this book is a joy to read most people are like ella disapointed with life and feel they are going nowhere and trapped so something gives her the urge to upsticks and find peace of mind which she does in starshine cove but t0 start with things there seem too good to be true but you have to read this book to find out if they are it does have a magical ora too it

Loved this! Ella is a fab character, as are Connie and George. The personalities across the book were were great. Really enjoyed the story, a touch of drama but nothing that was typical of these type of books, which made a nice change. Very much looking forward to book two!

Debbie Johnson's "Escape to Starshine Cove" is a delightful and heartwarming novel that transports readers to a picturesque seaside haven. The story follows a charming cast of characters who seek solace and new beginnings in the enchanting setting of Starshine Cove. Johnson's writing is vivid and evocative, bringing the idyllic coastal landscape to life. The plot is filled with humor, romance, and poignant moments, making it an engaging and feel-good read. With its themes of friendship, healing, and the magic of second chances, "Escape to Starshine Cove" is a perfect escape that leaves readers with a warm and uplifting feeling.

When Ella comes home after a day of work at a London Health Clinic, she finds her boyfriend in bed with another women. Tired of her job, Ella drives away from all that she had in search for a better life for herself. Her journey unexpectedly takes her to the tiny seaside village of Starshine Cove a few miles short of Cornwall. When Ella is welcomed with open arms she decides to stay for a bit. She not anly gets to know Starshine Cove's wonderful residents but also grows close to Inn owner Jake. I had never read anything by Debbie Johnson, but will seek out more now. Escape to Starshine Cove has everything to be that perfect, feel-good summer beach read you need!
Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a heartwarming book and the first Starshine Cove book. It is escapism for the reader for the description of the 'hidden' Starshine Cove is a joy.. The characters are fun and the story well written. It is like being wrapped in a warm hug.

Read if you enjoy:
🐚 Small Beach Town Vibes
🐚 Closed Door Romance
🐚 Self Discovery
🐚 Slow Burn
🐚 Mental Health Awareness
🐚 One POV

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Escape to Sunshine Cove will transport you to the charming, beachy small town of Starshine Cove where this story takes place. Debbie Johnson has such a beautiful way with words which describe you the perfect happy place pulled straight from a Hallmark movie. This book is filled with lovable characters and self discovery.

Ella is a doctor and her life has fallen apart after tragic circumstances. Moreover, she walks in on her partner of over 10 years having an affair. This was the last drop that pushed her on a self-discovery journey. She begins a roadtrip in which there is no timeline. As her car breaks down in the “middle of nowhere” she begins taking steps towards what would become her new happy place. She discovery a hidden gem in Starshine Cove and this is where her new story begins as she meets Jack and the people from the town.

I wouldn’t consider this a full on romance book. There are parts that complement the story as a slow burn and closed door romance. This did not deter me from enjoying Ella’s self-discovery and healing journey. It is a sweet, warm-hearted story that will make you feel happy once you close that book.

This story addressed multiple topics that you should be aware of before reading as it may be triggers for some readers. It explores loss (pandemic and miscarriage) and mental health.

Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my review copy.

This is the first instalment of a new fabulous series from this author and was a beautiful read which takes the reader on a journey to the beautiful setting of star shine cove and the magic the cove and it’s inhabitants has to offer. This was an emotional and heartbreaking read at times but was also heartwarming at
The same time

The characters were so easy to fall in love with and loved the community feel and how everything in life seems better with the help do those around you and how it’s never to late to make a fresh start.

I can’t wait for the next instalment of this series.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Ella and Jake. Ella is a doctor. Jake owns a pub and inn. There is an instant attraction. Ella finds her partner in bed with his assistant. She leaves and goes on a scenic adventure. She finds starshine cove and meets Jake. They each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

This is the first book in a new series by Debbie Johnson and, as ever, she has written a charming romance novel that you will fly through. Ella finds herself in Starshine Cove after leaving problems in her personal life behind her and the place casts its magic over her making her entirely too comfortable for her own good, so much so that she questions herself.

The characters come to life when reading this book and it is easy to see how there is scope for more books in this series to come which I thoroughly look forward to reading!

If you've not tried any of Debbie Johnson's books before what are you waiting for?!

A really fun and charming read with an enjoyable premise and gorgeous characters. I would highly recommend.

✨My Thoughts✨

I felt like me and Ella was the same person at the start, all her thoughts and feelings are exactly how I feel 99% of the time ( like an endless spin-cycle on a washing machine) I just knew I was going to love this book.

I was entranced by this story, I read it over the course of one day.
All the characters and Starshine Cove itself has my heart, everything about it is just magical and don’t forget it will really make you smile too.

Ella’s story is just heartbreaking, a few things that have happened to her have happened to me too so I immediately felt my heart go out to her.

This book is a story of loss, new beginnings and second chances and I hope it will be a long series.

Fantastic new series all about the ups and downs of a secret village and the lives of its residents. When a newcomer arrives the village intregrate Ella into their lives and she ends up staying. Or will she?
Ella has her own problems to set out before she can take on the lives of the villagers.
Can’t wait for the next instalment of village life

From the first chapter, this book was giving me the same warm and fuzzy feeling that Debbie Johnson's previous Comfort Food Cafe series, gave me. It's a book I felt completely at home at within pages, and I couldn't read it quick enough.

It's not all warm and fuzzy though, as it definitely also touches on themes such as the affect of the pandemic on healthcare professional's especially their mental health.

While set in the most amazing of settings, Starshine Cove. I loved every single description of Starshine Cove. It is such a special setting, and all of the locals at a mix of bonkers, and totally loveable.

And for Ella, it may be the place she can finally stop running and start sorting out her life. If she can bring herself to connect with people again.

