The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts (Alison Sherlock) 🔰

A feel good, heartwarming tale of the unexpected surprises of life, The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts is an adorable read. It is full of hope, love, friendship and inspiration. But most of all, it is endearing with it’s simplicity.

The first in the Riverside Lane Series of books by Alison Sherlock, this is the story of Amber Green, a window dresser by profession, who in order to fulfil her mother’s wish agrees reluctantly to visit her mom’s old time friend Cathy Kennedy in a small country side village Cranbridge – a beautiful, serene & quite setting for this calming story.

As life would have it, this supposedly short stay of hers brings all that her life had been missing – confidence, friends, appreciation, a sense of belonging, love & a place she could call ‘home’. This heart warming story revolves around a small old shop of the Kennedy’s ‘Cranbridge Stores’ that was in dire straits & which slowly becomes the life of not only the owners but also the whole village and beyond. A place where people could meet and no longer be lonely. A sense of community.

Lovable Characters

Alison Sherlock has crafted each character with subtle perfection. Be it grandma Tilly, The Black Sawn pub owners Mike & his wife Angie, Stanley (the old school headmaster), Frank (owner of the newspaper), Molly, Tom, Belle – they all are perfect in their small little parts that they play in the story.

A Beautiful Setting

Equally enriched with charm is the beautiful setting of this book with a shallow river flowing through the center of the village with The Black Sawn pub on one side and four shops and a water mill on the other, connected by three stone bridges. The first of the shops is our Cranbridge Stores followed by what used to be a haberdashery (now the office of The Cranbridge Times owned by Frank), a hairdresser that is now shut and a bakery.

Uplifting, Feel Good And Heart Warming

What I loved most about ‘The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts’ is this absolutely amazing idea. It is full of hope & an uplifting feel. As Amber starts working with Cathy’s son Josh over renovating & reviving the shop, how it slowly becomes her own, and not just the shop but also the Kennedy family, the village and the villagers. How the small daily interactions diffused her loneliness & strengthened her self-confidence. How she finds true friends in Molly & Belle who always have her back. The book exudes positivity and warmth all the way long.

A Life You Dream Of ?

A small little shop in a quite peaceful hamlet. In the midst of nature, calm and an affable community. Is this not a dream life? No hustles of the city life. A small lot of your customers who become a part of your routine. The love for your small shop that nurtures it each day. ‘The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts’ is like words to my dreams.

Conclusion

‘The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts’ is a book that deserves to be spoken about. It is a book that deserves to be read. And, it is a book that deserves to be applauded. I am surprised how a book like this can go unrecognized (viz-a-viz Booker Prizes!). Very few books mesmerize you like this one does.

Pleasures are not meant to be rushed, and I took my own sweet time to read this book at a lazy pace, savoring every bit of it. This is one book that I won’t hesitate to give another read sometime, but before that I am etching to complete all the books in this series! I have even deferred the reading of a couple of books I had pre-ordered from my favorite authors. Get your copy here !

Here are the other Riverside Lane book reviews:

Book 2: The Village Of Lost And Found

Book 3: The Village Inn Of Secret Dreams

Book 4: The Village Of Happy Ever Afters