I read this book with high expectations because I have read Lisa Jewell before, and I really like her. This book wasn’t, perhaps, as good as I was expecting, but it was enjoyable, nonetheless.

This is the story of Pip and Grace, two sisters who have moved to a new home with their mother following their father’s breakdown which resulted in him trying to burn their house down. The girls are eager to fit in with the odd bunch who become their neighbours. Sisters Catkin, Willow, and Fern are home schooled and appear to live very different lives to Pip and Grace. And then there is Tyler, the oddball who has attached herself to Dylan, a boy who lives nearby. All of the kids hang out in the gardens. Most of the action takes place within this wild and unusual place. Dylan starts to date Grace, and this leads to a supposed assault on Grace. But, who attacked her, and why? No. Actually, was she even assaulted?

The plot was a little weak. It didn’t leave me hanging on every word, racing through the pages to find out what had happened. My favourite thing about this book was Pip. The 12 year old narrated parts of the novel through letters she was writing to her father in hospital. There were moments I was really sad for her. She didn’t really fit in with the other girls, and she struggled with her relationship with her sister. Previously extremely close, the pair drift apart from the moment they enter The Gardens.

I’m not sure what else I can say about this book. I didn’t not enjoy it. It was well written. But it wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read by this author, either.

It's an enjoyable read. I did find myself wondering where the conclusion would lie.I wondered what had happened to Grace. At the same time, I didn't think the ending was all that difficult to figure out.

Pip. Oh, my gosh. That little girl is the star of the show. I felt her sense of loneliness, having lost her father and then her sister, and in having to cope with somewhere completely new to live. Her letters to her father were heartbreaking.

The plot. It was weak and not as exciting as I would have liked.

Disappointed. I had such high hopes for it.

I still love Lisa Jewell. She is an awesome writer, and I have some more of her book to read.

It's enjoyable.

It's not very creative.

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Created Sep 28, 2022 at 7:01am • Submit your own review...