Another wonderful cozy Scottish romantic dramedy by Jenny Colgan, continuing where The Summer Skies left off (although it can be read as a stand-alone).
On north Scottish island Gertie MacIntyre with her mother, her grandmother, and the frequently visiting KC (Knitting Circle), also only made up of women. She works at the town’s one grocery store and dreams of more for her life than just knitting, or the boy she had a crush on in high school, who of course has a gorgeous girlfriend who has plans for him to move away to be in a big rock band.
She meets a rich, handsome man named Callum Frost who owns a big airline in town, and co-owns the smaller one that a popular girl from high school flies little planes on. She begins day-dreaming about them falling in love when she accepts a job as host at the small airline, especially when he saves her from a belligerent customer one day. But there’s more to “Mooney” than most people in town think, and she gets a chance to prove herself when an elementary school kid's field trip to an island gets snowed-in on a mountain, and they need her help to get the kids warm and safely back.
This book is for fans of Scotland, underdogs, knitting, flying, surviving a snowstorm, overcoming shyness, and for those who want to read a fun, funny, uplifting spring story about a girl growing up and proving herself to her town, her family, and the boy she once loved in high school.

Jenny Colgan writes stories that are always enjoyable. The locations are brought to life in a way that makes me want to book a plane ticket. The characters are people with whom I want to spend time. The plots are involving and just right for a break in the day.

This time the story takes begins in very northern Scotland. Readers meet Gertie. She is an island girl who thinks that she may want something more. What will she decide? How will Callum Frost fit into the story? Pick this one up to find out.

This book is perfect for readers who want a bit of escape, especially those who also like to knit. Those who’ve read other books by the author will be delighted to meet up with some friends from the earlier novels.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for this title. All opinions are my own.

I am a huge Jenny Colgan fan and this book solidifies my opinion of her work. Gertie lives at home and is slowly being pushed out of the house by her mother's collection of special yarn. This story follows Gertie on her journey of becoming her own woman. I love that she is stronger than she ever imagined.

I think it’s safe to say we’ve all daydreamed a bit from time to time, but what happens when one of those more vivid daydreams happens to come true? That’s the question facing Gertie Mooney in Jenny Colgan’s Close Knit, a small-town romance every bit as cozy as the knitwear Gertie has a talent for making.

Close Knit follows the aforementioned Gertie, a shy 30-year-old whose life has been a bit on pause, the pandemic, and the size of her small Scottish town not helping matters. When a job opens up at the tiny, local, island-hopping airline, Gertie accepts: partially to shake off the funk she’s in, partially because she’s developed a crush on the owner.

The story doesn’t just follow Gertie, it also touches on the ensemble cast of Carso residents, particularly Morag, the heroine of Colgan’s The Summer Skies, and Struhan, a local elementary school teacher, a friend of Morag’s and most importantly, Gertie’s high school crush.

While it is definitely a story with romance, and most importantly, with a happy ever after, Close Knit breaks with the structure of a romance novel, instead weaving a story of friendship and community, as well as romance. Interestingly, it also feels a bit like a coming of age story for Gertie, despite her being 30 years old. It’s that type of underexplored coming of age for those who might have been on the verge of changing their lives as the pandemic rolled in and overhauled everything.

Colgan’s Close Knit is sweet, charming, and the perfect cozy read to pick up as the weather slowly but surely turns cooler - once we break free of this heat wave!

Close Knit is available now. Special thank you to Avon for the advance copy for review purposes.

I always like books by Jenny Colgan. For me it’s like a trip to Scotland. Close Knit seemed to start a bit slow, but I hung in there and totally enjoyed the story and the characters. My only complaint would be I felt there was a bit too much daydreaming in the life of the main character, Gertie. Other than that it’s a fun romance and recommend it!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this early readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am reviewing this book ARC.
I truly enjoyed this story and getting to catch up with previous characters, Morag and Grandpa Ranald, Gregor, and Nalitha. I liked watching a timid and shy Gertie grow into a strong and confident woman. Being able to surprise even herself. I am already looking forward to the next book in this series. If you need a feel-good book, that will make you smile. Pick up Close Knit

Thank you to Netgalley for ARC

Close Knit by Jenny Colgan is a wonderful read! The characters are fantastic and the setting perfect. I loved how all of the story lines came together in the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Colgan, and Avon for the ARC!

