Emma's Review: Summer at Hope Meadows by Lucy Daniels

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Newly qualified vet Mandy Hope is leaving Leeds - and her boyfriend Simon - to return to the Yorkshire village she grew up in, where she'll help out with animals of all shapes and sizes in her parents' surgery.

But it's not all plain sailing: Mandy clashes with gruff local Jimmy Marsh, and some of the villagers won't accept a new vet. Meanwhile, Simon is determined that Mandy will rejoin him back in the city.

When tragedy strikes for her best friend James Hunter, and some neglected animals are discovered on a nearby farm, Mandy must prove herself. When it comes to being there for her friends - and protecting animals in need - she's prepared to do whatever it takes...

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Summer at Hope Meadows by Lucy Daniels is the first in the Hope Meadows series. It has a beautiful cover that really sums up the subject matter of the book and as the tagline suggests it really is time for a new beginning for our main female protagonist Mandy Hope. She's reached the point where it is right for her to go back to basics, to return to what she loves, to go back to the village where she was brought up and indulge her passion for all animals be they big or small. No matter what way the animals may arrive Mandy will always care for them and shower them with love and attention.

I assumed this book would be the regular women's fiction books I enjoy with a dash of romance thrown in, I didn't bargain that animals would play such a dominant role. For some readers I think this would be off putting especially if you are not an animal lover but for others this will be heaven. I think I fall firmly in the middle with regard to the amount of focus placed on animals and their care throughout the book. Once I knew the sort of read I was in for I settled in to the story and just went with the flow and the overall feeling of helping others both human and animal and always keeping going and fighting for what you want in life.

Mandy is returning to the place where she feels she belongs the most, the village of Welford where her parents run the Animal Ark clinic and have done so ever since Mandy was just a small child. Her parents Adam and Emily are struggling to find someone new who will take on some locum work in their busy practice. Emily is growing ever tired – this was something which was alluded to at various points throughout the novel but it never got the focus I felt it deserved. I think there could be more going on there than meets the eye and I wanted Mandy to come right out and question her mother as to whether everything was OK.  Knowing there are more books to come in the series maybe this will be explored in more detail in the future. Mandy comes back from the practice she had been working in in Leeds to help her parents out. This is not a long term fix but she wants to return the support and favours her parents did for her over all the years. She leaves behind boyfriend and fellow vet Simon. I knew from the start that Simon and Mandy weren't the right match for each other. They didn't appear destined for each other in the long term. Yes they shared the same goal of opening up in their own clinic and specialising in a particular veterinary field that they have a keen interest in. But Simon seemed more gung ho than Mandy. He was full of ambition and yes he had an interest in animals but I felt behind it all money was more of a requirement for him than it was for Mandy. Overall, I really didn't like Simon,  I felt he put Mandy down and never took her wishes into consideration. Time away from him where she could take stock and evaluate what she really wanted to do with her life was perhaps the best thing for her.

In some ways Welford and the clinic have changed for Mandy and in many others they remain the same. Initially I thought there were mentions of so many characters that I felt I should know them already. I was desperately trying to keep track of who was who. Also there were many references to past events with animals particularly as Mandy was growing up with best friend James. Then eventually it clicked with me that the author was referring to the children’s series Animal Ark on which Summer at Hope Meadows is based. That in fact that series followed Mandy and James as they were growing up. I knew from the blurb that a collective group of authors wrote that series and will write this one too but I thought Mandy, James and co were brand new characters. The Animal Ark series passed me by as I clearly had moved on to more adult books when this series was being published some years ago. So I would think long term fans of Mandy and co will enjoy this series and for new readers like me it gives a whole new insight into a grown up, more mature Mandy. At the same time, I feel she still holds the same beliefs and views firmly in her heart and mind. James featured every now and again with his husband Paul and without doubt their storyline was dealt with such sensitivity and tact and handled to perfection. It will bring a tear to your eye and in a way is comparable to some of the suffering Mandy sees especially when a case of animal cruelty comes to light.

Really this book is a time of adjusting and decision making for Mandy and it was enjoyable to read of how she is changing. She still always takes her parents wishes into account but at the same time the reader can sense she is at that point where she is ready to strike out on her own. Similarly I think she knew deep down herself that the same applies to her relationship with Simon. She was either going to have to commit to him relationship wise and their business plan or else break the connection and be honest about things. In some ways Mandy grew up quickly as with regard to her veterinary experience and the care and attention she gave the animals. Sky the collie was a perfect example of this and such a beautiful addition to the overall story. Yet in other ways I wanted to give her a good shake and say come on, you are an adult capable of decision making, get your act together and get the truth out there say what's bothering you so it can be put aside and you can get on with what you really want to do in life.

There is no doubt Mandy's passion for animals and the love of her job shone throughout the book and also the element of community spirit and working together to achieve a common goal was ever present. There were plenty of battles to overcome both professionally and privately and the reader is left questioning and eager to see whether Mandy can achieve this. Mandy was a good character, clearly not without her faults, yet when you needed her she would drop everything and be there for you even though at times she felt helpless like she could do nothing.  I enjoyed the inclusion of the character of Jimmy Marsh who is in Welford to open an Outward Bound Centre. He seemed to have a bit of a background story I was keen to discover. He didn't feature all that much but when he did he played a crucial role in the story. I enjoyed how Mandy and himself seemed to spar off each other but wondered was there something more to it?

Summer at Hope Meadows was a lovely, enjoyable read that I believe has set us up perfectly for however many books may follow. I am glad at the beginning it is acknowledged that a collective group of authors will write this series under the name Lucy Daniels and that the person who wrote this book got her own mention. I don't think it's fair to write as a collective and not give due credit to who ever wrote the book or fool the readers into thinking Lucy Daniels is one person. So I am glad this was gotten out the way straight away in book one.

The only fault I found with the book was that perhaps there was too much detail regarding veterinary procedures and equipment. I know the author is a vet and can see why she did this but to readers looking for an animal story with some romance thrown in it might have been just that bit too much and not necessarily needed in this kind of book. Mandy has been through a journey in Summer at Hope Meadows and obviously there is a lot more to come for her. I was delighted when one of her big wishes appeared to be coming true and I am keen to see what happens next. I may have waited several months to read this book but that only means I can now dive straight into book two Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage.

Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton via NetGalley for my copy of Summer at Hope Meadows to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.