The Rural Diaries: Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm Hardcover – Illustrated, May 5, 2020

I had the privilege of meeting Jeffery a few years ago at a convention. I was in a wheelchair, arm and leg in a cast. My friend Shelley wheeled me up. I'm an artist and I showed Jeffery a drawing i did it him as Negan , titled "Left handed Negan". I'm right handed (in the cast) and this is and still is my only drawing I've ever done with my left hand. I worked in it for three weeks and he loved it. Gushed over it. i have him a copy of the work To this day, in a meeting context, he is the nicest, sweetest person I have ever met. I just had to read Hillary's book. Not because of him, because she always come across as such a sweet caring person. HER story opened so many things up for me inside emotionally. I laughed, I cried, I loved. Superb. I'm so happy to meet you, Hilarie.

Review by spouse.Somehow, the upper New York Hudson Valley is not exactly "rural" in the way many areas of the USA are "rural". So, if you were looking for a book about downsizing, living a more simple life.....this is not the book.It is mostly about the miracle of having enough money to buy whatever you want. You look at a house and 70 acres, and love it and want it: you get it. You see a picture of a steer and say "I love it!" and 2 days later you have 2 of them. A business in town is going under, you simply buy it and take the loses while you get it going. You need a private nanny so that you can work clear across the country, no problem. I enjoyed the fairy tale story. I was glad that they were willing to use money to help in their community........a community that does not seem to be short of these types of people. The Burtons seemed nice and the kind of people you would like to know.Sadly, love, livestock and big life lessons on a farm are typically not even close to this story. Both sets of my grandparents lived on a farm and lived off the land. It was a hard life. There wasn't money to throw a check at something and miraculously fix it.

Once started I could not put this down - I tried! I ended up blinking away my eye fatigue to read just one more chapter and by 3am I had finished. This book now rests on a special shelf with my small selection of favorites. This book is filled with wonderful stories and so much heart. You cant help but fall in love with this lovely family, town and all of the beautiful people that surround them.

I love reading memoirs and biographies on people, whether they are celebrities or not. I like being able to get a glimpse of who they are in life rather than just what I assume who they are through television or other forms of media. I thoroughly enjoyed this read for many reasons, the main one being that I felt a connection with Hilarie from the beginning. I never watched One Tree Hill and the only times I’ve seen Hilarie have been in the few Hallmark movies she has done which honestly is what appealed me to read this book.She takes you on the ride of her life with such ease and control. There’s a simplicity of the way she tells her story, truly capturing the moments of her life that she wants to convey. It’s raw. It’s honest. It’s real. She doesn’t sugarcoat the things that have happened and she almost leaves you wanting more. No, she definitely leaves you wanting more.I can tell you this though, I want some of those delicious treats she talks about from Samuels!

Most celebrities have ghostwriters and you can tell, but this is truly her voice and I trust that she wrote it herself. If not, kudos to those who helped. Beautifully written, smoothly unfolds like a novel. There is some heavy material in here (strained relationships, fertility issues, sexual assault) but it is weighed out by feel goodness (community, friends, candy, tips). Very refreshing for a celebrity to choose this path while maintaining her passions and being true to herself. Hilarie was coming of age on TV at the same time I was and have always been a fan though not an avid follower. When it popped up that she wrote a book, I didn't hesitate to purchase. Overall, pleasantly surprised and will definitely purchase her follow up!

I was a huge fan of Hilarie's when she was on OTH so when I saw that she had her book coming out I quickly preordered it. It did not disappoint. It was an amazing read. I loved it! She has been through a lot since she left One Tree Hill but she has also accomplished a lot too. Great job Hilarie!

This book has a little bit of everything, so if you are considering purchasing- just do it! You won't regret it. Well done to everyone involved in not only the making of this book but in creating the community that inspired it.

I have always loved Hilarie. I loved her on TRL. I loved her playing Peyton on OTH. So when I saw she wrote a book about doing exactly what I would love to do, buying a farm and diving all in, I had to buy it.It was beautiful. Just like the name states, it's mostly a diary. I read the whole thing in one sitting.