Close Knit is the sequel to Jenny Colgan’s bestselling Women’s Fiction title, Summer Skies. This is a character-development romance with no profanity or sex scenes set in Scotland. The author has a unique writing style, characterized by descriptive run-on-sentences, and the setting is almost like another character.

In Close Knit, Gertrude “Gertie” Mooney lives with her mother, Jean, and grandmother, Elspeth, in the tiny community of Carso, on the northernmost archipelago of Scotland, where the Arctic and Atlantic Seas meet. This area has more animals than humans, and fishing is the main industry. Gertie works at the ScotNorth Supermarket and spends her life daydreaming of a brighter future. Her closest friends are the Knitting Circle (KC) who gossip as much as they knit.

Callum Frost was introduced in Summer Skies as a Norwegian aviation magnate who purchases the MacIntyre family’s fledging island-hopping cargo service. Morag MacIntyre is the young female pilot who takes over her grandfather’s routes but then crash-lands on a remote island, Inchborn, and falls in love with a reclusive ornithologist, Gregor MacAleese. In Close Knit, pilot Morag convinces Gertie to take a position as an air stewardess on the puddle-jumper. Since Gertie has developed a crush on Callum Frost, she takes the job. Gertie has many adventures as she navigates life away from Carso and her KC. She comes into her own and begins a romantic relationship with Callum, which is significant since she has trust issues with men.

I am a big fan of Jenny Colgan’s books. Her writing style is unique: descriptive run-on-sentences, but it works for her. I loved Summer Skies and was excited to have the story continue. Gertie is so different from the heroines in the author’s previous books; readers will cheer her on as she becomes a participant in life rather than a spectator. The author’s colorful descriptions made me feel like I was sitting right there, watching and listening to the action. I highly recommend Close Knit to all readers, but especially those in the knitting and crocheting community.

I received an advance review copy (ARC) from Avon and Harper Voyage and NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Close Knit is the sequel to Summer Skies and Morag is a supporting character to Gertie, the lead. It was lovely to see Morag and Gregor again and Gertie blossomed until quite the heroine. Such a wonderful character arch from beginning to end. Close Knit was filled with humor, adventure, quirkiness and alot of heart. Like Skies, I wish I saw more of the romance, the lead up was slow, the reward fulfilling, but I want more out of these delightful characters. Can we have another installment, please?
Also- fans of Colgan will love the little hint of Mure that appeared in this book. Colgan does write the most interesting setting and characters.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #AVon/Harper Voyager for the ARC.

Thanks to Avon for a copy of the newest Jenny Colgan - Close Knit which came out on Tuesday!

I love Jenny Colgan's Scottish settings, especially Carso. I loved visiting the cute small towns in the Highlands and can't wait for my next trip where we're going to go to the Orkney Islands and more small towns along the northern coast. I liked that some of the characters in Summer Skies appear in Close Knit but you don't need to have read it to enjoy this one.

I loved seeing Gertie challenge herself to work for the airline and get a flat with Morag to see what she could do. The knitting aspect was fun (even if I can't knit) and I love all of the characters in the town.

Jenny Colgan's books are like a beautiful knitted sweater on a fall day. So cozy and fabulous. I know I'm going to read a great story with wonderful characters and Close Knit was exactly what I needed to read last week on a small town romance!

This was a sweet funny (but not spicy) romance. MC was a bit too mousey for my own taste so most fun when she broke out of her shell. As I am an audio fiend but NG doesn't offer most titles I want to read as audio DLs, I opt to have them 'Read Aloud' which means a lot of words are strangely pronounced but I muddle through. I am a passionate knitter (thus the appeal of the title) and wish there had been more knitting references. I may go back and pick up the print to see the patterns which weren't included in the preview.

Gertie lives on a little island in northern Scotland. She is a bit shy and her social circle is very limited. She has been offered a job at an airlines flying between the local islands. She decides to step out on the limb, leave her grocery store job, and take one in the friendly skies. Will Gertie finally succeed in finding adventure and maybe love??

Gertie is such a sweet girl, even if she is in a rut! I love that she is a big daydreamer. This gets her in trouble on more than one occasion! PLUS!!! She is a knitter! Being a knitter myself, I loved this part of the story. OH…AND ALSO, this book is set in my favorite place ever…SCOTLAND!

I enjoyed reading about Gertie. She came into her own and continued to grow throughout this novel. She decided to take a few risks and it was delightful to experience this with her!

