Love, friendship and family come in all different shapes and sizes. Gina has been going with the flow for years - she'd rather have an easy life than face any conflict. She runs her childminding business from her cottage at the edge of The Evergreens, a charming Victorian house and home to three octogenarians who have far too much fun for their age. But when The Evergreens is put up for sale, Gina and the other residents face losing their home.

For Sam Lovell, organising the summer festival in her hometown is one of the highlights of her year. It’s not always smooth sailing, but she loves to see Porthmellow’s harbour packed with happy visitors and being on the committee has provided a much-needed distraction from the drama in her family life (and the distinct lack of it in her love life). When their star guest pulls out with only a few weeks to go, everyone’s delighted when a London chef who grew up locally steps in at the last minute. 

When married couple Fern and Aiden have a windfall, their reactions could not be more different. While Fern is content to pay off their mortgage and build a nest egg before starting a family, her husband is set on travelling the world. Fern’s not much of a backpacker so, before she knows it, the idea of a ‘marriage gap year’ takes shape. And, as Aiden heads off to the wilds of Australia, Fern chooses the more restful Provence for her year out.

Maeve McKenna is on the verge of a breakdown. Having worked herself into the ground as a sought-after interior designer in London, she’s in desperate need of a vacation. Philomena Duffy is a little lonely. After losing her husband, their crumbling mansion, Willow House, feels awfully empty. With the rugged shores of Ireland calling, Maeve visits her aunt Philomena in Sandy Cove, where she once, as a teenager, kissed a wild, mysterious boy - a kiss she has never been able to forget.

Would you take the chance that could change everything? After leaving university with two degrees and no idea what to do with her life, 25-year-old Hannah is stunned when she is left a mystery bequest by her rich, estranged great-uncle Donald. But there's a catch: before she can find out what she's inherited, she must undertake a series of unknown tasks alongside Alec, Donald's reluctant (but rather gorgeous) PA. As the tasks progress and she and Alec grow closer, Hannah begins to think that Donald's real gift might have more to do with love than money.

Zelda's life isn't exactly what she expected it to be in her 30s. Single, without a home of her own, and at another underwhelming 40th birthday party, she wonders if there might be more to life. But her best friend Lennie has a plan, and before she knows it they have answered an advertisement to go to Sicily to help rejuvenate a crumbling town and head to the beautiful island as a couple. A new life with her favourite person could be the chance to start over. But what if a summer in Sicily is about to change her life in more ways than she could have ever imagined?

This December, Ruby Marlowe is relocating everything she owns to the pretty seaside village of Happiness. With her best friend Willow already there, and a heartbreaking past she’d rather forget, Ruby jumped at the offer of a cosy cottage and a fresh start. But she wasn’t the only one.... The last person Ruby expects to find in Happiness is her summer fling, the gorgeous Jacob Harrington. Falling in love again is something Ruby has vowed never to do. But Jacob is determined to change her mind. As the snow begins to fall, can Jacob convince Ruby that love is worth the risk? 

Linston End on the Norfolk Broads has been the holiday home to three families for many years. The memories of their time there are ingrained in their hearts: picnics on the river, gin and tonics in the pavilion at dusk, hours spent seeking out the local swallowtail butterflies. Everyone together. But widower Alastair has been faced with a few of life's surprises recently. Now, he is about to shock his circle of friends with the decisions he has made - and the changes it will mean for them all. For some, it feels like the end. For others, it might just be the beginning.... 

When Declan Lorne, the last remaining knight in Ireland, dies suddenly, an ancient title passes with him. But his estate on Ireland’s rugged south-west coast is left to his three daughters. The two eldest, Ottie and Pip, inherit in line with expectations, but to everyone’s surprise - and dismay - it is the errant baby of the family, Willow, who gets the castle. Why her? Something unknown - something terrible - made her turn her back on her family three years earlier, escaping to Dublin and vowing never to return.... 

In the beautiful village of Vernazza, the Mazzone family have transformed an old convent overlooking the glamorous Italian Riviera into the elegant Lemon Tree Hotel. For Chiara, her daughter, Elene, and her granddaughter, Isabella, the running of their hotel is the driving force in their lives. One day, two unexpected guests check in. The first, Dante, is a face from Chiara's past, but what exactly happened between them all those years ago, Elene wonders. Isabella is preoccupied with the second guest, a mysterious young man who seems to know a lot about the history of the old convent.

Dragonfly Farm has been a home and a haven for generations of Melchiors - arch rivals to the Culbones, the wealthy family who live the other side of the valley. Nestled amidst soft, rolling apple orchards in the depths of the Somerset countryside, life there is dictated by the seasons and cider-making. The farm is idyllic and everyone falls under its spell. But its thick stone walls hold many secrets, and this summer everything will change for the family living there....

Beth became a widow after just two years of marriage. Before her husband's death, they made the decision to freeze an embryo so that she could still have his child. But Beth has just been told that the embryo was implanted in the wrong woman seven years ago. Somewhere in the neighbourhood, her longed-for son is growing up without her. What should she do? 

Desperate to escape from London, single mother Zoe wants to build a new life for herself and her four-year-old son Hari. She can barely afford the crammed studio apartment on a busy street where shouting football fans keep them awake all night. Hari’s dad, Jaz, a charismatic but perpetually broke DJ, is no help at all. But his sister, Surinder, comes to Zoe’s aid, hooking her up with a job as far away from the urban crush as possible: a bookshop on the banks of Loch Ness. And there’s a second job to cover housing: Zoe will be an au pair at a castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Everyone adores Christmas. Especially Lizzy Kingham. But this year, she is feeling unloved, and under-appreciated by her family. The present-buying, decorating, and food shopping have all been left to her. So she wonders what would happen if she ran away and left them to it. Lizzy heads to her favourite place: a beach hut on the golden sands of Everdene. There, she meets an unlikely collection of new friends, all running away from something. But the spirit of Christmas gets under Lizzy's skin: soon the fairy lights are twinkling and the scent of mulled wine mingles with the sea air.

Life just got a whole lot more complicated for 38-year-old single mum Liv. Her son, Jake, is practically perfect in every way, but he’s started asking some difficult questions, and the answers lie in a holiday romance 20 years ago. Back when Liv was staying with her aunt on the French Riviera... Returning to the Cote d’Azur, with its white sandy beaches, her supportive aunt, and exquisite wine and cheese is harder than it sounds, though. Because - if she’s going to give Jake the answers he needs - Liv knows she has to hunt down her first love, Andre.