A delightful read and a reminder that so many people are putting on a brave front and it takes so much for them to face the world every day. If we take the time to dig a little deeper and get to know people, they might just surprise us! Also, a good look at what ‘home’ means: “A home is not made by bricks and mortar but by the people in it.“
Blurb:
Twenty-five-year-old Kat Bennett has never felt at home anywhere, especially not in crumbling Shelley House. The other residents think she’s prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat is plagued by guilt from her past and looking for somewhere to belong.
Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling has lived in Shelley House for longer than anyone else, and if you believe the other tenants, she’s as cantankerous and vindictive as they come. Dorothy may spend her days spying on the neighbours, but she has a closely guarded secret herself – and a good reason for barely leaving her home.
When their building faces demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy become unlikely allies in their quest to save their historic home; and even less likely detectives when they suspect that foul play is coming from within Shelley House . . .
My Review:
Dorothy Darling sits at her window every day, surveying her kingdom … well, she pays close attention to the comings and goings outside her building, the once elegant Shelley House. With her trusty diary in hand, she also ventures out early each morning and does a daily inspection of the interior, listening in the doorway of each apartment and taking note of anything she perceives as untoward. She then sends daily letters of complaint to the indifferent landlord, who never responds.
Kat Bennett arrives at Shelley House, only intending to stay for a short stint. She doesn’t hang around for long in most places, but for some reason she’s returned to the town of Chalcot, a place that holds some painful childhood memories for her – not that she’s going to share those with anyone! Kat doesn’t get attached to places or people. Certainly not the nasty neighbour in the building she’s now sub-letting in, who made it clear from Day One that she didn’t want her there! But she is quite fond of old Joseph who’s apartment she’s living in (illegally), and his adorable dog Reggie is a keeper.
But one day, everything changes. Brown envelopes are delivered for each apartment, and the news is not good. The building is under threat and there’s a very real possibility that they will all lose their homes in the near future. Are they going to get together to fight, or are they going to allow a seemingly dodgy developer get the better of them?
What a wonderful, heartwarming read. The characters are well-developed, and even though you know that they aren’t going to turn out to be what they initially appear, you still can’t quite anticipate the direction the plot will take. So although there’s a note of the predictable in that you’re aware that each person here has a secret or two, you really have no clue what that might be, which makes for compelling reading. There’s even an element of mystery involved.
By far, my favourite character has to be Reggie the dog! He’s the glue that binds everyone together in this story. He’s quirky and lovable and gets under everyone’s skin in the best way possible! But the other character that I also couldn’t help harbouring a deep affection for is Shelley House herself (yes, I think she’s female!), because she really is a central character in the story – after all, although the plot is character based, their lives and so much of their history, revolve around the building where they live. The author describes her in detail and the reader gets to wander around her apartments and public spaces together with her residents, so that we become as much a part of the fabric of daily life within her walls as they are.
Thank you to Compulsive Readers and Zaffre Books for another wonderful Blog Tour!
jansbookbuzz.com 
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