I really enjoyed this book - it was a genuinely lovely read.

I think Amanda James did a brilliant job of writing these characters in such an empathetic way, really reflecting the difficult times they were going through and how they were trying to rebuild after significant loss.

The appreciation of nature in this book was beautiful and something that I could really relate to. I loved the solace that was offered to the main character through the experience of gardening and while I couldn’t personally relate, I know many people who do and it reminded me of their experiences.

I thought this was a delightful and compassionate read. It was gentle and sweet and simply lovely.

With nothing but time on her hands, retired nurse Rose Lanyon finds herself drawn to the garden that had once been her husband's pride and joy. It may have started as a means of honouring her husband's memory, but her little Cornish garden soon becomes so much more - a place where the lost and lonely can find solace, the forgotten can be remembered, and second chance take bloom. Because as long as new life is growing, there will always be hope and new memories to make.

Rose Lanyon is a retired nurse and widow. Her husband loved being out, pottering about in the garden. Rose decides to honour her husband's memory, and before she knows it, she has a garden of memories, a place where people can come and relax and make new friends.

This story is full of lovely characters. Rose has started doing the garden in her husband's memory. The story is told from Rose. Flora, and Sally's perspectives. Each character has something they are holding on to. This is such a breathtaking read. This book was just the tonic I needed just now.

Published 20th June 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter and the author #AmandaJames for my ARC of #TheGardenOfMemories in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful book about love lost and honouring memories.
Rose who is a widow and a retired nurse decides to remember her husband by having a garden of memories.
The garden becomes a place for lost and lonely souls and each person who visits dedicates a plant to the garden of memories. The place becomes a sanctuary, a safe place, a place of hope. Replacing negative memories with positive ones and no longer feeling lonely. Rose has managed to do something once again that she has spent her whole life doing, caring for other people.
I received a copy of this book from One Chapter through Netgalley and I really enjoyed it, thank you so much! It's a real feel good book!

Rose Lanyon arrives for her last day working as a nurse with dread, she’s been one for forty years, and Rose feels she will lose her identity and purpose, her uniform is her shield and she's stepping into the unknown. Her husband Glen passed away two years ago, they made plans for their retirement together and sadly that's not going to happen. Rose still lives in their cottage in Cornwall, it feels rather empty without Glen and their daughter Bella who's married and has two children. Glen was a gardener, Rose looks at what was once his pride and joy and decides to give it a spruce up and plant some of her Bella's favourite childhood flowers.

What starts off as a way of honouring her husband’s memory, Rose’s garden becomes a meeting place for lost and lonely souls, friendships are formed and each person contributes a plant or project that means something special to them? A sanctuary and safe place for the menagerie of people, they make new memories and try to let go of the bad ones, and they all feel more hopeful and anything is possible.

I received a copy of The Garden of Memories by Amanda James from One More Chapter and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. An uplifting and moving story about the importance of friendship, second chances and starting again, how being outside and working in a garden with plants and flowers and getting your hands dirty is therapeutic and good for a person's well-being and mental health. The characters in the narrative are a perfect mixture and most readers would be able to relate to someone and their situation.

Ms. James also mentions types of toxic relationships and gas lighting in the book, and the importance of getting help, don't be embarrassed and leave if it’s not safe, and five stars from me.

4.5* read. What a beautiful and well written book. I loved how the characters gelled together through the garden. Would highly recommend this book.

A deep and beautiful story that evokes the very best of memories for so many of the characters. I loved the concept of creating a garden to share with friends and family through their choice of plants in memory of their loved ones. Rose is the real mothership of the story, gathering lost souls and offering support and encouragement to help each of them move forward and develop their individualism, bring joy and happiness. A thoughtful provoking novel and to quote from the book: “People need similar things to flowers. A bit of sunshine, a safe sheltered spot, water, food and love”, sums up this story so well.

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my personal review

A beautifully written, charming and uplifting story.

Newly retired Rose, feeling unsettled at the huge change in her life, realises that she now has the time and inclination to get stuck into the garden she has neglected since her husband died. Through a variety of everyday instances, Rose finds herself collecting up other people who are also feeling a little bit lost and bringing them into the sanctuary of her garden, where some unlikely but strong friendships take root as the group bare their souls, shoulder each other's problems and effectively plant their precious memories.

As any gardener knows, there is nowhere that provides more mental health benefits than a beautiful garden and this is perfectly articulated in this wonderful story.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Amanda James and Harper Collins for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Garden of Memories is a heart-warming and soul-lifting treat.
I'm a fan of crime thrillers, particular noir and The Garden of Memories proved to be a much needed antidote that I didn't even know that I needed. Rose is retiring from her long-term role as a nurse and also dealing with the loss of her beloved husband, she is concerned about what the future will bring and decides to focus on her garden. Meanwhile, she meets inquisitive neighbour Flora, who is feeling lost after moving to a new town and coping with her own bereavement and emotions. Accompanied by Rose's school friend Daisy, the duo start to focus on Rose's garden as a 'garden of memories' and start their memories and stories. Bringing new friends into the fold and helping each other to cope with their respective pains and find new hope in their lives.
This is an easy and fun read, where I found myself sympathising with the characters and also urging them to make the necessary changes in their lives etc. Perfect for any time of the year but especially for the summertime.

