Fab read, the story of Hetty who has taken on the job of reviving the Strawberry Festival. To do so, she needs John Thornhill to agree to let her use the land on his family estate. Can she make the festival a sucess and will thing progress with John or will her ex Ben win her back?

A great summer read.

Over this latest heat wave, I curled myself into my favourite reading chair, and with a deliciously cold drink at my side I became quite lost in the magic of Swallowtail Bay. It doesn't matter if you haven't read the previous story in this series as both books can be read as standalones stories and Summer Strawberries is a wonderful continuation about the townsfolk of Swallowtail Bay.

From the start I absolutely loved Hetty, she's an entirely capable woman who organises everything superbly well. She's also one of those gifted events organisers who you would really like to have on speed dial, as she can magic up a party at the drop of a hat. And yet, good though she is at her job, Hetty now needs something more challenging than creating superhero themed wrestling parties, and that's when she decides to resurrect the annual Strawberry Festival at Swallowtail Bay which has been lingering in the doldrums for far too many years. However, for it to go ahead properly, she really needs to enlist the help of John Thornhill, a local landowner, whose belligerent family also own the local stately home.

What then follows is a delightful rom-com which has all the right ingredients for a scrumptious summer read. The author brings such warmth and wit to her characters that you really want to spend time with them. I especially enjoyed reading of Hetty's preparations as she goes about organising such a huge summer event, which she does, of course, with great good humour. Her relationship with John Thornhill is beautifully explored and their shared differences only heightens their burgeoning relationship. Whilst there is a bit of will they, won't they romance, it's not all hearts, flowers and roses round the door, as both Hetty and John have other significant worries going on in the background, I thought that John's concerns about his family were particularly well handled.

Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay is a beautifully written rom-com about the joy of living in a small community where loyalty, love and friendship are so very important. I devoured the story in one sitting, stopping just for brief moments to top up my refreshments....and maybe a bowl of summer strawberries was also consumed as I spent a happy afternoon at Swallowtail Bay. 😉

A lovely summery read as Hetty organises a strawberry festival in Swallowtail Bay amid much opposition from certain members of the committee and lord of the manor John Thornhill. This is perfect for reading in the garden, with a dish of strawberries, of course, to put you in the mood.
Will Hetty discover that John has a gentler side to the brush facade he offers to the world or will she fall back into the arms of ex, Ben? With many twists and turns, this book will keep you engrossed as you see whether Hetty can pull off the biggest event of her career.

This is the second book in the Swallowtail Bay series and the story follows Hetty. an event organizer who has usually stuck to managing small parties. She takes on the challenge of transforming her town's now mundane strawberry festival into a huge food festival lasting the whole of the bank holiday weekend.
It was a light and sweet summer read. It shows how team effort pays off, and how satisfying it is when everyone works together to make the festival a big success. But it felt like the romance was lacking. And the characters felt too one-dimensional, which made me feel detached and unable to sympathize with them. I couldn't feel the charm Hetty kept pointing out when describing John. So overall, it was an okay book.

4.5 Stars

Katie Ginger delivers warmth, humour and charm in spades in her uplifting new novel, Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay.

Events planner Hetty Colman loves her life in Swallowtail Bay where she has built a successful business as an events planner. Whether it’s a last minute superhero party, an anniversary bash or a wake, Hetty and her assistant Macie always manage to come up trumps. Yet lately Hetty cannot help but feel a little bit restless. She would love to stretch her wings and do something a little more challenging that forces her to step out of her comfort zone. At a local meeting for the town’s business owners, Hetty thinks that she is just going to sit through yet another boring couple of hours where everyone bemoans their lot and stuffs their faces with mini croissants until she gets a brainwave that could not only help bring in more tourists to Swallowtail Bay, but also help change all of their businesses: bringing back the annual Strawberry Festival. Hetty is sure she can pull it off even if there are only two snags: the festival is only four weeks away and she has nowhere to host it. Would the reclusive members of the Thornhill family agree to let Hetty host the festival in the grounds of their estate? Sounds unlikely, but Hetty is not about to give up without a fight!

