Tuesday 27 March 2018

Beauty & Lace Book Club Review: The Country Girl by Cathryn Hein




Do you enjoy rural fiction? If so, then The Country Girl is one that I am sure will appeal to you.

Food blogger Tash Ranger currently resides in the city, but after landing a major deal for a cookbook, she heads to her family home, located on a farm in rural Victoria.
Upon returning home, Tash goes to visit her best friend Maddie, who was tragically involved in a shocking horse riding accident years before.
Maddie was left severely injured as a result, unable to communicate, and trapped in her own body. 
We find out that Tash and Maddie had a falling out prior to Tash leaving for the city, and now Tash carries the guilt of that day and longs for things to be the way they once were.

Maddie's fiance, Patrick Lawson, is an old school friend of Tash's and when he hears that she has returned home, it isn't long before the two are reunited.
Patrick visits Maddie on a regular basis, and feels helpless and sad knowing that the life he promised Maddie will never be.
He starts to spend more time with Tash, making trips to the farm as she creates delicious recipes for her food blog.
Patrick begins to realise that Maddie wouldn't want him to put his life on hold for her, but he feels as though he is betraying her by hanging out with Tash.

As he begins to develop feelings, Tash also realises that she likes Patrick more than just a friend. 

But they both feel shadowed by Maddie's tragedy, and the pair don't know if they will be able to make things work between them..

I don't want to give much more of the story away, but I must mention that I really liked Tash's bubbly personality and her passion for food. Reading about the delicious recipes she made throughout the book got my mouth watering more than once! I would've liked to see the full recipes included in the book somewhere as they sounded so good!

Tash's grandpa 'Pa Star' was such a lovable character, and I really liked how he offered Tash gardening tips. I also admired his willingness to be featured on Tash's food blog.  
I liked her city friends, Ceci and Thom, who continued to offer support and love for Tash even when she moved to the farm. 
Patrick was another character I enjoyed reading about. I did feel that the choices he made were somewhat rushed and not fully thought out but I am glad with how the book ended.

This is a really lovely book about love, friends, and rural life, and one that I would gladly recommend.

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