This book is totally amazing! Welcome back To St Felix and characters you will have met before. I have never read a book quite like this and love all Ali’s books, but this one...... all I can say is wow!
Thankyou Net Galley for my copy. High recommended.

As an avid lover of all things craft myself this book was meant to be read by me!

Kate leaves behind a difficult life in London and follows her dream to open a craft shop in Cornwall with her daughter. The shop sells a bit of everything but when a new shop opens up dedicated to art supplies, Kate feels that her idyllic dream is about to come to an end.

What she doesn't know is she is the middle of another dream.

Jack, new owner of the art supplies shop is a force to be reckoned with, you need to look past the arrogant defence to see the kind-hearted man he can be. But still Kate is worried about what this shop will do to her business.

Kate and Jack are drawn together when it turns out some ramshackle old painting easels and an old vintage sewing machine from a house clearance appear to be telling a story of their own.

Back to the 1950s and we watch the original owner of the craft shop that Kate owns - Clara and how her and her daughter, Maggie have ended up in Cornwall. We meet Freddie and Arty and somehow this story as it plays out is related to the present day and it seems that some lives are running in parallel to the modern day story.

Will Kate and Jack solve the mystery?

Will the truth finally be told?

Added into this is minor characters, Ben, Sebastian, Anita and Julian who all pull the strands of this story together to make it a wonderful read to curl up with. Humour and love in abundance.

The mystery was sublime and whilst perhaps not really possible added to the story and swept me away to the past and kept me very much in the present. You will need to read the book to find out what it is!

Without a doubt these Cornish tales that Ali McNamara weaves are some of her best and I look forward to returning there soon.

What a lovely book! First of all itt takes place in a lovely seaside town, I love that! Then this story is different from the other chicklit books I have read so far in the fact that there is some magic happing in this book, something mysterious that we can't rationally explain and it gives the story a little very interesting twist. Then this book is also a bit different because the main male character is disabled and in a wheeled chair and I really liked that, it's important that disabled people are also featured in books. Then I really loved the romance aspect of this story! I can't wait to read another book by Ali McNamara! She is a brilliant author! I give this book a 4 stars out of 5!

This is a fantastic and gorgeous book. It is set in St. Felix in Cornwall, a small coastal town where magical things often occur. This is one of several books that are set in this location, but this is a standalone novel. If you haven't read the previous books though, then you definitely need to, they are fabulous. It is good to be reunited with characters from the other books, and catch up with them.
Kate owns a craft shop, which also sells art supplies. When she hears that there is a new Art supply shop opening up she is worried that she will loose some of her trade. She decides to confront the new owner Jack about his shop.
Jack is a Man who has a disability. It is uncommon to have a Romantic lead who has a disability. Ali McNamara writes about the challenges that a person who has a disability faces. Having to plan events in advance, accessibility and also public perception.
Jack and Kate often argue, but when strange and mysterious events begin to occur with Kate's sewing machine and Jack's artist easel they have to join forces to uncover the ownership and history of the items to discover why the events are occurring.
I found this book to be enjoyable, fun and engaging. The storyline was written in such a way that the magic seemed to be utterly believable and enchanting. It is the perfect summer escapism.
It would be lovely if Ali McNamara wrote more books set in St. Felix. It is a wonderful and charming location.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

4.5 stars!

What a delight this book was.

I have read all of Ali McNamara’s previous books and she is one of my favourite authors, so I was very excited when I got approved for this one! It was so great.

It is the third of her books set in St Felix, the fictional Cornish town full of wonderful characters and magical happenings! I loved escaping here again and loved seeing some familiar faces pop up.

Kate and Molly were such great characters and I loved watching Kate’s relationship develop with Jack, a former soldier whose war injuries means he is now in a wheelchair.

This is Ali McNamara’s first book that she has written after being diagnosed with ME (chronic fatigue) and I absolutely loved her explanation of disabilities and how people react to those who are disabled. You could really see that she has her own experiences of this and it provided some wonderful insight. Jack’s views of his own disability made me cry at points as it was heartbreaking to see him view himself as a burden. He was such a great character and I loved his progression.

The magical elements were so special and I loved how it brought Kate and Jack closer together. I don’t want to give spoilers about the magic here, but I’ll just say it involves a sewing machine, an art easel and a trip into the past - all of which I loved!

The ending was also perfect and tied everything up so well. I definitely recommend this book (and all of Ali McNamara’s other books)!