As much as I loved the characters and the setting, this story is a bit predictable. That being said, it would be perfect for a road trip!

Need a sweet tale in a fantastic location…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

3.75⭐️

I am a sucker for a story set in the UK. Show me Great Britain or Scotland and I’m already a willing participant.
A few years back I read Jenny Colgan’s The Bookshop on the Corner and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed each character and the story itself. So requesting the upcoming Jenny Colgan from Net Galley seemed like just the thing.

Taking a trip back to Scotland did not disappoint. The weaving together of the story itself however, did disappoint. I warmed up to Gertie as she let go and found herself in her new job and adventure. The coven of knitters were a bit forced feeling like stretching to build something that didn’t need to be built. Jean, Elspeth and Gertie would have been a force all on their own - a force of loving support to branch from - which is plenty in a cosy world where getting to hold on to who you are is all that matters.
Ultimately the characters in this novel will stay with me even though I yearned for less fluffy set up of them and more concentrated story telling for them.

3.75 stars overall. Having a Gertie like fantasy moment about a trip through the north of Scotland - with a good book and all the time in the world to take it all in.


Thanks to Net Galley and Avon for the advanced readers copy for review.

Gertie and her mother live in the blustery hills of Scotland, their home filled to bursting with skeins of yarn. The yarn is used up by the KCs, the ladies of the knitting circle who join together to create and gossip.

But Gertie isn’t satisfied.

She feels trapped, stunted by her small town, her job at the local market, her overbearing mother.

When Gertie finds herself crushing on the local man who owns the small airline linking them to the bigger world, she takes a chance, changing jobs to work for him.

Now she finds herself inadvertently surrounded by adults who were once the people she’d wanted to fit in with in high school, and navigating these relationships proves difficult.

But when a freak accident strands a group of school kids and their teachers on a mountain, Gertie becomes a local hero.

I wanted to like this one more. The first half is tough - Gertie, at age 30, creates complicated scenarios in her head about the men with whom she wants to have a relationship. It all feels very teenager-y.

Once the plot starts coming together, once the kids are in need of rescue, Gertie seems to grow up.

It’s got small town vibes with many interesting characters and a love interest who is right in front of her that she can’t see, but it’s hard when the main character isn’t likable. Just off the mark.

Gertie lives with her mom and grandma and they spend their time knitting. This is a great book on the power of community and how we can all help each other through different stages of life. Also the power of knowing who is to help you and who in life will hinder you. It was a great addition to Jenny Colgan catalog. I will recommend this to others!

When you dive into a Jenny Colgan novel, you know that you are going to get memorable characters, an interesting setting, good people, and heartwarming stories. Charming, sweet, funny. Quintessential Colgan! Released 8/6/24 and is an instant favorite. Highly recommend to anyone in need of a good read!

I enjoyed reading Close Knit by Jenny Colgan. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Close Knit by Jenny Colgan was a delightful story.
I loved this book. It was one of those books that I hated to put down.
It's light, well-paced, and hits you in the heart. The characters are a joy to read: fun, quirky, full of personality.

☁️Book Review☁️

📖Close Knit
By Jenny Colgan
📣Pub Date: TODAY! August 6, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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▪️Read this if you like:
▫️multiple POV
▫️small Scottish town setting
▫️slow burn stories
———
💭My Thoughts
Jenny Colgan sure knows how to write a small town book, and this was just as cozy as her others. There were some fun Easter eggs for her other books (especially The Summer Skies), and it was nice revisiting those characters. Gertie was such a sweet MC, but her shyness and naïveté did get tiring to me after a while; for a character that was almost 30, she didn’t much act like it. The pace of this one is definitely on the slower side. We bounce around between a handful of characters, so there’s still a good amount going on, it just takes a bit longer for the plot to get further along. I’d be interested in even more stories from these specific characters!

Jenny Colgan is the only “romance” writer that I read religiously. I love her stories of women finding first themselves, and then their loves. In Close Knit, we are back in the far northern world of Morag and her airplanes. But this is the story of Gertie, who finds both comfort and a creative outlet in knitting. I love this world and these characters, and I want to go visit my mother-in-law immediately and learn how to knit—but only in the soft colors of the sea and sky, of course.

I found both comfort and inspiration in Gertie’s story, and I highly recommend this and all of Jenny’s books. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.