This heart-tugging, emotional story, set in Monticello, Iowa, in the early 1900s, captured me with the first line and held me fast to the delightfully satisfying ending. The intriguing plot flows at a steady pace with wonderfully crafted characters facing real-life struggles driving it forward. I love Sadie and Otis and have added them to my list of Favorite Fictional Characters. The epistolary element of the story is cleverly written and humorous. I love the Jane Eyre references! This is the kind of book that leaves you with a smile, and I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher via NetGalley with no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beyond Ivy Walls was a wonderful book. Sadie has left her family and home to find work. Her father is very sick and she needs to find a way to help. She finds a job at a factory. She has also found a old building where she can live. One morning she comes across a dog. Little does she know how this dog will change her life. Otis has come back with his dog to his family home to make preparations to sell his home and settle things. Everyone is waiting for him to come back. Otis and Sadie meet and he offers her a job. There is a lot that goes on In this book. I really enjoyed watching the charters get to know each other and help each other. This book was given to me by the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

This book.

THIS
BOOK

Oh. My. Heart. I couldn’t count the number of times that tears pricked my eyes as I read. Tears of happiness. Because Sadie and Otis’s story is just amazing. Or should I say Jane Squatter and Mr. Rochester 🤭

It was almost like a fairy tale. A little bit of Beauty and the Beast, but also some Cinderella (blue dress!). And then it also fit so well with the movie Rigoletto.

Falling in love with Sadie was easy. But falling in love with Otis took a little more time. Both had pure, beautiful hearts, though one bore some scars. Sadie was the key to help Otis’s heart feel again.

Because of his past Otis didn’t want his niece to feel the same pain that he experienced, which caused him to have to make a choice that was tough, but was the right choice. And in the end he was rewarded for making the right choice. And when he made that choice it was just 🫠🫠

Beyond Ivy Walls is a beautiful story of true selfless love. One that is a must-read!

And the epilogue. One of my favorites.

Thank you Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for the early copy, I cannot wait to put a physical copy in my shelf!

Beauty and the Beast set in horse-and-carriage period Iowa
Sadie West has left her close-knit family behind to work at a feather duster factory in order to bring in money while her father is sidelined by injury. Otis Taylor is the absent heir apparent of the leading family in Monticello, Iowa. But all is not as it seems. Otis' father left him with debilitating physical and emotional scars. As you would guess, these two run across each other and the story develops from there.

Fordham weaves in interesting elements of the time and presents some real struggles for both characters. She adds more elements than the children's story of Beauty and the Beast. I appreciate the setting because it allows for a G -rated book that still shows character struggles and growth. I gave it five stars because I was eager to return to the book and find out the end of the story. Thanks to the publishers for my advance reading copy. My own opinions are expressed here.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, this book was a beautiful, engaging, thought provoking read. I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in the early 1900’s. I enjoyed the author’s writing style, I enjoyed all the characters, especially Otis and Sadie and how their friendship blossomed into love. I highly recommend this beautiful romance that also touches on the goodness of people and their willingness to overlook physical differences and see a person’s strengths and good qualities.

Beyond Ivy Walls is a clean sweet romance that is set in the early 1900’s in Iowa. Otis suffers from alopecia and was sent away as a child but when his dad and father pass away, he must come back to settle affairs for the family. He finds Sadie sleeping in his old abandoned warehouse after she lost she space at a boarding house. She was working to save money for her family after her father hurt himself on the farm. This story has a Beauty and the Beast vibe but is different in several ways. I enjoyed reading this story!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion.

Sadie and Otis's story is a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in a small town in the industrial revolution era. Sadie headed to the big city to find work in order to save her family, as her father is very ill. The story is sweet and clean and features a MMC with a health condition that causes him to loose every bit of his hair. He suffers all sorts of unsuccessful treatments that leave him scarred, and causing him to feel alone and outcast.

The fun part of this book: there is even a Mrs. Potts in this story, the kindhearted housekeeper who tries to push Sadie and Otis together!

The drawbacks: I found the dialogue to feel very awkward. The characters spoke as one would write, not as one would speak.

I think that anyone who loves fairytale retellings would just love this book! It is a clever tale on an old classic!

I received an advanced copy for review purposes; all opinions are honest and mine alone.


