The Woolly Hat Knitting Club by Poppy Dolan

Narrated by: Lizzie Wofford

This was an unexpectedly splendid book. As my disclaimer at the end also announces, my review of this is obviously affected by my need to be involved in some personal craft project or the other. That said, this book should appeal to everyone because it provides a window into a world that very few actually get to be a part of. It was an immersive experience, additionally thanks to the brilliant narration of Lizzie Wofford.
When writing reviews, I usually waffle about using words of high praise with abandon because I feel like my personal opinion may not always justify such reactions, but in this case, I feel differently. It is an objectively great book to listen to.
The book has all the elements that make it heartwarming, close family who have minor falling-outs, friends who are almost family and a community who come together for a worthwhile cause. Dee Blackthorne is a woman on a mission or has to be always. She needs to be generating some output at all times and a tangible one at that. One thing her sisterly guilt will not let her do is to ignore her brother in need, even when her professional life is at stake. It is this brother who knits. A manly man who does has a passion for this sort of delicate craft. This image is shown both as expected and unique based on the situation and the people in question in the scene, making it believable in both cases.
I guessed who the culprit behind Dee’s sacking was, but that was such a minor point in the bigger picture, I did not begrudge her naivety.
There are multiple romantic plotlines as well, but the knitting community (there’s also a pattern at the end!) and how they are described reignited my passion for yarn-related wares – I successfully crocheted two mice this weekend and loved the end product. That is how positive the book in its entirety made me feel.
I read happy books because of the growth arc of the individual character and the happily ever afters, and I got it all in great quantities here. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who found my review even remotely appealing or just the blurb. I will be picking up more books by the author whenever I can.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience as well as my personal affinity to crafts.