This is a great addition to Jessica Redland's Whitsborough Bay stories. The coastal setting is a key part of the story and you can totally picture the beautiful beaches, rockpools and gorgeous sunrises which are evoked. There are some lively characters who frequent Hollie's cafe or live locally but their stories have a certain poignancy in addition to their overall positivity.

You are given Hollie and Jake's story in alternating chapters. Seeing events through their eyes and finding out about their past as the narrative goes back and forth through time is delivered at a gentle pace. You can clearly see the similarities in their situations but also the differences in their childhoods. Family is very important. By family, I would extend this to families created by close friendships and teams of people working for a common cause. Both Hollie and Jake show their vulnerability but also growing resilience as they mature. I found this to be a warm, uplifting story told through likeable characters. There are some emotional moments but also an element of fun and a message to live for today.

In short: With courage, nothing is impossible

*Blog Tour + Review*
I finally read a book by Jessica Redland, yay! 😍 Verdict? I am so, so impressed with her writing style.

It’s never too early to start your Winter reading and Snowflakes Over The Starfish Café reminded me why. (I’m kind of biased because winter is my favorite part of the year + books are the best way to experience them fictionally, haha) The book put me in a very festive mood! The storyline was cozy and heart-warming through and through. ❄

Books centering around cafes have always amused me. The Starfish Cafe with its charming setting obviously won my heart! 💕 The book swiftly alternates between the POVs of Hallie and Jake’s lives, focusing on the “before and after” moments of their chance encounter. A little dog is a reason they met! How cute is that? We get to see Hallie and Jack fall in love while struggling with grief at the same time in the story.

After reading the blurb, I knew this book would be an emotional ride, but I didn’t expect the storyline to have such a poignant touch, you know? 🥺 The author fleshed out the backstories of both Hallie and Jack so perfectly, while flawlessly linking the past with the present. I couldn’t help feeling a sense of empathy with the characters. Hallie and Jack connected by sharing their tragic experiences, and I really loved getting to experience their blossoming relationship throughout the book. Seeing them find the happiness that they so rightfully deserve – TOGETHER, stirred up all kinds of emotions in me. 😭

Snowflakes Over The Starfish Café had a wonderful community feeling as well! I loved the friendships and the support system that Hallie and Jack’s friends created! 💗 The book’s heart beats with the message: “There’s always light at the end of the tunnel” ☀️ Highly recommend it!

Snowflakes Over The Starfish Cafe by Jessica Redland

Grab your hot cocoa, your fuzzy socks, and some tissues, and buckle up for this sleigh ride. This book is a Hallmark movie waiting to happen.

Hollie runs a cafe and mostly keeps to herself. Jake is a nurse and mostly keeps to himself. They cross paths, and backstories unfold amidst the festive and romantic backdrop of the sea. It feels difficult to talk about the plot without giving too much away. The story flips between Hollie’s and Jake’s point of view with a nonlinear timeline. True to the characters, you don’t always immediately know what happened to cause their motivations for certain behaviors. The plot reveals itself slowly, and the pieces fall into place in a flurry of heartache and warm & fuzzies.

I enjoyed the experience of reading this one, but found myself pretty critical overall. It’s essentially tragedy porn. The backstories are far too dramatic in a way that I don’t think works in fiction (especially when it pertains to both characters). It feels like it’s trying too hard to cause an emotional response. (Hence, it feels melodramatic in a Hallmark Christmas movie sort of way. That’s not my cup of cocoa, but I must recommend this book to anyone who really enjoys them. You’ll love it.)

That being said, the resolution IS satisfying. I was invested in the characters. I liked them. Imaging the location was so much fun - so many beautiful descriptions of the sea, the cafe, and Christmas celebrations. It’s ultimately a charming and heartwarming story.

📖: (4/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hollie and Jake have both suffered terrible tragedies in their lives. Hollie has taken over the family cafe and Jake is a nurse. They bump i9nto each other on the beach and this is their stories. Another brilliant book from Jessica

Now, don’t look away that this Christmas book is being reviewed in September. It is nothing to worry about, so stay calm. Whilst the cover is perfectly Christmassy and there are some references to that tinsle-tastic time of year, you can easily read this in the autumn/winter months leading up to Santa’s big event. There is plenty of frost, cold weather, but enough brightness that, quite honestly, I forgot it was supposed to be a Christmas read. Whilst I may have reached for the blanket and a hot chocolate on a warm, summer’s day, I did not care as I was jumping for joy when it came to reading another Redland book.

