Book Review: Snowflakes over The Starfish Café by Jessica Redland

Two broken hearts.

Since she inherited The Starfish Café, Hollie has poured her heart into the business, striving to keep her mother’s traditions and warm-hearted spirit alive. But behind closed doors Hollie is searching for true happiness as she grieves the tragic loss of her family who were once the beating heart of the café…

An unexpected meeting.

Jake lives by two rules: don’t let anyone get close and don’t talk about what happened. Little does he know that a chance meeting at The Starfish Café, facilitated by a fluffy lost dog, is about to turn his world upside down…

The chance to love again.

Can Hollie and Jake break down the barriers that have been holding them back from finding love and happiness, before Christmas comes around? After all, with courage, nothing is impossible…

*****

Hollie puts her all into the Starfish Café, trying to keep her mother’s spirit alive as she grieves for her family.

Jake has never let anyone get close to him, especially since his tragic childhood left him without his parents.

A chance encounter involving a lost dog brings these two together. Can they overcome their own grief and find a new life?

It was initially the cover of this book that drew me toward it. It conjures romance and so I couldn’t wait to get started on the novel.

Told from the point of view of both Hollie and Jake, I immediately felt so much empathy and emotion for these two characters. They have both been through so much and I really just wanted to hug them.
These two are at the heart of this novel.

There is a real sense of community within this book. The supporting characters were all lovely although there was one I really wanted to scream at. If you read it (which I hope you will,) you’ll soon know which one I mean.

The setting for this book was so beautifully written and I could imagine myself in this town, sat at the café, looking out over the water. It made me feel a little nostalgic for home (as I grew up on the south coast.)

There is a large theme of grief and loss through this book but it is tackled with care, warmth and humour.

Overall though, there’s a promise of hope. There were moments where I laughed, cried and felt incredibly uplifted. I found it hard to leave Hollie and Jake to the point where I read it in pretty much one sitting.

Snowflakes over the Starfish Café was an uplifting, inspirational novel. It’s a perfect escape. I loved it. This is the kind of book I’d love to be able to write one day.

(Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.)

About Jessica Redland:

Jessica lives in Scarborough on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast in the UK. Her home inspired the creation of the fictional seaside town of Whitsborough Bay where she sets some of her books. The Hedgehog Hollow series takes readers to a gorgeous countryside setting on the Yorkshire Wolds.

Jessica lives with her husband, her teenage daughter and sprocker spaniel, Ella. She’s a stationery addict with a notepad obsession who loves chocolate (although it doesn’t love her), hedgehogs, 80s music, collectible teddy bears and lighthouses.

Her career has mainly been in HR as a trainer and recruiter. She had a brief detour into retail to set up and manage her own specialist teddy bear shop and started writing her debut novel on quiet days in the shop.

Her latest novel, Snowflakes over The Starfish Café is due to be released on 31st August 2021. Click to pre-order on Amazon UK. 

Say hello to Jessica on Twitter. 

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.