Second Act at Appleton Green

LoveReading Says

Where do you go when your life isn’t turning out how you expected? Home.

For aspiring West End singer and actress Lily Baxter, it’s not home to her parents, but home to her grandmother, Violet. 

Lily’s life is turned upside down when she loses her voice at an important audition and soon after learns that her beloved 97-year-old grandmother has been rushed to the hospital. She rushes north to Appleton Green to move in with Violet to help her recover, while also reassessing her own life.  

Second Act at Appleton Green by Kate Forster follows Lily, 29, as she helps her grandmother, joins the local amateur dramatics society, falls in love, refurbishes the garden and gains the confidence to speak up for herself. 

The novel charts the burgeoning love story between Lily and Nick, a Brad Pitt lookalike and local district nurse charged with caring for Violet. But it also presents an intergenerational love story between Lily and Violet, who have always enjoyed a special connection. 

Letters written by Violet throughout Lily’s life are scattered throughout the book, and help to shed light on their relationship and Lily’s personality. Violet herself is a real firecracker and you can’t help but love her. 

This novel demonstrates how love stories can take many forms. Keep your tissues handy. 

Reviewed by Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton, a writer and journalist, has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Radio Times, Heat, and many others.
More reviews by Maureen Stapleton

About Second Act at Appleton Green

After losing her voice before the audition of a lifetime, West End hopeful Lily Baxter flees to the one place that's always felt like home: her grandmother Violet's cosy cottage in the heart of Appleton Green.

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