I have only recently discovered this author and I have loved every book. Therefore, you can imagine my excitement at this new offering! Redland does not disappoint with this read and, although it is rather sad and tragic, I felt immediately immersed in the story and connected to the characters. Redland’s writing made me love Hollie and Jake, adore Mr Pickles, and have a yearning to walk along the beach in winter. What more could you want?!

This aside, you cannot ignore the sadness that dominates this story. Both Hollie and Jake have been marked by tragedies in their lifetime and it has, naturally, had a significant impact on their relationships with others around them. Firstly, whilst Hollie is such a warm, bubbly character, her loneliness is apparent, to the point that her customers at the Starfish cafe cannot help but notice. On the other hand, Jake is having to also ride life solo and, when Redland was discussing Jake’s sister, my jaw literally dropped to the floor. Jake’s sister sounded like a piece of work and, after becoming incredibly loyal to Jake, I wanted to meet her and show her what for!

These poignant characters become reunited over the wonderful dog, Mr Pickles. Redland has great ways of bringing animal characters to life and this is just the same. He sounds so cute and cuddly! Without him, Hollie and Jake would never have met and it was wonderful to watch their blossoming friendship, especially when they decide to co-parent Mr Pickles.

Although the sadness remains throughout the novel, I still really enjoyed watching the transformation take place in Hollie and Jake. United by tragedy and with a shared love of the sea and its coast line, I could vividly picture their growing relationship. I was rooting for them both and I think this connection with the characters was helped by the fact that the chapters switched perspective between them both, and that the narrative is non-linear: in order to break up the wallowing sadness of Hollie and Jake’s histories, they are broken up by the present day story continuing. I found this made the story even more interesting, especially as the intense sadness is diluted by the happiness that Jake and Hollie find in each other’s company.

Undoubtedly, I don’t think I will ever look at a Rubik cube in the same way again! This is a poignant, emotional story that shows how two characters can find happiness after such tragedies. True, there is the presence of Christmas trees and even a bit of snow in the background of this novel but it did not lessen my enjoyment. If you like books that are on the light side of Christmas-themes, this is the one for you. If you have yet to read a Redland book, then this is the one for you. And, if you are stuck for something to read, then definitely give this a go… if you haven’t noticed by now, I loved this story and I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

With thanks to Boldwood books, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the cover of this book and was looking forward to a nice cosy Christmas read. However, this was not the case.

The book was filled with so many emotions it took me by surprise as this was the first book I have read by this author. We had sadness, happiness, grief and reflection to name but a few.

I really enjoyed how the book was split so that the story was told from Hollie and Jake's perspective. This gave a great insight into their lives, past and present and brought them to where they are now. The setting for the story was wonderful and I felt I could visualise it. I also felt the book was filled with so many likeable characters that I warmed to but I think the star has to be Mr Pickles.

Thank you to Boldwood Books, Jessica Redland, Rachel's Random Resources and Netgally for my digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bring some tissues you’re going to need them here, this is such a heartwarming and emotional read of family,community, love, loss and always hope. Hollie and Jake are both going through struggle and heartbreak, so when they meet they are both understandably cautious, but they start to open up to each other , but have their scars healed enough to move on from their past. I loved how well the dual perspectives of Hollie and Jake were done and such clear distinctive voices. This book is such a rollercoaster of a read, one minute your up the next your crying and it does tackle some painful subjects but these are handled so well. Overall simply a heartwarming but emotional read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

*Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*
This book is about two people - Hollie and Jake - who have both been through a lot of tragedies in their lives but are brought together by chance. Can they be the ones to help each other heal and move forward?
This book seemed like my type, and the beginning chapter really gave me the vibe that I was hoping would continue throughout the book, but I didn’t end up loving it as much as I thought I would. I did really enjoy parts of this book, and I liked the general plot, but it just felt way too long for me. I also felt there was too much of a focus on the tragedies of the past. I know they played a huge part of the main characters’ lives and shaped who they were, but the present storyline and the love story between Hollie and Jake took ages to get going, and that was the part I wanted to read about more. I did enjoy their chemistry and getting to see them fall in love though.

This is an emotional, heartwarming story. Two people who have lost everyone they hold dear, come together and have another chance at love and happiness- If they are brave enough to take that chance....

This was my first book by Jessica Redland and it's not going to be my last. It's so exciting to discover new authors whose stories you resonate with!

I was introduced to this author through the Hedgehog Hollow novels, so I jumped at the chance to give her newest novel, Snowflakes at the Starfish Café, a try. The novel begins with Hollie Gabrielle Brooks, whose pet name is ‘Angel,’ who was born on Christmas Eve. She works at her family run café, The Starfish Café, which is located on Starfish Point. Her maternal grandparents owned the land at Starfish Point – a five acre site a couple of miles south of the North Yorkshire seaside town of Witsborough Bay. Since there is another series set in the Bay location, I look forward to giving those novels a try. I enjoy when authors feature locations that can tie together with other series as it adds a nice sense of cohesion without centralizing it to a single series.

