My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I like how this series ties in the characters from the other series the author has written leaving Easter eggs all over the place. This was a satisfying, quick read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jenny Colgan for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Close Knit coming out August 6, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love Jenny Colgan’s novels. She’s one of my favorite authors! I’ve read a lot of her books and they’re always very cozy and romantic. I absolutely love the Scottish setting. Scotland is a beautiful country and I love reading more about it. I haven’t visited the isles, so it’s a fun setting. I read The Summer Skies, so I was excited to receive the next book. I think Gertie was a really interesting character. She’s quiet, but a strong character. I loved the cozy knitting circle. I think it took a little time to get into the book. I wanted to see a little more about Callum. I think it was a really cozy story, but I would’ve liked a little more romance like her other books.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy Scottish novels!

Gertie likes things the way they are.
She lives with her mother. She loves to knit. She works at a local shop and no, it isn’t great, but it’s honest work. Her friends mainly consist of her mother’s knitting club who are decades older than she is, but she likes their company. She’s mostly content with the way things are, and then opportunity arises.
Gertie, surprising herself, befriends local pilot, Moray, and stewardess, Nalitha - both of which she went to high school with and thought didn’t like her. She accepts Nalitha’s job when she goes on maternity leave, having never been on a plane before. What ensues is a bit chaotic, a lot embarrassing, and a little lovely.

While not my favorite of Colgan’s, I love that I can rely on her writing to transport me to beautiful places.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy for my review!

Oh Scotland sweet Scotland, how I do love a book set in your lovely country. And then you add knitting in and it Amos up my love another level. Then the fact that the author is none other than Jenny Colgan, and you have the makings of a lovely afternoon spent. And while it did take more than an afternoon to read this, it was a lovely revisit to the characters from Summer Skies so it was worth it.
Gertie is 30 and living with her mother and grandmother and spends her free time as part of the local knitting circle which doubles as the towns gossip club. Morag needs a replacement at the airport and decides Gertie is right for the job, but with Gertie being so quiet and awkward, can she come out if her shell and live up to the potential the others see in her?
While the story did have some uneven pacing and Gertie’s excessive daydreaming made her seem more like a teenager than a woman in her 30’s at some points, there is so much more that outweighs this that brings all that you come to expect from a Jenny Colgan book.
I can’t wait to see which character gets a book next.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Jenny Colgan whisks readers to a far flung corner of Scotland, drawing them into the story and making them feel as though they're part of the community.

Gertie lives a small life in northern Scotland. She's surrounded by the knitting circle who've helped her single mom raise her (including her beloved grandmother), she has a steady job, and she spends much of her time daydreaming of ways her life could be more like the books and movies she loves. At almost 30, she still lives at home, working the job she's had since high school. She doesn't feel brave enough to chase a life like in her dreams, and instead seems to be waiting for life to happen to her. When the opportunity for change arises, Gertie works toward being braver, all the while staying true to her own heart. And knitting, of course.

Colgan brilliantly combines interesting characters, an opportunity for growth, stunning setting descriptions, and an enchanting community in each novel. As different series explore various fictional communities in the Scottish highlands, I become more and more desperate to visit the real places that inspire these fictional worlds... Though I fear I'd spend the whole trip looking for my favorite fictional characters among the crowds!

An aspect I especially love about Colgan's novels is the emphasis on community. Though not every book is centered around a tight-knit community, the characters are often either finding their community or their community is shoring them up while they go through a rough patch.

Speaking of beloved Colgan-created communities, readers will be delighted to find that Mure is mentioned, even if only in passing. It's a fun wink for readers familiar with Colgan's other series, yet also doesn't trip up those unfamiliar with the delightful books.

Of course, these communities are populated with well-developed characters that feel real. It's always lovely to see how a character's quirks, often interpreted as being inconvenient or a flaw, turn around and become an asset.

Close Knit features Morag from Colgan's The Summer Skies as a secondary character. I love when the main character from one book becomes a supporting character in another, and we get to see how their story has progressed since the last time we saw them. Close Knit works as a standalone, as well, if you happened to have missed The Summer Skies.
Gertie and her grandmother both distinctly capture that feeling that time is somehow passing quickly, everyone but you seems to have changed, and you still feel twelve inside, each validating the others' experience. It's a phenomena that's not often discussed; the only other place I've seen it recognized is in Reservation Dogs. Both pieces of media accurately capture the danger of such a feeling, as well as the importance of moving forward. Gertie and Elspeth's relationship is one of my favorites in this novel.

Close Knit will be available August 6, 2024. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced digital copy such that I could share my own opinions.

I always enjoy Jenny Colgan’s books. I jumped at the chance to review this book set in Scotland. Gertie was an interesting character - a slow bloomer one might say. I found her story interesting and enjoyed the descriptions of Scotland and the people Gertie knows. The pacing was slow - as it often is in Colgan’s books. Be prepared to settle in for a cozy visit. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for letting me review this book. This is my honest opinion.

I’m so grateful to have received an early copy from Avon/Harper Voyager through NetGalley!

