A Patchwork Family by Cathy Bramley

Gina has been going with the flow for years - she'd rather have an easy life than face any conflict. She runs her childminding business from her cottage at the edge of The Evergreens, a charming Victorian house and home to three octogenarians who have far too much fun for their age.

But when The Evergreens is put up for sale, Gina and the other residents face losing their home. To protect her business and save her elderly friends from eviction, Gina must make a stand and fight for the first time in her life.

As Gina's ideas for saving The Evergreens get bigger and bolder, she starts to believe it might just be possible. The only thing is, does she believe in herself?

It has been a long time since I have been on here to share a review with you and that is because I lost my husband last year and at your time of need you would think your love of reading would be there to help but unfortunately for me the complete opposite happened and I lost my joy of reading. 

When I got my hands on a copy of The Patchwork Family by Cathy Bramley, an author I absolutely love and tie that with a little weekend break with my sister I was hopeful that I would find my love of reading hidden in the pages of this book.

Our main character Gina is such a down to earth, passionate and selfless character with a pure heart of gold.  Gina is determined to make this new chapter of her life a positive and successful one in her own right. Her childminding business has the potential to blossom and as she begins to make plans for expansion the unexpected happens and throws her ideas in a grander scale which would help those around her but can she pull it off after years of being put down by her loved ones. As the storyline moves along we get to find out more about how Gina felt growing up and in her previous relationship which only made me only want her to succeed in her venture even more. 

I felt like this was a relatable storyline with characters all dealing with life’s struggles in one way or another. 

I loved the idea of bringing two different generations together to help the elderly with their loneliness and in turn the little ones learning traditional values, something that I think would benefit us all in the real world too. The storyline flowed beautifully making this such an addictive and enjoyable read that captured my heart with its hope, love and warmth. 

There was some witty moments which kept the storyline light and uplifting buffering the more tender parts of the book. The oldies are a great addition to this storyline and Bing was thoroughly charming cheeky and entertaining throughout. There is a sweet sprinkling of romance in this book but this doesn’t overtake the whole storyline. 

I was taken in by this novel and its warmth and kindness touched my heart and gave me the pure escapism I always loved in reading. This was up there with my favourite, Ivy Lane by this author and is definitely one that in these anxious and devastating times will take your mind off to a better place. I am thrilled to have loved and enjoyed this book which I will be recommending to many, lets just hope my reading mojo is back for good so I can pass more recommendations your way in this current time of distraction.