Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

The Making of us is a heartfelt story about unexpected friendships, personal growth, and finding one’s place in the world. The story begins with Stevie and Ned meeting on a plane to a small French town. Stevie, who has a deep fear of flying after losing her parents in a plane crash, is nervous and on edge. Ned, traveling for his mother’s birthday, offers a calming presence as they strike up a conversation. Their shared hometown of London gives them an instant connection, and the flight becomes the start of a unique bond.

Stevie’s story is both touching and relatable. She is learning to navigate life after loss and faces her fears head-on by boarding the plane. Ned, on the other hand, is struggling with his own challenges. As a musician, he is passionate about his career, but his parents disapprove, wishing he had chosen something more traditional. His trip to France is as much about celebrating his mother as it is about seeking acceptance from his family.

In the same French village, Fay, an empty nester from England, is working through her own struggles. Feeling unappreciated by her husband, she decides to focus her energy on a garden plot, taking a hands on approach. Under the guidance of Zeke, a wise older local with a gift for gardening and life advice, Fay rediscovers her confidence and sense of purpose. Her storyline adds a rich, reflective layer to the novel, reminding readers that it’s never too late to embrace change and take control of one’s happiness.

The author skillfully weaves the lives of these characters together, creating a story that is both warm and meaningful. The conversations between the characters—whether between Stevie and Ned, or Fay and Zeke—are heartfelt and often filled with wisdom.
Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy in exchanged for my honest review

An easy read with a powerful message

This book centres around several main characters that are all living in a French village and find themselves at a crossroads in their lives, these strangers end up impacting each others stories in big and small ways. This book is written in four different POV's however it is done very well and reads smoothly without any confusion.

This is a very easy read and even though it is on the shorter side, each character story is completely unique and has there own standout moment its a beautifully written well rounded book. Sometimes a book comes along that makes you sit back and think about life in general and that was this book for me, it was emotional and sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

overall this book covers several topics including fragility of life, death, community, kindness and unknowingly having an impact in somebody's life, family dynamics, love and how we can help give back. I look forward to reading more from this author

In this charming and new modern romance novel, readers join Stevie and Ned on the same flight as they prepare for journeys that will change both their lives in different ways. Stevie is returning to France to escape from and cope with a terrible loss, while Ned is flying home to see his dying mother. Expecting to never see each other again once they get off the plane, their paths keep crossing in the same small and beautiful community garden run by Zeke, a man of many secrets. As they continue to interact at different points in their life and cope with the challenges of existence, readers continue to follow Stevie and Ned’s interactions as their lives, stories, and the garden grow. With its beautiful location in the south of France and the charm of coincidences and a small village garden, readers will love the heartwarming narrative that Howells has brought to life in this charming romance novel. The characters are the star of the novel, and the interactions between Stevie, Ned, and Zeke really draw readers into the story and bring it to life. With its brilliant characters and fascinating narrative basis of strangers’ repeated interactions, fans of the romance genre will love Debbie Howells’ new book.

This book was such a wonderful read from an author I hadn’t come across before but will definitely keep an eye on from now on. The story is heartwarming, uplifting, and thoroughly engaging. Set in a picturesque and idyllic setting, it’s beautifully written with a smooth and natural style. The characters feel authentic and relatable, and their experiences are both believable and emotionally resonant. A book I can wholeheartedly recommend!

A lovely heartwarming read. It's written so beautifully and is all about friendships, close families, love, grief .

This book made me cry. Knowing that a loved one is going to die and being unable to do anything about it resonated so much with me. The characters were believable and I would thoroughly recommend this book.

This was a sweet and cozy book set in France which was a lovely setting. It follows several characters but each of them was interesting and I like how they were all woven together. The story is very gentle but tackles some trickier themes such as death. I enjoyed it but found it a bit too ‘perfect’ in places. It was a nice winter’s read.

A beautifully written story about friendship, grief and love. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I was only a few chapters in and I was fully immersed in the story. With thanks to Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review. Highly recommended.

Two people going on a journey….a journey that can change their lives.
Loss
Love
Grief
Second chances
A beautiful story about finding your way.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I did not enjoy this book as it had far too many POVs. I am not a big fan of books with more than 2 POVs but also I found the characters to be a bit dull, didn't see the spark in the romance and just felt it dragged on a bit.

I really enjoyed this with each character becoming linked to the next through friendships and relationships this deals with some heavy topics but does it in such a well written way highly recommend.

I enjoyed The Making of Us. It was a quick, easy read, that I read in one sitting.

I loved the cute French setting, and the characters were likable.
The storyline was sweet, but a little boring in parts.
I liked that it was told from a few different perspectives. My favourite perspective was Fay. Her story felt more real to me.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not overly memorable.

3 Stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Debbie Howells for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A charming story about love and fate! When I turned the last page, I quite honestly wanted to cry because this was out-of-this world amazing.
 
The storyline was just oh so perfect! My favorite thing about it was the beautiful reminder that no matter what, no matter how many signs you ignore, fate will always step in and show you something you have no choice but to acknowledge. It’s like the red string theory; it’s beautiful and emotional and heartfelt. It warmed my heart in so many ways.
 
While I loved this, I’m rating it a 4.5 because it just doesn’t quite feel like a five-star read, but I may come back and change my mind! I’m very indecisive about these things.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮!

It is a moment that will change everything. But Ned is heading to see his dying mother, and Stevie is returning to France to escape a terrible loss in her past. Neither of them can think about that tiny flame that just flickered between them.

But then their paths keep crossing, leading them both to the same beautiful community garden in a small French village; run by a mysterious old man named Zeke – a man with many of his own secrets.

As it becomes clear that fate is going to keep bringing them together – the two of them have to ask – are they ready for a happy-ever-after? Do they even know how to find it?

As the seeds grow into plants and flowers all around them, Stevie begins to wonders if Zeke – and his garden – might just have the answers…


I really enjoyed this story. Cannot wait to read more from the author. Will recommend to others.

Captivating from the first word this is a great big emotional roller coaster of a book that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. As always it is beautifully written and I for one didn’t want it to end. Couldn’t recommend it enough

I lovely, heart warming story set in France. I laughed at the way foreigners were depict and enjoyed this lovely story. Happy and sad in equal measure.

This was an emotional page turner about friendship, family, farming and the fragility of life.

It is a book about different people whose lives are connected in a roundabout sort of way. I loved all of the characters and how the author has made them into something real. There are no airs around any of them. They could be friends or even your neighbours.

The village setting was good and the author captured succinctly the French’s feelings about the English and other visitors.

I loved that this book gives me food for thought and brings back memories of loved ones gone past.

This is a book I highly recommend.

Debbie Howells has written a moving story of why we are better together. Stevie and Ned meet on a flight to France. It is a case of bad timing or will their path's cross for good?

I loved that this was just not a love story but also a story of community and formed family. Zeke and his community garden plots added such a richness to this story that I think elevated the book.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Possible triggers: Sudden loss, parental loss, cancer diagnosis

I loved this story. It touched my heart, brought tears to my eyes, made me smile, and warmed my heart. I fell in love with the characters especially Ned and Stevie. I cheered them on as they discovered themselves and their friendship.