The Winter Garden (Nightingale Square #3) by Heidi Swain

5 Stars Dec 04, 2022

My review

5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's that time of year, so I've gone rooting around my bookshelves for all the festive reads that I didn't get to last year. I decided to give this one a go, as my mum has lent me a few of her books now and I've yet to tackle any of them. Turns out I've been doing myself out of reading an exceptional author.

The Winter Garden was the perfect way to get into a festive, cosy mood. The snowy garden was perfectly described, to the point that I felt like I was walking through it as I was reading. I didn't understand much of the detail when it came to plant names or bedding techniques, but I still appreciated the attention to detail that helped to create such a complete and visual world on the page.

Freya was a wonderful lead character - very easy to read about and engage with. She was a lovely mix of determination, grit, vulnerability and humour. I was invested in her story from the off, and found myself willing her to a happy ending throughout.

As much as I enjoyed Freya, the secondary characters that made up the community at Nightingale Square were what really made the book for me. Each with their own mini backstory and reason to love them, together they helped to make the world that the author created feel wholesome and meticulously built. Chloe was a particularly well-written secondary character, but I also really enjoyed Harold and Zak.

The drama of the novel was pitched at just the right level for me. I don't want to include any spoilers, but I will say that, while it created tension and a question mark over how the story would wrap up, it never made me feel uncomfortable or detracted from my enjoyment of the story at any point - as someone with anxiety over much of life, I appreciate a book that knows how to walk that fine line well.

My favourite part of the book was the underlying message that it gave about the importance of nature for treating ill mental health. It highlights the value of spending time outdoors, especially in the long, dark, winter months, and shows that it's easy to do if you are willing to embrace the weather instead of fight against it. It's a message that more people need, and most people (including myself) need regularly reminded of.

Book blurb

Will love bloom this winter?

Freya Fuller is living her dream, working as a live-in gardener on a beautiful Suffolk estate. But when the owner dies, Freya finds herself forced out of her job and her home with nowhere to go. However, with luck on her side, she’s soon moving to Nightingale Square and helping to create a beautiful winter garden that will be open to the public in time for Christmas.

There’s a warm welcome from all in Nightingale Square, except from local artist Finn. No matter how hard the pair try, they just can’t get along, and working together to bring the winter garden to life quickly becomes a struggle for them both.

Will Freya and Finn be able to put their differences aside in time for Christmas? Or will the arrival of a face from Freya’s past send them all spiralling?