BEYOND IVY WALLS is a very light read. It’s light in both the romance and religious aspects leaving early 20th century history in Iowa as a foundation. Unfortunately, this area is also light; on details and accuracy.

Author, Rachel Fordham, has written a pleasant book. You won’t find anything offensive on these pages other than botched grammar. She did provide some history about feather dusters and a real factory in Monticello, Iowa. That was 15-20 minutes of a 6 hour read. I was wanting descriptions of the mansion, details of the furniture and stuff in the house; such a missed opportunity.

The Beauty & Beast trope is obvious but not obnoxious. Fordham’s characters interact well but their dialogue is not indicative of the time period. Most of the story is about her helping him to overcome his traumatic childhood. The secondary arcs about Sadie’s family issues and Otis’s lost nice could have been better developed, IMO. The biggest missed opportunity was for Sadie’s sisters to have more scenes; snippets of letters were not enough.

Safely read by your 12 year olds, BEYOND IVY WALLS is a fast moving, happily ever after story📚

Oh my Rachel you have done it again. You compared this novel to a mixture of beauty and the beast and light between the oceans. You were spot on. I fell in love with Otis and Sadie right away. The last few chapters of this book left me sobbing. So many sweet gestures of grace and love.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

An emotional adventure. Sadie and Otis are like the center of a wheel and the spokes (other characters) with them move this story along. It's like a nice carriage ride in the afternoon.
The core relationships are loving friendships. What occurs is a testimony to how kindness can draw a person out, to express their true thoughts and feelings. Scars of many kinds can make you seem content with a half-life, but when you have people who care, your life begins to continuously blossom. These are my thoughts on the story. While this is a romance, there is modesty and restraint from the characters and the writer. You may also find practical talking points about surviving trauma (PTSD), facing fears, and acceptance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Otis grew up feeling like he wasn't enough, that his scars and medical condition were something he had to hide and it left him grumpy and broken. He returns to his family estate after being sent away as a child and is only at the estate to sell it. But he runs into Sadie in one of his abandoned warehouses. Sadie is homeless and working away from her family to help provide after her father has an accident and can not work. Otis takes note of Sadies situation and offers her a job and a place to stay in his mansion. At first, they are at odds with each other, they are opposites... she's hiding her concerns, hes hiding his past. But with time the walls come down. But...Sadie has promised her heart to another before she ever met Otis, what happens when the first man in her life reappears? And Otis has no intention of sticking around, once the property sells, he's leaving!

This story is just so honest and so raw when it comes to the struggles of both characters. They both have what the other doesn't. He has wealth, status, and people throwing themselves at his feet unknowingly but no one will accept him as he is, and his own family sent him away as a child. She has a loving family, is a hard worker, and doesn't complain... but her days are filled in turkey filth, she has no money, no home, and the man she loved hasn't been returning her advances. They BOTH breathe life into each other. He steps up for her, and her for him and this story just shows how two people from two different lives somehow become interwoven with each other.

This story is not just romantic, its also hilarious at times as they pick on each other and make jokes at each others expense.


If you like tropes such as...
Forced proximity
Grumpy/Sunshine
Pen pals
Friends to more... THIS is your story!
Loved it!!! I need a physical copy of the book!

***Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy. The review is all my own opinion.

This book has everything you could wish for and more. It is not just a romance but a story that takes you on a journey of love, acceptance,forgiveness and healing.
It showcases how a person is not defined by their looks but what's in their hearts. Sadie can see that there is more to Otis than his outward appearance and it is from looking beyond the scars to the real person that a romance blossoms. Also through that relationship healing of the heart takes place peace instead of anguish joy instead of sorrow.
This story will have you smiling and crying but it is so worth the read.
Thank you to Rachel Fordham and Net Galley for an advanced copy to honestly read and review. I can not wait to read more from this author.

A compelling story about regrets, bitterness, fear, rejection, acceptance, and the power of love - human and God's. The story kept me engaged. Real struggles and conflict with realistic, believable action and display of the power of God in ordinary people.

This was an interesting book. It brought together, as the main characters, two very unlike individuals.
I requested to read this book through NetGalley because I have enjoyed other books by Rochel Fordham. This did not disappoint. It kept my interest throughout. I thought the main characters were quite well-developed. The editing was done very well also.
This is listed in the Christian genre though it is not at all preachy and barely what you might consider a Christian book. It is clean and is very suitable for teens and older.
I would recommend this book and give it a solid 4-star review.

