We begin the story by meeting our heroine Freya Harris and discovering she has unexpectedly failed her Master’s Degree in Art. She is twenty-seven years old and lives in London with her boyfriend Matt, though when she gets back and tells him her result, he finishes their relationship. He was horrible anyway, she’s better off without him.
When she posts on Facebook about needing a holiday, her friend Lola invites her to stay with her and help out in her café, so Freya goes down to Cornwall and the quiet village of Polcarrow. Not long after she arrives, Lola reads her cards and predicts a new love for Freya, but will that happen? After all, Freya has only just come out of a long relationship with Matt, which didn’t end well. But then a stranger to the village arrives, a moody long-haired biker called Angelo. Could he be ‘the dark man’ Lola had predicted would enter Freya’s life?
Read the book to find out what happens!!
This book was very easy to get into. I felt sorry for Freya and was rooting for her right from the start. Lola’s a lot of fun too and I enjoyed her vintage style and how her house was done out. (I want to have a nosey at her bookshelf of Hollywood star autobiographies!) I could really picture the gorgeous café too and definitely felt I wanted to go in there for cake and coffee. I love the book cover too and liked comparing it to the description inside.
As you’d expect with these kinds of books, there’s a wonderful community feel to Polcarrow and lots of great characters. I loved Tristan the young vicar and Alf with his sheepdog called Scruff and we’ve all met women like the ladies from the W.I.
Reading about the seaside felt very atmospheric and calming and the whole book was like having my own little holiday in Cornwall, I loved it.
This book is Jennifer Bibby’s debut novel and I will definitely read anything she writes in the future, as this book has everything – a wonderful authentic location, great characters you fall in love with and an interesting story that holds your attention throughout.

The Cornish Hideaway by @jennyfromthewritersblock1 another NetGalley read. Freya has just failed her Master’s degree and things didn’t go to plan as she didn’t get the result she wanted, but all she’s wanted is to be an artist and to paint her way. Unfortunately on the same day her boyfriend dumps her. After all this Freya needs a break, so her friend Lola offers her work in Cornwall and that’s where this story starts and so does Freya’s next chapter. I really enjoyed this book and I’ve not read anything by this author before. I obviously loved the Cornish setting, the author paints a picturesque scene then any reader would want to escape to. I love the sense of community that lifts off the pages, but equally like the fact that not everything came easy to not only Freya as a newcomer but other members of the community. I love Freya’s character, her never give up attitude, even when it gets tough, I love that she has this independence about her, this need to succeed but on her own merit. I also in many ways get what Freya was going through moving to a new place, out of her comfort zone, with some people thinking it may not work, as that was me 7 years ago having lived to Cornwall. This is an easy summery read, which will no doubt capture your heart. I can’t wait to see what comes next from the author and will definitely recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Also the kindle edition on Amazon is currently 99p 😁

Polcarrow is such a wonderful setting and Freya flees there when she fails her Arts Masters. Her friend invites her to work in her cafe on the beachfront and she gets to know the locals- especially the breakfast club regulars who meet up every day.
Angel0 rocks up on his motorbike- also fleeing from his past. He's very guarded but gets to know and chat to the breakfast crew.
I loved seeing relationships form and past hurts being worked through and brighter futures looking promising.

This is the first book I have read by Jennifer Bibby. Excellent writing and storyline with relatable characters.

Thanks Team BATC for the opportunity to read and review this debut novel.

I loved my virtual visit to Cornwall this weekend. Freya had escaped London, a place that had taken away the joy that art used to give her.

Loved the friendship, community spirit and romance in this book. An uplifting book I’m happy to recommend and I look forward to reading more by Jennifer in the future.

A dream of a read. I was swept up entirely by the story and loved it completely. I loved all the characters and the setting and did not want it to be over.

The Cornish Hideaway is Jennifer Bibby’s debut novel, and it is fantastic! I loved this book so much that I putting off finishing the last few chapters because I didn’t want my escape to Polcarrow to end.

Freya needs to escape after finding out she has failed her Master’s Degree and her long-term boyfriend dumps her on the same day. She takes her friend Lola up on her offer and heads to the Cornish village of Polcarrow to help out in her café over the summer. Freya intends to use this time to heal and rediscover herself, but then biker Angelo turns up in the village and grabs Freya’s attention.

There are so many things that I loved about this book; the setting, the story line, writing style, but most of all I think it was the characters. Freya is completely relatable and lovable, whilst Lola is fun and quirky. They make friends with the vicar, Tristan, and village stalwart Alf and his dog Scruff, and there’s the mysterious Angelo. I loved the relationship they built, with Freya, Lola Angelo and Tristan all being newcomers to the village, Alf having lived there his whole life makes them all welcome and helps guide each of them.

