Published By: One More Chapter
Pages: 384
Released On: 30/09/2026
When professional house sitter Erin moves into Marie’s cosy home at Station Cottages while the widow takes a four-month cruise, the job seems pretty easy:
1. Stay in the house to take care of Marie’s pup, Bella.
2. Keep an eye on Marie’s plantings in the community allotment.
3. Host the Thursday Night Slow Cooker Supper Club in Marie’s kitchen.
But sitting still isn’t easy for a woman who has spent her life running away, and with a distractingly gorgeous neighbour who seems to be keeping secrets of his own, Erin realises that her ‘easy’ gig is going to be anything but simple. In fact, it just might change her life…
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I own a copy of The Secret Ingredient but haven’t read it yet, but I really enjoyed The Storytellers, so I had high hopes for this.
I found this really difficult to review because the feeling of it, the meaning behind it all, it’s something that you need to discover for yourself rather than read someone else’s view on.
I liked the range of ages in it. We’ve got younger people, middle aged, and older. What I particularly liked is how they’re all given equal billing. The old characters are not there to tick a box and the young ones are not there to prop up the old. They’ve all got their lives, their secrets, their desires, and there isn’t a dud one amongst them.
This is my second of her books and she has this effortless way of writing where she doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, but she imbues it with hope and love and joy, to make it a very real but uplifting story.
Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of focus on food and the comfort of food and how it can bring people together.
I read it in September at the tail end of the absurd heatwaves we were having and it was great. But I imagine it’ll be an even cosier read in the colder months, all the promises of stews and whatnot. I may even reread it come the winter – and I rarely reread books.
It’s so moving but not overly emotional. It’s so warming and cosy and joyful and uplifting. Full of love and family and friendships – new and old – of communities, of beginnings and endings, or finding yourself, of travelling, of sticking around. It’s got so much heart and I loved it. This is my favourite of hers so far and I just need to get round to reading the other one.
I’ll definitely be recommending this to my nearest and dearest.
Books By Your Bedside 