This book is amazing, I’m not entirely sure what else to say. Ali McNamara has done it again, loveable characters in a setting you can’t wait to visit. A fantastic summery read.

one brilliant read which I couldnt out down. I didnt want to put it down either as it blew me away
We have kate and molly who have moved to the cornish Town of St felix with her craft shop... but another craft shop opens thats a bit too close and Kate doesn't like it. Jack, handsome and disabled opens up an art shop to kate disgust luckily they dont cross over each other supplies so thats a good thing for them. Kate finds Jack rather rude and somewhat arrogant due to him being disabled but as times go on they have to meet yp because the magic of St felix is happening between their art easels and the old sewing machine transporting them back to 1959. This is a book about the present day and the summer of 1959 with the previous residents of St felix. Ali mcmanara made a great book here, I couldn't put i down.
New love occurs, old exes appears, old friends and old residents if st felix.
Brilliant read. Do not put down.

A Summer treat from Ali McNamara. I love her books and this one has a real touch of magic about it; literally! The characters are so well written they come alive on the page, particularly Jack, a disabled ex-serviceman, the love interest in this particular story. There are so many aspects of the story that draw you in; a touching love story, a magical mystery, glimpses into a bygone age and the vibrancy of a Cornish village. It all centres around two arts and crafts shops and the artistic community. The art at the centre of the mystery is reminiscent of Alfred Wallis, a naive Cornish painter from St Ives. The whole book is beautifully weaved together and a total delight.
Thanks to NetGalley and LittleBrown for an early reading copy in return for an honest review.

A fabulous, heartwarming tale that entertains from the very first page. Relatable characters and a plot that flows well with each turn of the page. Quite simply I adored this book and would happily recommend it to everyone. Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group, Sphere and the author for the chance to review.

This was a strange story.

Kate lives in St Felix, a small village in Cornwall where she runs a craft and art supplies shop. An antiques dealer rings her and asks her if she wants a vintage sewing machine he has bought as part of a house clearance. Kate loves it and puts it in her shop. Except at night the sewing machine makes patches of embroidery all by itself.

Kate trys to uncover the mystery and along the way meets Jack, a disabled man who has just opened an Arts suplies store not far from her which annoys Kate in the beginning, but they soon discover that they have lots in common, as Jack is getting paintings appear from nowhere from an easel he bought from the same antiques dealer.

Together they try and figure out what is going on.

The story flowed well, i enjoyed it, but it was slightly too bonkers for me to be believable.

I’ve read books by this author before, so I know that whilst her books look like a normal romantic boy meets girl type of book, they always have magical surprises nestled amongst the pages! In this book, we are taken to the little Cornish seaside village of St Felix. I thought I’d never been here before, but we have been taken to St Felix in two previous books – The Little Flower Shop By The Sea and Daisy’s Vintage Cornish Camper Van – so whilst this isn’t really a series, we have been treated to the delights of the little village and some of its residents already! This book focusses on Kate who runs the local arts and craft shop. Feeling slightly put out when she discovers a new art shop opening, she clashes with owner Jack right from the very beginning. However, following a house clearance, Kate purchases an old sewing machine and Jack an old easel, and they both discover a magical secret which makes them put aside their differences!

This was an absolutely wonderful book! The location, the characters and the storyline were perfect and had me hooked from the very first page! I loved Kate and Jack’s characters and thought it very clever to involve an awareness of disability issues amongst the story. I could picture the little village as I was reading and it instantly transported me into the story. Both of the main characters had issues within their lives which they obviously hadn’t resolved yet, Jack more than Kate I felt. The details of these are fed to the reader as you move through the book and I loved how amongst all the Cornish loveliness there was some serious issues addressed as well.

I won’t go too far into the magical part of the storyline for fearing of spoiling the rest of the story, but the author cleverly works in a trip back to the 1950’s to visit some of the village’s previous residents. These residents, and the ones who live in St Felix today go on to support the two main characters through their discoveries! All of the characters were so likeable and genuine, and the whole storyline was heart-warming, hynoptic and truly wonderful! With it’s perfect ending, this was a completely magical and enthralling read! Would definitely recommend!!

You know you’re in for a treat when you pick up one of Ali McNamara’s books. A very romantic and magical read, the perfect book to escape into whilst in lockdown. Looking forward already to the next book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

In these current curious locked down times it was lovely to be back in the beautiful St Felix. I loved Ali McNamara’s previous books set here and although you don’t need to have read either of the others I’m sure that once you’ve finished this one you will want to spend more time there soaking up the delicious ambience and getting to know the folks in the other books.