Polcarrow sounds idyllic and Jennifer’s writing made me feel like I was walking the coast. I think she also highlights how important it is to find your passion in life, and to embrace it.

This book is perfect escapism and ideal for your summer reading.

A heartwarming and life affirming book that made me travel to Cornwall and enjoyed a lovely story.
I had fund, smile, rooted for the characters, and was able to escape reality.
Good character and plot development, lovely setting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I'm so pleased I tried out this new author - Jennifer Bibby is right up there with my fav romance authors!

I was originally attracted to the storyline – a struggling artist running off to Cornwall for the summer to re-evaluate her life while she works at her friend’s cafe. What better way to get over a failed degree and the ending of a long term relationship? We all need a saviour in our lives like Freya’s friend Lola who is kind-hearted and an excellent baker!

I flew through the book, reading it in just a few days because I fell in love with Polcarrow and the locals. It seems the perfect place for Freya to make some life affirming decisions that doesn’t include men. That is until Angelo turns up, signalling a change in the suddenly stormy air and hopefully something more for Freya!

Both Freya and Angelo have their troubles, but it’s clear they are the antidote to each other’s problems, if only they can put those troubles behind them.

Some real highlights for me are the painting of the mural at the church and Angelo helping an old fisherman, Alf, restore his fishing boat for the summer fair.

The story of Freya rediscovering her passion for painting and love, gripped me and I was sad to finish reading.

I feel as though Polcarrow could be the setting of many future stories – I certainly hope so.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

On the same day that Freya failed her degree, to make the day even worse for her, her boyfriend Matt ended their relationship.

So, now Freya is without a home, and doesn’t know what to do next, apart from go home and do as her parents advise.

Her friend Lola contacts her and Freya tells her what’s happened. Lola invites her to Polcarrow, to help out in the cafe she owns over the summer. Slowly, Freya begins to make friends and get over what happened prior to coming here. After a long time, she starts painting again.

One night, Angela turns up at the cafe, and Lola offers him a place to stay, Freya feels like she knows who he is and maybe he’s also got something he’s not being honest about.

I loved how Polcarrow was described in tbd story and wished I was there with Lola and Freya. My favourite characters were Alf and his dog.

After a break up and a failure at her Masters, Freya heads off to Cornwall to stay with a friend. There she meets Angelo, who is also running away. Do they have a chance together, or will the past keep them apart?

I hope Lola and Tristan get their own book next!

Freya fails her art masters degree and on the same day gets dumped by her boyfriend Matt.
Her friend Lola owns a cafe in Polcarrow, Cornwall and invites Freya to stay and help in the cafe. It's here that her heart starts to heal and she makes many friends. She also starts to paint again.
Angelo is also running away and the two start to spend a lot of time together.
I loved this. The descriptions of Polcarrow is just the sort of place that I would love to live.
The characters are very well written. I especially loved Alf and Scruff.
I look forward to reading more of Jennifer's novels.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster uk for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Oh wow! What a wonderful story, to escape to the cornish seaside and paint to your heart's content and meeting Angelo is the cherry on top of the delicious cake! I would love to be Lola and have a gorgeous little cafe but Freya's new start with Angelo is lovely

I absolutely fell in love with Polcarrow. What wonderfully magic place. I loved all the characters, Alf was amazing I really liked how Angelo allowed him to shine. Tristan and Lola are interesting and I hope we get to see them have a happy ending. Freya and Angelina are amazing characters. Both a bit broken and jaded and both trying to run away but also turn themselves around. They support and champion each other perfectly. Having that time apart allowed both of the to realise their own true strength and how to be themselves with out the crutch of the other, but it also allowed them to see that together they are so much more, so much stronger. This was a pure joy to read.

Charming and sweet… absolutely loved the gorgeous seaside setting and the wonderful sense of community! A wonderful and incredibly rich novel …. I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters...

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I liked this book, loved the characters, the location and the storyline. How I long for sunny days and warmer weather.

This book was most enjoyable. A light and ‘cosy’ read. which is set in Cornwall with descriptions that made it easy to imagine you were there. The book had a lovely warm feel with a range of characters all adding to a real sense of community. The 2 main characters, both artists troubled by previous careers and loves had a summer of healing and finding peace and romance together. Their story was intertwined with the background of friends and another suspected romance. I will certainly look out for other books by this author in future.