Just a note to tell you how much I enjoyed your book.
I loved the content, the composition, the style, really everything.
The girl in the peach tree is easy to read but has a clear and lovely message that everyone understands. Lots of women must identify with this book.
Congratulations, I look forward to the follow up.
J.S.

I have finished your book, finally! I’ve read your blog and what’s already been said elsewhere about it, e.g. it’s part romance novel in which you nailed the young adult perspective, part travelogue, etc.
While that’s all there, you also explored wider and deeper themes of betrayal, guilt, the meaning of food, loyalty, culture and redemption.
The last half especially was a page-turner which I couldn’t put down. Bottom line: this is a Journey, with a character worth caring about. I’m on board for the sequels!
Cheers,
John

I loved your book. It kept drawing me back to see what was going to happen next. Now I eagerly await the sequel to see what becomes of Jade, what will we learn about Dalley and does Maya settle in Portugal. I hope that you have had a good response to the book. Like all things today, the market to attract customers is very competitive. I hope it does not get lost in the sea of books out there.

Pat

Let me start by saying that I am an avid reader. I have easily read more than 5000 books from various genres. Science fiction high fantasy urban fantasy mystery romance and almost every other style you could name. That said I want to bring your attention to this book in your hands. The Girl In the Peach Tree. This is a singularly important book , if your holding it / looking at it online then Please, Please ! Do yourself a favour and take the next step and purchase it, trust me it's worth it . The story begins in a small rural Canadian town in the interior of British Columbia, it starts out talking about a young woman named Maya Wells and goes on to tell her story, a coming of age / personal growth type story that takes her from her small town life and her small town fiancé and throws her into a whirlwind adventure super charged with emotion. I literally laughed and cried my way through her journey into true love heartfelt friendship and the personal realization of whom she really is. It was an emotional roller coaster for her and I as we journeyed from Canada to sunny Portugal discovering ourselves well okay herself and a different culture a different way of looking at the world and the joy and pain that comes with such a journey . Just read the book , it says it all far better than I ever could.
That's my advice to you right now looking at this book and wondering if it's any good.
The answer is Yes Yes a thousand times Yes. Now excuse me I am going to go read it again. 
Yours truly an avid reader.



Sean

The Girl in the Peach Tree is a compelling and heartwarming first novel by Michelle Oucharek-Deo. The story follows 25-year-old Maya Wells, a young woman who grew up in the shadow of her mother’s mental illness, as she navigates her way out of a life constrained by fear. This lovely tale combines the adventure and mystery of a romance novel with an achingly accurate portrayal of what it is like to come awake to oneself after a lifetime of following what you thought were the rules.

After a last minute cancellation of her wedding, and the terror of not knowing what comes next, if it’s not what you always assumed, Maya wins a one-month stay at a vineyard retreat in Portugal. Through new friendships and rivalries, a budding love, food and photography she is brought face to face with the choice between freedom and staying stuck in her old ways of handling life. A black and white perspective ceases to be useful in a grown-up world of mingled joy and pain, risk and safety, and where a mysterious woman waits with a fragrant loaf of bread.

The role that Maya’s creativity plays in her own healing and personal growth is unsurprising, given Ms. Oucharek-Deo deep and broad experience of listening to and guiding young people in her work as a Registered Art Therapist. It is refreshing to read a fictional account that neither sensationalizes nor soft-pedals the very real effects of depression on all members of a family. Maya takes hold of her own destiny and transforms herself, and gifts those around her, with her courage, resilience, and sensitivity.

I found myself turning the last page and hoping that Ms. Oucharek-Deo was already hard at work on the sequel!

Frances Bryant-Scott