Spring Tides at the Starfish Cafe – Jessica Redland

Published By: Boldwood
Pages: 432
Released On: 05/04/2022

As winter turns to spring, Hollie – the owner of The Starfish Cafe – 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 cafe, Hollie must stay strong to orotect her family’s legacy.

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. Can she find the strength to stop hiding from her past and face up to her family? Especially when that would mean letting her guard down and learning to trust again.

Little do Hollie and Tori know that their lives are about to collide at The Starfish Cafe and they may be able to help each other with a fresh start. After all, with good friends in your life, nothing is impossible.

*****

Thanks to Boldwood for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Jessica is quickly becoming my go-to author for upbeat, cosy, warming, funny love stories, after having read just 3 of her 16 published books (I aim to increase that figure very soon).

It was lovely to get back into Hollie and Jake’s intimate and extended world, and we get to meet some new characters – some more unsavoury than others.

Again, Jessica has found a nice balance between the happy, joyful, happily-ever-after rom-com we expect, and the tough subjects that one may experience in real-life such as infertility, grief, marriage, estrangement, illness, phobias etc. This means the book be entertaining and comforting, but also very real.

I’m glad to see Jessica has one more book planned for this series, but is it selfish to ask for more? I never want this saga to end as it’s just so perfect. Any chance you can just keep writing them for me?

I have a few favourite authors but they’re ones that have been with me over many years and my love for them has developed over many books. But Jessica has firmly cemented her position on that list after just three books. She is definitely up there with some of the most important books I’ve read. Sure, they may be rom-coms, happily-ever-after books, easy to reads, all terms that are usually thought of negatively in the literary world. But for me, they’ve really spoken to me and wormed their way into my life. It’s like her characters – and Jessica herself – have become firm friends. She makes me believe in the future, in love, and in hope. And I think that’s pretty bloomin’ important.