The story opens with Bonfire Night eight years in the past where the reader first meets Hollie and her family as they run the café. It was a lovely introduction to Hollie’s relationship with her family as they are all very close to each other. The next chapter introduces the other character, Jake, who is a charge nurse in A&E at Whitsborough Bay Hospital and is later to be revealed to be training to work as a crew member for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. His family relationship is more complex as his sister, Larissa, who is twelve years older, holds a lot of resentment towards Jake as their mother passed away giving birth to him. Before even getting into the main part of the story, I could not stand Larissa as she was horrible and causes a lot of emotional damage to Jake as he grows up. I hated every moment that she was on the page as she has a lot of misplaced anger towards Jake and in the very beginning of the story it seemed to be an obsession on her part to make sure Jake feels bad about something he had no control over. All of this was an excellent set up for both Jake and Hollie as the story moves forward through time, initially focusing on Bonfire Nights each year, before the two characters meet.

The two are brought together when Jake finds a dog and finds assistance with Hollie. The two may have an instant connection, but they both are not initially in a place to willingly let another person into their life. Both characters are tougher on the outside with softer and more emotional insides while being presented in their own way. Each character accurately reflects their past, so while they both try to appear calmer on the outside, they have a lot going on emotionally. After losing multiple members of her family, Hollie is determined to keep her family’s traditions alive and to run the café that holds many great memories. I cannot imagine, even in my wildest dreams, the amount of tragedy that Hollie has gone through and commend the character for trying to move forward and keep living her life. Jake keeps people at arm’s length based on his past, which makes them a very interesting pair to come together. As the story is told from both Hollie and Jake’s perspectives through both the present timeline and flashbacks, there is a lot within the story to give the characters a connection to the reader and to each other.

Overall, this story is filled a lot of heartache, grief, a variety of emotions, and heart. There is a nice balance between the sad and happy tears as the reader makes their way through the story. It was more emotional and tragic than I initially expected, but I enjoyed that the balance was present so the story didn’t become too depressing. It still has the tragedy, but there are many light-hearted moments, too. Pickles was the cutest rescue dog and was the perfect catalyst to bring the two characters together. The relationship that develops between the two of them is very well done and extremely sweet. It is not a perfect relationship that forms and there are many obstacles that they must overcome, so it is a well-paced roller coaster. The ending works well for the story and it was a very entertaining read to get there. I continue to enjoy Jessica Redland’s novels and will definitely read more in the future!

**I give a special thank you to Rachel @rararesources,, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to participate with this enjoyable novel via Netgalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this.

This is a touching story of overcoming ones fear and moving forward.

Both Hollie and Jake have experienced loss and their grief has shaped them into who they are today. Their story is told from each of their point of views, in the past and present, and you learn about their past and events that lead them to who they are.

While I found the final chapters a little rushed for the ending, I still enjoyed this read.

Hollie and Jake's path to future happiness is emotional and ultimately uplifting. Both have experienced loss, and the resultant grief has shaped their view of life. Hollie copes by fulfilling her mother's dream, Jake follows his vocation and avoids personal relationships. The story unfolds from their dual perspectives beginning in the past.

It explores loss and its emotional effects sensitively. The community and the main protagonists are vividly portrayed and easily visualised. There is an intricate balance of humour and poignancy which is authentic.

The wintery coastal setting is vibrant and is the perfect background for this heartwarming read.

I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review

An addictive read. I did find it quite upsetting to read, there's a lot of sadness and heartache particularly in the first quarter of the book but what a fantastic read. My heart broke multiple times for Hollie and Zack who had been through so much heartache in their lives, but seeing them grow and try to open themselves up to the possibility of love was just heartwarming. Jessica Redland has a great way of making you fall in love with characters and also hating ones too (the anger I felt towards Larissa was intense). I love how the importance of the work from the RNLI was highlighted too. Another wonderful read from Jessica.

I was happy to read Jessica Redland’s latest book as I’ve enjoyed the earlier books of her that I’ve read.

A lovely story with great characters, a lovely story of the healing power of love and an abandoned dog that brought a couple together.

While Hollie is bravely running the Starfish Cafe and keeping her mother’s dream alive, she’s always afraid that she’s not doing enough. The loss of her father and brother and then subsequently her Mother and dog, leaves her very vulnerable. She’s in a relationship with Craig but he just doesn’t seem to appreciate her for who she is.

