This is my first visit to the fictional seaside town of Swallowtail Bay and it had me yearning for lazy, hazy summer days of long ago when all that mattered was winning a fish on the hook a duck and zooming down on the helter-skelter! Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay is the second book set in Swallowtail Bay however, each novel is written as a standalone story but I can honestly say the author's words made me feel very welcomed and left me wanting a return visit to this idyllic location.
Hetty is an events planner and loves her home town especially the Strawberry Fairs of summers gone by. She's hoping to drum up support with the business community of the bay to rejuvenate the fair and make it a bank holiday weekend long extravaganza. However, she only has four weeks to get approved and then plan the whole event! A task not for the faint hearted!
With time ticking by she feels she has only one option for the location of the fair and that is by using the grounds of Thornhill Hall. However, there's a glitch in this option; she has to persuade the owner of the hall to agree.
John Thornhill is the youngest son of the current owners of the hall and feels like all the recent financial hardship is on his shoulders to provide a solution. His parents are struggling emotionally and John is drawing at a blank with ways to help his family out of the financial and emotional hole they've found themselves in. Can optimistic, vibrant Hetty be the answer to his problems?
Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay is a delightful romcom that is a wonderful mix of nostalgia, community spirit, warmth and hopefulness.

This is the second book in a gorgeous new series from Katie Ginger (who I am a big fan of). The first visit to Swallowtail Bay – ‘Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay’ was a delight so I jumped at the chance of reading this next book, ‘Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay’.
Although it does mention characters, we have grown to love from the first book, this is written so that it can be read as a standalone book.
With this trip to Swallowtail Bay, Hetty wants to reinvigorate the strawberry festival famed but comes up against an extremely reluctant Lord of the Manor. Will she make turn her plans into a success and help the failing Thornhill Manor and will her love for ex-boyfriend Ben be reignited?
This is an adorable love story that will leave you with a smile on your face and characters that have a place in your heart. The characters of Hetty and John are brilliant and the relationship they have is fantastic; she is bright, confident and does not back down easily and he needs that kind of firecracker to break down his defences.
I love books with a strong sense of community and supporting each other and this book has it in droves. The setting is so well written, I can clearly imagine the whole town as well as the Manor and from the beautiful descriptions I wish I could live there! It sounds a gorgeous place to be.
This book is an absolute charm, I laughed along, I smiled and felt every emotion for Hetty, by the end I was so happy for everyone. I read it in no time, I just didn’t want to put it down but then I was gutted to finish it and not be able to go on being part of that community anymore.
I have enjoyed everything Katie Ginger has written but this series is something very special.

A really lovely feelgood story. When Hettie an event's organiser decides to organise the annual summer festival its the biggest challenge she has ever faced but she throws herself into it and decides to try and get John to let her host it in the grounds of his family's manor house. She faces lots of challenges but meets them all head on as she's determined to make it a success and try to expand her business. Can she get him onside to help her and will their partnership turn into something more . A great read

Such a lovely summery story, perfect escapism. I loved the setting the characters and really loved Hettie as a character.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy

This was my first book from Katie Ginger and I really enjoyed it.

The story is about Hetty who take's on organising the town's summer strawberry festival and making it bigger and better than ever before, but to that she first need's to persuade John to let her use the grounds of his family's home. Hetty also hits other problems along the way of planning a festival as well as dealing with ex-boyfriends and her growing feelings for John. I loved all the characters in this book and it really had a feeling of community coming together. I wish that I could attend a food festival like this one !!

The story had a good pace and I sucked into the story right from the beginning and didn't want to put it down once I started. There were lots of twists and turns in the story and I loved that you got view's from both Hetty and John as I really thought it added to the story. I would actually love more from them and what happens at Thornhill hall next.

This was a perfect, feel good summer rom-com romance story which I really enjoyed and I will definitely be checking out the first book in this series (each can be read as a standalone). This book certainly put me in a summer mood.

Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay if the second book in the Swallowtail Bay series by Katie Ginger.
Hetty is an event planner and she has done a variety of events, but she just feels she can do bigger and better things. She loves Swallowtail Bay and knows this is where she has always belonged.
She attends a town meeting and the topic of the annual Swallowtail Bay Strawberry Festival is brought up and the town board is set on having it be a small even but Hetty knows she can make it a huge success. She voices her ideas at the meeting, and they give her a chance to show them what she can come up with, but they know it is just a few short weeks.
Hetty has one big problem- the location to have the event. She goes to the only place she can think of that has the room she needs. The problem will be convincing the owners of Thornhill Manor that with the use of their land she can make the event what she dreams if can be. John Thornhill, youngest son of the family will need to be convinced she knows what it will take.
Read this fun book to enjoy the time spent with Hetty and you will have had a wonderful time with her.
Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Katie Ginger for an ARC. This is my honest review in exchange for this book.

A sweet and entertaining story that I enjoyed. Well written characters, lovely setting and a good plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

From the opening pages, it’s difficult to do anything other than see Hetty make a success of her planned food and drink festival. Naturally, nothing is plain sailing and it’s a lot of fun to discover how Hetty will overcome each obstacle.
John Thornhill is perfect as the romantic lead, even though he seems stuffy and incapable of having fun. How can he resist a personality as positively infectious as Hetty’s? Baker Ben, Hetty’s ex, oozes charisma and charm making it clear that he has his sights set on winning back his ex-girlfriend.
Add in the complication of Hetty discovering that her parents are considering divorce and it’s clear that a lot is hanging on the event being a success.
Having overcome John’s initial misgivings, the site for the festival is agreed and the event goes ahead with only a few minor hitches. I don’t think that confirming this is a spoiler but, with that in mind, I won’t give away who manages to take hold of Hetty’s heart and build a future with her.
This story is light and happy. A perfect summertime read and a wonderful way to visit the strawberry regions of Kent. For me, it was a trip down memory lane as I lived there as a child.
This old romantic thoroughly enjoyed this book and I certainly hope that you do too.

