I am a huge fan of Jessica Redland, having already read and loved Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop and Christmas at Carly’s Cupcakes, I knew I was going to love Summer Nights at the Starfish Cafe just as much – and I wasn’t wrong. This is the third and final book in the Starfish Cafe series, but each book can be read as a standalone.

This story revisits all the favourite characters from the previous books. Holly and Jake are preparing for their wedding – but things for them both take an unexpected turn, and they experience deep sadness. Can they overcome this to have the happy future together they both so desperately want?

The story also revisits Kerry, a single mum who loves working at the Starfish Cafe. Kerry has been raising her 4 children alone since the day her husband walked out on her and the children. Not once has she heard from him, but now 7 years later, he is back, and wants to get back into their lives again. Can Kerry really trust him again?

Summer Nights at the Starfish Cafe is such a beautifully written story, with incredible characters that are so real and so relatable. Beautifully written with lots of emotions, love, laughs, sadness, and happiness. A must-read from me.

I absolutely loved Summer Nights at The Starfish Cafe as I have done the previous books in this series. It was an emotional rollercoaster of a read which ends the series beautifully. It could be read as a stand alone book but don't - read the previous two books first as they are all so enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Summer Nights at the Starfish Café is the third book in the Starfish Cafe series, whilst it is possible you could probably read this as a stand-alone I don’t really recommend it, these focus on our main couple and their relationship so you would have missed on the previous two books and probably be a bit lost.

This is the last book in the series and brings the story to a satisfying conclusion for our characters. I’m always sad to see one of Jessica’s storylines end, but then I’m always excited for the places she will take me to next, so it’s not always sad.

Watching Hollie and Jake get married finally was wonderful, after everything they’ve gone through together, of course there’s some drama and troubles along the way (but no spoilers from me) but they get their happy ever after (that’s definitely not a spoiler with a romance surely 🤣)

I liked the fact we got to know Kerry so much more in this book, how she managed I’ll never know (I have no kids and struggle being responsible for myself let alone four children alone) it’s amazing what single parents manage, they’re the real life superheroes.

Like all Jessica’s stories this is full of romance, drama, a little bit of mystery, a great community, family, hope, new beginnings and will occasionally feature the odd troublemaker with nefarious purposes, but we know they will get their comeuppance in one way or another.

I love Jessica’s books for many reasons, her beautiful writing, the fact I know she’ll wring a million emotions from me, but I’ll be left feeling happier than when I started, but most of all for giving me a piece of escapism that makes me feel better about the world and humanity. I know people like these characters exist in the world and sometimes we need books to remind us, when the media and world makes us feel like they are rarer than we think. They’re not.

Thank you Jessica for giving me (and many, many other readers) a place to escape, mindfulness in a book and a reminder that the world is nicer than the news portrays to us.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I know that I have said it before but I am going to say it again, Jessica Redland takes the Romance genre and smashes it out of the park every singe time. The first book in this series, Snowflakes over the Starfish Café is one of my all favourites in this genre and I really didn’t think I could love a book more until now! Jessica knows how to move her readers from laughter to tears and back again. I was an emotional wreck, in a good way by the time I had finished. My favourite analogy referring to a Rubik Cube returns in this book, I am not going to say what it is about but it really is the perfect analogy for life and all the ups and downs we go through to get to the better bits. It made me cry in book one and I was at it again in book three. Trust me you are going to need a huge box of tissues for this one. Tears of joy and tears of utter heartbreak but of course ending on a huge high, more tissues.

The main characters, Jake and Holly are just superbly written, understated yet truly believable people. A perfect couple who deserve happiness. You find yourself rooting for them every step of the way. especially when Jake’s totally off the chart nuts estranged sister makes a return and creates more hurt for Jake. I just wanted to take her away, give her a good talking to and tell her to stay away!.

Every character in Summer Nights at the Starfish café has a purpose. They all add their own special something to the story. Jessica creates a beautiful world around the main scene of the Café. love, loss, life and happiness all revolve around this wonderful place. Honestly this is a series that does not let you down. If you need a story that has fabulous life lessons, epic friendships and enduring love then this is the one for you. Go Jessica, you are my Romance Heroine.

