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Dandelion Yellow
Sarah and Hannah have been best friends since childhood. Nothing and no one can come between them—except, perhaps, each other.
They believe they can have it all, and for years they try, navigating the milestones of life—careers, marriages, children, and the choices they make that lead them down very different paths. But when the man they both love dies unexpectedly, everything changes, and the cracks begin to form.
They retreat to a secluded mountain resort in Spain, run by their troubled friend Skye. But instead of peace, they uncover secrets and betrayals that threaten to shatter everything they thought they knew about each other.
As the past unravels, will their lifelong friendship be destroyed, or is their bond strong enough to survive the bitterest betrayal?
They believe they can have it all, and for years they try, navigating the milestones of life—careers, marriages, children, and the choices they make that lead them down very different paths. But when the man they both love dies unexpectedly, everything changes, and the cracks begin to form.
They retreat to a secluded mountain resort in Spain, run by their troubled friend Skye. But instead of peace, they uncover secrets and betrayals that threaten to shatter everything they thought they knew about each other.
As the past unravels, will their lifelong friendship be destroyed, or is their bond strong enough to survive the bitterest betrayal?
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 12, 2025
Dandelion Yellow tells the story of Sarah, Hannah and Skye - three women approaching 50 and all leading very different lives. Hannah is widowed with a grown up daughter, Sarah is single and childfree, and Skye has recently lost both her parents and has opened a retreat with the villa they owned in Spain.
Hannah and Sarah both decide to visit Skye's retreat in order to work on themselves and discover what they want from their futures. The friends did not, however, expect to uncover a secret that had been held for 30 years which could threaten to destroy their lifelong friendship.
I love that Dandelion Yellow is full of strong female characters. As a single, childfree, almost 50 year old, it was great to see women like myself represented. And also a big "hooray" from me in terms of showing that no two lives are the same, and that we can all achieve fulfillment in many different ways.
Dandelion Yellow is a story of friendship, love, grief, jealousy and betrayal. I found it both fun and emotional, and I was fully invested in the story. I read this book in just over a day in this little April heatwave we're having and I think it's being published at a great time of year as it would make a great purchase for a holiday/beach read. Bravo to Yvonne for writing older (and childfree) characters - love to see it!
Hannah and Sarah both decide to visit Skye's retreat in order to work on themselves and discover what they want from their futures. The friends did not, however, expect to uncover a secret that had been held for 30 years which could threaten to destroy their lifelong friendship.
I love that Dandelion Yellow is full of strong female characters. As a single, childfree, almost 50 year old, it was great to see women like myself represented. And also a big "hooray" from me in terms of showing that no two lives are the same, and that we can all achieve fulfillment in many different ways.
Dandelion Yellow is a story of friendship, love, grief, jealousy and betrayal. I found it both fun and emotional, and I was fully invested in the story. I read this book in just over a day in this little April heatwave we're having and I think it's being published at a great time of year as it would make a great purchase for a holiday/beach read. Bravo to Yvonne for writing older (and childfree) characters - love to see it!
March 12, 2026
4.5 rounded up
👤⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📜⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🪓⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✌🏼⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not a book I’d have picked up but was a pick for my book club and I’m so glad I read it
A lot of uncomfortable and difficult moments to read through but also a lot of relatability even tho all the women are late 40+ (I’m nearly mid 30)
Nice to see a book with predominantly female characters who are very different personalities and backgrounds as well as being older (sometimes they did read a lot younger tho)
Maybe wanted a little more about retreat stuff and life pie but I get this was mainly focusing on the characters themselves and how their backgrounds and choices have lead them to today.
I feel like Sarah and Hannah’s loggerheads could have been explored or fleshed out a bit more. I also felt like James death and the lead up to that was a bit anticlimactic like I thought there was a dark secret but then again not everything needs that - it was just a tragic accident and a catalyst for everything to come out
But over all a really easy to read style wise with complex characters.
Fantastic debut novel 🌼🤌🏼
👤⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📜⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🪓⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✌🏼⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not a book I’d have picked up but was a pick for my book club and I’m so glad I read it
A lot of uncomfortable and difficult moments to read through but also a lot of relatability even tho all the women are late 40+ (I’m nearly mid 30)
Nice to see a book with predominantly female characters who are very different personalities and backgrounds as well as being older (sometimes they did read a lot younger tho)
Maybe wanted a little more about retreat stuff and life pie but I get this was mainly focusing on the characters themselves and how their backgrounds and choices have lead them to today.
