I love the Autumn & this book brings the colours of this beautiful time of the year. Good read that took me a time to get into but I really enjoyed this love story.

This was a nice sweet read with a cute romance I loved the small cozy town and its residents but I was hoping for a different ending

Coming Home To Starr’s Fall, by Kate Hewitt, is a cosy novel with a small-town autumn vibe.
This easy-to-read page turner is centred around the character Laurie Ellis who moves to Starr’s Fall to set up her pet shop/bakery where she meets the grumpy book shop owner, Joshua Reilly. As their relationship blossoms, and as she makes more friends and starts to feel at home, Laurie begins to look for her birth mother, a former resident of Starr’s Fall.
I really enjoyed reading this book by Kate Hewitt and I hope to read more in the future. I recommend Coming Home To Starr’s Fall to lovers of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe and other autumnal romance reads.

This book was as refreshing as walking down the street on a crisp autumn day, the leaves rustling on the ground in the breeze, and the smell of autumn in the air. I loved Starrs Fall and how the locals welcomed Laurie and Max with open arms! If I could close my eyes and transport myself into this town I would. The grumpy sunshine trope was present and accounted for and there was zero spice, which was nice for a change of pace. If you want to fully immerse yourself in a small town New England autumn, this book is for you! If you’re a fan of the Gilmore Girls, this book is also for you.

This was a 3.5 for me, rounding up to 4. It was cute and I loved Laurie. But it moved a bit slow and I think the romance in this could have been a bit deeper. I loved Max and all in all this was a fun time! I also think that Henrietta needs an ending to her story! Thanks to netgalley & Kate Hewitt for this arc. All opinions are my own.

PS: More thorough reviews will be posted on my Instagram wrap up, youtube wrap up, and on TikTok

I loved this book! I’ve read a few of Kate’s books in the past but none for a number of years as I got sucked down the rabbit hole of new authors. However, I’m thrilled I joined in this blog tour. This is a fabulously cosy, heart-warming read that shows that community can be a good thing, without making it over-sweet. Some books can over do the community support, everyone wanting to help vibe, but this one does it perfectly. I liked Laurie, Joshua and Max and it was a joy to watch them all interacting. Watching Laurie evolve in this new setting and take on some big challenges was so rewarding. Life isn’t always perfect and I find it nice when book characters also have to deal with some troubles in their journey. It makes them more realistic, and potentially inspirational, depending on the book. In this case, Laurie has her plans and her goals and she is determined to succeed, and happily isn’t above accepting some help along the way.

I enjoyed visiting Starrs Fall and meeting it’s residents. While it clearly needs some new life and new businesses, because it’s suffered with the effects of the pandemic and people’s changing shopping habits, it’s feels like a lovely place. The existing business, bakery, diner, etc make it easy to imagine popping in somewhere for a coffee and having a wander around the town window shopping and possibly buying the odd book. It also had a relaxed feel to it and that’s probably what contributed to the cosy feeling I had throughout the whole book. It’s absolutely perfect for this time of year, ideal reading after walking outdoors, perhaps in a woodland, experiencing all of the autumn colours, before going back home and getting all cosy indoors under a blanket with a hot drink in hand and this book.

A little bit broken and bruised...

Laurie chooses Starr's Fall to open a dog bakery (no, just no).
The town, its inhabitants and Laurie are all a little bit broken and bruised.
Joshua is the bookstore owner. There's a clue in his shop as to why Laurie is in this town.

I read "Coming Home to Starr’s Fall," and I found it to be a cozy, sweet, and heartwarming story. The book introduces Laurie, who moves to Starr’s Fall to start a pet store and bakery while also searching for a connection to her past. As she gets to know the townspeople, she starts feeling at home, especially with Max, her dog.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was the perfect read to kick off the autumn season. I liked the characters and would love to know more about them. Laurie was an inspiring character, and I appreciated her optimism. The small-town romance and opposites attract storyline was lovely, and I found the chemistry between Laurie and Joshua endearing.
Overall, it was a very pleasant and charming read, perfect for enjoying covered with a blanket and drinking a cup of tea. This is the second book by Kate Hewitt that I've read, and I definitely want to read more of her work.

3.5 stars rounded up. Laurie Ellis has two wishes: one is to open her own pet store/bakery and the second is to find her mother. She was put up for adoption as a baby, but unfortunately grew up in foster care when her adoptive parents could no longer keep her. Her only clue is what was on her birth certificate: her mother's name and the town she lived in. Based on this information, Laurie moves to Starr's Fall in Connecticut to pursue her dreams. Shortly after arriving she meets grumpy bookstore owner, Joshua Reilly, who thinks a bakery for dogs is ridiculous. He is cat sitting, and Laurie's little dog, Max is scared to death. As the animals get accustomed to one another, Laurie and Joshua begin spending more time together and there is definitely chemistry. Laurie continues to try and get information about her mother, but keeps hitting dead ends. It isn't until she meets town recluse and the only living member of the founding family, Henrietta Starr, that Laurie begins to feel at home and welcome in Starr's Fall. When she finally opens up to Joshua about her past, he is able to help her in her search. Will sharing secrets help them get together?