EXCERPT: Noticing several guests looking past us and pointing, I turned towards the glass wall. Two classic VW campervans were passing slowly, each with white ribbons across the front and a garland of white flowers above the front bumper. The first was teal and cream and I recognised it as Tori's campervan. She was driving and Hollie and Angie were waving from one of the side windows. The second one was orange and carried the other bridesmaids.
Once the campervans had passed, we went to secure our seats for the ceremony. As Avril and her husband Antony settled into theirs, Avril laughed at something he whispered to her and they exchanged smiles of such adoration that tears unexpectedly sprung to my eyes. I'd never had that with Cameron. I gave myself a little shake. I did not want that man in my head today. This was a day for love and friendship, not lamenting the past.

ABOUT 'SUMMER NIGHTS AT THE STARFISH CAFÉ': A new beginning...

As her summer wedding to Jake approaches, Hollie is excited for their new beginning as a family. But when some unexpected news threatens the future she and Jake had hoped for, Hollie will need to find the strength to overcome heartache once more.

A fragile heart...

Single mum, Kerry, loves her job at The Starfish Café, but behind the brave smiles and laughter with customers there is a sadness deep within. So when someone from her past re-appears in her life, Kerry can either hide away or face her demons and try to finally move on from her heartbreak.

A summer to remember…

For Hollie and Kerry it promises to be an emotional rollercoaster of a summer, but the community at The Starfish Café will always be there to help them through - after all, with courage nothing is impossible…

MY THOUGHTS: What a delightful read!

Although this is #3 in a trilogy and I haven't read the first two, I had no trouble settling into life at the Starfish Café. Hollie who owns the café and Kerry, one of her employees, are the narrators and the main characters.

This is a lovely read that had me tearing up in places and smiling widely in others. By the end of the book, which I read in one sitting, I felt like the characters were my friends. I wanted to be sitting out on the patio of the Starfish Café on summer evenings chatting with them in the twilight.

The characters are magnificent. From Jake's ugly-natured sister and Kerry's ex-husband who suddenly wants to insert himself into the children's lives after having been absent for seven years to the wonderful and wise Angie and warm-hearted Hollie, they are people who will draw you into their stories.

There's love and loss, family estrangements, weddings and reconciliations - a lot like real life and just as unpredictable.

I really enjoyed this, my first book by this author and I will be lining up for more from her.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#SummerNightsatTheStarfishCafé #NetGalley

I: @jessicaredlandauthor @ bookandtonic

T: @JessicaRedland @BoldwoodBooks

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #friendship #romance #sliceoflife #smalltownfiction #womensfiction

THE AUTHOR: I was born in Teesside but now live in Scarborough on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast. My home inspired the creation of the fictional seaside town of Whitsborough Bay where I set many of my books.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Boldwood Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Summer Nights at the Starfish Café by Jessica Redland for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions

Another great read from Jessica Redland, and sadly, the end of the Starfish Cafe series. This promises to be a tough summer for both Hollie and Kerry as Hollie faces the loss of a dream, and Kerry faces a re-opening of old wounds when her ex-husband makes an appearance after he walked out seven years ago. But with the hard times comes opportunities for growth and new connections. Catch up with your favourite characters from the previous books in the series.

Always a pleasure to return to Yorkshire and the Starfish Cafe. Another gorgeous story if a little sad that it's the final visit

The sun is shining as I write this, which is fitting because every time I return to Whitsborough Bay I feel like I'm surrounded by sunshine and all is well with the world. These books are always a joy to read and this one is no exception. I'm not in the slightest suggesting that they don't deal with serious and/or life-changing events because they do, but the characters and the Whitsborough Bay community add the light and warmth that is needed to help in these situations and the coming together of everything in the knowledge that it will work out in the end, is what creates the sunshine.

For this book, first a warning. Have tissues handy when you start reading because if you're anything like me you'll need them. As well as seeing Hollie and Jake get married (tissue moment!) we also spend time with Kerry and find out more about her and her past. All three have challenging times in this book but are well supported by family and friends as always. Having read the previous two Starfish Cafe books I was a mixture of emotions seeing what Hollie and Jake were going through, hoping everything would turn out ok as it usually does but also not completely expecting that because somethings books (and authors) surprise us.

I get emotionally invested in book characters, like a lot of readers do. In the case of Jessica Redland's books it's easy to do because they are so brilliantly written, so realistic it feels like you could bump into them on a street somewhere, or visit Whitsborough Bay and spend time in the cafe and the shops on Castle Street. Having mentioned characters I also have to mention the town itself and the lifeboat station which I feel are two important characters, especially in this book. As I've already said the town is gorgeous and I hate that it's not real, and the lifeboat station is so important to a coastal town and I love that it's not just an add on or something that's not properly explained. The work that the RNLI do is so important and it deserves this attention to detail.

