The cover was stunning, the characters likeable and the story had me enthralled. Just what I needed to get me through this awful pandemic . A true escape xx ( )

The cover was stunning, the characters likeable and the story had me enthralled. Just what I needed to get me through this awful pandemic . A true escape xx ( )

Escape to the French Farmhouse is the second Jo Thomas book that I have read. I was worried they would be too similar, just set in two different locations. Luckily, that wasn't the case. While there are components that are quite predictable, the story takes plenty of twists and turns. And while there are topics that are a bit oversimplified, it remains an enjoyable, relaxing read. As someone who lives in a different country from the one I grew up in, I appreciated the amplification of the difference between being a "good" and "bad" expat/immigrant.

This was my pick for The StoryGraph's Onboarding Reading Challenge 2022, prompt five, Read a book on your TBR by one of your most-featured authors. ( )

Every time I read a Jo Thomas book I am full of praise as she's one of my favourite authors. Escape to the French Farmhouse is no exception to this and I thought it was a wonderful story.

Del and her husband, Ollie, moved to France, like so many before them, for a new life. After just six weeks, they've given up and decided that it's not for them after all. They're on their way home. Except……at the last minute Del changes her mind and decides to stay, on her own, accepting her marriage is over and it's time to make (another) new start.

In typical Thomas fashion, we are thrust straight into the lives of the characters. As the story is told in the first person it really feels like I got to the heart of Del's feelings. She's a lovely, kind lady and the perfect friend. I loved how she threw herself into French life once Ollie went home and started to build a future for herself at her lavender farm, Le Petit Mas de la Lavande. Meeting new people and learning new skills (how to cook with lavender!) really bring her back to life.

No matter what the subject, Jo Thomas always manages to transport me to a new location and make me want to join in with whatever she has her characters doing. This time it was growing lavender and learning to cook with it. The massive skill of this author is that she manages to write so evocatively and I could practically smell the lavender, taste the biscuits and macarons that she made with it, and put myself right there in Provence, strolling on the riverside, eating at Henri's bistro and shopping at Fabien's brocante.

As usual Thomas has written a gorgeous romantic hero in Fabien. I loved him! She's also spun a spellbinding story of love, new beginnings, friendship and survival. I feel like I had my own escape to the French farmhouse and I adored every moment I spent there. If you want to fully immerse yourself in a truly lovely romance and be whisked off to a beautiful setting then look no further. ( )