Coming to Starr's Falls is not a heavy hitter, but an easy read, predictable romance. I enjoyed the setting and characters. I loved seeing how Laurie becomes friends with Henrietta Starr and finding out about her past. As time passes, Laurie and Joshua feel the chemistry and eventually the spark ignites. I liked how the town accepted her into their community and supported her business. This is a slow story, with an enemies to friends to more theme. I've read many stories where adoptive children find their parents and all goes well, but this isn't always the case in real life, so it was nice to see this story buck that trend. There are themes of new beginnings, grief, found family, multi-generational friendship, and romance. The story was not deep, but the characters were wonderful in the town. I did enjoy this one, but it was somewhat predictable.

I read this as an ARC on NetGalley. I loved everything about this book, the characters, the setting, the plot. Everything! It was filled with finding home and love. I am hoping this will become a series.

I haven’t read a Hewitt romance in ages; all I remember of them is that Hewitt wrote not-too-over-the-top, well-written HPs. Coming Home to Starr’s Fall is far from an HP; au contraire, with its “kisses-only” ethos, circumspect hero and heroine, and small-town gentleness, it’s a competent, pleasant read but the drama llama is shorn. If I have a criticism, it’s that it starts with a strong grumpy-sunshine romance and veers away from romance to turn women’s fiction in the second half. Because I’m not much of a WF fan, my attention and liking waned. The return to the romance in the final pages was anti-climactic. Here’s the publisher’s blurb to give us some focus before further commentary:

The leaves are falling, with a crispness to the air, along with the scents of coffee and pumpkin spice, past a half-empty street of shuttered storefronts and a bandstand that has seen better days…

Just like the whole town of Starr’s Fall, thinks Laurie Ellis – as she and her beloved dog Max head to collect the store keys. Maybe she has seen better days, too, but she’s certainly ready for a new start—and to leave her past behind. Still Laurie wonders whether she made a terrible mistake in coming to lovable but shabby Starr’s Fall. Will she even find customers for her pet store and bakery, never mind a community to welcome and accept her?

Not according to Joshua Reilly, the handsome but grumpy manager of the bookstore across the road, who claims he’s never heard of anything so ridiculous as a bakery for dogs.

But Laurie remains stubbornly undeterred. She’s starting over, right here. Not least because she has another secret reason for being here… one she isn’t telling anybody, at least not yet, as it involves her own tragic past.

What she doesn’t yet know is that a clue to the mystery is hidden deep in Joshua’s bookstore. And he doesn’t yet realize that Laurie herself might be the key to mending his own battered heart… for Laurie and Joshua and the whole town, it’s going to be a fall to remember.

Hewitt is a smooth, adept writer and the writing kept me reading, even when the subject left romance’s shores and landed on the craggy coast of women’s fiction. Moreoever, Hewitt drew two likeable protagonists in Laurie and Joshua: they’re funny and sad in the way a great romance writer can make protagonists who’ve suffered and yet who maintain a sense of humour. This is true of Laurie and of Joshua; the wonderfully-drawn animal characters, Laurie’s cutie-pie dog Max, and Joshua’s cat-sitting of regal, slightly-nasty escapist artist cat, his aunt’s actually, Lea, are a hoot.

Joshua and Laurie come with painful pasts, adding to the pathos and yet, the humour lightens the mood enough to make for an entertaining read, especially in the first half. Add the small-town characters and a slightly shabby town trying its best and you have a sold read. Laurie’s backstory is heartbreaking as we slowly put together her childhood in the foster child system. Despite what is a painful, lonely life, Laurie works hard to be cheerful, positive, and hopeful. She isn’t Pollyanna-ish and she’s not naïve. I liked how Hewitt made her strong but honest about her feelings of loneliness, deep desire to belong, find community, and find friends. Starr’s Fall isn’t perfect, but there are enough good people in it to make her feel welcome. Joshua, on the other hand, does anything but…and Laurie still smiles and greets and doesn’t let him get away with his grumpiness. She wins him over without making it a mission, just by being herself.

Joshua too had a hard time of it. He lost his mother to cancer as a child, had a cold, difficult relationship with his father, gave up his musical career in NYC to care for him when he was ill and dying, and was abandoned by his fiancée…dumped by text no less. He has good reason to be a grump, yet so does Laurie and she isn’t. Their exchanges are affectionate, the banter is gently funny, and honest. Hewitt shows us compatibility and builds Laurie and Joshua’s romance on it.

