Christmas at the Comfort Food Café

What a wonderful return to the Comfort Food Cafe, and this time from Becca's perspective, instead of sister Laura's. Becca is a bit of a scrooge sort of person, she really hates Christmas, and the start of the book, shows various of their childhood Christmases as to why she is that way.

I loved those Childhood memories as they are the sorts of incidents that happen up and down the world in families every year, without fail, and they are as amusing as they are recognisable. We then fast forward to the present day and Becca is to join Laura at the Comfort Food Cafe for December.

Becca soon can see all the reasons that Laura loves her new home, and there is a certain surfer who catches her eyes. The cafe is a sort of magical place, so whether it can weave its comfort around Becca is to be discovered.

If you haven't read the first book don't worry this could easily be read as a standalone, but you would be missing out on a wonderful story in the original. As a sequel this feels quite different and although all the regular guests to the cafe are back the focus of the book isn't so much on them, but partially on Cherie's wedding.

Despite being a book featuring a Grinch like person, and you obviously wanting to see her heart melt, it really is the sort of story that will greet you like an old friend, and envelop you in a big warm hug, and of course a cup of hot chocolate, like in the cover for the book.

I loved the Christmassy elements of this story, but also the greater depth, as Becca touches upon the hidden reasons as to why she has acted in certain ways over parts of her life. Not only the Christmas bits, but the Christmas wedding which needs to be read to be believed. That whole event had me smiling from start to finish, as it was so perfect for Cherie.

In fact I really did love the whole of Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe, its definitely another winning book from the talented Debbie Johnson.

Thank you so much to Harper Impulse and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.

Christmas is coming earlier and earlier each year, at least bookish Christmas – “Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe” is already one of the few festive reads that I read in September. Not that I’m complaining – I love Christmas and I probably could read Noel – centred books all over the year. And especially if they are written by Debbie Johnson – she has really ricocheted herself to the top of my favourite authors list and I’m sure she’s going to stay there for a very long time, if not for ever.

I think I don’t have to emphasize that “Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe” is a return to our beloved Comfort Food Cafe, as the title says it all. However, this time, even though it is also return of some of the characters that I’ve learnt to love in the previous novel, this story is told by Becca, Laura’s sister. Becca seems much more disturbed and complicated than Laura but she has her reasons! She also hates Christmas, literally hates it, and we quickly learn why as the story begins with showing us a few of Becca and Laura’s Christmases, and those scenes were brilliant, they were like watching a kaleidoscope, and no matter what there was always a Christmas disaster with Becca.. I think she would be a great best friend of Scrooge. But now the biggest nightmare of Becca is coming true – she is going to spend family Christmas, together with Laura, her children and Matt, and the whole team from Comfort Food Cafe! Oh boy…
Why is Becca such a Christmas grouch? What has happened? Is she going to open to her family? Start to enjoy life more? Is the Comfort Food Cafe going to do its magic again? This all, and much, much more is waiting for you in this brilliant, warm, cosy and already festive story. What I like so much in Debbie Johnson’s books is that they so effortlessly combine fun and humour with more poignant, serious issues and I love the way she always deals with those issues, with a lot of understanding and without judging, letting the reader know all the circumstances and judge for themselves. Yes, there were moments that I felt desperate with Becca, she was not too easy – going, she was always kicking herself, and it seemed as if she didn’t want to change, at all, that she’s happy in her shell and I wanted her to stop being like this. She wasn’t moaning or wanted to burden us with her problems, she wanted to deal with them alone, but her being so miserable inside and only showing the world a different face was not good for her and I wanted her to go out of this dark and cold corner, and to fully live. Becca is this kind of person who’s initially not so easy to like but as the story went along she really grew on me, she got under my skin and at the end I was a putty in her hands. Debbie Johnson has made her character really complex and complicated and she brilliantly showed how difficult it is to break off with your old habits, how easy it is to stay like you are just because it’s more comfortable, and how much it costs – and I mean here emotions and feelings – to try to go out of your comfort zone, and this all made Becca only even more realistic and believable.

The story brings us back all the characters from the summer novel, introduces new of them, and focuses more on the characters that we got to know in summer and now have a chance to get to know much better, such like some sexy surfer Sam, mmmm. Sam was so, so funny, so laid – back and easy going, you know, he was the yin to Becca’s yang or whatever it is – I loved their banter and the way they were so honest with each other, they didn’t fake anything, they were genuine with their feelings.

It seems that Comfort Food Cafe is really a magic, perfect place to be when you have problems and I want to go and live there, and eat Laura’s brilliant food. When reading the story I just wanted to be a part of it, to join the gang and to forget about all my worries and sorrows. I think this story can be read as a stand – alone novel but I also think you’d miss out too much on the summer book, and on the whole Comfort Food Cafe charm. Immediately after starting reading this sequel I’ve felt at home, as if I was meeting with good, old friends. Yes, I’d love to hear much, much more from Laura and the gorgeous vet, as well as from her brilliant children, but I do appreciate the turn this story took, the depth and – shortly – I just get what the author wanted to do this time. The story brilliantly mixes fun and seriousness, and Debbie Johnson is truly a champion of writing catching one – liners and hilarious scenes, and you need to read the wedding or the visit at the shopping centre for yourself. Each character mentioned in this book, even so very background one, like for example Willow and her mum, had their place in this story and their presence adds tons of warmth. “Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe” is like a mug of Laura’s hot chocolate with marshmallows – warm, melting your heart and cheering. Highly recommended!

I was so excited to see that there was to be a Christmas story from the folk at the Comfort Food Cafe, as I adored the first book so much........... and this is every bit as good as I'd hoped it would be!!!

The first in the series is based on Laura and her families perspective on life as they up sticks and try to move on, with the help of a new start at the Comfort Food Cafe in Dorset. This Festive edition still features Laura and her family, but the story mainly concentrates on her younger sister Becca. We only get to hear of her via phone in the first book, but she is the main focus of this tale... and what a tale it is!

The book starts with flash backs to Christmas pasts for Laura and Becca and how their family Xmas time has gone, and goes someway to explain why Becca seems to hate Christmas so much!! Really loved the nostalgic mentions of times gone by with all the old favourite xmas toys getting a mention!

Fast forward to the present day, and life for Becca has never been simple and she's really lived on her own since she was 18 and that's always been the way she has liked it. She has often turned to booze and drugs to numb her pain no matter the suffering it caused to those around her. Add to that she also suffers terribly with insomnia, i understand her pain!, and she always seems reluctant to let anyone in and know exactly what she is going through and she would rather happily shut herself away and try and conquer her demons on her own.

So Laura invites her to stay in Dorset with them for a month around Christmas as she thinks this is a great way for them all to be together and for Becca to get away from things for a while and maybe some of the Dorset air will make her lighten up a bit!

Loved how all the old characters really fitted in with this new story and it all felt like such a lovely community and this book is littered with so many laugh out loud moments that it was just a pure delight to read! And as Becca lightened up and let go, it was great to see a different side to her personality emerge, and the flirting and banter between her and surfer Sam was just perfect! I think I need a surfer Sam in my life!! ;)

A treat to read at anytime of the year, but even more perfect with Christmas approaching! And I hope we'll get to revisit the Comfort Food Cafe again soon!!