I have to confess to having a bit of a girl crush on Clare Balding! I think she comes across on TV as a thoroughly nice person – and some years ago I attended an International Women’s Day event that she spoke at, and she was wonderful in person too. When I knew her first adult fiction book (as in book for adults rather than kids, not some erotica!) was being published, I was chuffed to be given an advance review copy from Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:

“The delightfully down-to-earth debut novel from Clare Balding. Sometimes home is where you least expect it…
Alex has perfected the art of dodging responsibility during her almost 40 years — until an unexpected letter turns her life upside down.
She’s inherited a crumbling sheep farm in wildest, wettest Wales. This was not her life plan. Not at all.
Now, her closest companion is a stubborn Welsh terrier, she’s speed-reading The Idiot’s Guide to Farming, and her arrival has set the village gossip mill spinning. With the farm near collapse and its community now relying on her, Alex sets out to uncover the truth behind her mysterious inheritance. Then she can finally get back to the carefree life she thought she wanted.
But as secrets surface, Alex finds her heart pulling her in a direction she never saw coming.
Will she pack her bags – or has she landed exactly where she’s meant to be?”

I have to say I loved this book! I was rooting for Alex from the start. I have a little bit of knowledge of horsey circles, so that element was interesting – and having just got our first puppy, I also loved the relationship between Alex and her new dog. Plus having watched ‘Clarkson’s Farm’ I feel, like most people, that I am aware of how tough making a living from farming is – and this is portrayed well in the book.

The supporting cast of characters are also wonderful – Alex’s family and friends – old and new – are fabulous, and their relationships evolve during the storyline.

I’ve just described this book to my hairdresser as being exactly what you’d expect from a Clare Balding book – a lovely easy comforting read with a heart.

A huge thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my ARC – if you like the sound of it you can pre order now for when the book is out next month, and I highly recommend you do.