I feel like Sarah and Hannah’s loggerheads could have been explored or fleshed out a bit more. I also felt like James death and the lead up to that was a bit anticlimactic like I thought there was a dark secret but then again not everything needs that - it was just a tragic accident and a catalyst for everything to come out
But over all a really easy to read style wise with complex characters.
Fantastic debut novel 🌼🤌🏼
August 10, 2025
Oh my goodness what an absolute little gem of a book! If you love a story that is women centered, character driven, heartfelt & uplifting - you need to pick up this book!
Set in a beautiful Spanish retreat, a group of woman attend the retreat with the hope of leaving a more healed versions of themselves. We get to learn the stories of these women who are from all different paths of the world but the novel itself focuses on 3 friends, Sarah, Hannah and Skye who owns the retreat. The story flicks between the three POV’s which I think flowed really well and we really got to know the three individually.
The setting of the book is at this Spanish retreat and you really get the feel of the vibes of the place, reading about various activities the women get up to whilst they’re there. This actually meant that at times throughout the book, I was doing my own inner work at the same time - I loved it!
If you know me, I really love a book that makes you think, makes you question beliefs and the sometimes repetitive way and maybe even harmful habits you can get into whilst navigating living life and this book definitely made me do that! I also very much appreciated the little Easter egg at the end of the book about the meaning of Dandelion Yellow 🥹💛
I also just wanted to mention that Yvonne Radley is passionate about representation of the “older women” in books and I think Yvonne did herself brilliant justice. I love the characters and even though I’m in my early 30’s, they still felt relatable and I could connect with them.
A brilliant debut book! Thank you so much Yvonne & The Book Guild for sending me a copy of this book! I will be recommending it to others for sure! 💛
Set in a beautiful Spanish retreat, a group of woman attend the retreat with the hope of leaving a more healed versions of themselves. We get to learn the stories of these women who are from all different paths of the world but the novel itself focuses on 3 friends, Sarah, Hannah and Skye who owns the retreat. The story flicks between the three POV’s which I think flowed really well and we really got to know the three individually.
The setting of the book is at this Spanish retreat and you really get the feel of the vibes of the place, reading about various activities the women get up to whilst they’re there. This actually meant that at times throughout the book, I was doing my own inner work at the same time - I loved it!
If you know me, I really love a book that makes you think, makes you question beliefs and the sometimes repetitive way and maybe even harmful habits you can get into whilst navigating living life and this book definitely made me do that! I also very much appreciated the little Easter egg at the end of the book about the meaning of Dandelion Yellow 🥹💛
I also just wanted to mention that Yvonne Radley is passionate about representation of the “older women” in books and I think Yvonne did herself brilliant justice. I love the characters and even though I’m in my early 30’s, they still felt relatable and I could connect with them.
A brilliant debut book! Thank you so much Yvonne & The Book Guild for sending me a copy of this book! I will be recommending it to others for sure! 💛
May 27, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It effectively captures the closeness and the complexity of female friendship, and it was refreshing to read about characters approaching their fifties who were three-dimensional and not remotely cliched.
The Spanish setting is described beautifully, making it a fantastic holiday read, and I really liked the fact that the characters (mostly) don’t need a man to achieve their happily-ever-after.
A Greta debut, and I look forward to seeing what Yvonne Radley’s next offering will be.
The Spanish setting is described beautifully, making it a fantastic holiday read, and I really liked the fact that the characters (mostly) don’t need a man to achieve their happily-ever-after.
A Greta debut, and I look forward to seeing what Yvonne Radley’s next offering will be.
August 14, 2025
Such a gorgeous book!! I felt such a connection to these characters. I loved that they were older and had lived such different lives with so many memories and stories to tell. Life long friendships, betrayals, secrets and heartbreaks. I could see myself in parts of them. A perfect summer read.
June 5, 2025
What a beautifully written book. I found this book so relatable as being 47 myself we all have a story to tell! I took this on holiday with my girlfriends and couldn’t have thought of a better place to read. It made me reflect on all our journeys and things that had help shape us as woman and also our friendships.