The narration of this book reminded me a lot of the ensemble movies with a large cast of characters (think Love Actually or Valentines Day). This is a very fun story set in the Scottish Highlands about Gertie who is trying to discover her identity outside of her comfort zone of her mom, grandma, and their knitting club (the KCs).

The multiple points of view really help to build the story but it made it a bit harder to get into right away. Especially as this is a continuation of interconnected standalones (something I wasn’t aware of prior to reading).

Overall the story really comes together in the end and the last 25% are actually quite exciting. I loved all the nods to knitting and crocheting and the intricacies of the products they created. Overall I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun entertaining read and I will certainly be looking into the other books following these characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a complimentary copy of this novel! This is a heartfelt, summer romance novel set in Scotland perfect for a summer beach read! Gertie enjoys her knitting circle and her close group of family and friends. But she longs for something more. So when a spot opens up for her to fill in for a local airline, Gertie jumps at the opportunity. While working there, she develops a crush on Callum Frost, owner of the airline. But does he share the same feelings? Or is there someone else out there for Gertie? I enjoyed this novel for the most part, but it was very slow going. The last quarter of the book has a lot more going on! This was a cozy summer read and overall, I recommend it!

I have read many of Jenny Colgan’s books, but none in the past couple of years. Either I’ve forgotten her writing style or this story diverged from her norm. Part One was very difficult to get into, and I was tempted to stop reading because very little was happening, too many characters were introduced at once without enough description to make them come alive in my head, and the abundant use of Scottish colloquial words and phrases took me out of the story too many times, often without being able to find a definition (e.g., saltires, dreich, schtum, stocious, etc.). Although I loved her Mure series, it annoyed me that, in describing the fictional town of Carso on the northern rim of Scotland (Thurso perhaps?), she also made up names for all the outer islands and their landmarks. Since I love finding place names on maps and in photos, it was frustrating to realize I couldn’t find visuals for the Mermaid’s Spyglass, the golden beaches, and the village itself.

Fortunately, the perilous adventure in Part Two grabbed my attention and didn’t let go until the very end. It was wonderful seeing both Gertie and Struan, one with the reputation of being a meek daydreamer and the other a failed musician in the eyes of their community, defy all expectations by taking heroic measures to save lives. Although I guess this could loosely be called a clean romance, there was no development of one, just a brief kiss or two near the end. I would categorize it more as women’s fiction and adventure. My 3* rating is the average of 2* for Part One and 4* for Part Two.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. I’ve read quite a bit by Jenny Colgan. I struggled to get invested in the characters in Close Knit for some reason. It took close to half of the book before I really got into the story. True to Colgan, I loved the cozy rural Scotland vibe. The ending turned into a heartfelt story and I loved Gertie’s journey. If you love Colgan or similar stories you’ll love this one too!

This is a sweet, cozy story of a late bloomer. A young woman, who has spent a majority of her life inside her head, is finally spurred into leaving her comfort zone. I really enjoyed the cast of small-town, quirky characters. The knitting circle had a Ya-Ya Sisterhood feel about them. I also really appreciated how the characters, who have very different personalities, overcame first impressions and assumptions to be very supportive of each other.

Gertie lives with her mother and her grandmother in a tiny house. They all knit - all the time. And her friends are all women in the knitting group that they belong to. Gertie is exceptionally shy, even though she lives in a tiny town and works at the local supermarket.

Gertie had a crush on a boy in school and spent a lot of time knitting him a special pair of gloves but she didn't identify herself as the gift giver. She later saw him laughing with some girls, as they looked at the gloves.

She's now 30 and doesn't trust men. Her mother and grandmother certainly haven't helped her in that regard. When she's offered a job at a small airline, by two women who were a few years ahead of her at school, she debates whether she wants to shake up her life - even a little. And then she shares a home with one of the women. Gertie is great at her new job, even though she doubts herself all the time.

But when she is challenged greatly, Gertie has great ideas and figures out how to put them into action.

I thought the book was off to a slow start, but that the story was enjoyable. It becomes really exciting. The location is Scotland and the names are unfamiliar to an American reader so it took me a little while to remember which character is male and female.

Overall a very good story and a completely satisfying ending.

Another wonderful story!

Set in the north of Scotland, this book focuses on Gertie, a shy, introverted naive 30 year old. She’s very good natured, lives with her mother and grandmother, and knitting is her life. It has to be, her mother is part of the KC’s (short for Knitting Circle), an unusual group of women who spend their time together knitting.

When Gertie decides it is time to spread her wings, the reader watches the transformation. You find yourself rooting for Gertie all along, while you enjoy meeting old friends from previous books like Morag and Gregor. I absolutely enjoyed the story and look forward to the next one.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

If you have read any of Jenny Colgan's novels based in northern Scotland, Close Knit is a gentle addition to her catalogue. Gertie is a young woman who finds comfort and satisfaction in knitting, even if the rest of her life hasn't quite gone her way. Having grown up with a single mother and her grandmother, as well as the motley crew of the ladies' knitting circle, Gertie is quite sheltered and has a hard time leaving her comfort zone. But things get moving and Gertie gets a job with MacIntyre Air, a very very small airline based in her little town, even though Gertie had never been on a plane before. There are references to Colgan's previous books, such as The Bookshop on the Shore and The Summer Skies. Reading at least The Summer Skies would be a good idea before reading this novel. Colgan is really adept at making you feel as if you are there in the northern parts of Scotland, I have never been but now am dying to go at least once. Her books can best be described as cozy, and they are not for everyone, but I find them to be comforting and lovely, just like Gertie feels about knitting.

