Thank you to net Gally for letting me read this book. It was an okay book, the setting was nice, but I just felt like the book was a little flat in a sense of character development. I ended up DNFing it. But just because it wasn’t my cup of tea, doesn’t mean it’s not a great book or other people may find it amazing.

This was lovely. One of those feel good reads that I'll continue to think about the characters and their stories.

Absolutely loved being back in Starshine Cove again. Loved reading the relationship form between Cally and Archie and it was quite an emotional read in places!

Hope to be back in this beautiful community soon and maybe read about Connie!?

A lovely romance book that is not predictable and you will want to read it all in one go to find out what happens. It makes you feel you are in Starshine Cove transports you there.

Fantastic second instalment of the star shine cove books.
Great to meet up with the characters again and for another story to enfold.
Loving this series and can’t wait for the next instalment

✨My Thoughts✨

Cally is feeling bogged down by life, she never gets time for herself or ever had the chance to spread her wings and really enjoy life because she’s been so focused on taking care of her son and her mum.

I was overjoyed to be back in Starshine Cove with its quirky residents, this time it’s Christmas so it’s even more magical.

This series just gets better and better, I loved following Cally’s journey as she found her self again and realises that she deserves the world too.

I can’t wait to read book 3!.

This was a lovely, feel good story, with lots of great characters and an appealing community spirit. I felt fully satisfied when I had finished reading this delightful story.

Secrets of Starshine cove is part of the magical Starshine Cove series by Debbie Johnson. Cally is a single mom who has taken care of her family nearly all her life when out of the blue Cally's mom finds a new love and Sam Cally's eighteen year just doesn't need her as much anymore. So after a mishap at work that leaves Cally temporarily without a job to go to she finds herself with nothing to do. Cally decides to take herself and Sam on a holiday to a place she visited as a child, Starshine cove.
Cally and Sam meet many colorful characters and experience life in a new way. Great book, very engaging. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Starshine Cove is a magical sort of village, and just the place to help Cally, a single mother, and her 18 year old son, Sam regroup after Cally's mother finds love at 72 and moves to Scotland, and Sam deals with his first breakup. The village is populated with warm-hearted and loving people, including Archie, a widowed single dad of two young daughters.

This is a warm and cozy kind of read, the kind you want to curl up with, sipping a cup of tea and cuddled into a warm blanket, and never want to see it end.

I just love this little town of Starshine Cove. It definitely seemed like a very magical and cozy place especially during the holidays. I quickly fell in love with the characters and the place. This book was a cozy Christmas book and was full of friendship, family and romance!

I throughly enjoyed this sweet book and the story was different and made me feel warm and satisfied once I'd finished it. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

It was so good to be back in Starshine Cove, in the company of the quirky residents in the seaside village. A great catch-up with some of the characters we met in the first book, and wonderful meeting two new characters & their families (although we briefly met one in the first book, this book is easy to enjoy as a stand-alone, although I would recommend reading the first as it is lovely).
I enjoyed reading this book, although some aspects felt a little far-fetched … but after all it is fiction.
I am hoping there will be a return trip to Starshine Cove in the future as it is a feel-good place to visit, even through the pages of a book.

A feel good romantic read set in the winter . Cally, a hairdresser based in Liverpool decides to take off to the Dorset coast in the christmas holidays. Her mother, who has been dependent on her, has moved to Scotland and her teenage son has just had a romantic breakup. Cally has memories of staying in a village with her parents, just before her father died.
I liked this book which is a sweet story about Cally rebuilding her life after years of looking after her son and her mother. It is entertaining, though perhaps in places a little too optimistic regarding establishing friendships and the comoplications of family relationships. Sometimes it is just good to read a book where you know everything is going to work out OK (no spoilkers here, but I got that idea quite early on)
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Welcome back, a new book from Debbie, you always get a good read from her books. Returning to Starshine Cove with good characters and lovely setting. Well worth 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

Such a cute book the storyline going through everything and the way that it's a place you have to stumble across makes it so much cuter and the ending omg amazing

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for sharing with me an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.
Debbie Johnson is an author that I have returned to for a guaranteed feelgood read. In her Comfort Food Café series, as you could imagine from the titles, each book treated you a warm hug in book form, and this series Starshine Cove, is heading in the same direction. This is the second book in the series.
Cally’s world has been upended just before Christmas. Her reclusive mum has got herself a life and moved from around the corner in Liverpool all the way up to Scotland with her new beau Kenneth. Disaster strikes at the hairdressers where Cally works when the ceiling caves in. And her 18-year-old son Sam is going through his own troubles after being dumped. With nowhere better to be for Christmas, Cally impulsively drives south, to the little bay where she remembers having her last happy childhood holiday before her dad died, Starshine Cove.
Stumbling into the local pub in the middle of a fairy and pirate party, Cally and Sam are welcomed inside and dragged into the festivities, and their holiday in Starshine Cove begins. We meet the cast of characters in the pub. There’s Jake the pub landlord, and Connie the owner of the café, and two adorable little girls and their dad, Archie, a rugged giant.
I give this book 3 stars. All the ingredients are here in the book but somehow there is something missing from this book. The story makes for a gentle ride on the teacups rather a rollercoaster of drama and adventure. Starshine Cove brings a little bit of magic but for me, this book doesn’t sparkle like the Comfort Food Café ones.

I always love Debbie Johnson reads and this was no exception. This is very easily read as a standalone story instead of part of a series (I know this because I didn't realise it was part of a series until after I was done!!).

Cally is a single mum living in Liverpool who experiences a shock when her own mother, who she's had to look after for most of her life since the death of her father, decides to start wearing leggings and try out internet dating! When she moves to Scotland with a new man, Cally is left wondering what her purpose is now. After the salon that she works at unexpectedly closes, she decides on a whim to take her teenage son, Sam, and go on a trip to find the last place she can really remember her Dad. When a large snowman shows her the way to a small town that she can just barely remember, she starts to learn there's a lot in life that she's missing out on.

I really enjoyed this book and would like to read it again already! The characters were flawless, the story was paced well and although there was some sadness, there were plenty of funny moments too. I just wish this was a real place so that I could visit!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is a great holiday romance. It’s is a great feel good book about a loving accepting community. Cally’s dad died after a holiday that her and her mum and dad had at Starshine Cove. This memory she had of her dad is a happy one. She then spent many years looking after her mum who sunk into depression. Cally’s marriage failed and she was left to look after not only her mother but her son. When her mum finds love Cally feels lost as she is no longer needed. Christmas Eve she decides to take her son Sam back to the last place she remembers being happy with her dad. Starshine Cove. Cally and Sam fit in immediately to the little town and Cally soon finds out that the memory she has of being happy here wasn’t how it was. She meets and falls in love with Archie who has two young daughters. Archie is a dedicated dad and when things start to get serious he and Cally have to make a decision on what their future holds.

This was such a fabulous holiday read. I really enjoyed this book and the people of Starshine Cove. The small town feel, the dogs, and the feeling of the town being "hidden" made it feel magical. Cally is a single mom that has taken care of her son who is now an adult and her mom who went into a depression after the death of her husband. There is some heavier content and I cried a few times, but that is what made this book so good. If you are looking for a feel-good holiday romance, set in a small town, this could be the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the second book in a series, but it can be read as a standalone novel. If you are familiar with Debbie Johnson's books, this one is reminiscent of the Comfort Food Cafe series.
I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters are likeable and it is a real feel-good and heartwarming story. There is some sadness and a theme of grief, but overall this is a joyful and enjoyable read.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.