Typical chick-lit, though with a slightly older character (late thirties).

Hetty has set herself quite the task to organise a food festival in four weeks time. First order of business: to convince John Thornhill that the food festival should be held on his land. Along with organising the food festival, Hetty also has to deal with the break-down of her parents' marriage and with an ex-boyfriend that wants her back. And those feelings for John she's developing are a bit a distraction too.

Story was all right. I liked the compact setting in time (one month). Was a little surprised that Hetty had very little trouble getting all those vendors to attend at such short notice.

I'm usually not a fan of the male perspective in a chick-lit. John's was all right for the most part, except that he was unable to think of Hetty without using an adjective. It was quite surprising that it still took him over three weeks to realise he liked Hetty a lot.

Nice feel good novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for a copy of this book in exchange for a review. Katie Ginger wasn't an author I had come across before but the summery cover appealed!

What a lovely place Swallowtail Bay sounds and I would absolutely be visiting the food festival if I lived there. Thoroughly enjoyed my trip in to Hetty's world and I'm quite sorry it's over now. This was my first Katie Ginger book but it won't be the last.

Hetty, an events planner, decides she's going to revive the Strawberry festival- it will be a terrific boost for Swallowtail Bay- and she's going to do it at Thornhill Manor. Hah. Little does she know that there's a reason the Thornhills haven't been active in the community but then she meets John- and he's, well, he's the friend to love in this fun read. Organizing the festival is easy enough but there's all sorts of other things going on. Hetty's parents are having pr0blems which surprise her (and them). Her old flame Ben is back in her life (is that a good thing?). This is one of those takes a village reads and it's a delightful one. Don't worry if you didn't read the first book; this is fine as a standalone. The characters are good, the dialogue spritely, and the plot zips along. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This was a pandemic read for me and it will be great at the beach or in the garden this summer (or save it for the winter when you need to cheer up!).

Fun, light, easy read that leaves you smiling.
Hetty is an events coordinator in a small town of Swallowtail Bay. Determined to expand her business, she sees an opportunity while at a town meeting where the discussion of the Strawberry Festival is being worked out. The town has hosted the festival for as long as Hetty can remember, but recently it has dwindled down to just a yard sale in the church. Determined to revitalize the festival, and grow her business, she takes on the organization of the festival. When the location of the festival becomes a problem, it seems the only logical choice is Thornhill Hall, but the elusive family that lives there doesn't like the town on their land and in their home. But Hetty is determined, and John, the owner's son, knows the family needs the revenue the festival will bring. Can Hetty pull off the festival and make a enough for John to save his families beloved home?
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love the book cover. It gave me ideas of living in an idyllic town like Swallowtail Bay.

I got hungry at those food mentioned. I like Hetty and John.

It is good to follow your dreams and accept help along the way.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from HQ Digital through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A wonderfully uplifting story of new beginnings, love blossoming and hope. I love Hetty as a character - she's confident, capable and feisty and knows her own mind.

It was lovely to return to Swallowtail Bay although I'd have liked a little more of a glimpse into how Stella from the first book was getting on.

A perfect summer escape book. Well written and entertaining. Good cast of characters. Great setting. You will love Hettie and her event planning escapades. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

This is such a great summer read and it would be the perfect, fun book to read at the beach or by the pool. I loved the main character. And I loved that the book wasn't just a romance but also focused on Hetty's growth as a character. I loved this book!

I really enjoyed this book from the very beginning. It was more than a romance, it was a story about an ambitious woman trying to improve her small events business and navigate her family and love life at the same time.

I loved the setting and descriptions of the area. The slow and realistic build up of the relationship between with John plus the background of Ben was balanced perfectly.

The story flowed well and was easy to read. I would recommend this book.

Having enjoyed Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay, I was pleased to be approved for a NetGalley copy of Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay. I wasn’t disappointed by this sequel. It was easy to read, and a very enjoyable story - even more so than the first book in the series. I liked the vast majority of characters (though I took a fairly immediate dislike to Ben, who seemed arrogant, and as the story went on, juvenile). John, Hetty and Macie were especially lovable people. There were also many secondary characters, who felt just as real as the main ones, with their own stories and motivations going on. It was great to see the main characters from the previous book popping in here and there.

The setting - both Thornhill Hall and the food festival itself - was interesting and entertaining. There were plenty of humorous moments throughout the book, keeping it lighthearted even when there were serious things going on. I really enjoyed the subplot with Hetty’s parents too - it’s so easy to stop communicating effectively, so it was good when they finally did so. The epilogue just finished off the story nicely, giving a very satisfactory happy ending for all the characters that I’d come to care for during the course of the book.

I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun summer romance, with plenty of interesting events and characters to get involved with. I’m hoping to return to Swallowtail Bay again soon, and will certainly be looking out for any more books by Katie Ginger.

I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

After a weekend of work I needed something light and, yes, frivolous to drown in. The more froth and frills the better and Katie Ginger certainly didn't disappoint with this my first delightful read from her magical pen.
Hetty is perfect herione material while John Thornhill certainly ticked all my hero boxes with a little touch of Heathcliffe glimmering through the edges.
Endearing read perfect for bright sunny days or an evening tucked up in front of the fire.

I always enjoy Katie Ginger’s books and this one is no exception. This is the perfect book to read this summer whether on the beach or enjoying time in the garden, you can still have summer holiday vibes.