The Things I Know by Amanda Prowse
From bestselling author Amanda Prowse comes a heartwarming tale of first impressions and lasting love.
Thomasina ‘Hitch’ Waycott loves living and working on the remote family farm and B&B. But she also wants more. To see the world. 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 become 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 so much more.
My Thoughts
The Things I Know is the story of Thomasina Waycott, a young girl living on a farm with her parents in England, and her struggle to achieve acceptance, freedom, and happiness.
Thomasina ( Hitch) was born with physical disabilities which meant that her whole life she was treated differently by people. She was stared at, ridiculed and even bullied due to the way she looked. Her parents are loving but overprotective and she feels that her life collecting eggs from the chickens and making beds in the B&B, will never change. She yearns for the freedom which was bestowed on her brother, who has gone to live on a ranch in the United States. She craves travel, new experiences, and romance.
Then out of the blue along comes a businessman who rents a room from them.
Grayson Potts has quirks of his own, he sees tiny details but misses the obvious, he has an incredible memory, intricate thought processes, and a tendency to be honest at all times. When Thomasina meets Grayson she soon realises that he isn’t like everyone else. She soon relaxes in his company and is seen, for the first time, as a beautiful young woman.
I loved that the book is centred around a working farm and how Thomasina interacts with her beloved chickens, who have individual names and personalities. Her great love for animals, shines out, possibly because they don’t judge or mistreat her due to the way she looks. When Grayson enters her life everything seems to fall into place. However, the farm is under threat and Grayson has his own problems, his mother is ‘needy’, bitter and selfish, making unfair demands on her son.
This is the sweetest, most compelling read, that draws you in from the first page. The beautiful writing portrays people who just want to live their lives without constraint, to experience freedom and most of all to find love. It shows that everyone is different in their own way and it should never hinder your hopes and dreams.
Oh I loved this book too. Cried so much after reading it. Fantastic review
It is an amazing book (I cried too!) xx