Close Knit - By Jenny Colgan

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jenny Colgan is the definition of cozy reads! This book sucked me in from the get go! I love the characters & felt like they were my friends! I loved the knitting, small town, spread your wings story this entails! I would highly recommend! It’s perfect year round!

Nathalie - the exotic pregnant friend

Morag - the pilot

Gertie - the main character of this story! She is absolutely delightful! Awkward, knitter, quiet, shy, to herself! Until she takes a new job working for Morag!

The KC group - knitting group ( gossiping ladies in Scotland! )

And many more characters to love!

Thank you @NetGalley & @HarperCollins for this ARC

I absolutely loved this book: it combined my love of knitting and Scotland in one tidy little package. Throw in one of my favorite authors and I don't know how it could go wrong!

Gertie has never really left her small town of Carso on the Northern tip of Scotland. She lives with her mum, grandma and more wool/yarn than any one person could knit with. The KCs (the local knitting group) are routine visitors and have helped to raise Gertie. She is a dreamer and marches to the beat of her own drum.

Gertie's world suddenly opens up when she is given a job offer with Morag's air business. She discovers she is good at something other than working at the local grocery store and finds love along the way.

Just a really lovely read!

This cozy book is exactly what you think it will be. I personally am dying to go to Scotland (and even more so, to live there, have a life and friends there, join a knitting group there lol) so maybe that made me a little biased, but the setting was the main reason I wanted to read this. And the author delivered.

I also loved how the romance element was not the MAIN part of the book as it is with so many of these types of books. It was there, but in the background. This is Gertie's story, Gertie's development, and Gertie's strength, on her own, not life centered around a man.

This is such a sweet little book, that even though it says it is a romance, it is more like a coming of age story, where the wallflower comes into her own. Plus knitting. I love books where the author knows what knitting actually is, rather than just throwing it in because they think they should.
Gertie is 30 years old, has always lived at home, never went to university, and spends her time knitting with her mother’s knitting group, or working in the local supermarket, as a checkout person.

She daydreams a lot. Every cute guy she sees, she builds a story around them, until she doesn’t realize what she has done. It is a very ordinary life, but she is good at her job, handling customers, and that is what lands her a job working at the little airport in town. And her life changes.

I loved how after all her made-up romances, she stumbles into a real one, without knowing it. This is the best kind of slow burn, one where the main character isn’t even aware of it. Plus, I liked how her skills as a knitter turn out to be a pivotal point of the story.

Great fun. Apparently there are others in this series, but you don't have to have read them to enjoy this. What I really like about this is that it wasn't all lovey-dovey. There was character building, and growth, and it all worked together well.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 6th of August 2024.

Have you ever been to Scotland? If you're like me and you haven't (yet)- reading Jenny Colgan's Close Knit is the next best thing to physically being there. The author vividly depicts the chilly yet cozy landscape and vibe of Scotland, the home of the main character, Gertie (a name she doesn't much like). We see Gertie's metamorphosis from a proverbial caterpillar into a strong, capable butterfly, more confident in the things that make her beautifully unique.
While the premise and setting were enjoyable, and I think many people will enjoy this book- it simply wasn't my cup of tea. I felt that plot moved too slowly and I couldn't get myself to be invested in the outcome of Gertie's transformation. Her love interests seemed unworthy of her, and the pace of their romance was too much of a slow burn, in fact I wondered if it would happen at all. I did enjoy the side characters and subplots, and found them to be much more endearing.
That said, I'm still a Jenny Colgan fan and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

First the positives - I really love a finding yourself kind of story where the main characters starts out unhappy and unsettled and gradually becomes part of a community and figures out what they really want etc. I also loved checking back in with Morag and the world we were introduced to in last year's Summer Skies. I loved how Gertie connected with Morag and Nalitha and how she ended up with the job at MacIntyre Air. Gertie has a lot of skill but isn't really aware of it so to see that appreciation by those around her was really lovely. Colgan does a fantastic job of setting the scene and makes the beauty and spareness of the land come alive. Her writing style is also well paced and one I very much enjoyed reading. I felt like good progress was made in the story from the beginning which isn't always the case with her books I've found.

And now for the negative - While I love Gertie and understood her shyness and dreaminess her focus on her crushes was a little uncomfortable. Not only did she get intense crushes but at times the direction her daydreams went made her feel at best very immature and at worst unstable. This took my enjoyment of the book down because I'd be happily reading along and then one of those thoughts would pop up and it was instant cringe.

Despite my issue I did really enjoy this. I loved seeing Gertie come into her own and I adore the setting.