Kindness, community and cake are all on the menu at Katie’s Cornish Kitchen
’A lovely heartwarming summery read to escape with’ – Netgalley reviewer 5 stars
After the heartbreak of being jilted by her fiancé, Katie Campbell has been mending her broken heart in Bali. She has local restaurant owner and new friend Agatha to thank for providing a listening ear in her moment of need. When Katie … providing a listening ear in her moment of need. When Katie confides she’s worried about going back to what’s left of her life in London, Agatha has just the opportunity for Katie – to manage her old café in the beautiful, picturesque village of Perrinby in Cornwall.
Although reopening the café and making it profitable won’t be easy, Katie is determined to make the most of her fresh start. She quickly makes new friends in florist Jay, waitress Talia and handsome neighbour Oscar, and focuses on making the café a welcoming place for the community – from hosting floristry workshops to pizza-making nights and even the local knit-and-natter group. But, with the café under threat from the local property developers circulating just as she’s starting to grow closer to Oscar and finally feeling at home, can Katie find the recipe to make her Cornish Kitchen a success?
Escape to Cornwall in this heartwarming romance – perfect for fans of Julie Caplin, Phillipa Ashley and Debbie Johnson
Readers LOVE a feel-good escape with Rosie Chambers
‘The feelgood factor we all need at this difficult time’ Netgalley reviewer 5 stars
‘One of those books that when you start you don’t want to put it down’ NetGalley reviewer 5 stars
‘A stunning summer’s read full of romance, food and friendship. What’s better than that?’ Netgalley reviewer 5 stars
‘A feelgood novel that is a perfect escape’ Netgalley reviewer 5 stars
‘A light-hearted warm fuzzy read I devoured in one sitting’ Netgalley reviewer 5 stars
‘A fun summer book that reminded me of Jenny Colgan’ Netgalley reviewer
‘An uplifting feel-good story filled with fun, friendship, love and foodie treats’ Netgalley reviewer
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Great escape just exactly when I needed it. Enjoyed the village life, second chances, thoughts on the impact parents’ choices have on their children. Katie’s search for a new beginning was uplifting!
This is definitely a feel good story that would make a good beach or backyard-lounge chair read this summer!
Katie Campbell is heartbroken. Her fiance Dominic went to Ibiza for his bachelor weekend, and decided not to return to their home in England so he could pursue his dreams of a music career. Unfortunately, he makes the decision and doesn’t tell Katie. She doesn’t realize his intentions until he doesn’t return from Ibiza. When she tries to call him for an explanation, he refuses to pick up her calls. To make matters worse, he emptied their joint bank account of the money that was to be used for their wedding reception. As if she doesn’t already have enough problems, she’s fired from her job as an assistant to a celebrity cake decorator when she makes an error in delivering a birthday cake to a soap opera star.
After she finishes the embarrassing and distressing task of cancelling their wedding plans and notifying friends and family that there will be no wedding, she decides to take a trip to Bali, where she lives for a couple of months and makes friends with Agatha, a restaurant owner who also runs culinary classes for underprivileged youth. Agatha takes Katie under her wing and slowly helps her overcome her misery and sadness.
When it’s time for Katie to return to England, Agatha gifts her with a surprise: the opportunity to take over her business: Agatha’s Beachside Cafe in the small Cornish seaside town of Perrinby. The cafe has been vacant since Agatha left the town to develop her business in Bali. The idea intrigues Katie, who has always dreamed of owning her own restaurant or bakery where she could create delicious dishes highlighting locally-sourced ingredients and highlight her cake decorating artistry. She agrees to re-open the cafe for a trial period of three months.
She falls in love with Perrinby, and quickly finds herself becoming involved with the town and its quirky and fun-loving occupants, including Javier (Jay), the artistically extravagant gay owner of the floral shop; Talia, the astrology-loving high school student who loves to create and wear quirky hats; exuberant Ruby, who runs the hair salon, and Zoe, the wedding dress designer and ‘bride whisperer.’
She also meets her next door neighborhood Oscar, who she describes as a “blond Aidan Turner.” He owns and runs the town’s art gallery, which is filled with his paintings and ceramic pieces.
To help the cafe re-establish itself in the community, Katie holds a variety of onsite events and activities, including “soup and song nights,” a woman’s pamper night, a book club event, a knitting club meeting, a floral design demonstration (led by Jay), and many other things. It gives her a chance to meet many of Perrinby’s residents and they quickly embrace her as part of the community. She also discovers a growing attraction to Oscar, but he seems to be hiding a secret and she occasionally notices a deep sadness in his eyes.
Everything is going well and Katie is considering a permanent move to Perrinby. Then Dominic, the disappearing fiance, reappears in her life, and wants to get back together.
Katie has a decision to make. Will she remain in Perrinby, where she’s developed strong friendships and a positive reputation within the community, or will she move to Ibiza to be with Dominic? And what about her growing feelings for her artist neighbor Oscar?
I really enjoyed this book. The author, Rosie Chambers, is gifted with the talent of using words that evoke descriptive images in the reader’s mind. I love some of the phrases she uses throughout the book, like “the sleep fairies had eluded her,” when describing a night when Katie was suffering from insomnia, and “added another golden coin of contentment to her depleted coffers,” when describing how Katie did something that helped her build up her self confidence.
I especially loved the way that Chambers created a strong community feeling in this book. All the businesses in Perrinby worked together to help Katie make the cafe a success. The support among the villagers and business owners was wonderful.
The cakes, muffins and other goodies featured in the cafe made my mouth water. The author included a couple of recipes at the end of the book, which I will be making.
My only criticism of the book? I felt it ended a bit abruptly. I wondered what happened when Katie and Oscar shared their “discovery” with Agatha, and whether Katie was able to keep the cafe open after the three months were over. I guess I just like my stories completely wrapped up, so I know the final outcome with the main characters. But despite this, I still recommend this uplifting read!
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.