Summer at the Cornish Café (The Cornish Cafe, #1)

by Phillipa Ashley

[Leah]

Despite the fact Phillipa Ashley has been around the writing scene for ages, I’ve never actually read one of her books until now. It’s just one of those quirks of fate, I suppose, but after reading Summer at the Cornish Cafe I’ll be dipping in to her back catalogue fairly soon (once I’ve read Christmas at the Cornish Cafe & Confetti at the Cornish Cafe, obviously). I’m a big sucker for books set in Cornwall - it just sounds so idyllic. It always seems to be sunny there and I can always imagine myself watching a sunset over the cliffs. *Happy sigh*

Summer at the Cornish Cafe actually made me want to cry at the beginning - Demi is a waitress and ends up being let go after an altercation with a patron. An altercation where the patron deserved a punch in the face, but that’s by the by. And so she ends up having to sleep rough, with her dog Mitch, not for the first time, which is just devastating to me. No one should ever have to sleep rough. It honestly breaks my heart. Thankfully, her ex-boss points her in the direction of Cal Penwith, who’s hoping to restore Kilhallon Park to its former glory and reopen it as a holiday park/glamping/camping site.

I loved Demi - and Cal. I’m a big annoyed that we don’t learn what happened to Cal when he was away, as he worked for a charity before coming home. It’s teased and teased and teased and yet it wasn’t told. But I liked how well they worked together and I loved Demi’s work ethic (she puts a lot of people to shame!). I liked seeing Kilhallon come together, too. It was just a fun, light read. I loved imaging what Kilhallon would look like once completed and I’m so excited to read more about Demi’s cafe in the coming two books.

Summer at the Cornish Cafe was exactly what I needed, without even knowing that I needed it. It just made me so incredibly happy, the writing was incredible and I’m so glad we get Demi and Cal and Mitch and Polly for two more books! Although I wouldn’t mind if Isla fell off a cliff and didn’t reappear. Ditto Mawgan (what kind of spelling is that for Morgan? COME ON, you’re just predisposed to dislike her). I really enjoyed the book, all joking aside. It was a fun, quick read. The pages just felt like they flew by and I liked that there was a lot left to uncover - making it so the second book won’t just be a filler, it’s the next stage to life at Kilhallon Park and I can’t wait to dive in.