Book Synopsis:

Saskia is building a home for herself out of the ruins of an old castle. Surrounded by forest, hidden away from everyone and everything, the place is special – it’s the only connection she has left to her father and it’s a hard-won chance to escape from her difficult past and create a new future. She’s spent her whole life trying to find a way to make this project work and finding someone to help her realise her dream has been almost impossible.
 
When local builder Owen finally signs up to manage the construction, things get off to a very bad start. But forced to find a way to work together, both realise that first impressions aren’t always the right ones, and when Owen discovers the forest is hiding a secret that could bring work to a halt, he realises he’s much more invested in the project – and Saskia – than he thought . . .

My Review:

The Forest Hideaway is a beautiful, atmospheric read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Firstly I really loved the fabulous characters of Saskia and Owen who were great fun to follow throughout the book. They both seemed so real which made it very easy to warm to them and get behind their efforts to restore Gair Castle. Saskia has over a lot of personal obstacles to get to where she is and I loved Owen’s sense of fairness even though I can understand why it was infuriating at times. The gorgeous doggie Brodie was another wonderful character who never failed to make me smile.

The forest setting was beautiful and I loved the author’s vivid descriptions that made me feel that I was actually there. I love walking in a forest as I always feel so at peace when I’m there and the author managed to make me feel like this as I read which I thought was really clever. There’s a history of magic and folklore in attached to the forest too which I found very intriguing.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be recommending it to others. It does start off a bit slowly as the author sets the scene but soon picks up to become a very absorbing read. It was fun watching the characters grow slowly closer together as well as unpicking the mystery surrounding the Forrest.

Huge thanks to Sara Jade from Simon and Schuster for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

I’ve been writing since I was a teenager, which is now a distressingly long time ago! I started out as an entertainment journalist – actually, my earliest published work was as a reviewer of science fiction and fantasy books. I went on to become a staff writer and then an editor for print magazines, before beginning to write non-fiction making-of books tied in to film and television, such as The Art and Making of Penny Dreadful and Wonder Woman: The Art and Making of the Film.

I now write both children’s and adult fiction – my first novel was called The Diamond Thief, a Victorian-set steampunk adventure book for the middle grade age group. That won the Redbridge Children’s prize in 2014, and I went on to write two more books in the series before moving on to other adventure books including The Golden Butterfly, which was nominated for the Carnegie Award in 2017, The House of Hidden Wonders, and a YA horror called FIR, which was shortlisted for the Lancashire Book of the Year Award in 2018. My last children’s book (to date) is called The Extraordinary Voyage of Katy Willacott, and was published by Little Tiger in 2023.

My debut adult novel, The House Beneath the Cliffs, was published by Simon & Schuster in August 2021. Since then I’ve written three more: The Lighthouse Bookshop, The Forgotten Garden, and The Secret Orchard, which is out in September 2024. My adult fiction tends to centre on small communities – feel-good tales about how we find where we belong in life and what it means when we do. Although I have also published full-on adult horror stories, which are less about community and more about terror and mayhem…

I was born in Kent but now live in a very small house in an equally small village in northern Cumbria with my husband, who owns a bookshop in the nearby market town of Penrith.

Book Synopsis:

Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people – but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall Inn who isn’t here for the big event.

When the bride discovers her elaborate destination wedding could be ruined by a divorced and depressed stranger, she is furious. Lila has spent months accounting for every detail and every possible disaster – except for, well, Phoebe . . . Soon, both women find their best-laid plans derailed and an unlikely confidante in one another.

Hilarious and moving, The Wedding People is an irresistible novel about love, friendship, dysfunctional families, and the unexpected paths that lead to happiness.

My Review:

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

The Wedding People is a warm, uplifting read which manages to be hilarious and emotional at times. I picked up this book expecting a light read and was very pleasantly surprised!

The book follows Phoebe who is feeling suicidal after a tough few years and Lila a spoiled bride who meet when Phoebe choices the hotel Lila is getting married in to try and commit suicide. The pair form an unlikely friendship, each helping the other with the problems they are facing in their lives which was wonderful to read about. It was so nice to see them grow closer as the book progresses and their conversations often made me laugh out loud as they were always so funny together.

I thought the book had a good pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. The book does discuss some serious topics but I felt they were sensitively handled. I loved to get to know the wedding people and to get a fly on the wall glimpse into the wedding as Phoebe finds herself drawn into the group. As you can probably guess nothing goes quite according to plan but it was great fun watching everything unravel and to see how everything turned out for everyone at the end.

About The Author:

Alison Espach is the author of the novels The Wedding People, Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, an Indie Next Pick and Amazon Editors’ Pick for 2022, and The Adults, a New York Times Editor’s Choice and Barnes and Noble Discover pick. She has written for McSweeney’s, Vogue, Outside Magazine, Joyland and other places. She teaches creative writing at Providence College in Rhode Island.