The Apple Cider Orchard

by Melissa Hill

A brand-new small-town romance series, perfect for fans of Virgin River and Laurie Gilmore's Dream Harbor, with a cosy and emotional, emotional, enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance, from the No. 1 Irish Times bestselling author.

Lose your heart. Find your home.

Welcome to the Golden Lake series.

***

Her flight was delayed, her luggage lost, and her grandmother’s ashes almost fell into the hands of the most stubborn man in the village … now this New Yorker needs to win over the grumpy orchard owner standing between her and a promise kept.

Read if you

Small-town romance

‘Outsider joining a close-knit community’ trope

Cosy, emotional romance

Charming multi-generational characters

Found family and friendship

Enemies-to-lovers

Forced proximity

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Autumn

320 pages, ebook

First published August 13, 2026

About the author

Melissa Hill is a USA Today bestselling author living in Ireland’s beautiful County Wicklow. Her page-turning contemporary novels of family, friendship and romance are published worldwide and have been translated into twenty-six languages.

A Hollywood adaptation of her international bestseller Something from Tiffany's, by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine and Amazon Studios, was released worldwide in Dec 2022.

Other novels including A Gift to Remember and The Charm Bracelet have been adapted for screen by Hallmark Channel USA, with multiple other titles currently also in development for film and TV.

For more info, visit her website at www.melissahill.info

Facebook: facebook.com/melissahillbooks

Instagram: @melissahillbooks

Melissa also co-writes forensic thrillers with her husband under the pseudonym Casey Hill. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Reviews

[Malissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hi. Yes. This was cute. HOWEVER.

Why are we not at least discussing that THEY ARE SECOND COUSINS. Sure yes it works its fine, but can we acknowledge it? No one is asking questions?

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet read which puts the reader in the movie d for cozy winter events nights and hot chocolate. Set in Ireland the characters were funny and very helpful to foreigners. A good Melissa Hill book. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really lucky to be given the chance to read The Apple Cider Orchard by Melissa Hill as an ARC via NetGalley. 🍎🍂

I absolutely love autumn and this book gave full on autumnal vibes. I just wish the weather outside matched the weather in the book rather than the heat we’ve been having.

This book had everything you’d want for a cosy autumn read, small town, slow burn romance with quaint shops just as you’d expect. I wanted to step inside the bookshop and the bakery and experience it for myself, as well as join in the autumn festival.

I loved the characters and how they developed throughout, they had me rooting for them from the start. I’m so excited to see there’s another book in the series so I can go back Ireland. 🤎🍂

[Verity Parkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute, quick,cosy read. 4* for its wholesome autumn vibe.

[kaylyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

OBSESSED. a new fall favorite! the descriptions of the landscape and small village in ireland were so vivid, i felt like i was there. the cozy fall vibes in this book were EVERYTHING.

[Emma Smyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was enjoying this until they turned out to be second cousins and nobody seemed to mind. V Gilmore girls village vibes but set in Ireland

[Bekah Heintz · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

3.75 stars. This is a love story but not a romance. The story of Jack and Molly takes a backseat to the plot line of Molly fulfilling her grandmother’s dying wish. I almost wish that the focus on Molly had been even more centered than it was. I felt like Jack was an inconsistent character, which was disappointing because I loved him in the very first scene we get with him. Unfortunately, his suspicion of Molly and his unwillingness to listen to her made him go downhill for me. It felt like the author wanted to write him as grumpy but she just made him kind of mean but also only when it fit the plot. I got whiplash from him. I skimmed a lot of the last 20% of the book or so because I just didn’t care about the romance. But I did love how the author brought together the characters in the end.

[Aoife · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have adored Melissa’s books for years and was delighted to see her pivot to a cozy small town romance series. The Apple Cider Orchard is the first in the Golden Valley series of books. It absolutely didn’t disappoint.

The book follows Molly Harris a marketing executive based in New York - her life is busy and focused on work constantly. After her grandmother Aoife’s passing a year ago she is encouraged to take a month off work to recharge and relax. She decides to go to Ireland and visit Golden Valley in Co. Tipperary to fulfill a promise to her grandmother. The seemingly sleepy village has more to offer Molly than she realises and her grandmother’s promise won’t be easy to fulfill, thanks to a stand-offish and suspicious apple orchard farmer called Jack.

This was a very quick and easy read. I enjoyed reading Molly’s and Jack’s arcs and background, there was a nice buildup from enemies to lovers and it felt very natural. I really appreciated the duel pov in each chapter. The setting was beautiful with very atmospheric and detailed prose, especially where the apple orchard was situated - even in the typical Irish pouring rain and four seasons weather all at once.

I did find the book a little Americanised in the beginning, showing the typical outsiders view of what Ireland seems to look like in films, green grass, rolling hills, blistering sunshine (rarely) but that was quickly quashed when Molly met the locals in the village. While welcoming and easy going, they were suspicious and very observant of how much she seemed to know about the area, far more than your average tourist. This kept my interest piqued in the story as it gave a more personal view of a slice of Irish modern life.

