Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I did not realize this was part of a series, but it was fine as a standalone...and made me want to check out the rest of the series.

Our female lead, Lucy, is a single mom who escaped an abusive (not physical, but just as battered by the emotional bullying and manipulative isolation!) Robert Ithe ex) cheated on Lucy and has established a new family, only seeing their teenage daughter, Rose, on occasional visits. On her way to a wedding, Lucy meets a stranger, and strikes up a conversation pretending to be a bold, woman of the world named Amelia. The opposite of her timid rea-life persona. Never dreaming to see Josh again, both are shocked to discover the other again at the wedding festivities. The groom happening to be his brother. There was so much to adore about this book. The magical feel of Starshine Cove and its community. The reestablishment of lost friendships. The beautiful relationship between mother and daughter of Lucy and Rose. The connection and romance between Lucy and Josh. Josh is total book boyfriend material! There were also moments beyond the sweet and funny times as Lucy's past comes to invade the serenity she has found in Starshine Cove. Lucy is so much stronger than she gives herself credit for. I enjoyed how the storyline played out, leading to a satisfying conclusion!

4 stars

This was a super, heart warming read.

The 3rd in the Starshine Cove series, however it reads well as a standalone - I haven’t read the previous stories in this series and it didn’t affect my enjoyment.

Lucy is in Starshine Cove to attend the wedding of an old college friend, and it’s a chance to reconnect with all her old friends.

Whilst waiting for her flight from Dublin to the UK, she has a flirtatious encounter with handsome Josh, she invents a personality for herself and they say goodbye, never expecting to see each other again.

However it is a bit of a surprise for both of them when it turns out Josh is the brother to the bridegroom!

The characters are really well written. Lucy is someone you’d want as a friend and Josh is proper gorgeous!

Thanks must go to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

Review: This is the third book in a series from Debbie Johnson set in the magical and mysterious Dorset village of Starshine Cove, which is apparently difficult to find unless it wants you to do so. Once someone does find the village, its magic pulls them in and they never want to leave, but not in a creepy way. Each of the books can be read as a standalone, but reading them in order builds up a nice picture of the village and its growing number of inhabitants.

This story centres on single mother Lucy Brown, who now lives in Ireland with teenage daughter Rose, having left behind her life and marriage to a controlling and cheating husband in London. Lucy and Rose arrive in Starshine Cove for the wedding of one of Lucy’s oldest friends. They are both taken with the village and the people there right away. Lucy gets a shock when she encounters best man Josh, a man she has met once before in an airport lounge when there seemed to be an attraction between them. The wonderfully peaceful atmosphere of the village and growing relationship with Josh are disturbed for Lucy by an arrival who awakens in her feelings from the past. It remains to be seen whether this most magical of all villages can help Lucy conquer her fears and allow her to love and have hope for the future again.

I absolutely loved this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a few hours of real escapism. The village of Starshine Cove has drawn me in yet again; if only it were real, but then it would be full to overflowing by now with people looking for a bit of magic in their lives. As I have come to expect as an avid reader of Debbie Johnson’s books, this one has quite a lot of humour mixed in with the drama of the story - altogether very enjoyable. A very real problem faced by all too many people trapped in a marriage by a coercive partner is dealt with sensitively by the author. I hope that there may be more tales from Starshine Cove to come. I am enjoying getting to know all the characters who reside there and finding out how newer arrivals from previous books are faring.

This is one of those stories where you end up wishing you could live in it. If only Starshine Cove was real. I loved this book from cover to cover. Thank you for the chance to read this ARC

Once again this story really was just as wonderful as the cover suggests! I loved the first two books in this series and was definitely not disappointed by this one. The story is full of wonderful characters, those from the first two books and then also the new characters from this story, Lucy and her daughter and a very hot guy!

As I had expected, this story gave me all the feels. I did not just read this story; I felt it! I was laughing out loud, smiling and moved to tears. There really are so many lovely people in Starshine Cove and anyone that is lucky enough to end up there is immediately immersed into the community, unless they don't deserve to be. Everyone there looks out for each other and it seems like there couldn't possibly be a better place to spend a vacation or move to.

I hope there will be many more installments to this series as I really can't wait to return, despite having only just left there.

Have you ever sat in a mall or airport watching the people pass by and imagine stories about their lives,their motivations, their pleasures...etc? That is exactly what Lucy Brown does in the delightful novel Finding Hope in Starshine Cove by Debbie Johnson. Lucy, a divorced, loving single mom, who aspired to be a veterinarian, yet is working in a call center finds herself waiting for the plane that is taking her to a dear friend's wedding. While sitting in the airport pub imagining a different lifestyle and even a more alluring name for herself, a handsome man strikes up a conversation with her. Why not, Lucy asks, telling herself that she will never see this man again, she assumes the personna of Amelia, a marketing representative on her way to a major event in NYC. No spoilers, however you may have an inking as to what happens while Lucy and her teenage daughter are at Stashine Cove. Finding Hope in Starshine Cove is a touching, fast-:paced novel with wonderful and believable characters; of course, not all are wonderful . It's a story of friendship, family, how emotional abuse can leave scars and most importantly, love.. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and found it to be a most satisfying read. Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Debbie Johnson for the opportunity to read and review this book,;this review reflects my honest opinion. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and author Debbie Johnson for this eARC.

