This book had so much potential! A long lost love, a quick timeline, forced proximity, but it just didn’t deliver. I found there was way too much explaining - who people are, where buildings are, situations that (in my opinion) didn’t really matter. I wanted more emotion, I wanted longing. How can they have gotten married in the end when they went on one “official” date?? The whole relationship felt a bit cold to me and left me wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 2 in the series and after loving book one i couldn't wait to get stuck in again. Even though this is a part of a series it can easily be read as a standalone but of course i recommend reading the series in order, because it is such a cosy lovely feeling!

This time we meet Cassie and Liam. Liam is a single dad and the local vet and Cassie is back after ten years of seeing the world to look after her ailing grandmother. Cassie had once been in love with Liam and now that she is back he is doing his best to stay away from her, which is proving difficult as Cassie grows close to Liams daughter and as they end up spending time together again they see that the spark is still there. The only problem is that Cassie has a ticket booked to leave again in 6 weeks time....

A lovely story with a lovely cosy atmosphere and fab characters

Love it!

Here’s my review of Coming Home To Sturcombe Bay by Susanne McCarthy

I don’t usually read romance stories but this one sounded intriguing, a ‘will they, won’t they’ situation so I just had to know the answer! It was a riveting read but I thought after all the build up, the ending was a bit rushed. It was set in a little village by the sea. Cassie and Liam had known each other since she was fourteen as she was a proper tomboy and hung around with her brother and his friends. They got together when she was seventeen for about six months then she had to choose between travelling and Liam. She chose travelling but it hurt to leave him and now she is back after ten years away, they were trying to be friends but there were still feelings on both sides. Although nothing was said. Neither wanted to test the water and Liam had his daughter, Robyn to consider. This story was well written and well thought out. It was written with a lot of emotion and feelings involved. Cassie and Liam were very likeable characters and I liked both of them. I liked that the story told of the past as well as the present. The author wrote the story as if it was happening in real life and made it feel believable. I read it in one sitting.The story has very descriptive writing and describes everything in detail. It makes it easy to picture it in your mind as you are reading. It makes Sturcombe very picturesque and well worth a visit if you like the sea.

Blurb :

They were never truly over — and this time love might just get it right.

After ten years of globe-trotting, Cassie Channing returns to Sturcombe Bay to care for her ailing grandmother. Only to find herself face-to-face with Liam Ellis — the man she once loved and left behind.

A devoted single dad and vet, Liam has moved on since the day Cassie left, or so he tells himself. But the moment she steps back into the village, old feelings come rushing back.

Liam’s determined to keep his distance — but the spark between them is impossible to ignore. And, as Cassie settles into village life and grows close to his daughter, staying away gets harder.

The more time Cassie and Liam spend together, the more the heat between them intensifies — but so do the unresolved tensions from the past.

With Cassie’s flight booked to leave in six weeks, they both must decide if the love they never really got over is worth a second chance.

Cassie is a wondering soul, she comes back from her back packing as her grandmother is dying, she knows it is coming so she can return home for six weeks.

Liam is a single dad still holding onto the grief of losing his wife in a tragic accident, his ex girlfriend is back, she left him once already to travel the world, he cannot risk her leaving him again.

If only their hearts stick with the script.

This was a great book, the characters and their emotions are very well written. Really enjoyed it and was sad foe the book to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this ARC.

Sturcombe Bay Romances Book 2 can be read as a standalone as there is a bit of a summary of the first book and we get the wedding of Vicky and Tom.

Our protagonists are Cassie and Liam who were sweethearts ten years ago but Cassie got the travelling bug. Now she is back for her ailing grandmother, and meets Liam again, who is a horse vet and single Dad to five year old Robyn.

This is a quick and undemanding read with emphasis on community and second chances, but it's also predictable and too traditional and unoriginal for me. Yet again, the well-travelled woman returns to her small hometown to put down roots. The cover is appealing but the slow-burn romance isn't very convincing and there isn't much plot. If you enjoy weddings, there are three in this one.