Jake lives alone still facing the demons that came from his mother dying when giving birth to him, and losing his father some years later. His elder sister has always blamed him for both deaths and is very vicious in her behaviour towards him. His loving grandmother is no more and he lives alone, until Mr Pickles, a lovely old dog finds him.

This book moved me to tears as both Hollie and Jake share their painful past and the losses that they continue to grieve. Sharing the care of Mr Pickles throws them together and they find themselves being drawn to each other. Will they be able to move past the pain and find love again?

I love the way the author has dealt with the issue of grief and the need for love and community to help people move forward. A truly empathetic take.

An absolutely lovely read.

I'm a big fan of Jessica Redland's writing and always look forward to re-visiting the seaside town of Whitsborough Bay.

The protagonists of this newest story, Hollie Gabrielle (yes, it's a very Christmassy name and isn't it just lovely?) and Jake have gone through all kinds of heartache, including loss of parents and siblings, emotional abuse and betrayal, and yet they still take time to help others. Jake is a charge nurse in the A&E department of the local hospital, while Hollie is the Starfish Cafe owner and a baker. Hollie's mum paid a lot of attention to building up a community and the cafe has never lost its warm, welcoming atmosphere. A cute shih tzu dog lost by somebody on the Bonfire Night brings Hollie and Jake together, but do they still believe in true love after years of loneliness?

We get a lot of backstory ( hope you like your romances to have a substantial build-up) and, oh dear, there were times when it seemed unfair that so much grief befell these sweet characters. This isn't exactly a lighthearted romcom, but there's plenty of heart, love and hope to make it an uplifting read. It's good to have a reminder that the festive season may not be the same for everyone- there are people who are lonely and do not find it easy to make new friends.

If you've been following the Whitsborough Bay series, you'll be delighted to see some familiar faces.
A great addition to Jessica's impressive collection of heartwarming stories.

The more cynical part of me thinks this book is a little too much, that it was written in a way to pull heart strings and poke at the reader’s emotions.
The bigger part of me is telling my inner cynic to shut up as it wipes away tears. About the 5th lot it’s shed while reading.

It’s just lovely, no other word for it. Complex and intertwining in some ways and simple in others. The will they won’t they keeps you on your toes til the end, and it really will make you go through all the emotions in the rainbow while reading. Just perfect.

Snowflakes Over Starfish Cafe is an amazing book.
I absolutely loved it!
Hollie and Jake each have memories of past events that are holding them back from the best possible future they can have.
Each have loved ones that were very special to them pass away and they are having trouble letting go.
When each of them found the courage to stop the past control their future a tremendous weight lifts off of them and they are able to embrace life with each other and Pickles the adorable dog to the fullest.
Highly recommended!

Pub date 31 Aug 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Set in a fictional North Yorkshire seaside location, this is a lovely heartwarming and emotional read of family, friends, love, loss, hope and not giving up.

Holiie and Jake are both going through heartbreaking times, so when they meet over a gorgeous Shih Tzu they are both reluctant to let down their guard. Tentatively they start to open up and realise they have more and more in common, but have their scars healed enough? The story is told from the dual perspectives of Hollie and Jake, and across past and present timelines, as we learn about them and the background to their stories.

A heartwarming but emotional read.

Straight away i knew this book was going to be a great read…i loved absolutely everything about this book from the characters, the setting and the plot of the story. Jessica Redland has captured my emotions in the writing of this book. The characters Hollie and Jake the background of their lives are emotional and you are sent on a rollercoaster of a ride, one minute your crying, the next your laughing. This book does tackle some painful subjects but are written well. Looking forward to a sequel!!

Ladies and gentlemen, she has done it again! And this time you will need tissues - I know everyone’s said it, but it’s true, this is an emotional rollercoaster read!

I absolutely loved both Jake and Hollie, Redland really has a knack at creating the most likeable and loveliest characters! Neither of them have had an easy few years and faced more difficultly than you’d wish on anyone but from the outside looking in you wouldn’t know. And don’t get me started on pickles!!!! 🐶😍 I so want a cuddle with that little fluff ball!

The first few chapters of this are set in the past and we get an insight into the challenges that both of these characters have faced which I found really helped me to get to know them that little bit more in depth. I also loved getting to know about their friends and family and the close relationships they had.

As always there was a bit of drama, and although I could kind of guess the way things were headed it didn’t end up completely as I’d imagined which was actually rather nice. It kept me on my toes and wanting to read more and more as just when things are going really well there's yet another bump in the road for Hollie and Jake.

One thing was for sure though, I really didn’t want this book to end, I think a book hangover is definitely in process! But I’ve got another Redland book to read and review very soon so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that one to ;)