May 20, 2026
Dandelion Yellow by Yvonne Radley is a heartfelt and emotional story about friendship, betrayal, grief, and rediscovering yourself in midlife. Enjoyable read
April 7, 2026
3.25⭐️
June 7, 2025
It was so refreshing to read a book about middle-aged women and the struggles they face, not to mention the complexities of their friendships.
The three main characters in this extremely readable novel, Hannah, Sarah and Skye have been friends for years but are now at a stage in life when the challenges facing them are very different. Not least the unearthing of a 30 year old secret which threatens to destroy their friendship.
The setting at a villa retreat in Greece is gorgeous - you just want to be there - which is why I highly recommend this as a summer / beach read. Thoroughly enjoyable.
The three main characters in this extremely readable novel, Hannah, Sarah and Skye have been friends for years but are now at a stage in life when the challenges facing them are very different. Not least the unearthing of a 30 year old secret which threatens to destroy their friendship.
The setting at a villa retreat in Greece is gorgeous - you just want to be there - which is why I highly recommend this as a summer / beach read. Thoroughly enjoyable.
July 15, 2025
Perfect summer heatwave reading - set in the heat of Spain. It took me straight there in my mind. The author wanted to write about mid life females - to write about the things that she wants to read about like relationships, changes of direction and walking your own path. I loved it all. The female characters were so relatable and believable as were where they are in life and what they have experienced.
This is a debut novel and I can’t wait for more to follow.
This is a debut novel and I can’t wait for more to follow.
July 25, 2025
Yvonne has done what lots of other authors have neglected to do, she has broken the mould of the 40+ female and shown that there is still life after 40 & that we still want to dress nicely, party and have fun with our girlfriends!!
This beautifully written book gives us heartache, anger, laughs, friendships, break ups and make ups. It is a perfect summer read and I cannot recommend it highly enough!!
Best friends Sarah & Hannah have suffered a great loss, Sarah has decided to call off her wedding so they decide a retreat at their ‘friends’ place in Spain is just what the Dr order. Queue secrets being told, lies unearthed and a fight to keep a life long friendship from falling apart.
I think that is all I can say without giving too much away, but when you find out why the title is Dandelion Yellow I suggest you have the tissues ready. One of the best acts of friendship and book quotes I think I’ve read. Simply go and read it, you will not be disappointed by this debut novel.
This beautifully written book gives us heartache, anger, laughs, friendships, break ups and make ups. It is a perfect summer read and I cannot recommend it highly enough!!
Best friends Sarah & Hannah have suffered a great loss, Sarah has decided to call off her wedding so they decide a retreat at their ‘friends’ place in Spain is just what the Dr order. Queue secrets being told, lies unearthed and a fight to keep a life long friendship from falling apart.
I think that is all I can say without giving too much away, but when you find out why the title is Dandelion Yellow I suggest you have the tissues ready. One of the best acts of friendship and book quotes I think I’ve read. Simply go and read it, you will not be disappointed by this debut novel.
August 23, 2025
A great book about friendship and hidden secrets ! It makes a pleasant change to read about women women in their 40’s /50s which I enjoyed although I did have a bit of a love hate relationship with some of the characters but overall I loved this read. I will definitely read more from this author ! X
August 8, 2025
4.5 rounded up. This book was great! What a surprise from the new author. A book on friendship and love and hurt and women. I loved the relationships in this and how you saw each persons own personality and the changes they went through as the book progressed! I’ll be recommending this
September 30, 2025
4.5 stars, it took me a good 60 pages to get to know the characters but then I was hooked. a lovely story of friendship, loyalty, betrayal and second chances x
April 29, 2025
A moving, layered debut that lingers long after the final page
As someone who had the privilege of reading earlier drafts of Dandelion Yellow, I can say with certainty that watching this novel grow into what it is now has been a joy. Yvonne Radley has created a deeply human story, full of emotional nuance and lived-in wisdom.
The friendship between the three main characters—each facing a different kind of reckoning—is beautifully rendered. They’re not perfect. They carry secrets, regrets, and pain. But they love each other through it, and that’s what makes this novel shine.
The setting adds a quiet richness, but it never overshadows the emotional core. What stays with me is the way this book balances warmth and sorrow, past and present, loss and rediscovery.
This is a novel for readers who love stories about women’s friendships, emotional truth, and the grace that can come from looking back in order to move forward.