Then the romance stalls and slips out of the narrative because Laurie’s motivations for being in Starr’s Fall is more than a yearning for community, friendship, and making a work dream come true. As if that isn’t enough, she’s also in town (not a spoiler, it’s in the first chapter) to find her biological mother. While I didn’t enjoy how Hewitt veered a lovely romance into WF territory, the resolution to Laurie’s search is original, surprising, and not what I expected. It is to Hewitt’s credit that her realistic portrayals of several characters’ struggles was unique and compelling (Laurie’s first friend, for example, struggles as her mother’s care-giver). Maybe there’s too much going on here, or Laurie and Joshua are so easy and lovely together that there isn’t much room for more romance in this novel. In the end, an enjoyable, well-written read, with an appealing setting, and engaging secondary characters, especially the pets; if you’re good with it turning away from romance and towards WF, you’ll greatly enjoy this. With Miss Austen, we say Coming Home to Starr’s Fall is “almost pretty,” Northanger Abbey.

Kate Hewitt’s Coming Home to Starr’s Fall is published by Boldwood Books and released on September 18. I received an e-galley from Boldwood Books, via Netgalley. The above is my honest, Generative-AI free opinion.

Think Virgin River with fall vibes. I was looking for a comfy read to get me in the fall mood. This book had it all!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

For fans of Gilmore Girls looking for their next heartwarming fix, this novel delivers. The story follows Laurie Ellis as she relocates to a charming Connecticut town and embarks on the adventure of opening a gourmet dog store. Along the way, Laurie finds herself swept up in small-town life, complete with unexpected friendships, quirky local characters, and plenty of humor. There's a sprinkle of romance, beloved town traditions, and sweet comedy that make this story irresistible. With its cozy setting and feel-good charm, this book is the perfect companion for a chilly fall day, when you want to curl up with a blanket and watch the leaves drift from the trees. Full of heart and small-town warmth, it’s an ideal pick for anyone craving a light autumn read.

This was a sweet, adorable and charming book perfect for fall. I loved meeting all of this new town (to me ) characters and getting a look into their community. The newcomer really fit in just perfect and befriended so many. While there were a few parts that felt slow to move through or repeating, it just moved along and was enjoyable.
I will definitely be reading the next book in this series as soon as it comes out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was just pure autumnal loveliness in book form from the gorgeous small town vibes to the descriptions of crunchy leaves and pumpkin spice. I wanted to live in Starr's fall, This is the story of Laurie who moves to Starr's fall for a new start and to open her pet store/ bakery and very soon wonders if she has made a mistake but decides to make the best of it.
She meets Joshua who is the very grumpy manager of the bookstore across the street and he thinks her business sounds like the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard.

A lovely story that i devoured in one sitting!

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Perfect cozy read to kick off autumn. The town of Starr's Falls is as quaint as they come and when Laurie Ellis and her companion, Max the dog, head there to open her pet shop/bakery, she is ready for both a fresh start and to revisit her past.

Positives:
Loved all the characters
Absolutely loved the setting and fall vibes
There was also some heavy themes addressed as well, such as heartbreak and adoption/found family.

Negatives:
None. This book is exactly what you would expect and more. I hope to read more of the characters of Starrs Falls.

A cosy, heart warming story with a fantastic community feel. The start of a brand new series, I was hooked from the start and really enjoyed learning more about Starr’s Fall so I cannot wait to return.
The story focuses on Laurie, who decides to relocate to Starr’s Fall in order to follow a dream of running a pet shop/bakery. We soon learn she has another, big, reason and why Starr’s Fall wasn’t a random choice of location.
I really liked Laurie’s attitude to things, she had had a difficult life and doesn’t have many people in her corner but arriving in this small but welcoming community does her wonders. She is quick to build connections and relationships with the locals, who welcome her with open arms.
The most surprising turn of events is her relationship with grumpy book store owner, Joshua. I thoroughly enjoyed how she helped him change his ways, that instant spark growing into a adorable romance.
Settling into life in Starr’s Fall, Laurie soon makes discoveries that give her the answers she has wanted all her life, but is he prepared for what this will mean?
Brilliant writing and great characters I already adore, Kate Hewitt has created a wonderful fictional town I’d love to visit, so I will eagerly await the chance to do so but recommend this book wholeheartedly.

Thank you for this advanced copy of Coming Home to Starr's Fall by Kate Hewitt. It was really a charming feel good story. I loved the character of Laurie finding her new way into a small town and of course all of the characters. This was my first Kate Hewitt but will not be my last.

If you are looking for a cozy , light read for autumn then I recommend you read this-grab a cup of tea and put your legs up by the fire and enjoy the charming small town vibes of Coming Home To Starr’s Fall.

Read this if you enjoy
-beautiful small town Connecticut setting
-light Hallmark-esque/Glimore Girls vibes
-dog bakery concept
-romance
-quick read
-self discovery and journey of Laurie, the protagonist
-happy endings

My rating 3.5 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC which will be published September 18 2024.