The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn

By Valerie Bowman

Hi everyone, and welcome back to another book review. This time, we are reviewing yet another new Autumnal release. I was very excited to read this one, and had high hopes for it, mainly based on its adorable front cover.

The story is essentially about Ellie, who upon getting dumped by her boyfriend and being fired from her job, decides to return to her family's inn to help prepare for the Harvest Festival. But upon doing so, she runs into Aiden, someone she left behind, and who promises to make her return to her hometown not as smooth sailing as she perhaps thought.

I liked this book. Although it was initially hard for me to get into it, I enjoyed the characters, probably more than the actual plot. For me, the book definitely got better and picked up pace towards the middle of it.

That being said, will this be a story I remember 3 months from now, I'm not sure. Another thing I do want to point out, is it is very clear this is a very American book. By that I mean some of the vocabulary used are typical 'American terms'. Specifically, 'Mums' or 'Mum', which whilst I thought the author was referring to a physical literal parent, was actually referring to a flower that blooms in Autumn. I think generally speaking, when it comes to writing, it's important to consider who you are writing for and who you want your target audience to be. Do you want to limit the effectiveness of your story by choosing to write in a style that whilst may suit a particular region, but is therefore unable to reach a mass market.

All in all, a nice easy read. Difficult to get into, but a decent Autumnal story.