costello need a fresh start, London is full of reminders of their struggle with infertility and failure to have children. They buy a rundown Honeyford Manor, the plan is to repair the old home to it’s former glory, open a restaurant and wedding venue.

One day Philippa decides it’s time to tackle the large garden, it’s over grown with brambles and weeds. She stumbles across a hidden statue and what looks to be a memorial to a baby? While Philippa wants to find out the truth, but Marco gets really upset and it drives a wedge between them. Philippa with help from Vanessa, Jackie from the museum in Honeyford village and using the internet they start putting the pieces of the historical puzzle together and hopefully Philippa and Marco will work out their own relationship issues?

I received a copy of The Garden of Lost Secrets by Kerry Barrett from HQ digital and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The story raises some really relevant topics and issues, such as how the British civilians felt about African American soldiers during The Second World War, they didn't believe in segregation and I had no idea the soldiers gave out sweetheart pins.

It covers Philippa's struggles with being a foster child, not being able to have children of her own and she feels like a failure, how the couple thought they had accepted their lost pregnancies and being childless. No one ever does by the way, life is hard, messy, complicated and heart-breaking but it goes on and time doesn’t stop for anyone. The ending wasn't predictable and I really liked how the story emphasises how important communities are and sticking together and helping each other in the good times and the bad.

Five stars from me, a well written narrative once again by Kerry Barrett, and she’s sets a very high standard when it comes to creating believable dual timelines, I highly recommend this book and the authors previous release The Book of Lost Letters.

A well written, beautiful dual time novel. Thoroughly enjoyable and gripping! Philippa and her husband Marco buy an old mansion to turn into a restaurant, but in during the renovation process decide to try and unravel the mansion’s past history.