If you've read and loved any of Jessica Redland's previous books you'll love this one. If not, start with an earlier one so you can see the character development of Hollie and the others, but start somewhere, they are fabulous!

It's so great to be back with friends. Gutted to say goodbye to this series but the author took us out with a book filled with love, joy, laughter and heartache. I hope in future we could return to these characters

ok this book is so cute! absolutely enjoyed every second of it. i think it was such a sweet storyline and i was sad to finish the storyline. it is a series and i haven’t read the others so i was confused at some parts but that’s because of me!

My Review: Another great read by Jessica Redland, what a delight to be back in Whitsborough Bay with familiar characters, small businesses and their community spirit. The book is written from different characters perspectives. Kerry is a single mum of four, her ex Cameron has been estranged from them all for a long time. It demonstrates the complexity of parenthood, the decisions we have to make for the best. Loved the dogs in this story too, especially Pickle. The RNLI Family have a prominent feature as they should. Weddings, friendships and soft beards aside we also come across some hard hitting topics, such as PTSD. Sometimes things arent what they seem. Recommended to new and regular readers of Jessica's books.

this is the ultimate feel-good book even though it’s so emotional 💖 it was so cute, sweet and emotional that I wished it didn’t had to end

the entire book felt cozy and comforting, like a hug

I swear that this book was everything. and for sure I will need to read more Jessica Redland books

TW: miscarriage

thank you NetGalley for this ARC. the views exepressed are my own, freely given.

This book is the last book in the series. It is more enjoyable if you have read the previous books. I was very sad for the series to end, as I really liked Hollie and Jake. It has a good ending though, I enjoyed reading this book.
This book is very emotional in places, with some difficult themes however there is also some heartwarming moments too.
I can't wait to read Jessica Redland's next book. Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for my ARC.

While this is #3 in a series it worked well as a standalone. I was able to follow the storyline well, although I would have read the first two prior to this had I known at the time. This book has a lot of emotion and multiple storylines. In Chapter 35 I gasped and got teary eyed and started fanning myself and my husband had to ask if I was ok. We have storylines of strained family relationships, single parenting, miscarriage, new love and all the challenges of life in general. With so much going on it would have been easy to get confused, but the writing was fabulous and the characters so well developed and portrayed.

4 stars rounding to 5. I'm rounding up my rating because I do feel had I been invested from the beginning it would be a 5 and the fact that I picked it up at book 3 and followed along says quite a bit. I feel this one will get lost and forgotten in my mind as time goes on but it was great while it lasted. Would suggest for a nice, happy story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Author Jessica Redland, and Publisher Boldwood Books for the advanced copy of this book. Anticipated publish date 4-6-2023. Review left on NG and Goodreads.
#SummerNightsatTheStarfishCafé #NetGalley

What another wonderful book in the Starfish Cafe series by Jessica. So pleased I had read the first two in the series as I had a good knowledge of what had happened in the past with the characters and how their stories were interwoven.

It has been such a joy following the story of Hollie and Jake's relationship and this book just added to that. Jessica Redland does a phenomenal job with the miscarriage storyline - it doesn't feel fake or overdone. I liked that Hollie and Jake went through everything together. Many authors would have had this as a plot point in order to create tension between the characters, but here it is just used to tell a story that so many people can relate to. I thought the change in Jake's sister came too quickly - if all it would take for her to lay off Jake was to have her husband yell at her I wish he had done it years before. As for Kerry's story, I would have loved more with her and Artie. The scenes we get are so sweet and it's clear why these two characters are drawn to one another, but so much of the story is about her situation with her ex that the romance part kind of gets pushed to the side. That being said, the parts involving Kerry's ex coming back into the kids' lives is so well done. I loved that it wasn't an immediate happy co-parenting situation and that the author touches on how a parent returning after a long time away can impact the kids (even when they are interested in meeting their other parent). And it was nice to get to see all of the supporting characters from the previous books. I will say though, the recurring characters summary at the beginning is helpful, but also a little overwhelming - if I was coming into this without having read the previous books I might have felt that I missed too much to be able to enjoy this book because there are so many people listed. That's not the case - there is enough info given as to what happened in those books that you could read this without having read the other two books.

