Common Ground by Elissa Soave

Germaine only accepted the job at the Kenmar allotments for a fresh start. Far from anyone who knows her history she can focus on work and tending to her own plot. Most of the other plot-holders keep to themselves and that suits her just fine.

But when the local council announces plans to turn the allotments into luxury housing, Germaine finds herself leading a battle to save the place that has become a sanctuary for fractured souls.

Amidst crumbling sheds and overgrown paths, the rag-tag band plan protests, forge alliances and uncover long-buried secrets. Soon they’ll learn that the allotments aren’t just plots of land but a place to belong.

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A quiet, community-rooted story about starting over, standing together, and finding belonging in the most unexpected places.

Pre-Reading Thoughts

From the blurb alone, this felt like one of those books where the place matters just as much as the people in it. Allotments, fresh starts, small-scale resistance against faceless decisions - very much my kind of low-stakes-but-high-feelings setup. I was expecting something cosy-adjacent, character-driven, and quietly hopeful rather than dramatic.

Post-Reading

As I thought…
This really is a story about people from wildly different walks of life finding common ground - literally and emotionally. There are a lot of characters and multiple POVs, but that felt intentional rather than overwhelming, mirroring the sense of a shared space made up of very individual lives. The stakes aren’t easy, but they’re not impossibly bleak either; the struggle to save the allotments feels hard-earned and grounded rather than conveniently solved.

It surprised me by…
How effective the sense of comfort was, even when things were uncertain. There’s a romance threaded through the story, but it never hijacks it - this is about community first, connection second. The allotments themselves become a sanctuary not just for Germaine, but for everyone involved, and that “curled up under a blanket” feeling really does settle in as the story unfolds.

Overall Thoughts

Common Ground sits firmly in that cosy-adjacent space: warm, hopeful, and rooted in everyday acts of care and resistance. It’s a book about belonging, chosen community, and the quiet power of standing together, even when success isn’t guaranteed. A comforting read without being simplistic, and one that lingers gently rather than loudly.

Vibe Check

• Colour Palette: soft greens, earthy browns, muted florals

• Season: early autumn

• Mood: gentle, hopeful, quietly determined

• Scent: damp soil, tea brewing, fresh air after rain

Tarot Pull

Tarot Pull: Three of Pentacles (The Unfolding Path Tarot)
Working side by side in an orchard, this card reflects the book’s focus on community, shared labour, and the quiet power of tending something together.

For Fans Of

Readers who enjoy community-focused fiction, low-key activism, found family, and stories where the setting feels like a character in its own right.