Finding Hope in Starshine Cove is book three in the Starshine Cove Series, and just like book one and two I loved it!

This series feels like a warm hug. With every new book you get to revisite some of your favorite side characters and get to know new lovely (main) character with the added bonus of a super cute romance.
It's cute, fun and will leave you with a bif smile on your face.

4.5 stars

Absolutely loved it! Couldn’t put it down, but didn’t want it to end!

Such a wonderful way of writing incorporates so many different things within this story. Love, loss, moving on, rebuilding your life after a difficult relationship and so many more things.

The characters are so well written and developed that you really feel you get to know them. The writer expresses things so well, you feel that you are there on the beach with the characters or in the cave seeing what they see.

I really did like how this story progressed, it’s not just some typical romance type story, but deals with real issues and the conclusion of the story really does keep to that real life outlook.

All in all very well written, kept me gripped throughout, rooting for the various characters.

I hope there is a follow up to this one!

A great holiday read about Starshine Cove . Characters from previous books make an appearance but this book is told from the viewpoint of Lucy, single mother to a teenage daughter who is in the village for a wedding. I like the descriptions of friendships and village life and Debbie writes conversations which are natural and feel right. This book also deals with emotional abuse in relationships and effects of this in the short and longer term . There is a romance and the book is realistic insofar that not everything is cut and dried within the confines of the book. I do hope that I find out more in a future episode.
A feel good read, chick-lit with slightly more substance which is thought provoking. The village described is supportive, but might also be too claustrophobic ? There are a lot of characters and as such some are walk on characters who do not add much to the book overall Some of the practicalities are maybe a little far-fetched ? Driving from Dorset to the Lake district and back in a day ? !
A good read , thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Stunning book, I absolutely enjoyed this series right up until this book, I loved them so much and I just wanted to live in Starshine Cove and still do. This book covered a hard subject but done very well. I have never had dealings with someone being coercive towards me and my heart goes out to anyone that has had someone be that way towards them it really does. I was happy that we had our hero Lucy Brown although she wouldn’t describe herself as this but she most definitely was and I was so happy that she had people around her in this story that were willing stand up with her and be strong together even though they don’t. It’s an incredible story and I just loved every person in this book for being there for Lucy when she needed help with the situation that comes up. You can be strong but if you have the right people behind you then you can do even more.

I would highly recommend this book and this series as each and every one is just amazing.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Storm publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early!

Sitting in the airport lounge, people watching is one of Lucy Brown's favourite pastimes, made more enjoyable when she is off on holiday. But she is not going on holiday or even a work trip, she's actually a single mum just wasting time before she picks up her teenage daughter. But that's not the story she has just told the guy she has just met in the airport! After picking up Rose they head off down to Dorset to Starshine Cove, where her friends live, it's actually an idyllic cove, complete with a sandy beach. She never thought she would bump into the guy again, I mean what would be the chance of that happening!
Later on during the hen party celebrations, when everyone is dancing to party songs, a familiar person appears. But this unexpected visitor on the night of the wedding who turns up uninvited, also has a secret that Lucy knows all too well. How will she cope when all her secrets come tumbling out? Her friends are there for her just as the whole community is, but is it enough to make her forget about the dark days of her past?
This book is like a big hug, everyone is so friendly and caring towards each other. There's no doubt Debbie Johnson has done it again with this her latest book, a totally enjoyable story which I loved. A big huggable five star read from me.

When a chance airport encounter with a handsome stranger unexpectedly leads to a deeper connection, Lucy finds her trip to Starshine Cove becoming much more than just a last-minute holiday.

Lucy had spent years hiding from the world and as far away as she could get from her narcissistic ex-husband. She reluctantly agreed to a trip to the small town to attend her old friend Ella's wedding. This was also a chance for her to reconnect with the friend group from years past especially as her ex-husband had effectively alienated her from friends and family.

Josh was a wonderful respite from the dull world Lucy led with her sixteen-year-old daughter Rose. He was supportive and understanding when Lucy was reluctant to let him in, having been in an emotionally abusive marriage.