Thank you to Susanne McCarthy, Joffee Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. ♡

₊˚⊹⋆ first thoughts: ummm i am a sucker for a good second chance romance. this is definitely going to be up my alley! can't wait to check this one out. updates soon! :)

₊˚⊹⋆ final thoughts: this is a very light hearted slow burn. and i do mean slooow burn. cassie & liam pine after one another for soo long before we get them together. it's a very sweet happy ending book. i wish i had read book 1 to really grasp some of the other characters in the book, but enjoy that the series can be read as standalones as well. robyn was the absolute star - maybe im biased due to my daughter lol. this was for sure a sweet read.

I was happy to receive an advance copy of this book. I have never read any of Susanne’s books but I definitely will. As soon as I started reading I knew I would enjoy this book. Cassie has come home to see her Nanna who isn’t keeping too well. She left home 10 years to travel the world. Liam is a vet and stays with his parents and daughter Robyn. His wife dies in a car crash a few years before while they were on holiday. Liam and Cassie went out for a while when she was 18 and he was a few years older and at university. They were very close but Cassie wanted to travel so she left and ended up in New Zealand. She has her ticket to go back but she enjoys being home. She is happy to see her nanna and her family. She bumps into Liam and the spark is still there for both of them. He has his daughter to think about,he can’t move away and he can’t ask Cassie to stay. They spend some time together and Robyn likes Cassie but Liam worries she will get too attached. There are 2 weddings for Cassie and Liam to go to amongst their friends and they end up together after one of the weddings. They both leave the next morning without saying anything to each. It’s a great book and I loved it,couldn’t put it down. Read it to find out what happens to Liam and Cassie.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

After ten years abroad, Cassie Channing returns to her seaside hometown of Sturcombe Bay to look after her grandmother — and ends up running into her old flame, Liam Ellis. Now a single dad and the local vet, Liam says he’s moved on... but of course, things are never that simple! As Cassie settles back into village life and bonds with Liam’s daughter, those old feelings between them start to bubble back up — along with a few unresolved issues from the past. With only six weeks before Cassie’s supposed to leave again, they have to decide if their love is worth a second shot.

This was my first time reading Susanne McCarthy, and overall, I found it an easy, enjoyable read. I did feel there were quite a few extra characters, and it took me a bit to get everyone straight, but once I did, it flowed nicely.

I really liked Cassie's sweet connection with her grandmother, and her growing bond with Liam’s daughter was lovely too. The romance between Cassie and Liam was engaging — though I have to admit, the ending felt a little rushed. I would've liked a bit more time to see things play out. Still, a heartwarming story with charming small-town vibes

I enjoyed every part of this book and my time in Sturcombe Bay ended much to quickly. The cast of characters were quirky and loving. Cassie and Liam long ago had a summer fling but her need for adventure had her running for the hills. Will Liam be able to convince her to stay or will she take off again? I am looking forward to more in this series.

3.5 ⭐️

A lovely story of coming home and finding love again.
After ten years of traveling the world, Cassie returns to Sturcombe Bay—the small coastal town she left at 18—and to Liam, the boy she once loved. Liam has always belonged in their hometown, and Cassie's return only reminds him that while he’s always loved her, her heart might still be out chasing the world.

This story had all the ingredients for a five-star read: second chances, small-town charm, and the tender ache of first love revisited. I really enjoyed the wholesome small town setting, the side characters, and I quite liked Robyn—Liam’s daughter—whose personality brought warmth and a bit of sparkle to the pages.

There were some emotional moments that gave this story the potential to become a truly swoon-worthy romance. But for me, it just didn’t fully deliver. After such a drawn-out slow burn, it didn’t quite hit the emotional depth I was hoping for. I found myself wanting more from their reconnection—more romance, more spark, more heart.
Additionally, some editing issues pulled me out of the story. The repeated references to a "little" or "small daughter" felt awkward and inconsistent, and the dialogue was at times difficult to follow, with conversations that felt a bit jumbled. The frequent use of “huh” also stood out and often felt out of place.

All in all, this book had great potential and a beautiful premise, but the execution didn’t fully deliver for me. Still, if you're a fan of slow burns, small-town love, and stories about rediscovery, it may just be your cup of tea.


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cassie and Liam were childhood sweethearts in the idyllic Sturcombe Bay on the South coast of Devon. They dreamed of attending university together and building a life side by side — until Cassie’s wanderlust took her away. With her Nanna’s encouragement and support, she chased her dreams abroad for a decade, leaving Liam behind.