John Thornhill has got enough on his plate. With his father having squandered most of the family’s fortune on French vineyards, an estate that haemorrhages money daily and a grand house going to rack and ruin, John spends his days trying to keep the wolf from the door and a roof over all of their heads. With each passing day, keeping their head above water is proving more and more difficult, so the last thing he needs is Hetty Colman turning up on his doorstep and not budging until he agrees to host the Strawberry Festival at Thornhill Hall! John immediately refuses, but as he begins to come round and starts to see how much the estate can benefit, the aloof and irresistibly handsome John is surprised not only by how much he enjoys being in Hetty’s company, but by the fact that he is falling for her.

After the break-up of her last relationship, Hetty had sworn off men. But the more time she spends with John, the more she realizes that she is head over heels in love with him. But with the festival just around the corner, Hetty has no time for distractions even if she cannot stop herself from thinking about John. This summer promises to be one Hetty will never forget, but will it end up being her most fulfilling? Or will she end up heartbroken and sorely disappointed?

Katie Ginger is at her sparkling best with Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay! Enchanting, brilliantly funny and so engrossing, you will read the whole book before you know it, Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay is a delightful romantic comedy that has it all: an intelligent and witty heroine, a gorgeous hero who gives Darcy a run for his money, a stately home, delicious food, sunshine and a beautiful town you just want to move to.

A fabulous romantic escape by a very talented writer, Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay is another winner by Katie Ginger.

Favorite Quotes:

Stanley was the limpy seagull Hetty had adopted and fed regularly from a special little plate. They’d both grown very fond of him as they imagined his deformed foot meant all the other seagulls teased him and wouldn’t let him join their gangs.

His family didn’t need any more egg on their faces. They had a whole omelette there already.

She hadn’t mentioned camping to Macie yet. Hetty and Macie had a shared loathing of this particular outdoor pursuit. Neither of them could understand the appeal of sleeping on the ground and were terrified that ants might crawl into their knickers in the middle of the night. Admittedly, it would probably be more traumatic for the ant, but it would leave an emotional scar on them too.

I thought rule number one was always go to the toilet before a kids’ party started because you definitely won’t want to go in there afterwards?

A man who even after a year gave her the kind of kisses that made cartoon stars appear over her head and the world burst into song.


My Review:

This was a delightful diversion and pleasant and sweet read, something light and frothy to relax with and ease the tension from my shoulders after reading too many thrillers in a row. The writing was smooth and amusing, the characters were earnest and endearing, and the storylines were easy to follow and engaging with a bit of family drama that plucked at my curiosity as to how it would all play out.

Hetty Colman is a self-employed party organizer in a charming beach community. Feeling the need to expand her business, she volunteers to organize a food fair on a weekend that has traditionally been celebrated in her community with a strawberry festival.

This is a feel-good story about Heddy. The festival's success will determine the future of her business, and maybe her love life as well.

This is book 2 in the Swallowtail Bay series, although this time was based around the story of Hetty and her organising the Swallowtail Bay Strawberry Festival.
Hetty was a strong, likeable character which made the book a very easy read for me.
Enjoyed it a lot - another perfect summer read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Special thanks also goes to RaRa's Resources for organising the blog tour and bringing this book to my attention in the first place! 3.75 stars (rounded up).

I enjoyed Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay a lot more than I anticipated! I've never read anything by Katie Ginger before but I'm curious to read the previous Swallowtail Bay book. Despite being book two in a series. this is very much a standalone! I really liked Ginger's easy writing style and the humour was especially wonderful. I found myself laughing out loud plenty and it was so entertaining! I also can't write this review without mentioning how hungry reading this made me! The story involves a food festival and let me just say you won't want to read this on an empty stomach.

The characters really endeared themselves to me. I was on the fence about a few of them at the start because I wasn't getting much of an impression but as the story went on and we saw more of their personalities, I grew to really care for them. Hetty was such a fabulous heroine! She's full of strength and I really admired her willingness to put in all the work to get where she wants to be in life. She faced all the obstacles in her way head on and didn't shirk away from them or even entertain the thought of giving up. Hetty honestly made me wish that she could just come and take over my life, please? (Kidding, ...sort of). I absolutely LOVED Macie, her best friend and assistant. I latched on to her from the start as she immediately had me laughing out loud in surprise. Oh, how I related to her character! The friendship between the two women was empowering and you could tell how much each valued the other. John Thornhill gave me strong Mr. Darcy vibes and I don't know when that'll ever be a bad thing for me. He's brooding, standoffish and scary from the outside but the people who know him know that he's just a teddy bear dealing with peoples' prejudices against him and his family. He worked so hard to help his family out of their terrible situation even if it meant putting his own work and personal life on the back burner. I really admired his patience dealing with his horrible brother, too! If it were me, I would've walloped him too many times to count!

