The things I know by Amanda Prowse

Synopsis

Thomasina 'Hitch' Waycott loves living and working on the remote family farm and B&B,  But she also wants more.  To see the world.  To own her own home,  To fall madly in love.

But those are fairy tales, and if her life is a fairy tale, then she's the ugly duckling.  Her deformed lip, her crooked limbs and her weak heart have kept her from taking chances.  But that's about to change.

When Grayson Potts comes to stay, he's unlike anyone Thomasina has ever met.  He's aloof, eccentric and exceptionally kind.  He's also totally unconcerned with the physical flaws that have always defined Thomasina.

The two form a bond that neither has had before.  It's possible that it could be something more, but Thomasina also wonders if it's too good to be true.  By putting her heart on the line, Thomasina may open herself to heartbreak.  But she may also open herself to much more.

Author: Amanda Prowse
Publisher: Amazon Publishing Uk / Lake Union Publishing
Publication date: 11th June 2019

My Review

I have loved Amanda Prowse from her very first book Poppy day.  She never fails to disappoint and this latest book is another winner.

I do have to admit that I did find the beginning of this book a little slow and I did wonder if maybe I wasn't going to enjoy this book quite as much as I'd enjoyed others however once I got through the first few chapters it started to get under my skin and the pages were flying as I became immersed in Hitch's (Thomasina's) world.

This book covered so much from disfigurement to bullying to family's to divorce, forgiveness  and love.  It's so hard to know where to start with my review.

Thomasina, (I will refer to her by her real name as she doesn't want to be known by the name of Hitch) was born disfigured with a cleft pallet, a wonky foot and a heart condition, as if that wasn't enough she had a hand that didn't grip properly.  I loved this character not for her disfigurements but for the person inside.  She's dealt with bullying and that included the worst kind of bullying  when it happened over a period of years at home and yes, that's got to her at times but she's a strong, resilient person that sets out to get what she wants.

When Thomasina meets Grayson there is an instant connection.  We find out that he is not physically disfigured but he appears to have some kind of autism but the pair just connect and they are made for each other.

The path to love is far from smooth.  Grayson has his demanding mother to consider,  She just doesn't like Thomasina she dislikes the world and everyone in it.  It takes courage for Grayson to step away and form a new life.

What I loved about this book was the minor characters also had a big part to play.  Thomasina's mum want straight to my heart with her saying of, "Everything is going to be OK, I promise." This brought to me memories of my own mum who would say a similar thing to me.  And I couldn't help but fall in love with the chickens.  My heart broke for poor old Daphne.

Amanda portrays not just characters but people.  The disabilities of the characters is not the focus of the story.  The focus is the personalities behind the disabilities. The life struggles that each and everyone of us face.  The struggle to fit in, in this world and the strength we need to find to keep on battling through.

This book made my laugh in places and almost cry in others. I could write about it all night but all I can say is this is a must read for any fan of true heartwarming fiction.