Between naked karaoke, mystery cricket, a Dolly Parton lookalike, a doctor who is unsure if she wishes to continue working in the field, and a gorgeous "pub daddy, along with a village that communicates by walkie talkies - this is quirky, it's fun and I couldn't get enough of this book.

It is such a heartwarming story, and it's the most perfect first book of a brand new series. I'm already keen to read the next one, I'm missing my friends in Starshine Cove already.

Thank you to Storm and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I might be a biased Debbie Johnson fan, but this book was fantastic, I just couldn’t put it down. It’s magical, I can only describe it as comfort reading, the go to read to make you feel good about everything, that’s not to say she doesn’t shy away from tough issues and real life, she does, but in a sensitive and careful way that shows her research and caring into her subjects, overall, I thoroughly recommend this heartwarming,read, the first in a new series. Can’t wait to read the next

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

This book is the perfect cup of warm tea at the end of a blissfully happy day. It's the coziest and sweetest book I've read in awhile! It's the perfect Escape to Starshine Cove and the cast of characters you meet along the way makes you feel like you're actually there experiencing this small town right alongside the main character! It's a heartfelt novel about finding your way when things seem hopeless and not quite right and was a great reminder that you can always change your life by choosing a different road.

The only word that does justice to this book is magical. When her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere it's the last straw for Ella so when she stumbles into Starshine Cove she thinks she might be hallucinating. From Dolly Parton lookalike Connie and charming octogenarian George to the two Betties and green haired teenager Dan everything and everyone feels a bit surreal. But when she meets hunky pub owner Jake she's quite happy to be there hallucination or not. This is type of story that Debbie Johnson does so well, she doesn't just focus on the good looking young people and their will they won't they romance.. All the other, dare I say more interesting, characters get equal billing. The bereaved fathers, the single mothers and the not really rebellious teenagers are what makes her stories so real. I don't think I've read one of her books that I didn't have a little cry at and this one is no different so keep your tissues at hand and don't worry you'll be laughing more than you are crying.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a book! I wish I could read it again for the first time. Such a wonderful, dreamy book with laugh out loud moments and a wonderful dose of romance. The characters were so loveable and the whole book just gave you that fuzzy feeling inside from start to finish. I couldn't ask for more from this author.

A well-written, comforting read by a confident author. Johnson does not shy away from the darker sides of life (addressing topics including the pandemic, miscarriage, bereavement and serious illness) but the charmingly depicted setting and the loveable characters mean that you finish the book feeling better about yourself and the world in general. The setting and some of the characters feel rather similar to Johnson's other series, The Comfort Food Cafe, but that is not really a problem. Looking forward to more in this series.

Escape to Starshine Cove is a beautifully-written story that, at its heart, is about the many faces of grief and the power of a loving community coming together selflessly and without judgement to nurture and help wounded souls heal. In true Johnson style, though, it’s also full of laughter and light, quirky characters, romance, and vivid descriptions of the setting. On the surface, Starshine Cove on the Cornish coast is like something out of a fairy tale with its cobbled streets, thatched roof cottages, a beautiful beach surrounded by turquoise waters, and the magical cave full of colorful stones.

Ella Farrell flees her home after discovering her partner of 13 years in bed with his assistant. It’s the final straw, but it’s the miscarriage she suffered three years prior and endless hours working at the hospital during the pandemic that have left her broken. When her car breaks down, she discovers a magical place with handmade fairies in the trees and a welcoming community of kind and caring citizens. It is, as Ella says, “wild and beautiful and free – it is the absolute image of the happy place I have spent so many hours conjuring up...” Like Ella, it seems to be a place where lost souls find themselves again, many of whom are struggling with their own profound grief.

One of these is Jake Hennessey, aka Pub Daddy, the owner of the Starshine Inn. As Ella and Jake spend more time together and start to share the reasons they escaped from their previous lives, Ella begins to confront her trauma and start the healing process. One step is to accept the townfolk’s offer to become their new doctor. However, when faced with a near-tragedy she blames herself for, she flees Starshine Cove and her budding romance with Jake. As she says, “I’m a doctor who can’t cope with stress, who can’t cope with caring, who can’t cope with life-threatening situations. A doctor who can’t even control her own mental health, never mind her patients’.” It will take a miracle (or maybe just some long overdue therapy) for her to find her way through her grief to acceptance and the embrace of her newfound family.

Johnson is an exceptional writer who captures the essence of the human experience by illustrating the many types of grief while showing that, despite the pain, there are still many moments of loving, laughter, friendship, and wonder. There’s always the chance the talk of the pandemic will quickly date a book, but I applaud the fact that Johnson doesn’t shy away from illustrating the profound effect it had (and continues to have) on both the physical and mental health of healthcare workers. I highly recommend this heartwarming, magical story that is the first in a series.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Storm Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This is a throwback to the older stories I used to read in this genre. There was something about the way the story grew that reminded me of my older reads, although I still read a significant amount of such plot arcs on a regular basis. There have been subtle shifts in the genre , or so I have felt.
Ella has been living it rough for a couple of days. She does not know where she is headed or what she wants to do next, but her aimless wandering first leads her to a dog. She is not a pet person to begin with, but given her mental state, it looks like she is going to be one anyway.
After the discovery of the dog, she comes upon a hidden town bordering on the fantastical. The people that make up the town are strangers to her, but over the course of time, she will make a lot of headway into a new life and with people again.
Although romance is not a significant factor in this, to begin with, it does play a part in Ella's happily ever after. Her hurt and sorrow at the beginning of the book mould her to be wary and make assumptions about everything around her. The slow progression in the changes was quite believable, and I enjoyed the setup and the townspeople.
I would highly recommend this to fans of the genre.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.