‘Britain’s Most Relatable Mum Designer’, Isobella M. Smugge, (it rhymes with Br-ugge-s) is back in fine fettle in her third year of living in the Suffolk countryside. She’s now a solo working parent of four, and is caught, as so many are, with looking after a young family while caring for an ailing parent – her gin-swilling mother who has moved in upstairs in Issy’s beautiful designer Georgian house.

As Issy’s life slowly but surely changes at every level, and as she continues to hashtag her way through it, her emotions are pulled in all directions. And so are those of her readers, laughing and crying at the different situations that arise, the difficulties facing Issy, and her explorations of the meanings of the Christian life. I chortled out loud at this for some time:

I might give this home group thing a try. I had Jenna over for

coffee the other day and she is a hoot! Within five minutes, I

was crying with laughter as she described an unfortunate

incident at their previous church. The Praise and Graze

Fellowship Lunch, a monthly event, was always fraught with

stress and tension owing to a long-running feud between two of

its members over flower arranging. Things came to a head just

after grace was said when one lady made a derogatory comment

about a salmon and broccoli quiche made by the other. Harsh

words were exchanged and a full-on fist fight was only averted

when the curate stepped in. “One of the ladies went over to the Methodists after that.

Probably just as well.” #quichewars

Issy is a successful influencer and award-winning lifestyle author; there are certain standards she needs to maintain. But, without giving too much away, by the end of the book Issy is discovering that there is more to life than maybe she ever thought possible, that family and friends matter more than she had ever realised, that healing from deep wounds of the past is possible.

Ruth Leigh has done it again with this third book about her heroine, a wonderful mixture of Jane Austen heroines and Instagam influencers. By the end of this book, I was as ever sad to reach the final page, my head full of hashtags – and finding myself even beginning hilariously to add hashtags to my own stream of consciousness.

Ruth, what HAVE you done to us?! More please.

Here's a challenge for you: think of a name for the next installment and you could appear in the book yourself!

“On the cover of book three, we see Issy taking a selfie. She’s been gazing at herself through the reflective lens of social media since we first met her back in January 2021, but three years on (in her life, anyway), that gaze is a lot clearer and it may be that she is considering a slightly different path. Once this book is out, I’m taking a break to publish something different next year. But for all you Smugge fans, don’t worry, the woman Gorgeous Home magazine once called, “Britain’s most relatable mum designer” will be back. There are too many dangling threads at the end of book three to leave her story there.

Which leads me to this. What do you think the fourth book should be called? Genuinely, I’d love your thoughts. If I pick one of your suggestions, your name will appear in that book as a character.”

” – from Ruth’s blog where you will find details as to how to send her your suggested title.

Ruth Leigh, creator of Isobella M Smugge

THE CONTINUED TIMES OF ISOBELLA M. SMUGGE is published on October 22nd. You can however already get a signed copy from Ruth’s website

Ruth says: Signed copies complete with merch can be ordered via my website (www.ruthleighwrites.co.uk) and from good bookshops, Eden, Waterstones and Amazon from 22nd October. In Suffolk, Issy Smugge is stocked by Woodbridge Books, Dial Lane Books in Ipswich and The Halesworth Bookshop.

Paperback and Kindle editions of books I & II: