The Forest Hideaway by Sharon Gosling

 

The Forest Hideaway by Sharon Gosling.

Published 28th August 2025 by Simon and Schuster.

From the cover of the book:

Saskia is building a home for herself out of the ruins of an old castle. Surrounded by forest, hidden away from everyone and everything, the place is special - it’s the only connection she has left to her father and it’s a hard-won chance to escape from her difficult past and create a new future. She’s spent her whole life trying to find a way to make this project work and finding someone to help her realise her dream has been almost impossible.

When local builder Owen finally signs up to manage the construction, things get off to a very bad start. But forced to find a way to work together, both realise that first impressions aren’t always the right ones, and when Owen discovers the forest is hiding a secret that could bring work to a halt, he realises he’s much more invested in the project – and Saskia – than he thought . . .

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Saskia has spent her whole life laying plans to transform the ruins of Gair Castle into her dream home. The time has finally come for them to be realised, but all her heartbreak will only be worth it if she can find a builder who will agree to work with her - and so far, she has been out of luck.

Local builder Owen is going through hard times on the personal and professional fronts, and needs a cash injection fast, so when Saskia comes to him as a final resort he agrees to take on her project - even though he realises it will be something of a challenge given the remoteness of the site in Gair Forest, the perilous state of the castle, and the presence of a huge, ancient oak tree slap bang in the centre of the courtyard.

Saskia and Owen bump heads from the start. His opinion of her as an entitled, wealthy developer does not make for good working relations, and Saskia's preoccupation with her personal struggles means she is determined to keep him at arm's length. But as Owen begins to understand Saskia and her vision, he realises he has been wrong about so many things. As the forest gives up its secrets, he becomes just as invested in the project as she is. Can they work together to succeed in their aims in the face of considerable obstacles...?

Sharon Gosling's latest lovely novel is set in beautifully atmospheric Cumbrian forest land, where Saskia longs to convert a ruined castle into an unconventional home, for very personal reasons. Saskia is carrying the burden of a whopping amount of trauma, and in somewhat of a dark fairy tale Gosling gives her many trials and tribulations to work through in pursuit of her happy ending. Enter stage right grumpy Owen, who is more than a little judgemental at the beginning of this tale, but he gradually earns his spurs as he gets to know Saskia, casts aside his misconceptions, and comes to see what she is trying to achieve at Gair.

The story unfurls from the perspectives of Saskia and Owen, and is full of luscious content about the gorgeous wild setting, the building project, and the hurdles thrown in the way by those with agendas of their own. Family (both good and seriously dysfunctional), friendship, and loss are themes that run throughout the book, and Gosling does a marvellous job of shedding light on the importance of conservation and custodianship of our natural and manmade history. Gair Forest, and the giant grandfather oak that is so important to Saskia, stand out as characters all of their own in this story, and they make a wonderful backdrop for the gentle romance that develops between Saskia and Owen (much to my delight).

I was completely immersed in this wonderful story of heartache, healing, and heritage from the first page to the last. The perfect pick to take you into a golden autumn.

The Forest Hideaway is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this Books and the City blog tour.

About the author:

Sharon started her career as an entertainment journalist, writing non-fiction books about film and television. She is also the author of multiple children's books. Sharon and her husband live in a small village in northern Cumbria.