It took me a bit to get into the story, but once I did I really enjoyed it. This was a unique take on the Beauty and the Beast story in a setting (Midwestern town) that I haven't seen before.

This is a review for Netgalley, for the upcoming book from author Rachel Fordham titled Beyond Ivy Walls, and that will be released on August13th. (I was given a copy in return for my honest review.). As soon as I read the first few pages of this book, I was so engrossed that I sat and read it thru in one day, it was that good! The story line was so good that I kept turning page after page because I didn't want it to stop!.. When I finished it, I felt kind of sad because I loved the characters, the plot, and the climax so much because this book is so well written! The characters face real life situations and difficult struggles, but in the midst of them, we find grace, hope, friendship, courage and love all wrapped up in a story that I couldn't put down! I can't recommend this book highly enough, and I give it 5 stars, and really was excited to review such an incredible book! There isn't one thing I would change about it! Rachel Fordham has been added to my favorite authors list for sure, and I hope you will read and enjoy this book as much as I did!

I actually found this book a delight to read.
Fordham does such a good job in bringing out triumph over tragedy.
I found myself liking this story more and more and in the process of becoming the best Beauty and Beast retelling ever.
Patience is a virtue my mom always said and in the end comes rewards.
Can't rule out a few disappointments but then joy couldn't be found either.
I finished this book overnight because I just couldn't put it down.
I also liked the story because it was a kind of Phantom of the Opera deal too.
Only without the music.
My favorite musical.
This book will definitely make you have a lot of emotions for sure!
Sadie and Otis will not let you put this story down until it's over. I ended up loving them both and let's not forget the dog too!
So very good!!!
I'm giving this story 5 stars for a wonderful story that kept my attention all the way through.
I highly recommend it!
I can't wait until the next one!

This story begins with Sadie who is doing all she can to help her family make ends meet after her father takes ill.. Sadie shows perseverance and loyalty to her family even when things seem to get worse.

She winds up on a property, unbeknownst to her of a man, Otis Taylor, who has not been home to his community in quite some time.. He however comes back but with a dark secrets and a jaded past. Trust with him and people are almost nonexistent because of his past family ties. He plans to settle his affairs after experiencing conflicting loss and leave and start anew. Sadie through unfortunate circumstances winds up meeting him and he chooses to show kindness when she is left in a state almost out of hope. Through many interactions their friendship and trust grow with each other. Just when you think that there will be happy ending, circumstances happen and they are pulled apart. Sadie proves to be loyal to her family and her friends and even when it seem Otis has not many to trust, he finds out just how mistaken he is. I loved this story and couldn't hardly put it down. The Epilogue was amazing and the perfect ending to a story of loving someone no matter what trials they've endured navigating the scars that remain.

I related to this story a little on a personal level of how sometimes you can do your best with everything within you but you feel like your just scraping by. Reaching out and trusting, even when it's hard is worth it. Beyond Ivy Walls is slightly like a Beauty & the Beast retelling, but I see some Cinderella and some dark and light tones of Jane Eyre thrown in there. This book releases in a few months so put it on your TBR list!

Rachel Fordham has never let me down in a book, but Beyond Ivy Walls has to be her best work to date.

Otis Taylor is a musical genius with internal and external scars that have kept him from society. When he discovers Sadie West living in an abandoned factory he owns, he begins a journey to freedom and love he never quite expected.

This Beauty and the Beast story caught my attention from the first page and never let go. I loved how vibrant and unjudgemental Sadie was with Otis. I loved how she took her time with him and how intuitive she was regarding his fears. When they begin to fall in love she is even more cautious when she discovers what happened to his lost niece. This side story is heartwrenching, but has all the feels!

The author has captured the essentials of the human soul that cries out for love and a need to belong. While there wasn't a faith element to this book, it still spoke volumes, and I highly recommend it!

For my honest review, I received a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson Publishers via NetGalley.

Loved reading the captivating and engaging story. When Otis comes back to town, he wants to sell his place as soon as possible, he hides away in his house, his dog, Wolf, wanders off, finds a woman, Sadie, staying in his abandoned factory and wants to kick her out, and ends up letting Sadie stay at his home working as a maid. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story.