Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell

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Manufacturer: Lilac Mills
Brand: Contemporary Romance
Brew: Paperback
Steeping Time: 336 pages
Tea Service: Tea and Book Box
Strength:

Synopsis: George Nightingale is a hoarder with a house full of junk. For years he’s kept it a secret, rarely leaving his house and keeping social interactions to a minimum, but his carefully balanced system is now under threat…

Nessa Millbrook can’t wait to get settled into her new home in quaint, rural Applewell. Everyone in the village is so friendly – except her neighbour, George, who wants nothing to do with her. But Nessa isn’t one to back down from a challenge and she’s determined to win George over.

The years have taught George to shield his heart and trust no one. Yet Nessa keeps reaching out to him – does he have the courage to take a chance, and reach back?

If you love romance but not spice, pick up Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell.

Romance isn’t my genre of choice, but I received this book in my Tea Time Club subscription box from Quaintly & Co, and I was determined to read it. I paid for it, after all! And truthfully, this one sounded different and really cute. Of course, it helps that it is set in small-town Wales, and my husband and I spent three weeks in Wales earlier in 2022. It was almost like going back!

Applewell is brought to life as a quaint village where everyone knows everyone and practically nothing is private. I loved the setting, especially the cliff walks down to the secluded beach, and the characters are just as wonderful. It’s great to see the village and its inhabitants through both Nessa and George’s eyes as we switch between their points of view throughout the book. It helps to keep up a nice and steady pace, and it works well for the story. Not only that, but the two couldn’t be more different. One is a ray of sunshine: the other a stormcloud.

There are quite a few things I really appreciated about Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell.

The first is the age of the main characters. Many romance novels or love stories are set between either barely-out-of-their-teens adults or folks in their mid-thirties. I love those stories, too, but not nearly as often do we see two leads who are in their mid to late fifties. It was a refreshing change of pace that brings a host of other issues and topics to the table.

Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell also goes pretty deeply into the topic of hoarding. George has learned since childhood that everything can be reused and saved, just in case it might come in handy later. His father held those beliefs, and now George is struggling with the same. His house has become a maze, and he doesn’t know how to cope with the current state of things. Nessa, a retired nurse and nurturer by nature, wants desperately to help but knows that it needs to be George’s decision and on his own time. I’m glad that they didn’t skate over the actual issue and make it easily resolvable. George struggles, and Nessa struggles watching him. It feels very genuine, and I appreciate that. The story looks into what causes the compulsion to hoard and how, one step at a time, George decides to change.

I loved reading Nessa and George’s love story.

It was precisely the kind of feel-good pick-me-up that I was after. The romance genre has become synonymous with spicy sex scenes that are absolutely on fire. But if you’re like me and that’s not really your jam, then Waste Not, Want Not is a great choice. It’s a clean romance that leaves all of the bedroom scenes up to your imagination. I am more interested in the love story than anything else, and I was happy to have that front and center. This isn’t the sort of book that will be earth-shattering, but it will give you all the warm and fuzzies.

If you’re a fan of sweet, easy reads that will warm your heart and bring you joy, Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell is a must-read. I haven’t had the opportunity to read them yet, but there are two more books in the Applewell Village series. If you love Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell, then perhaps you should continue on with Make Do and Mend in Applewell, and A Stitch in Time in Applewell.

Have you read Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about it! Want to read it for yourself? Click here to get a copy of your own.
Cheers,
Lydia