#BookReview ‘Garden Of Her Heart’ by Zoe Richards

About the book…

An uplifting story of healing and recovery that will warm your soul…and get you into the garden. Eleanor Oliphant meets The Authenticity Project on a well-being retreat in this story of one loner, two secrets and three weeks at Pinewoods Retreat.

When Holly Bush (yes, she still hasn’t forgiven her mother for that combination) is made redundant with gardening leave, after a brutal attack, she decides to visit a retreat not far from home. There she finds friendship and a garden in need of love, she ends up doing literal gardening leave, bringing the community of guests together. Journaling her way through her holiday, Holly works on both her mental and physical scars and discovers an inner strength as her secrets are revealed.

Perfect for readers who enjoy an uplifting story of self-love, friendship and community, with a hint of romance.

Hugest of thanks to Graeme Williams of Graeme Williams Marketing and publishers UCLAN for my gifted review copy of uplifting and moving debut novel, ‘Garden Of Her Heart’ by Zoe Richards which is available in paperback and e-book formats.

It’s a wonderful novel full of heart and redemption, where the improbably named Holly Bush, takes back control of her life via the most unexpected methods.

Her job was as a travel agent to advise people on their best options to get away from it all whilst being firmly rooted to her life in her grandmother’s house. Struggling to cope with grief and loss, compounded by a vicious attack whilst at work, with little support from those who are in a position to help, she takes her life in her hands and leaves, going to a wellbeing facility called Pinewoods Retreat.

Initially sceptical after her initial bravado has forced her to move, she slowly begins to note the people around her, and how her environment impacts on, and improves her physical and mental health.

Holly has clearly undergone multiple traumatic incidents and has naturally retreated, feeling she has little to nothing to offer herself or the world at large, but as she beings to keep a daily journal monitoring her feelings, actions and thoughts, we, the reader , as well as Holly begin to understand her a lot better.

There is such an emotional connection and resonance with Holly, I wanted to reach in the pages of the book and rescue her from some truly awful people and circumstances.

Her tentative reaching out to the others in the retreat brings forth a way of nourishing her and leading a way out of what intially appears to be an impossible situation.

She needs a reason to live and move forward but in order to create a sense of home and a meaningful future, she has to dig deep and open old wounds to find she is stronger, wiser and braver than she ever could have imagined.

I really felt for Holly, she is a well rounded character who is brilliantly realised with empathy and heart by Zoe, I absolutely loved this book and was saddened when I finished it , because there was such a moving narrative that swept me away.

About the author…

Zoë Richards was inspired to write Garden of Her Heart by being a suicide survivor from which she learned the healing that worked best for her, which is not the same for everyone.

Dog walks around the Formby pinewoods, not far from her home, gave her the location, in an area known locally as The Lost Resort, a town that never came into existence, close to the sea.

In the woods there is a sole Victorian house, standing alone on a cinder track, and this is the inspiration for the location of Pinewoods Retreat.

She lives in Southport, near Liverpool, has been married to Rob for 34 years, and they have a grown-up daughter and a cockapoo who will never grow up.

She worked for the NHS as an improvement programme manager, reforming how children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities are supported in healthcare. Writing gives her an escape from the intensity of work and from caring for her elderly mother.

Twitter @zoerichardsuk @gray_books @publishinguclan