Book Review: Retreat to the Lakeside Cottage

I recently escaped into Retreat to the Lakeside Cottage by Erin Green, and it was the perfect feel-good read I needed. The premise of five authors gathering at a charming lakeside cottage for a writing retreat immediately drew me in. I was excited to see how their individual journeys would unfold amidst the serene backdrop.

From the outset, Rula, the retreat organizer, captivated me. Her struggle with an unexpected visitor from her past added a delightful layer of tension. The dynamics among the authors—Eve's writer's block, Alice's distractions, Daphne's unconventionality, and Brontë's feelings of inadequacy—felt relatable and authentic. I could see parts of myself in each character, which made their stories all the more engaging.

As I read, I found myself laughing at their mishaps and cheering for their successes. The cottage, described in vivid detail, became a character of its own, symbolizing inspiration and transformation. Green’s writing is warm and inviting, effortlessly blending humor with heartfelt moments.

The evolution of their friendships added depth to the narrative. I loved how the retreat turned into a catalyst for personal growth, with each woman facing her fears and discovering new paths. The friendships that blossomed were genuinely uplifting, reminding me of the power of connection and support.

Overall, Retreat to the Lakeside Cottage is a charming tale of love, laughter, and the creative spirit. It left me with a smile on my face and a renewed appreciation for the bonds we form with others. If you're looking for a heartwarming escape, I highly recommend this delightful story!

Another fantastic book from Erin. I hadn’t realised this was part of a series when I started so definitely be looking at those too, but was a great read independently I didn’t feel like I was missing something.

I received a free copy of, Retreat to the Lakeside Cottage, by Erin Green, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Bronte, Daphne, Rula, Eve, ans Alice, are writers at a writing retreat. This book is set in a beautiful location, it was nice reading about five people, instead of one. Its an interesting read.

I did enjoy this book, although i wasn't sure part of the way through, it was a little long winded and drawn out at times, but I did like the different view points, part of the way though I did just wonder if Erin had experienced all this herself or this was a struggle for all authors, i really hope not, but in the end it was a good story and I did like the characters and the way they interacted, I would have liked a little bit more information on how it ended for all of them rather than the snippet we received.

This is a fantastic book. It is the third part of the Lakeside Cotrage series, but it can be read as a standalone book, as it is the setting that features in the series. The characters are all new to this book.
I love the idea of a writing retreat and enjoyed reading about it. I also liked reading about the different characters and their backgrounds.
This is an enjoyable and heartwarming read and I hope that there will be more books set in the Lakeside Cottage.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Five authors travel to a cottage in the Lake District for some quiet time, lovely food and not having to worry about anything, other than to write. One of the women is Brontë who had never written a book before and is hoping that being in the company of the other writers will inspire her, to learn about the process of writing a book and hopefully write her own.

But, as the week progresses, the lives they lead each lead begin to be revealed and some begin to think about whether a writers is for them.

Then an uninvited lady turns up, it’s someone who will upset Rula, as she was involved with something that happened in Rula’s past.

I loved the setting of the story and the characters. It was about the friendships between five ladies from different backgrounds.

I highly recommend this book.

Absolutely amazing. I read this whilst on holiday so it took me a little bit longer but there were times I was itching to pick my kindle up and find out what was happening at Lakeside Cottage with all the authors.

What a colourful group of ladies, their personalities were so vibrant I felt like I was watching them on tv. I always wondered what happened at writing retreats, know I know! It was really interesting to learn about the different publishing experiences and how there is so much more to writing than simply just writing it!

I have to say, the star of the book for me was Josie and Arthur. I’ve enjoyed Josie in previous books in this series but it was nice to learn more about her and from very early on I was rooting for Arthur to be her person. I bet he’s secretly pleased the authors retreat got moved to Lakeside as those woman really showed Josie how to be free and go after what you want and see what was right in front of your nose.

Brilliant from start to finish, and I loved the little character twist with Rulas’ agent. I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Lovely and entertaining and also a story about writing books, perfect. This was such a lovely story. The characters were all so different and each chapter dealt with a different character. A great summer read. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.

This book is about a five day writers' retreat in a luxurious cottage near Beatrix Potter's Hill Top property in the Lake District. I've visited myself once and it's a lovely area which is well described in the book.

The ladies taking part are Alice, Brontë, Daphne, Eve and Rula who's been organising it. Each of them has had some writing success apart from Brontë who is a complete novice. There is also a housekeeper, Josie, who looks after everyone and produces gorgeous food.

We have three narrators in first person present: Brontë, Eve and Josie.

This is a novel with not much action but a lot of talking, and when I say talking I mean mostly bitching about the others, in front of them and behind their backs, while guzzling a lot of wine. Seriously, the author is not doing her profession any favours - I never imagined authors to be so self-absorbed, unfocused and whiny about not being proper writers, their talent being underappreciated or having writer's block!

When another writer called Cora gatecrashes the retreat, the
backstabbing and stealing each other's ideas starts in earnest. I've never heard the likes of it!

I disliked badly behaved Alice, Daphne and Cora and sat on the fence on Rula. Eve is ok, Brontë is lovely and I like Josie best who just observes everything, shaking her head, then begins to write down her own stories. But to be honest, I didn't get a real sense for any of them because there isn't enough character background for me.

This is billed as a romance but there is very little of it and only right at the end, barely worth mentioning. There is a little cute twist at the end and in the epilogue people mostly get what they deserve.

If you like chaos and mayhem at a writers' retreat this is for you. It's an easy read showcasing what it's like to be a writer but also how you can trip yourself up if you think you're either an imposter or better than you are. I am afraid though that I had anticipated a different kind of book so I am left disappointed.

This book tells the stories of five women who attend a writers retreat at the beautiful Lakeside Cottage.
We start with Brontë, a would-be writer who is gifted the retreat by her boyfriend, but feels way out of depth alongside the other published authors.
As each woman's story gradually unfolds we see that none of them have the perfect life.
This is different to the Erin Green books I've read before. Slower and more wordy, but a very good read.

I loved this book. I felt like the characters were my friends by the end and I missed them when I finished it! I love it when you learn about something new while reading a novel, and I learned a huge amount about writers, their writing methods, publishing and agents. It was fascinating. This series set in a holiday cottage is inspired, and I hope there are more books to come.

Retreat to the Lakeside Cottage by Erin Green

Rula organises a retreat for writers at Lakeside Cottage in the Lake District. Peace and quiet, lovely surroundings, a break from everyday life, nice food - the perfect conditions to get lots of writing done, what could possibly go wrong?

What a lovely book, I really enjoyed it! Loved the characters and their background stories, along with their interactions during the retreat. I also loved how the presence of a new writer at the retreat gave the experienced ones an opportunity to give really useful insights into writing, writers, agents, publishing and a whole host of other information. A really good story, very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Erin Green's latest book returns to Lakeside Cottage but can be read independently.
A group of writers are booked in to the cottage for a week of writing. The group are a mix of of writers some established, some self published and one brand new writer..
A funny enjoyable book with well drawn characters some likeable some not. It gives an insight into the struggles that authors can face trying to find inspiration, develop a plot or believable characters. Writing is hard work!
Erin Green writes readable fun stories which are engaging and well written.

I struggled with this but only in the way it was told in chapters by different people. But it is a good story and deserves its 5 stars . Some great twists I did not see coming. You follow 5 writers / not writers at a writers retreat in the Lake District . It is a intresting read. Makes you think about authors in a different light even though Erin Green says it is made up. Read it . A good summer read . Nice ending