Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell - Lilac Mills

Reading Challenge Category: Free ARC from NetGalley

Official Blurb:

George can’t throw anything away. But he’s in danger of throwing away this opportunity to be loved…
George Nightingale is a hoarder with a house full of junk. For years he’s kept it a secret, rarely leaving his house and keeping social interactions to a minimum, but his carefully balanced system is now under threat…
Nessa Millbrook can’t wait to get settled into her new home in quaint, rural Applewell. Everyone in the village is so friendly – except her neighbour, George, who wants nothing to do with her. But Nessa isn’t one to back down from a challenge and she’s determined to win George over.
The years have taught George to shield his heart and trust no one. Yet Nessa keeps reaching out to him – does he have the courage to take a chance, and reach back?

My Thoughts:

This is such a heartwarming and feel-good book!
I was in the right frame of mood for this book. A bit of lightness, happiness and perfectness to cheer me up amongst all the gloom. However, if I had read it in the wrong frame of mind, I could have found the characters a little too saccharine. Nessa was a bit too overkill with her kindness and friendliness, but luckily I was in the mood to lap this up and wished I lived next door to her.
George was such a mercurial character. The way he lived gave me the heebie-jeebies, but it really made him interesting. How he would have to find new places for things and how his life had become so small because of his obsession; it made for fascinating reading.
I loved the mention of Lampeter, where I went to university, hardly anyone has ever heard of it, but there it was popping up in this book. I’d sit and just stare at the word for a while, lost in my memories before I could move on. It also helped me envisage the area and remoteness that they were living in. I went to university there in the late 90s, and trust me; it was remote. I’ve even sat at Aberystwyth train station waiting hours for a train, so again it was lovely to be able to immerse myself in the scenery and my memories.
So, Lilac Mills has pulled on the heartstrings and written the perfect cheer-inducing book. Lovely characters and fascinating subject matter all wrapped up in the ideal surroundings. I hope there is going to be more set in Applewell?

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