The romance and how it played out was fairly predictable and there weren't any shocking twists. That said, I felt that much of the romance was told and not shown and because of that, I struggled with seeing and believing their connection at the start. Despite that though, once I started feeling more in the characters themselves, I did get on board with the romance and found myself quietly rooting for them to get their HEA! I'm not a big fan of love triangles and I was honestly shook that when I re-read the synopsis and saw that our heroine had to make a choice between two men, that I had willingly picked up a love triangle romance 😂 Thankfully it wasn't anything like that. I mean, it was to an extent but it was such a mature romance that it didn't give me the same angst-ridden vibes that I would normally get. That and it was also pretty much a given how it would play out. So if you're hesitating because of the 'love triangle' vibes, don't worry! This was an incredibly wholesome romance and it definitely warmed my heart 🥰

Overall, I'm glad I picked this book up and discovered a new author to enjoy! I've been on a big YA fantasy binge lately so this was a great palate cleanser between books and gave me the positive and happy summer vibes that I expected just by looking at the cover 😉

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review. It took a while to get into the story. I know from other reviews that I’m probably one of the few people who didn’t love this book. I liked Hetty and John. I loved the location of the story. Would I want to visit a place like this on my next vacation. Sure, it sounded beautiful. I just thought the romance was a bit dull for me. It reminded me of a Hallmark movie. Unfortunately I tend to skip those. Thank you for my copy.

This was my first Katie Ginger book and I’ll definitely be picking up her others. Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay is the perfect escapist read. Set by the sea, it perfectly encompasses the British seaside vibe and gave me a wave of nostalgia as it reminded me of my own UK holidays when I was a child.

The story follows Hettie who is determined to shake up the annual strawberry show by putting on an all singing and dancing strawberry-themed festival. Despite many roadblocks, Betty’s determination gets her there with twists and turns along the way.

Hetty is a sweet heroine with a feisty side and I enjoyed watching her grow and figure out what she wanted personally and professionally. As with all the characters, she’s well drawn out and vivid and I loved a certain Mr someone too!

With a gorgeous backdrop, plenty of yummy food references and lovely storytelling, this is the perfect read to accompany this summer’s ‘staycation’.

Genre: Romance / Romcom
Rating: 5/5⭐️

What a wonderful summer read. It was so enjoyable and Swallowtail Bay was a lovely place to escape to. I really enjoyed how the author describes the place, I felt as though I was really there. She writes so vividly. I also loved the characters. It is always a wonderful reading experience reading Katie's books.