I love crafting and reading and this was a perfect way to combine my hobbies! I’d love to be helping Kate in her craft shop, although quite how much work I’d get done is another matter!

This is a fantastic summery feel good read, highly recommended.

Another winner from Ali McNamara in this visit to St Felix in Cornwall.

The story is about Kate who moved to St Felix with her daughter 18 months ago to run a craft shop by the sea.

New boy Jack unsettles her when he opens an art shop close by, but the two become friends, with the hint that it may develop into more throughout the story.

As is the case with other St Felix stories, and indeed Ali McNamara books in general, there is added magic and mystery in the story that can't quite be explained rationally.

We follow their story as Jack and Kate get together to try to fathom out what the spooky goings-on are. Here the story intertwines with one from the 1950s.

Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop brings in characters from previous St Felix stories but can most definitely be read as a standalone.

I couldn't put it down. Utterly charming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read this lovely book.

I loved the setting – a magical seaside town in Cornwall, the characters and the story.

The book centres on two love stories – the first taking place in the 1950’s, which comes to light through a sewing machine (gifted to Kate) and an easel (gifted to Jack) from Noah who runs Noah’s Ark Antique shop and has recently done a local house clearance where he found the items. The second, is a promising romance involving Kate and Jack.

I didn’t realise until the end that the author has written other books set in St Felix and a few of the characters have appeared in the other stories but this can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

I shall definitely be looking out for more if Ali’s books in the future as I thoroughly enjoyed this easy read and it was great for some escapism.

A lovely and intriguing story set in a picture postcard Cornish village. I loved getting to know Kate and Jack, along with some other great characters. The flashbacks to an older time were great, and kept me reading to find out the next installment. Great read.

Whenever you are in St. Felix in an Ali McNamara novel, you know to expect the unexplainable! There is something about this Cornish town that provides a dash of the unusual and a sprinkling of what can only be described as magic.

So I was greatly impressed and intrigued as to what would be present in this story, and well I'm not going to say, but it is such an original idea, a really clever mechanism and really did add another dimension to this story.

As a massive fan of this author I was delighted to see a return to a familiar location and the previous heroines Poppy and Ana, are present in this book, not in a big way, but just enough to know what is going on with them. As a result this is easily a standalone book and if I hadn't just mentioned the setting and characters, then you probably wouldn't even realise while reading it!

There are two main stories being told, Kate, Jack and Julian's in the present day, and also Clara, Arty and Maggie's in the late 1950s. I loved seeing the parallels between the two and discovering just how they interconnected was a joy.

It is also a very nice change to have a hero and romantic lead in a wheelchair, you just don't see that anywhere near enough in the sorts of books I tend to read, and I loved Jack and his attitude to his disabilty so much. And it was eye opening as to how various people treated Jack.

I loved Kate's shop, her two colleagues who only have her best interests at heart and keep teasing her whenever she is meeting a man, even just as friends, and her teenage daughter who was one of those rare not overly stroppy sorts of teenager!

This was such a pleasure to read, from a truly magical author. I adored being back in St. Felix and Ali McNamara is one of only a few authors that can make me believe in the impossible and think it is all perfectly feasible!

Thank you to Sphere and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This was a really lovely story to read, full of interest and intrigue. Set in the fictional little town of St Felix, in Cornwall it brings together two people in the most unexpected way. Telling two stories within the one this book had me not wanting to put the book down, the story just flows.

Jack and Kate are the two main characters and I really liked them both. I loved the way they were written, very believable and likeable too. All the characters worked well together and created a really strong framework for the story to grow around.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I loved the two stories running together and how they came together at the end. If you want a good romance with a twist to it and just a pinch of magic too, then this story is one you need to read.

This is the perfect summer romance as it has everything, a beautiful setting, interesting characters and even a sprinkle of magic. I enjoyed Ali McNamara’s last book and I think this one is even better, I was gripped from start to finish. I recommend this as a feel-good summer read.

I have read previous books by Ali McNamara, who writes books with charm and beauty, so I was very happy to be approved to review this story.

Such a lovely book, with a magical mystery. There are two romances running through it - a modern day romance and one set in the 1950s.

The author has set previous books in the beautiful town of St Felix. You don’t need to read those in order to read these but you will want to :)

Thank you to the author, Little Brown Book Group and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.