I really loved The Apple Cider Orchard and would highly recommend it. Lovely look into family and found family while staying loyal and true to your self. I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Thank you to HarperCollins UK/HQ and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[cakecoffeeandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this absolutely gorgeous cover and the promise of a fall story set in an apple orchard and that’s exactly what I got- it felt very autumnal and the orchard and town are a huge focal point of the story.

Molly travels to Ireland from New York to fulfil a wish for her late grandmother. The visit is both uplifting and poignant for her, but Jack who owns the orchard stands in her way and makes things less than easy for her.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the town and orchard, and the story of Molly’s grandmother. The romance between Jack and Molly didn’t really work for me- I never felt any chemistry between them and felt they went round in circles with their constant miscommunications which could have been solved fairly simply, but I enjoyed how the rest of the story played out and really liked the ending- especially the moment under the oak tree.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC via NetGalley for this book.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the setting being a small village with the apple orchard being the central point. The characters were all loveable and so friendly towards everyone (except Jack) who was very much the grumpy in the grumpy x sunshine. The only thing that annoyed me throughout was Molly keeping the secret of why she was there, it just didn’t make sense to me why she wouldn’t truly tell anyone why she was there.



I think all the family moments were my favourite throughout the book, the found family and the biological family, I also really appreciate that no actual romance happened until around 70% of the book.



I will say, I did find this story rather predictable, I called all the happenings before they happened but I still enjoyed my time in Golden Ridge. I rated this one a 3.5* but have rounded up to a 4*

[Hannah Symonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Molly is forced to take a break from her very busy job, she decides to go an honour her grandmother's wish for her to go and see the sights in Ireland. As soon as Molly arrives nothing is going right and she wonders if she has made the right choice. When Jack Flynn appears in her way, she cannot believe how rude he is to her but also how handsome he is. Why does this always happen? Jack does not take to kindly to outsiders and he is worried Molly is trying to poach his apple orchards for her own. Can Molly prove to him she is not, also Molly needs to be on his good side as she has some digging to do about why her grandmother wanted her to visit Ireland and this spot in particular. It was a nice easy read to follow along with. A great bunch of characters and I what I found interesting is how the orchard works and the process and that there is so many different types of apples. A great read.

[Laura-Elise Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming, poignant story of a woman fulfilling her grandmother's dying wish. Molly has never been to Ireland before and it's a world away from her busy New York lifestyle but as soon as she arrives in Golden Valley she's welcomed by everyone- except for grumpy farmer Jack. A classic slow burn grumpy x sunshine with a little enemies to lovers thrown in too. Every single character is brilliant and it feels like a warm hug!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

romance story

I had to take a break from mystery where someone dies. Although the book is about a granddaughter fulfilling the wishes of her deceased grandmother. I enjoyed the book. There was a romance story, Of two people both stubborn in their beliefs. Perfect book to read in the autumn, looking forward to next book in series.

[Cindy Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful

What a great story. Loved every turn and the description of this part of Ireland sounds marvelous. Makes me what to jump on a plane and visit. Looking forward to the next book in 2027.

[Patricia Gilbride]

Meh, was looking for easy read holiday book. It was easy read, the main character mission to fulfill her late grandmother's final wish. But this over teased promise is mentioned repeatedly many times, as if a mystery but was very predictable.

[Karen Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has a gift for writing…the story is set in Ireland. A very beautiful and engaging live story and details of Ireland itself. I honestly felt like I was there and truly enjoyed the background and lore of the country.

[Laura Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good, for a cheesy small town romance. The plot and insta-love were paper thin but the writing flowed well and it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours. I still don’t know why there was so much need to hide Molly’s intentions, but there we are. Light and fluffy fun.

[Emma ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The love story aspect of this book was NOT IT. But I can’t deny that the small town/found family vibes were great, and the main character’s motivations for visiting the town were emotional and heartwarming. Lovely story.

[Juliet · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cozy but I didn't like Jack and his attitude. There is no chemistry felt between the FL & ML. I love the story about her grandmother's past. I wish we could read more about her than Molly & Jack.

Jack is a jerk. Period.

[Natalie Nizio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little love story! It had that cozy, feel-good vibe that made it an easy and enjoyable read.

And honestly, anything involving memories about grandmas is going to get me right in the feels.

A charming, cozy read!

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful find. The story was well written and so heartwarming. It captured me from the beginning to see how Molly was working herself to death and then finding her home and right balance in her life. Along the way she found love, family and home.

[Joana D'Arc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que livro lindo. Chorei tanto !

[Tara Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an easy read but very slow paced story

[Jill Clark mcnenly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderfully uplifting book. Jack snd Molly's live story was sweet. I'm heading to Ireland next week, it makes me want to visit the area.

[Farisa]

DNF middle of ch 6, 32 minutes (6%) into the audiobook. Idk this is already just really boring me and I didn't realize it was "kisses only".

[Vicky Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

emotional rollercoaster

I can’t remember the last time a book drew me in like this. I laughed and cried with Molly all the way through. Honestly brilliant

[Iram · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really cosy read, perfect for the autumn season.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ maybe
Spoiler alert … but are these two related?!

[Brittany Kraska · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it, but did they really need to end up being cousins? I’m going to block that over looked detail out and just pretend Jack was adopted or something.

[Anna · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

It was a cute and cozy book, but why did they have to be related?! 😭