I have been a fan of Katie's work for a little while now. I have read and adored every book that she has written to date. 'Summer Strawberries At Swallowtail Bay' is actually the second book in the 'Swallowtail Bay' series. I read the first book and I adored it, so when I heard that there was going to be a second book in the series I knew that I just had to read it as soon as I could. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Summer Strawberries At Swallowtail Bay' but more about that in a bit.
I absolutely loved the character of Hetty and I warmed to her from the start. It didn't take me long to start to think of Hetty as a friend. She is one feisty and determined young lady. Hetty has a successful business arranging themed parties. Whilst networking, Hetty becomes determined to revive the Strawberry Festival and restore it to its former glory. Hetty has all sorts of ideas as to how this can be achieved but she needs the cooperation of the Thornhill family as she thinks that their house and grounds would be an ideal venue and would minimise the disruption to the Bay. However, things don't exactly go according to plan at the beginning as John Thornhill, the rather dishy sounding son of the family, refuses to let it happen. Hetty is certainly determined as she doesn't let this put her off. She finds herself becoming increasingly attracted to John Thornhill. However there could be a problem on the horizon as Hetty's ex-boyfriend wants to win her back. Is the Strawberry Festival a success? Who will Hetty choose to be with? Well for the answers to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
'Summer Strawberries At Swallowtail Bay' was a truly delightful read. As soon as I was introduced to Hetty, I just knew that I was going to be unable to put the book down very easily. The book wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn't bear to miss a single second of the story. To say that reading this book became an addiction is a huge understatement. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I read for a lot longer than any couple of chapters. Despite my intention to ration how much I read in one go so I could prolong my enjoyment of the book, I ended up enjoying the story too much and I couldn't stop reading.
'Summer Strawberries At Swallowtail Bay' is superbly written but then I have thought that to be true of all of Katie's books. She certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start. I found myself chuckling away to myself with the opening scenes of the book as I visualised the superhero themed party going on. What I love about Katie's books, is that she sets them in adorable sounding places and she creates adorable sounding characters, who are impossible to dislike. She describes her characters so vividly that they literally seemed to jump off the page and seemed just as real as you and I. I felt as though I was part of the story and that is all thanks to Katie's fantastic storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Summer Strawberries At Swallowtail Bay' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. This was a fun and light hearted read, which is guaranteed to lift your spirits. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Summer is in full swing, not only in real life but over at Swallowtail Bay too. Hetty is having a blast with her business but she needs something to take it to the next level, sure she is enjoying childrens birthday parties but she needs a bigger hold on the market, and maybe she can dream up just the thing. When she meets with community business owners she discovers the perfect thing, the Swallowtail Strawberry Festival that used to be the biggest thing in the place, people would travel and it was a highlight in the calendar. However, now its reduced to basically a jumble sale in a village hall and Hetty is determined to take charge.

She just needs to convince John Thornhill (of the manor house that no one dares go near) and the committee that she can, but Hetty is not one to accept a no, and somehow she convinces everyone that the Swallowtail Bay food festival is going to be something else. There is just the small complication of the heartache of her split from the best bakery owner Ben - who she would like to attend, but can things work between them?

Well, this was a pure summery delight. Who doesnt want to visit the coast and listen to the sounds of the sea, sample all these wonderful independent businesses and spend a day exploring all the place has to offer? Exactly. I did, i really wanted to visit. It was like this is wear my heart belongs, in a place like this. Hetty was wonderful! She is strong, determined and passionate about her business and community. She is kind and her heart is so in the right place. John was brooding and had a bit of a bad reputation from the rumours that were flying around. Yet Hetty is determined to learn more about the man behind the mask, surely all isnt as it seems and she soon works her charm on him.

The descriptions were heavenly, i could almost taste the food, smell the coffee and hear the sea. It was such a wonderful summer reading experience, whilst we can't currently experience all these things, its nice to delve into some writing that takes you to these places. The community relationships were so well interwoven that everyone felt familiar and it really was like visiting old friends.
Ive read Katie Ginger in the past and it is always a delight.

I was gifted a e-arc for the blog tour which doesnt impact my review of the book.

A warm, feel-good romance. Hetty and John are adorable and I couldn't wait to see them end up together. I felt very invested in their first joint entrepreneurial venture and I really wanted it to succeed, especially as John's family estate was at stake and his parents were fragile. There was great chemistry between John and Hetty right from the beginning and despite them having their own admirers they secretly became infatuated with one another. It was a lovely slow-burn romance and I was sorry when the book was over. The subplot concerning Hetty's parents was great. I loved those two! and hope to see more from older characters like them in the rest of the series.

Although I haven't yet read the first book in Katie Ginger's wonderful 'Swallowtail Bay' series the attractive cover design of this one caught my eye and I thought the premise of the book sounded fabulous. Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay was a really lovely story and I especially liked the main character, event planner Hetty Colman, to whom I could really relate. She was rather amusing, feisty and confident and I loved the Summer theme with it's festive charm and watching Hetty and John's relationship bloom. It was such fun overseeing them plan the strawberry festival. I wanted to be right there alongside them, especially when it came to the food tasting. The story's overall tone which was so snug and uplifting, bringing with it all those delicious foodie treats.

This was a beautifully written, humorous story of love, friendship, dreams, accepting help, and overcoming obstacles. A dash of sparkling friction kept things fizzing and everything was wrapped up very nicely in the end.