Starshine Cove was the cutest little town with a utopic way of life. I loved the characters and how they cared for each other. How they rallied around Lyssa, a stranger to them, in her time of need was wonderful.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Single mum, Lucy Brown is at the airport with her teenage daughter, Rose. Both are travelling to Starshine Cove where they are to attend the wedding of her friend, Ella. Lucy and Ella met when the two attended the same university, and together with a couple of other girls became a close-knit group of friends. When Lucy married, she dropped out of contact with her girlfriends, choosing to focus all her attentions on her husband, Robert. Sadly, the marriage ended when Lucy realised that her husband was emotionally coercive and controlling. Sixteen years later and Lucy is still dealing with the fallout of her abusive relationship. But putting her insecurities aside, Lucy is looking forward to reuniting with her friends again and having a wonderful vacation with her daughter.

Once the duo arrives in Starshine Cove, the mood lifts and it's all rainbows and unicorns. Starshine Cove is a place where the unusual happens; a place where magical things seem to occur; it's a place where someone might find a second chance.

Johnson has written a light and colourful story. The combination of wit and humour together with fun scenes and a little light romance hits the spot. The characters, on their face, are a little unbelievable, but when combined with the whole Starshine Cove magical element, suddenly become believable.

Themes of community, hope, and love burst from the pages of this story.

I want to live in Starshine Cove!

This third book was like going back to visit your great friends and family and it was a joy to get to know Lucy and Josh.

It touches on serious topics and the long lasting scars that remain even after you escape an abusive relationship, but deals with it with sensitivity and hope.

Finding Hope in Starshine Cove tells a powerful story of the resilience of women and recovering from emotional trauma. However, Lucy should have attended therapy to work through her issues - that would have been the more empowered thing to do. I do wish this one had been a bit more spicy - it read a bit more like a mum/daughter story than a love story. I would read other books in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC. All views are my own.

I love the characters in this third book in the Starshine Cove series. It focuses on Lucy and Josh, but as it also features Ella and Jake's wedding at the cove allowing us to catch up with the Starshine Cove community. Lucy and Josh's first meeting is fun, and you realise it is the beginning of something rather than the end. Through its characters,the book sensitively explores domestic abuse. The emotional strength of the female characters makes this an uplifting read. An engaging balance of humour, poignancy and romance defines this story. I like the quirky and kind community, the emotional ethos and the hopeful ending.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Finding Hope in Starshine Cove by Debbie Johnson
A BRAND NEW totally uplifting romance that will make you smile
Book 3 of 3: Starshine Cove
A heartwarming story of friendship, new beginnings, and second chances that will have you reaching for the tissues!
Lucy Brown has spent years hiding from the world, as far away as she could get from her old life – and her ex-husband – back in London. But when she reluctantly agrees to leave her safe haven to attend her old friend Ella’s wedding in Starshine Cove, little does she know what’s in store for her down in Dorset…
When a chance airport encounter with a handsome stranger unexpectedly leads to a deeper connection, Lucy finds her trip becoming much more than just a last-minute holiday. But then her dark past comes knocking, just as she always feared it would. Will the magic of Starshine Cove be enough to heal the hurts that Lucy has carried with her all these years, or has this one-of-a-kind village by the sea finally met its match?
This is Lucy Brown and daughter,Rose's story.
This is Josh's story.
Single mum, Lucy Brown is at the airport with her teenage daughter, Rose. Both are travelling to Starshine Cove where they are to attend the wedding of her friend, Ella.
Lucy is looking forward to reuniting with her friends again and having a good vacation with her daughter.
Lucy's friend Ella is marrying Jake, the man she met at Starshine Cove.
Josh is related to the groom.
Josh is the man Lucy met at the airport!
Finding Hope in Starshine Cove by Debbie Johnson is 4 star book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Escape to Starshine Cove (Starshine Cove, #1)
Secrets of Starshine Cove (Starshine Cove, #2)
Finding Hope in Starshine Cove (Starshine Cove, #3)

Pure joy in a book. The moment I realized she lied about who she was in the airport, I KNEW this was her man. When he showed up, I couldn’t help but giggle.

Great European book escape that made me miss those cobbled streets and beautiful buildings.

I adored this book and I think you will too. Just be ready to be giddy with joy when she sees him again! 😍

Yet another great book by Debbie continuing the Starshine Cove series. Beautifully written book with lovely, friendly characters and setting. This one ticks all the boxes for me and didn't disappoint.

Finding Hope in Starshine Cove is the third book in the series Starshine Cove. Debbie Johnson has given her readers another book you will like.
Lucy has made the decision to take her daughter and travel to Starshine Cove to attend her friend’s wedding. This trip filled a lot of gaps in her life. She felt that being there was what she needed, friends, so much kindness and lots of love at the right time in her life.
I am so glad I read this book- it felt like a warm loving hug. Being back in Starshine Cove was just what I needed. Debbie Johnson gave me a family feel as I read this book.
Thank you NetGalley, Debbie Johnson and Storm Publishing for the copy of Finding Hope in Starshine Cove. This is my personal review.