The Secret Orchard

Pre-order THE FOREST HIDEAWAY, the stunning new Sharon Gosling novel, coming Summer 2025.

A feel-good story about family, belonging and finding peace with the past from the author of The Lighthouse Bookshop and The Forgotten Garden.

'The exploration of family and identity is filled with vivid characters and an enthralling plot, making it absorbing and emotional' The People’s Friend

'A lovely, heartwarming read about belonging' heat

Can a return to the past be the start of something new?

Bette and Nina Crowdie have never been close – the ten-year age difference doesn’t help, and Bette’s rarely been home since she left for university at eighteen.

When their father passes away and unexpectedly splits the family farm between them, Nina is furious and afraid. She’s been working at the farm for the past five years. It’s the only home her young son, Barnaby, has ever had, and she’s convinced that Bette will sell at the first chance she gets. When they discover the huge debt their father has been hiding, Bette reluctantly agrees to help her sister. But that means they have to find a way to work together, and Bette must face up to the real reason she left all those years ago.

Could a long-forgotten diary and the discovery of a secret orchard on their land help save the farm – and the sisters’ relationship?

Praise for The Secret Orchard:

‘I loved the characters and the orchard! I gobbled it up in a couple of sittings. What a gorgeous read, full of heart’ Liz Fenwick, author of The River Between Us

‘Warm, tender and wise, Sharon Gosling’s well-crafted, engrossing story was a pleasure to read’ Rachel Hore, author of The Hidden Years