Sometimes ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference . . .
Meet Gracie. At mid-life, she's fed up with her unhappy marriage and humdrum career. So when a new housing estate threatens to sever her last connection to her late father – the oak tree he planted as a child – she decides to take a stand. Only Gracie has never stood up to anyone.
When Gracie's five-year-old neighbour, Tilly, unexpectedly bounds into her life, she shows Gracie that you shouldn't always take no for an answer. Despite long-buried family secrets being revealed and conflicts taking root, Gracie begins to think that this could be the beginning of a new chapter – one in which she finally discovers her inner strength and realizes that even in the face of loss, there is hope.
Full of warmth and joyful community, this is the uplifting story of one woman's journey towards letting go of the past and creating memories worth holding on to . . .
Readers LOVE Abigail Johnson:
'It's not often that a book can make me cry, but this one definitely did'
'Both heart-wrenching and happy, a rollercoaster of emotions'
'Very moving'
'Heartwarming with some genius touches of humour'
'Really made you feel like you knew the characters. Loved it'
'The best book I have read for ages' An uplifting novel about community and friendship from the bestselling Kindle author of The Secret Collector, Abigail Johnson. For fans of Evie Woods, Sally Page and Mike Gayle. Abigail Johnson is a writer from the West Midlands. Her first novel, The Secret Collector, was written while completing the Curtis Brown Creative three-month novel-writing course, where she was tutored by author Laura Barnett, and was longlisted for the 2021 and 2022 Bath Novel Award. Her writing has also been longlisted for the Exeter Novel Award and shortlisted for the 2021 Edinburgh Flash Fiction Award, and she was a Friday Night Live finalist at the Festival of Writing in 2017.
"A very real and heartwarming story about the life-changing power of friendship and found family. A complete joy. I loved it" -Alexandra Potter, bestselling author of Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up
"A lovely, beautifully executed novel, full of compassion, warmth and insight. An immersive, uplifting read for these troubled times" -Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
"With wonderfully drawn characters you really root for and plenty of twists and turns, The Secret Collector is a delightfully uplifting story about hope, redemption and the transforming power of friendship" -Mike Gayle, author of All the Lonely People
"A convincing case for how much we need friendship and community to sustain us" -The Times
"This is a treasure of a story. Told with humour and heart, the writing is so beautifully skilful that it appears effortless. I loved Alfred and Kian, loved their dynamic, and was genuinely moved by the growing bond between them. A must-read" -Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of The Midnight Carousel
"Emotional, tense and deeply moving. Abigail Johnson is able to bring both characters – and Alfred's chaotic home – to life in a wonderful way" -WI Life magazine
"A touching story about grief . . . and the surprising way we can make connections" -People's Friend
"This uplifting story about friendship across generations is full of compassion and tenderness" -Platinum Magazine
"With wonderfully relatable characters, Johnson's debut novel is a heartwarming and poignant story of loss, loneliness and finding friendship in unexpected places" -Culturefly
"You won't want this touching story to end" -Peterborough Telegraph