Now, returning home to be with her ailing Nanna, Cassie is faced with emotional crossroads — including the unresolved feelings between her and Liam. He’s now a single father to the utterly lovable Robyn (a child so sweet, you’ll want to reach into the page and give her a hug). Cassie must decide whether to take a dream job managing a luxury resort in New Zealand, or finally put down roots in the place that first held her heart.

This is a beautifully written, easy-to-read story filled with well-drawn, believable characters. It’s a little schmaltzy in the best way — complete with not one but multiple weddings, a poignant funeral, steamy romantic moments, cute kids, and a few furry friends to round things out. The emotional tug-of-war between Cassie’s need for adventure and Liam’s quiet hope she’ll choose home is engaging and heartfelt.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe books for the chance to read this ARC!

I love small town romance stories, and Susanne McCarthy describes the idyllic seaside village of Sturcombe Bay in such a way, you can almost feel the sand between your toes and smell the salty air. I’m not familiar with many British English words or slang and had to look them up while reading, which was kind of fun to be honest. The book does include their definitions in the back!

Cassie hasn’t been home to Sturcombe bay in a decade. She’s been traveling the world and relishing the adventures. But now that an ailing family member has brought her home, she’s instantly struck with the feeling that there’s truly no place like home. But is that what she truly wants, when she’s plagued with choices she made in the past and will need to face the reality of if she moves back to this small town for good.

Liam watched Cassie walk away once, and though it hurt- he moved on and started a life and family without her. Tragedy has since altered his world and it doesn’t look the way he expected it to. Now that Cassie has returned home after ten years, it has brought up many feelings. He’s drawn to her, but he can’t let himself get close to her, only to lose her again.

A true slow burn second chance romance, don’t anticipate many surprises in this one. It follows the mold of what you expect from this type of small town romance story. The predictability is a comfort.

I didn’t feel a strong connection to the characters and do wish the main characters would have spoken up a bit more instead of bottling it all up. I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope.

I would say 3.5 stars.

A lovely feel good read. Perfect for the beach or a lazy Saturday afternoon read. Cassie returns home after 10 years and you have sadness, old love , a very cute little girl and a beautiful setting. . Also a perfect ending . Read it .

This was a sweet, second chance romance from Susanne McCarthy! I enjoyed the English setting and countryside descriptions that were so vivid. The characters were incredibly relatable and so easy to love, especially Liam and Cassie, the two MC's. Overall, this was an enjoyable and easy read!
spice: chapter 15!
Thank you to Netgalley and Joffe Books for my copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Coming home to Sturcombe Bay is a light hearted, fluffy second chance romance set in beautiful Devon.

Cassie the FMC decided to travel the world at 18 and left her then boyfriend Liam at home. Both going their separate ways for 10 years before meeting again when Cassie returns to her home town to visit her ailing Grandmother.

The star of the book for me was Robyn, Liams 5 year old daughter.

If you enjoy slow burn, second chance romance with very little spice, then this book would be ideal for you.

A second chance at love after returning home ten years later. I liked parts of this but it packed much interaction between the couple! And the ending was very rushed, feeling like it missed the mark.

Coming Home to Sturcombe Bay is a heart-warming, sweet second chance romance with plenty to love. Cassie has returned home from her adventures to see her ailing grandmother before it is too late. Liam is caring for his little girl after a unfortunate accident took her mother. Liam is focused on his daughter and is not looking for a new love. But will a old love for Cassie stir up feelings and blossom? This book took me on quite the emotional rollercoaster one minute I was in fits of laughter and the next I was a blubbering mess! I feel like the characters become your treasured friends and I wanted to know everything about their lives. The plot is sad but happy at the same time. It's a new series for me that I am so happy to read every single book!

This was a heartwarming small town romance that’s sure to put a smile on your face and put you in a good mood.

I really enjoyed these characters and the setting. It was really sweet and I love the feeling of being transported somewhere else that’s full of good people. I love the second chance trope and I think it was done really well here and it kept me very engaged. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Cassie and his daughter. There’s really nothing like watching characters fall back into love with each other years later and that’s exactly what this book did. I definitely enjoyed it.

This was a cute, cosy and nostalgic read about a girl who returns home after 10 years to find her childhood sweetheart married yet there’s still a connection there. A story of second chances, childhood memories and sweet moments this is an easy light hearted read that I would recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.