An enchanting, uplifting story full of interesting characters and charm. A restful, hopeful read after some of the dark fantasy and horror I have been reading lately.

A pleasant easy read. Rose has just retired from a career in nursing and is deciding what to do with the rest of her life. She decides to turn her late husbands garden into one that reflects life and as she collects her eclectic group of friends , their lives too. She is a catalyst for transformation.
Delightful characters and a group of people reasserting themselves for the future

This is one of those books of which your not sure if it’s for you but end up at the end and realise it’s been such a lovely read. Rose, Daisy and Flora start off as friends and enjoy the time in Rose’s garden taking it all in and sharing life’s stories and opening up to each other. Such a lovely read.and can so recommend it.
My thanks as always to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter for the early read.

Rose Lanyon has been dreading her retirement, worried about how she will fill her days, and thinking how she will miss seeing her colleagues every day.

Rose feels drawn to the garden that her late husband loved so much, and she decides she is going to work on it, but not sure how.

As Rose starts to meet more people in her local community, it’s soon decided that her garden would be perfect for a memory garden.

Each friend decides on a plant that has memories for them, and they plant it in the garden.

As time goes on, the group learn more about each other, things that have happened in the past, how they are feeling now. The group of friends also inspire confidence in each other.

This is a powerful story, that did bring a tear to my eye at times. Seeing the group’s friendship grow was lovely.

Beautifully written, the descriptive writing made me feel as though I was in Cornwall and I could picture all the wonderful flowers.

My thanks to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Gardens can be a thing of wonder, and places to make and relive memories. A few words between neighbours starts a connection that makes friends. Bringing back memories through plant’s colours and smells, community as you dig and plant, interact and talk with your neighbours, finding friendship in a shared hobby. This just what the story’s characters need, even if at the start they don’t realise that. Maybe you need this experience too. Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This is described as ‘charming’ and I suppose it is. A story about a woman who retires and, finding herself at a crossroads, reinvents her life with new friends and gardening. Okay, I have simplified a bit, but Rose is a determined widow who is relentlessly cheerful and surrounds herself with like-minded women and her garden. It’s actually an uplifting, if syrupy, read and you will be smiling and rooting for Rose by the end.

What a lovely lovely book!
As someone who has recently taken up gardening, albeit 20 odd years younger than Rose, I really enjoyed the running themes of this book. It was uplifting and was a joy to read about middle aged and older characters finding joy again.

As Rose retires from a long nursing career, she’s at a crossroads in her life. She’s already lost her beloved husband, and now without her job she’s unsure what the future will hold. Her new neighbor, Flora, is similarly transitioning into a new stage of life. Flora has moved from her hometown in an attempt to move on after losing her overbearing mother. While Rose and Flora are opposites in appearance (Rose more traditional, Flora with a more hippie style), they come together over a shared love of plants and gardening.

What started as a way for Rose to remember her late husband, the garden soon turns into a lifeline and social hub for Rose, Flora, and several others in the community. The garden becomes a place of healing and peace, where flowers are planted and lovingly tended to help each individual honor their past while embracing their future.

This book was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Each character had his or her own challenges in the past that they needed to move beyond, and the way the garden brought them together to heal was touching. We have a garden on our property where my dad, myself, and my children can come together, sow seeds, tend the plants, and enjoy the fruits of our labor. I love how the garden brings people together, and this book beautifully encapsulates the feeling of being part of something bigger. I recommend this book for anyone looking to accept their past and move forward.

This book is full of heart and healing. Featuring mostly characters of an older generation, i.e. post retirement, I could identify with these lovely people. Far from taking things easy and putting their feet up, they are a lovely and determined bunch and all have suffered loss, sadness and abuse in their lives but what began as a simple garden project by one woman to plant flowers in memory of her late and beloved husband, turns into a community of similar age ladies all seeking healing for their past hurts. As they join in, bringing flowers and plants to add to the garden in memory of happier times, friendships are formed and the story becomes heartwarming, hopeful and filled with kindness. I loved seeing how these characters changed, becoming more confident and able to face up to and overcome things that have held them back over the years. The garden, it's scents, sounds and tranquillity pour out of the pages as they are described so beautifully. I really felt that I was there. A lovely book, a story of hope and healing and a balm for the soul. Truly lovely! My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC which I gladly and voluntarily review.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

What a wonderful book, about looking forward and connecting with other people. . The older generations are often overlooked and dismissed. This book shows how memories are powerful motivators.
The well being offered by a shared garden and the physical activity helping to soothe and access different parts of life.
The characters are engaging and very different.
Enjoy I did.

Rose is a retired nurse, and to honour her deceased husband, she turns to their garden, and makes it a place of friendship, extended family, community and love. Such a life-affirming read.