Recommendations based on "The French Chateau Dream"

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A USA TODAY BESTSELLER • A brilliantly funny novel about friends, lovers, Ireland in chaos, and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three • “O'Donoghue deepens the familiar coming-of-age premise with riveting moral complications." —People"If you’ve ever been unsure what to do with your degree in English; if you’ve ever wondered when the rug-buying part of your life will start...if you’ve ever loved the wrong person, or the right person at the wrong time…In short, if you’ve ever been young, you will love The Rachel Incident like I did.” —Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times best-selling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and TomorrowRachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it’s love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever. Together, they run riot through the streets of Cork city, trying to maintain a bohemian existence while the threat of the financial crash looms before them.When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred’s glamorous, well-connected, bourgeois wife. Aching with unrequited love, shot through with delicious, sparkling humor, The Rachel Incident is a triumph.

From the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost BookshopNestled among the cobblestone streets of Compiègne, there existed a bakery unlike any other.Rumours were whispered through the town that its pastries offered a taste of magic, chasing away the darkest of sorrows. Just one bite of a croissant might bring luck, unlock a precious memory or reveal hidden longings.But dark clouds were looming on the horizon…For Edie Lane, a recipe for disaster doesn’t require that many ingredients. Take an unhealthy amount of wishful thinking and a sprinkle of desperation and that’s how Edie left everything behind in Ireland for her dream job at a bakery in Paris. Except the bakery isn’t in Paris – and neither is Edie.This might not be where Edie intended to be but she soon realizes it's exactly where she needs to be…Praise for Evie Woods‘Beautifully written and captures the wonder and awe that a story can bring to its reader…a delightful story for any book lover…an ode to storytelling and the connections that books can make!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Wowwww!! It’s been awhile since I read something so fascinating, captivating and special all in one…It takes you on a journey like most books do, but this one, I just want to inscribe on my back and hope that it becomes a part of me so that I can carry it with me always’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘A must read for readers that love books’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘A beautiful story that begs to be read in one sitting…a magical story filled with beautiful prose and many surprises that readers will not soon forget’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘This spellbinding book hooked me from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down til the end’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The sun is shining on the golden castle on Rainbow Bay - and change is in the air!Amelia is a single mother, doing her very best to look after her young son, Charlie - but money is tight and times are tough. When she first hears that she is the last descendent of the Chesterford family and that she has inherited a Real-Life Castle by the sea, Amelia can't quite believe her ears. But it's true!She soon finds that owning a castle isn't quite the ticket to sorting out her money problems that she'd first hoped: she can't sell, because the terms of the ancient bequest state that any Chesterford who inherits the castle, must live there and work towards the upkeep and maintenance of the family home. So ever-practical Amelia decides to uproot her little family and move to this magnificent castle by the sea.Living in a castle on the beautiful Northumberland coast is fun at first, but organising the day-to-day running is a lot more complicated than Amelia first imagined. Luckily she has help from the small band of eccentric and unconventional staff that are already employed there - and a mysterious unseen hand that often gives her a push in the right direction just when she needs it most.It's only when she meets Tom, a furniture restorer who comes to the castle to help repair some antique furniture, that Amelia realises she might get the fairy-tale ending that she and Charlie truly deserve...Join bestselling author Ali McNamara in Rainbow Bay, where an inheritance and some sea air are about to work their magic on Amelia's life...

THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Winner of the RNA Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award 'A life-affirming story full of joy and hope' CATHY BRAMLEY 'A sun-filled, fun-filled wonderful escapist adventure' MILLY JOHNSON When does time out become the time of your life? Jodie Jackson is all at sea, in every sense. On a ferry bound for the Isle of Wight, she's leaving her London life, her career, and her husband behind. She'd like a chance to turn back the clocks, but she'll settle for some peace and quiet on her brother Bill's beautifully renovated houseboat, Sunny Days. But from the moment Jodie steps aboard her new home, it's clear she'll struggle to keep herself to herself. If it isn't Marilyn, who cleans for Bill and is under strict instructions to look after Jodie, then it's Ned, the noisy sculptor on the next-door houseboat. Ned's wood carving is hard on the ears, but it's made up for by the fact that he's rather easy on the eyes. Bustled out of the boat by Marilyn and encouraged to explore with Ned, Jodie soon delights in her newfound freedom. But out of mind isn't out of sight, and when her old life comes knocking Jodie is forced to face reality. Will she answer the call or choose a life filled with Sunny Days and Sea Breezes? An absolute must-read from the queen of fun-filled and life-affirming fiction, Sunny Days and Sea Breezes will make your heart sing! 'A wonderful setting where dark clouds part to reveal a happy ending' KATIE FFORDE 'A bright and breezy summer story, the next best thing to a seaside trip' SUNDAY MIRROR 'A delightful summer read' HELLO! 'Packed full of Matthews' signature charm, this has original characters and an escapist setting' WOMAN 'Perfect escapism'BELLA 'A bright, breezy, summery story!' BEST 'A warm summer read' CHOICE SUNNY DAYS & SEA BREEZES was a Sunday Times bestseller in hardback on 28th June 2020