As someone who had the privilege of reading earlier drafts of Dandelion Yellow, I can say with certainty that watching this novel grow into what it is now has been a joy. Yvonne Radley has created a deeply human story, full of emotional nuance and lived-in wisdom.
The friendship between the three main characters—each facing a different kind of reckoning—is beautifully rendered. They’re not perfect. They carry secrets, regrets, and pain. But they love each other through it, and that’s what makes this novel shine.
The setting adds a quiet richness, but it never overshadows the emotional core. What stays with me is the way this book balances warmth and sorrow, past and present, loss and rediscovery.
This is a novel for readers who love stories about women’s friendships, emotional truth, and the grace that can come from looking back in order to move forward.
May 23, 2026
This book was so utterly beautiful and devastating. This book focuses on friends who have troubles, the loss of a loved one, dealing with the aftermath of grief, having children, life getting in the way, family illnesses, losing contact with friends… because of their circumstances they both go to a retreat to find themselves again and in this retreat there are other people who have gone through so many different things and I guess they feel that they aren’t the only one in the world anymore and everyone is going through something. I think this book is so relatable because everybody goes through something everybody loses someone and I think this book is gonna be one that I’m gonna remember for a good while 😪♥️
July 1, 2025
I enjoyed this novel so much that I read it in two sittings 🤩 It is a fun read, and quite lighthearted. I enjoyed the references to places in the East Midlands, and the nostalgic throwbacks to the 1990s. The author very cleverly manages to keep the tone light whilst simultaneously conveying the gravity of some very difficult and distressing situations that arise. The ending really surprised me but I think it was a totally wonderful way to conclude this fabulous book about female friendship.
August 27, 2025
I’ve spent the last few days with Sarah, Hannah, and Skye with the rest of the women in the Spanish mountains and what a few days it had been! Dandelion Yellow is such a beautiful and heartfelt book. There are plenty of funny, lighthearted moments, and the characters are all so well drawn, but behind each of them runs a quiet thread of sadness revealed in different ways.
For Skye, it shows itself in jealousy. For Hannah, it’s never feeling good enough and wanting someone else’s life. For Sarah, it’s the missed opportunities and chances not taken. That’s part of the beauty of the book showing both the strength and the fragility of lifelong friendship.
Reading it made me reflect on my own life, on the importance of courage, self understanding, and the people who walk beside us through it all. I also loved knowing that Yvonne Radley once ran her own retreats and drew inspiration from them you can really feel that authenticity in the story. It adds depth to the women’s own journeys.
Reading this has made me quite fancy going on a Life of Pie retreat myself, spending that time with women of similar ages, making new friends, seeing how it makes us look at ourselves a little differently, and how it changed all their lives. I could feel it stirring in me too, making me see what might still be holding me back, and how there’s always a chance to rediscover yourself, even at Chapter 54!
I don’t like to say too much about the storyline because I think it’s something each reader should discover for themselves, but I will say this: this book made me laugh, cry, and reflect, and there is a few wow moments in it too It’s a touching, thought provoking read about friendship, love, choices, and finding the courage to live life fully.
This was Yvonne Radley’s first book, and I’m already looking forward to reading others that I am sure will follow.
For Skye, it shows itself in jealousy. For Hannah, it’s never feeling good enough and wanting someone else’s life. For Sarah, it’s the missed opportunities and chances not taken. That’s part of the beauty of the book showing both the strength and the fragility of lifelong friendship.
Reading it made me reflect on my own life, on the importance of courage, self understanding, and the people who walk beside us through it all. I also loved knowing that Yvonne Radley once ran her own retreats and drew inspiration from them you can really feel that authenticity in the story. It adds depth to the women’s own journeys.
Reading this has made me quite fancy going on a Life of Pie retreat myself, spending that time with women of similar ages, making new friends, seeing how it makes us look at ourselves a little differently, and how it changed all their lives. I could feel it stirring in me too, making me see what might still be holding me back, and how there’s always a chance to rediscover yourself, even at Chapter 54!
I don’t like to say too much about the storyline because I think it’s something each reader should discover for themselves, but I will say this: this book made me laugh, cry, and reflect, and there is a few wow moments in it too It’s a touching, thought provoking read about friendship, love, choices, and finding the courage to live life fully.
This was Yvonne Radley’s first book, and I’m already looking forward to reading others that I am sure will follow.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews