Kate lives in the small seaside town of St Felix where she runs her quaint and successful craft supplies store. She is incensed to hear of an art supply shop opening and the impact this may have on her business. When she meets shop owner Jack, she finds him stubborn and awkward but actually hits it off quite well with him! Discovering they both received an item from a local house clearance they find themselves drawn into events that took place in the 1950’s St Felix. Her and Jack find they are tasked with solving a mystery.

This book was not at all what I was expected, and it really did surpass my expectations. I thought I was going to read a small-town cosy book about Kate running her craft shop whilst having a romance with newcomer Jack. I was not expecting a tale filled with magic! I think if I had known this book had a magical element, I wouldn’t have picked it up as I am not usually a fan of magical mixed in with contemporary. However, I loved it! The magical element was so subtle yet integral to the storyline and it was so seamlessly woven in. It felt as if this element was completed plausible and could actually occur in real life.

As part of this magic we see flash backs to 1950s St Felix, and I thought it was so interesting following the story of the characters from this time period. I planned to read a couple of chapters but ended up binging this book in one go, I couldn’t put it down. However, I certainly wasn’t rushing to discover the outcome of the mystery, I was just thoroughly enjoying the journey with these characters.

I really liked the main character of Kate and enjoyed the relationships she had with numerous different characters. I thought the bond she shared with her daughter Molly was lovely, they just had so much mutual trust with each other. It was so refreshing to see a mum and teenager have such a positive relationship as I feel you don’t often see this in contemporary stories. I also enjoyed Kate and Jacks relationship and watching that grow as they discover the story of 1950’s St Felix. There was also a sweet brother/sister connection that built between Molly and Jacks son Ben. Julian was also an interesting character and one of the most developed, I think. I was certain I was not going to like him at the start, and he may be slightly villainous. He actually turned out to be quite misunderstood and it was great to see it was his friendship with Kate prompted such positive changes.

The book also tackled some more difficult topics really well. Kate moved to St Felix whilst trying to escape a rather possessive ex-boyfriend. We then see Molly going through something similar and I thought that was a clever idea. It allowed Kate to speak openly about the topic and explain to her that it is not ok in relationships. I really appreciated that Kate allowed Molly to deal with this in her own way, again reinforcing the trusting relationship they had. The character of Jack is also a wheelchair user, and this led to some frank and honest discussions between him and Kate. He was very open and happy to call Kate out if she made him feel different or uncomfortable. In the same token she learnt to be comfortable with him and be honest if their were things she was unsure about. It just felt like the depiction was done well.

I found this book so emotional, there were points near the end where I was getting goose bumps and welling up whilst reading. It was such a beautiful story of love and family with a little mystery and magic thrown in. I loved the setting of the seaside town, it felt summery and cosy simultaneously and I believe Ali’s other books are also set in the same town. I know I have at least three of her books on my shelf, so I am keen to get to those and discover if they have the same touches of magic. I just love discovering new authors with great writing and knowing they have a whole backlist to read from.

Hoorah! At last, an author who has written a leading character / love interest who doesn’t quite meet the standard criteria of tall, brooding & handsome. Jack meets two of the three, and will have ticked each box before being seriously injured during his time in the army, leaving him a double amputee and in a wheelchair. However, Ali McNamara brings him into Kate’s life and their story begins, showing that disabled people can love and be loved despite rarely, if ever, featuring within stories in this genre and represented in a positive manner.
This is my first visit to St Felix, so the magical element within the story came as a bit of a surprise and I was unsure which story was the true one, or at some points whether I would continue to enjoy it. The story between Kate & Jack was written well and would have stood alone without the accompanying Arty / Clara / Maggie magical element. However, once I accepted the coupling of the real-life and mystical I enjoyed the book and admit it did add an additional element.

Another absolutely delightful book by the wonderful Ali McNamara. I loved revisiting St Felix and rejoing some familiar characters along the way. The story itself is beautifully written and just fills you with a sense of pure happiness, exactly what is needed right now.
I read this book within a day as I found it near impossible to put down. A must read for sure.

Another book sprinkled with fairy dust from Ali McNamara. Take another magical trip to St Felix where we meet Craft Shop owner Kate and new art shop owner Jack when Kate is given a sewing machine and Jack an easel from an old house clearance strange things start happening overnight which leads to them trying to find out about Clara the old owner of the craft shop. A magical read in a familiar setting with characters you are rooting for from the start.

Brilliant!
I could actually see the characters as I was reading this book. I could smell the sea and feel the sand under my feet. Didn't want the book to end but didn't want to put it down at the same time. I would say that this one is one of the best of Ali's books. I love Her as an author as the scenes she paints with words just make the characters come to life

Mystery and magic comes to the Cornish coast. Yet another brilliant read from Ali McNamara and one which I couldn't stop reading. Everyone would like to think there is magic in the air and in this story it is really true. Good things come to those that wait and a mystery that has been hidden unfolds. Not wanting to give too much away it is a definite must read. I wouldn't want to spoil it so pick up a copy and immerse your creative side in this book.

Another heart warming book from Ali McNamara. I loved revisiting St. Felix and catching up with some old characters. A perfect read for the summer!

Kate and her teenage daughter Molly have moved to St Felix some time ago and they’re happy there, Kate running her own art supplies shop. However, this summer things change, as someone new opens a shop with similar goods to her. Their first encounter doesn’t get off to a good start but then some weird things happen in both shops and Kate and Jack decide to bury the animosity between them and work on putting the pieces of the jigsaw together, trying to work out the mystery that is unfolding before their eyes.

It was a relaxing, simple and undemanding read that will make you forget the world for the time you’re reading it – a great escapism, filled with colourful characters and magical happenings. It wouldn’t be an Ali McNamara book without some magic, right? I always say that putting a touch of magic in a book can go two ways, the right or wrong one, but with Ali you’re in safe hands, because she knows how to write those things. You know it’s impossible to happen, yet you keep reading, hoping for more of magic to happen, believing.

The characters were easy to like, though I missed depth in them. They were well written but they didn’t feel authentic to me, and their actions, reactions and dialogues sometimes felt too forced. Nevertheless, I enjoyed them, and even though they and their behaviour sometimes really annoyed me, I still spent some great hours in their company, keeping my fingers crossed for them.

The author has a way with words, and she writes with her heart on her sleeve. Especially when she writes about disability and how it really is to live with it, and she knows something about it, as she herself has been diagnosed with chronic fatigue as far as I know. Through Jack she has shown us some insights into living in a wheelchair, and well, Jack’s character would be for sure not as interesting as he was without the added challenges. I personally think that he was a much more interesting character than Kate, he was much more authentic, filled with emotions and feelings, fighting his battles determinedly, while Kate felt in comparison a bit flat.

The town of St Felix we already had a chance to get to know, as it’s another book set here, and I still love this place. It’s wonderful to explore it through the characters’ eyes and it’s always exciting to see what kind of magic is going to happen there again. I only think that the exploring of the secrets in the past and the present could have more depth to it and be done in a more challenging and complex way and maybe the development of the relationship between the characters could be more integrated into the story as I personally think it was a huge part of it, and sometimes it felt like an after thought.

This is a dual – time story and the switches between the times sometimes felt too sudden to be honest. In the past we are the witnesses to a blossoming romance in 1957, and in the present we are helping to solve a mystery from those times. Uncovering the secrets together with Kate and Jack was entertaining and there were some twists, ups and downs on the way that took me by surprise, even though the final reveal didn’t take my breath away.

“Kate and Clara’s Curious Cornish Craft Shop” had an interesting promise but it didn’t deliver for me, it felt slow and simplified. For me it felt repetitive and honestly I was not as invested in the characters’ lives. So what I’m saying is not that it is a bad book but that probably I’ve grown out of such novels. Nevertheless, it was a lovely love story, very comforting and cosy tale about second chances, new beginnings, but also about past secrets that could change your life by bringing some lost souls into it. There is magic in the air, and the Cornish background adds lots of warmth and colour to the story.