A wonderful read with a really strong sunshiny feel, this is a book that I will certainly be recommending to friends and family.

A special thank you to Rachel's Random Resources, HQ Digital, the author, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my unbiased opinion.

A quick summer read with a hint of strawberry sweetness, perfect for a lazy day when you just want to relax and travel into another world.

Hetty Coleman is an event planner that decides to bring back life to the once glorious Strawberry festival in Swallawtail Bay. She has high-flying ideas but to make them come try she needs the help of the reluctant John Thornhill. Only together can they make the food festival turn into a great success, something both of them needs.

The main character Hetty is a go-getter with a bubbly and positive attitude that’s helps her achieve her goals. On the contrast John Thornhill is a Mr. Darcy, a tough outside with a soft inside that only want the best for his family and to save his family home. I loved their chemistry, as the romance is a slow-burn growing alongside their relationship. Both characters feels very human which made me take a greater interest in their budding romance.

Apart from a great cast of main and supporting characters, the whole thing with the summer food festival is the fun red thread through the story. We get to follow through all the planing and ups-and-downs of organizing something of that scale. It’s a lovely backdrop and helps with the summery atmosphere the book is going for. It’s a fun, summery read that I definitely recommend for anyone who likes these kind of books!

To my shame, I've never really considered the organisation and work which goes into producing an event like a food festival - I simply rock up and enjoy it. So from that aspect alone, I found this story interesting.

That aside, I also enjoyed the plot and the subplots superimposed on this lovely setting. The list of characters is generous but not excessive, and every one is nicely and individually fleshed-out. Hetty, as a main character, is feisty and strong with a layer of something less secure beneath the surface, that made her extremely likeable. The main male character, John, is brooding and distant at first, but seeing him thaw and being privvy to his insecurities endeared him to me.

I didn't realise this was a second in a a series - the book is a total stand-alone, and the story works perfectly well on its own - but I'll definitely be reading more.

Full of hope and summer gorgeousness, this is a lighthearted, uplifting read.

A sweet and scrumptious romance. Katie Ginger has written a charming story packed with delightful characters. Hetty is a lively event planner determined to revamp Swallowtail Bay’s annual strawberry festival. Part of the event planning involves her trying to convince be somewhat reclusive John Thornhill to allow the event to be held on his property. What follows is a sweet story with some complications. I loved watching Hetty and John‘s relationship bloom. It was so fun watching them plan the strawberry festival. I wanted to be right there with them, especially when it came to the food tasting. Hetty was such a fun vivacious character her bubbly personality and energy dripped from the pages. John really was her perfect match. The blurb made me think there was going to be more of a love triangle, but I was very grateful there really wasn’t. So grab your beach towel, your sunscreen, settle in on that lounge chair and relax with this book. And don’t forget the strawberries!

This book in emojis 🍓 🎟 ⛱ 💞 🍰

*** Big thank you to HQ Digital for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay is the second book in Katie Ginger's Swallowtail Bay series. The first book was an absolute delight so I jumped at the chance to read this one when I saw it on NetGalley. The story follows Hetty, an event planner who is determined to return the town's annual Strawberry Festival to its former glory. But there's one big problem - she has no location to hold the event. With only four weeks until the festival, she desperately tries to convince John Thornhill, an elusive aristocrat, to let her use his family's land. The Thornhills are not very popular with the villagers and like to keep to themselves. Will John agree? And more importantly, if he does, will the festival even be successful?

This is a delightful and uplifting read, with a gorgeous setting, lovable characters, and a sense of family and community. The story is well-written and has a good pace that will keep the reader engaged and turning pages. Hetty was my favorite character. She was kind-hearted, confident, feisty, and not afraid to take risks. I thought the relationship between her and John progressed at a realistic pace. They had wonderful chemistry, and I enjoyed following their journey to a happy ending. This story will leave you with a smile on your face and make you wish you could take a vacation to the lovely seaside town of Swallowtail Bay. This is the third book I have read from Katie Ginger, and I have to say, it's definitely my favorite so far. If you enjoy sweet, heartwarming stories, then I highly recommend her books.

Thank you to Katie Ginger, HQ Digital, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.