The final book in The Starfish Cafe series sees Hollie and Jake about to marry, more lifeboat action and Kerry's story. It's lovely to meet up with old friends, and the wedding is a sensory delight with its varied locations. Kerry's story is believable and a mix of frustration, humour and unexpected romance. The author visits some emotional issues sensitively, and they make the reader invest in the characters in this contemporarily relevant story.

The ending draws everything together satisfactorily, especially for characters you have come to love.
I like the characters, the contemporary relevance and the emotions explored in this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

As the synopsis suggests, this is an emotional read, but the tears are worth the final ending. Again, we follow Jake and Hollie as they make plans to marry in a style that is perfect for them and their histories. Now both volunteering for the Lifeboat service, it’s essential that they include all parts of their lives as they celebrate their commitment to each other. Sadly, despite their happiness, there’s more sadness to overcome before they can enjoy their future. I have loved getting to know Hollie and Jake, and I will miss them. However, I won’t miss Jake’s awful sister; and I’m sorry to report that she once again appears to sour their story.

We also meet Kerry, a single mum who hides a heartbreaking past with her determination to remain positive for the sake of her children. As we learn more about how she came to be raising her children alone, it’s hard not to feel the volume of sadness that she is faced with. As her past reappears in her life, she is able to find support from one of my favourite characters from this series.

I’ve said it before, but Jessica Redland is a stellar storyteller, her ability to write characters that you can love and also some to hate, is a very special skill. I was even surprised to find myself feeling sorry for a character that I had previously loathed; that is definitely an impressive skill.
The key part of this ability is Jessica’s willingness to put a little of her own life into the fabric of the story. When I read in the acknowledgements that a particular theme was a part of her own lived experience, I shed a few more tears.

This is a fitting farewell to what has been a brief, yet uplifting series, and I am thrilled that I have been able to follow Jake and Hollie’s story. As is Jessica’s style, there are plenty of familiar faces included in this story, and a trip to Castle Street, too.

This is the final book in the Starfish Cafe Series by Jessica Redland. The stories in this series feature the staff and customers of this establishment, which is set on the outskirts of the North Yorkshire coastal town of Whitsburgh Bay, the setting of many of Jessica’s other books. At the beginning of the book there is a very useful list of recurring characters, with details of how they fit into the series. In common with the other books in this series, this one features a striking cover that makes you want to set off for the seaside and enjoy a peaceful evening looking out over the water while enjoying a treat from the cafe.



This story centres predominantly on Hollie, owner of the Starfish Cafe, and Kerry, a part-time member of staff and single mother of four. Hollie is looking forward to her forthcoming wedding to Jake and a wonderful honeymoon in Italy. However, the couple are dismayed when their happy future is jeopardised by distressing events, including the unwelcome reappearance of a figure from the past. In the case of Kerry, the reader learns about her past and her busy life in the present looking after her four lively children. Someone from her past also makes an appearance, making her worry how this will affect her and her children’s lives. It promises to be an eventful summer for both of the ladies, where they may well need the support of their friends and colleagues.



I very much enjoyed this highly emotional story and am sad to be saying goodbye to the characters I have got to know through the books in this series. I liked that individual chapters were told from either Hollie’s or Kerry’s perspective. It has been wonderful following Hollie and Jake through their growing relationship since book 1. They are both strong characters and deserved a happy future after their previous trials and tribulations. It was frustrating to find that there was more heartache in store for them. I liked learning more about Kerry, and became really immersed in her story to the extent of positively disliking the person from her past who decided to come out from the woodwork. Of course, there are many other familiar faces in the story and one little dog who was central to Hollie and Jake’s relationship. I like the fact that the author rounds off the story with an epilogue that gives the reader a peek into the future for each of the main characters. This book would undoubtedly make a lovely summer read; it could be read as a standalone, but I can recommend the whole 3-book series.

Another lovely read by Jessica Redland. Whenever I read a book by Jessica it's like catching up with old friends as well as making new ones. I'll be sorry to say goodbye to The Starfish Café series but knowing Jessica, I'm sure a few characters will pop up again in future books. Summer Nights at Thr Starfish Cafe of course deals with some heartbreaking issues. Jessica is always tactful with these. I was happy to see a bit of a loose end involving Jake pretty much tied up and seeing loveky Kerry eventually get the life she deserved. A lovely end to a lovely series.