Absolutely loved this book. I used to watch One Tree Hill & I’m a fan of JDM, so as a Supernatural fan when I realised that Jensen & Danneel Ackles had introduced Hilarie Burton and JDM and they’d been a couple for sometime I thought how sweet. As fans we always view their lives with rose coloured glasses and assume for the most part that everything must be perfect. So to read this story, the brutal honesty, with added humour, about their relationship, the friends they made along the way, the ups and downs of life, I literally couldn’t put it down and about 3 hours later I finished it. I loved Hilarie's writing style, it just draws you in and you want to read more, how she describes events makes you really imagine the scenario played out. Despite the ups & downs these two are clearly meant for each other and have two beautiful children, so whatever storms come their way they will weather them together.

I love this book, I've read it about 6 times now. I love hilarie's honesty, and how she doesn't sugar coat arguments with Jeffrey, even when they were on the brink of collapse. It's a very bold thing, especially for a couple who have always been so private and an author who shunned Instagram for years. I love it so much I've wished myself I could live in rhinebeck.But a few things do bug me about it-and they mainly revolve around the same thing... Privelege and money.Hilarie and Jeff certainly haven't always had it easy but as another reviewer pointed out, they have always had money to throw at a situation.Rent an apartment and buy a ticket to Paris then change your mind and don't go? Fine. Hire a nanny when you're struggling with your baby, fine. Buy a massive farm in a beautiful place because you love it? Fine. Buy a local sweet shop that's going under? Fine. Go to beautiful "country" stores and deck yourself out in Pendleton and your home out in amazing old things? Yep you can afford it. Want a buffalo... Some trees... A quad bike... Aplaca? Go right ahead!It isn't that they have the money that bothers me-they both have successful careers and have earned it. It's the ignorance about that Privelege. For example, towards the end of the book hilarie says that people often say to her that they plan to live the rural dream when they retire and her advice is "do it now! Why wait?!"... Well, most people can't afford it now! Most people will never afford it. Most people don't get to do it in an ideal way either-gathering up animals you love and rescue and will never have to send to the slaughterhouse because you can just afford to keep them.This family not only have the money to do all this in the first place , they also have the money to pay someone to look after it if they decide to move away and film a show for months at a time-the animals and beautiful upstate farm are just there waiting when they return!It's a great idea, truly it is. But it is reserved for a select few rich people or some lucky ones who inherit it, and suggesting that every man and his dog could do it and just isn't because they're not grabbing the bull by the horns is a little tone deaf.We don't all get massive fancy farms, animals to enjoy when we want and have others take care of when we have other plans, amazing Doulas and nannies, adorable schools for our children, and to have the money to throw caution to the wind and uproot to an idyllic part of the world and weave ourselves into an idyllic community.That being said, I would recommend this book, it's a beautiful read. Just don't take all of the advice to heart or it may leave you feeling pretty rubbish

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Hillarie Burton shared some very personal and painful experiences as well as stories about her hard-working life on their family farm. She shares recipe favourites, her love of community and she inspires people to be the best versions of themselves. One important message I took away from this book was don’t judge people as you never know what they are going through. Even if you are not a OTH fan I would recommend this book.

I absolutely LOVE THIS BOOK! I knew Hilarie Burton from One Tree Hill. Then later, I found out she's Jeffrey Dean Morgan's partner and that she is into books (writing and reading them), gardening and farming. I mean, seriously, what's not to like?I read this book and it felt like having the loveliest literary feast.I adore this book and I will be gifting it to many dear friends.Thank you so much for writing it! You made me cry several times, it's such an emotional and well written book.

I have been a fan of Hilarie Burton since the One Tree Hill days and I loved this book for the easy down to earth style she writes in and infectious way she talks about her family and the town they call home. I am the least outdoors-y type person but after finishing this I wanted to buy a farm and move to the country. the values expressed in this book perfectly mimic my own and its a joy to know that those kind of communities still exist. it a honest and engaging book which I have already read twice and will be gifting this xmas.