As Sharon Gosling’s The House Beneath the Cliffs was one of my books of the year in 2021 (reviewed here) and her The Lighthouse Bookshop was another book of the year in 2022 (reviewed here) you can imagine how delighted I was when Sara-Jade Virtue sent me a copy of Sharon’s The Forgotten Garden in return for an honest review. Somewhat later than intended, I’m delighted finally to share that review today.

The Forgotten Garden was published by Simon and Schuster on 27th April 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Forgotten Garden

A novel of second chances and blossoming communities from the author of The Lighthouse Bookshop. 

Budding landscape architect Luisa MacGregor is stuck in a rut – she hates her boss, she lives with her sister, and she is still mourning the loss of her husband many years ago. So when she is given the opportunity to take on a parcel of land in a deprived area, she sees the chance to build a garden that can make the area bloom.

Arriving in the rundown seaside town of Collaton on the north-west coast of Cumbria, she realises that her work is going to be cut out for her. But, along with Cas, a local PE teacher, and Harper, a teen whose life has taken a wrong turn, she is determined to get the garden up and running.

So when the community comes together and the garden starts to grow, she feels her luck might have changed. Can she grow good things on this rocky ground? And might love blossom along the way…?

My Review of The Forgotten Garden

Louisa’s life is in a rut.

Right. I have come to the conclusion that Sharon Gosling is fast becoming one of my favourite writers. Having loved her previous books, I had high, possibly unrealistic, expectations of The Forgotten Garden and the author exceeded every single one.

What I found so appealing about The Forgotten Garden was the fact that whilst there is a realistic, appealing and compelling potential for romance that hooks the reader immediately that they, and Luisa, meet Cas, there is such a sense of community and society here that the book feels universal and special. The Forgotten Garden begins in opulent surroundings, but quickly leads the reader into the real world of a challenging estate where crime and deprivation rub alongside pride and effort, so that the narrative feels true to life, gritty and still wonderfully uplifting. The plot is totally believable and convincing as a result and I loved it.

The characters in The Forgotten Garden are fantastic. They are fully formed and impactful even if they are more minor like Kath, illustrating how interactions between us affect us often more than we can imagine. The major players like Luisa, Cas and Harper are so vividly drawn that I can’t stop thinking about them and wondering what is currently happening in their lives. I felt strong emotions about them all, because I was so invested in their lives.

There’s such skill in Sharon Gosling’s writing. Her descriptions in The Forgotten Garden enable the reader to picture her settings with total clarity so that I felt as if I were in the gym or community garden. But that is just a small fraction of how she engages her readers. The research and interest that has gone into mushrooms (read the book to find out more), science, education, crime, horticulture and so on creates a fascinating foundation for themes of family, grief, friendship and community. Little Max’s behaviour, Louisa’s own trauma and the underpinning metaphor of a garden to create literal and emotional new life, resilience and growth is so skilfully handled. This is grown up, intelligent and fulfilling writing whilst still being entertaining, uplifting, emotional and romantic. I just adored it. 

The Forgotten Garden is, quite simply, wonderful. I loved everything about it and cannot recommend it highly enough. Don’t miss this one. And yes, Sharon Gosling is on my books of the year list for the third time in a row!

About Sharon Gosling

Sharon started her career as an entertainment journalist, writing non-fiction books about film and television. She is also the author of multiple children’s books. Sharon and her husband live in a small village in northern Cumbria.

When she’s not writing, she creates beautiful linocut artwork and is the author of multiple children’s books. The House Beneath the Cliffs was her first adult novel.

You can follow Sharon on Twitter @sharongosling and Instagram or visit her blog for further information.