“As cozy as a cup of tea and cake.”—People “One of those books you just want to hug to your chest. I loved it so much.”—Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of While We Were Dating A huge-hearted, redemptive coming-of-old-age tale, a love story, and an ode to good food Nothing could be more out of character, but after fifty-nine years of marriage, as her husband Bernard’s health declines, and her friends' lives become focused on their grandchildren—which Jenny never had—Jenny decides she wants a little something for herself. So she secretly applies to be a contestant on the prime-time TV show Britain Bakes. Whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras and timed challenges, Jenny delights in a new-found independence. But that independence, and the stress of the competition, starts to unearth memories buried decades ago. Chocolate teacakes remind her of a furtive errand involving a wedding ring; sugared doughnuts call up a stranger’s kind act; a simple cottage loaf brings back the moment her life changed forever. With her baking star rising, Jenny struggles to keep a lid on that first secret—a long-concealed deceit that threatens to shatter the very foundations of her marriage. It’s the only time in six decades that she’s kept something from Bernard. By putting herself in the limelight, has Jenny created a recipe for disaster?

A new love could be about to bloom for Lily in this bright, warm women’s fiction title that fans of Holly Hepburn and Cathy Bramley will love. Lily Rose Baxter loves her little flower shop on Foxley Street and the freedom and independence from her family that it represents. Lily can't help but feel that something is missing from her life..., but when mysterious stranger Will Singer comes into her shop looking for the perfect bouquet of roses, all that could be about to change.

'With echoes of David Nicholls's One Day, this romance has just the right mix of heart-melting moments and heart-rending near misses' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'Intensely romantic' SUNDAY MIRROR 'Wonderful, heart-tugging' PRIMA 'Timeless and moving' HOLLY MILLER Perfect for fans of ONE DAY and ME BEFORE YOU, this is a heartbreaking love story spanning three decades that starts and ends on a bench, by the Richard & Judy Book Club bestselling author. __________________________________________ It begins at the end. It begins on a bench, on a heath, where a woman waits for a man. Ten years ago, they made a pact: On this bench, on this day, they will end a love affair that's spanned three decades, or start again. They should never have met. They should never have fallen in love. But they did, until a lie separated them for a lifetime. Can they fix the mistake, forgive the lie, erase the years in-between? Can what was lost ever truly be found? __________________________________________ Readers are falling in LOVE with The Bench . . . 'I loved this book from beginning to end' ***** Reader review 'A raw, emotional book about love in all its guises'Sun 'I cried at the end, they were happy tears!' ***** Reader review 'Heartbreaking' Bella 'What an epic love story, I loved this so much' ***** Reader review 'Irresistible' Jemma Wayne 'Beautiful, painful, heart-breaking' ***** Reader review 'Honest, tender' Emma Rous 'Poignant and heart-wrenching' Mary Chamberlain 'I absolutely loved it' ***** Reader review 'Beautiful' Cecilia Ekbäck 'I fell head over heels in love with it' Fiona Mitchell 'Wonderful storytelling' ***** Reader review 'Wonderful' Lisa Ballantyne *THE NEW LOVE STORY FROM SASKIA SARGINSON, SEVEN MONTHS OF SUMMER, IS OUT NOW*

'An irresistible, feel-good story infused with infectious humour' - Miranda DickinsonThe sun is shining in the quiet little seaside town of SandybridgeSandybridge is the perfect English seaside town: home to gift shops, tea rooms and a fabulous fish and chip shop. And it's home to Grace - although right now, she's not too happy about it. Grace grew up in Sandybridge, helping her parents sort junk from vintage treasures, but she always longed to escape to a bigger world. And she made it, travelling the world for her job, falling in love and starting a family. So why is she back in the tiny seaside town she'd long left behind, hanging out with Charlie, the boy who became her best friend when they were teenagers? It turns out that travelling the world may not have been exactly what Grace needed to do. Perhaps everything she wanted has always been at home - after all, they do say that's where the heart is...

Fay Merryweather runs her cake shop from her beautiful garden. She whips up airy sponges and scrumptious scones, while her customers enjoy the lovely blossoms and gorgeous blooms. Looking after the cake shop, the garden and her cantankerous mother means Fay is always busy but she accepts her responsibilities because if she doesn't do all this, who will? Then Danny Wilde walks into her life and makes Fay question every decision she's ever made. When a sudden tragedy strikes, Fay's entire world is thrown off balance even further and she doesn't know which way to turn. Can Fay find the strength to make a life-changing decision - even if it means giving up the thing she loves the most? Life, love and family are about to collide in The Cake Shop in the Garden.

‘Lovely heart-warming story! I smiled a lot and laughed... Loved every minute of it!’ NetGalley reviewer,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