Happiness for Beginners: Fun-filled, feel-good fiction from the Sunday Times bestseller

This was a very enjoyable story set around Hope Farm, a wonderful place that caters for children needing a bit of extra help due to various issues that stops them from conforming to the 'norm' in mainstream education, and a whole lot of animals full of character! Molly runs the farm, with help from Bev and Alan. Her aunt, who took Molly in when she was young, used to run it. Then as her aunt got older Molly was helping out more and more, and then when her aunt eventually died Molly just continued living and working there, in the caravan they both lived in on the farm, as there is no house. The story mainly revolves around Lucas and his soap-star father, Shelby, and how their lives start getting closer as Molly helps Lucas overcome his anger with his father, and life in general. But the animals are the main stars, they have all been donated to the farm as they also have issues and no-one else wanted them, amongst them ex-police Shire horses who are afraid of their own shadow, a sheep that thinks he's a dog, and the very grumpy and naughty Anthony the sheep, to mention a few. They are all absolutely delightful and really made the story! Of course there's always a glitch, and this time it's that horrible HS2 train line going through Hope Farm and Molly has to find a new home as she is being evicted in 90 days, which she really struggles with, until Shelby comes to her rescue. As I also live in Buckinghamshire near the route that awful train is taking I completely agree with Carole, who makes good use of this book to underline the atrocious way 'people in power' are ripping homes and land away from people, all to shave a few minutes off a train journey that a lot of people won't be able to afford to go on anyway. Absolutely appalling, they should be really ashamed of themselves. Some families have passed their houses and land down generations, but it will all be demolished. But of course those 'people in power' making the decisions won't be affected, it won't be their homes that are being bulldozed for 'progress'. Sorry, rant over, but it just really makes my blood boil the way they are decimating the English countryside and throwing people out of their homes with their compulsory purchase orders. The book itself is really lovely (nothing happens to any of the animals!) and Molly and Shelby, and Lucas eventually, develop a wonderful relationship. A real feel-good book that I thoroughly recommend.

Molly Baker is nearly 40 years old, living in a decrepit caravan she inherited from her aunt, more at home with animals than humans she runs a rescue centre for unloved or disabled animals which also serves as a therapy centre for children with disabilities or plain anti-social behaviour. Although she lives from hand to mouth, constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul she enjoys her life to the full. Then one day a famous TV star arrives at the farm with his teenage son Lucas in tow. Lucas has been expelled from school for starting fires and is grieving the loss of his mother to cancer. Suddenly in Lucas Molly finds a human who she wants to help as much as any of her motley crew of animals, his father's good looks and charm don't hurt either, but when the farm comes under threat from compulsory purchase will it be the end of Molly's dreams? I enjoyed reading this, especially Luke's poetry and the ragtag assortment of three legged, PTSD, blind animals that Molly cares for. I enjoyed the gentle humour associated with looking after animals with personality. I even enjoyed Molly and her assistant Bev's daily guesses as to the rock star t-shirt the other assistant Alan will be wearing. The biggest disappointment in my opinion was the hero, Shelby. I found him too self-centred and focused on his career and age-inappropriate girlfriend rather than his grieving son. Also, this just seemed to be a very long book for not very much happening, I think it could have benefited from either more plot strands or some significant pruning as I didn't feel that there was a passing of time to account for the length of the novel. Recommended for fans of All Creatures Great And Small. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Loved it!