Author: Jessica Redland

Published: April 2022 by Boldwood Books

Category: Contemporary, Feel Good FictionFeel, Romance

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A new season…

As winter turns to spring, Hollie – owner of The Starfish Café – is feeling content as she settles into her new life with her loving boyfriend, Jake, and their adorable dog Pickle.

But when an unwelcome visitor threatens the future of her café, Hollie must stay strong to protect her family’s legacy…

A leap of faith…

Emerging from an unhappy relationship, Tori finds herself with nowhere to stay and nobody to talk to. The long-hidden secrets of her past weigh heavily on her until a chance encounter with Finley, struggling to come to terms with his own secrets, provides an opportunity to open up.

I confess, I haven’t read the first book in this series and it’s obvious Hollie and Jake have a back story, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying this book. I felt enough information was included to fill in the gaps. 

Following on from her mother and grandmother, Hollie is the third generation to own and run the Starfish café, set in a picturesque location on the North Yorkshire coast. She also has a sideline, crafting objects from driftwood. She and Jake (a talented photographer, although he doesn’t think so) are living happily together with their cute rescued dog, Pickle.

She would always miss her family but Hollie was learning to embrace life again, much of that was due to Jake. It would be almost perfect if it wasn’t for slimy Sebastian Smythe, an underhanded acquirer of properties in the area who had his sights set on the Starfish Café.

He narrowed his eyes at me. ‘Come on, Ms Brooks. Look at that figure again. You know it makes sense.’ He sounded exasperated.

I shook my head. ‘Actually, it doesn’t make sense at all. Why so much? It’s way more than the business is worth.’

‘I’m well aware of that.’

‘So you’ll understand my confusion.’

Tori’s relationship is going nowhere, it’s time to make some changes and not only in her love life. Her relations with her parents and past issues also need to be resolved. Hollie and Tori meet in an unexpected and dramatic fashion but find it’s to their mutual benefit and a firm friendship is formed. 

Spring Tides at the Starfish Café is a delightful story with a wonderful sense of place. Told in the first person from the perspectives of Hollie and Tori, giving a good insight into the realistic and relatable characters through their thoughts and actions as they negotiate the highs and lows. I enjoyed following their daily lives — the community and friendships, the seal watching and RNLI sections, and the fun addition of local folklore, its relevance to the story and the outcome. I’ll be looking out for the next instalment.

My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley.

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3uCYFVL

Jessica Redland is the top 10 bestselling author of over thirteen novels, including The Secret to Happiness. Inspired by her hometown of Scarborough she writes uplifting women’s fiction which has garnered many devoted fans.

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