The story centres round Kate, who has just opened her dream craft shop in the town of St Felix in Cornwall, and is set in two different era’s as Kate unravels the tale of a mysterious romance from years gone by.
Opening the craft shop is a dream come true for Kate and until a new business similar to her own opens up nearby. After having a brusque conversation with Jack (the owner), the two start off on bad terms but relations warm up as they join up to solve the mystery of the forgotten romance.
I enjoyed how the story unfolded and thought the setting sounded divine. This is my first Ali McNamara book but I will look out for more now.


Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group, NetGalley and the author for an ARC for this book.

I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. This is the first book I have read by this author and I will 100% be reading more. I fell in love with both the characters and the location….it sounds stunning and just perfectly picturesque. I especially loved watching the relationship develop between Kate and Jack.

My favourite thing about this book is how that one of the main characters has a disability and Ali does such an amazing job with showing people what it is like to live with a disability. Not just the physical aspects but how it affects you mentally. It also opens the readers eyes to how people react to a person with a disability and how they treat them differently.

I was diagnosed with a disability in 2013 and have been through all of the emotions and physical difficulties that the book described so I absolutely loved how accurately written this was.

Overall, this was a fantastic read and I highly recommend to all!

*Many thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This was a wonderful read by new-to-me author Ali McNamara.

Kate runs her own little craft shop in the idyllic harbour town of St Felix, Cornwall which is a dream come true for her. But when newcomer Jack opens an art shop nearby, selling some similar products as her, Kate's perfect life is disrupted. Initial differences of opinion are smoothed over as they are united by a mystery brought on by an old sewing machine and easel from a house clearance which seem to have their own magical existences.

An enchanting and heartwarming read, Ali McNamara's characterisation was exceptional. Both Kate and Jack were delightful people and I would have loved to visit both of their shops for a browse around. I could picture the quaint little seaside town of St Felix and I was instantly transported into the story. The supporting cast were equally endearing, especially Ben (Jack's son) and Molly (Kate's daughter).

The friendly ambience of St Felix, in both the 1950s and the present day, came across really favourably. This was such an engaging novel and I didn’t want it to end, but I left it on a high, feeling exhilarated. I highly recommend Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop to anyone who loves a romance with a hint of magic and I hope to revisit St Felix and catch up with the townsfolk in other books.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Little, Brown Book Group UK/ Sphere via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

Kate has moved to St Felix with her daughter Molly and opened her shop. Then she inherits an sewing and strange things keep happening when it's combined with Jack's easel. Clara and Arty reminded me of Mary Poppins and Bert!

It was good to catch up with some of the characters from the previous books set in St Felix. I guessed the links fairly early on but this didn't detract from the enjoyment of the story.

My favourite quote: Even if my clothes are still soaking, escaping in wet attire is much more preferable right now to staying here with St Felix's answers to Casonova!"

Both paperback and Kindle available now.

Okay so I am not a fan of anything relating to 'magic' or mysteries or the like, however when Ali McNamara does it...well it's...different. Somehow it's done in a way that doesn't seem silly or childish, it just draws me in even more and this recent book is no different. Ali McNamara has done books featuring the town St Felix, so it felt great to be back with another person's story.

This time around we meet Kate and her teenage daughter as Kate settles in to St Felix and running her craft shop. The story introduces new people as well as some familiar faces from other books (don't worry if you haven't read them it won't make the slightest bit of difference). We also meet Jack who is also starting his own business by running an art shop in St Felix.

The story splits over two timelines, one being the present day and one featuring Clara and Arty around the 1950's. There is so much magic weaved into this book without making it condescending and it was an absolute joy to read. I have read a series of crime books lately and there are more dead bodies that you can shake a stick at, so it's nice to go to the opposite end of the reading spectrum.

Overall this was an absolute pleasure of a book and left me feeling like I needed a little trip to the Cornish coast. Bravo Ali, another corker of a book!

Can Kate and Jack put right a decades-old wrong, and maybe find their own happy ending on the way?

Many thanks to Netgalley and Ali McNamara for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's lovely to return to the gorgeous, Cornish town of St. Felix. From past experience, we know to expect some unexplained, magical goings on and we are not disappointed. The conduit between present and past are embroideries and paintings appearing on an old sewing machine and easel. They also are the catalyst for the relationship developing between Kate and Jack. An lovely, old fashioned love story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to any future visits to St. Felix

This was my first visit to Ali McNamara's St Felix setting, and I must say that I enjoyed it very much. The main story between craft shop owner Kate and new man in town art shop owner Jack was excellent, I enjoyed seeing the way this developed. I also really enjoyed the story within a story, learning about Clara's story and the way this weaved around Kate's story worked really well. It shouldn't be noteworthy that Jack is a wheelchair user, but disability representation is still so meagre that it is absolutely noteworthy.

Kate and her daughter Molly are living a wonderful life in a little Cornish seaside town called St Felix. Kate moved to this little town to start again after a very difficult breakup with a very controlling and obsessed ex-boyfriend called Joel. The novel begins with the re-opening of the town’s art gallery launching an exhibition of a famous local artist called Winston James. All the local businesses have been invited, so as the owner of Kate’s Cornish Crafts, Kate and Molly are enjoying the free food and drink whilst browsing the art on display. At the event is Julian James, the late artists son who runs his father’s company set up to support his art work sales and merchandising. Julian is definitely not Kate’s type, brash, loud, self serving and opinionated and if that wasn’t enough to spoil Kate’s evening she hears that there is a new art shop opening in the town, threatening to impact the success of her own shop, which is ticking over very nicely. Without a second thought Kate marches over to see this new shop owner and is incensed by his rude, brash manner and complete refusal to come down from the upstairs flat to speak to her face to face. In addition to all this is the mysterious sewing machine that she is given from a local house clearance. One morning Kate wakes to find a beautifully embroidered picture sitting on the sewing machine as if it’s just been finished. Determined to discover what this means Kate blurts out her mystery to Jack who shares another oddity that he has been surprised with. As Kate and Jack work together to solve their mysterious gifts so they go from being friends to something much more.
This is my first novel from Ali McNamara and I thoroughly enjoyed every page. I will definitely be reading the other St Felix novels and exploring more from this writer

My first Ali McNamara book and I loved it! Woven together are the present day and the 1950s.

Fantastic characters, a wonderful setting and a little magic.I'll definitely be looking for more books from the same author.

The author does have an unusual habit of changing tense, often in the middle of a paragraph. It does kind of work though in that I felt very present with the characters!

A perfect summer story and escapism at highest level. It's the perfect story to escape reality when you want to escape reality and feel good.
A engrossing and enjoyable plot, likeable characters, a lovely setting are the elements that made me love this story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A little bit of Cornish magic! Thank you NetGalley for my ARC of this book. This is a lovely book full of magic and mystery which I raced through. It is set in St Felix which other books by the author are set but you don’t need to read them to enjoy this story. A lovely bit of escapism amid the current uncertainty in the world.

Kate thinks all her wishes have come true when she opens her own little craft shop in the idyllic harbour town of St Felix.

But she soon finds a mystery lingers in her new shop - a sixty-year-old love story told through beautiful paintings and intricate embroideries.

Jack, the owner of the nearby art shop, volunteers to help Kate unravel the mystery, but in doing so they realise their own lives share some uncanny similarities with Clara and Arty, their 1950s counterparts . . .

Can Kate and Jack put right a decades-old wrong, and maybe find their own happy ending on the way?

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this novel in return for an honest review.

You know with an Ali McNamara book you are guaranteed laughs and escapism and this one is no different. Set again in St Felix this book delivers a trip to somewhere the reader feels they can visit themselves as her previous books have been set here too. You will recognise the names of characters who have appeared in previous books and it feels like getting together with old friends.

I LOVE that Ali has chosen to have one of her main characters in a wheelchair. I honestly think this is the first time I have seen this and it is an integral part of the story.

Another enjoyable part of the story is that it is being played out over two timelines, the current day as well as the 1950s and as I was reading ti I was trying to piece the parts together but never quite managing!

A thoroughly enjoyable read and I will look forward to my next visit to St Felix.