Laurie Ellis is moving to Starr’s Fall, a town no one moves to anymore. Still, she has her reasons and rents a shabby storefront in the downtown to open a dog bakery and pet store. She is going to call it Max’s Place after her sweet dog, Max. Max is all Laurie has other than her optimism.

When she arrives, she meets various townspeople and is welcome by all with the exception of Joshua. Joshua (a.k.a. The Grinch) runs the bookstore across the street. They both live above their shops and can’t seem to avoid each other or make peace. No one in Starr’s Fall has heard of a dog bakery, but Joshua is the only one that tells her her dream is ridiculous.

The town of Starr's Fall totally gave me Gilmore Girl energy! This novel was so good - there was romance, friendship, aging parents, a struggling town, and the grumpy-sunshine trope! You can’t help but root for all the characters in Kate Hewitt’s latest novel Coming Home to Starr's Fall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood for the opportunity to read this book ahead of it’s publishing date.

An easy read with great characters and a wonderful story to get lost in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

A wonderful story to immerse yourself in with great characters. An easy read which kept me turning the pages. I’m glad to hear this is the first of a new series. I will look forward to catching up with everyone in the next instalment.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Set in a small New England town, Coming Home to Starr's Fall by Kate Hewitt is about a woman who has grown up in the care system and is family- and friendless. She inherits money and opens a pet shop and pet bakery (yes, I know; the world's a mad place). Of course her only friend in the world is her dog. She meets her grumpy neighbour and falls in love. So far, so expected. But she also traces her birth mother, her real reason for relocating to Starr's Fall. Her mother is horrible to her and there's no suggestion of a relationship forming. This element definitely added a strength to the book.

Laurie moves to Starr's Falls to start a new life with opening an pet and bakery store with her dog Max. She also wants to try and find her mother who came from there. She moves grumpy bookstore owner Joshua who stays away from everyone

Coming Home to Starr’s Fall 🍂

Laurie has spent her life bouncing from foster home to foster home, never having roots or anyone to call her own. Determined to find her birth mother, she moves to small town America, a little place called Starr’s Fall, where she knows her mother was from originally. She opens a pet store and bakery opposite a dusty old bookstore owned by a grumpy tenant who's less than impressed with the disruption.

✨

This was a charming, cosy Autumn read with some lovable characters and small-town community vibes. Which sounds amazing but I can understand why Joshua would get really frustrated living there sometimes with everyone knowing your business and feeling the need to stick their opinion in. I liked that Laurie brought a new lease of life to him and watching their relationship develop!

Up until the 70% ish mark, I was fully committed to giving this a 4 star rating but sadly the ending felt very rushed and didn't do it for me. Which is so gutting because I was really enjoying the story! I just needed more from those last few chapters to make it perfect 🫶🏽

Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy ☺️

A cute little easy read for the autumn when you don’t want anything too deep and meaningful.

I thought the characters lacked depth and the relationship was rather unrealistic. The storyline involving Rose was very unsatisfactory and needed more depth and development. I kept really hoping that Laurie was washing her hands when she kept picking up the dog!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

An unputdownable cozy clean romance novel with a warm ending, It's a new beginning for Laurie Ellis as she is moving with her cute loving dog Max to a promising location in Starr's Fall which is a wonderful something happening to her this fall - As 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…loved the author description of the place and atmosphere this way.

Laurie thought moving to Starr's Fall was actually having her own home ultimately that was magical and a miracle, leaving her depressing apartment she had been living with her foster Mom Nadine was something she was looking forward to. She was a foster kid to who had adoptive parents. Her plan to move as to open a pet store and bakery in Starr's Fall which the community friends found a bit strange. Why did she choose Starr's Fall as her home? I don't want to give away much of the story here and spoil the review. On her way to Starr's Fall, Anni Layman becomes her friend who helps her get to this place and welcomes her whole heartedly.

Laurie Soon becomes attracted to Joshua Reilly and shares her family stories and starts to date each other. Joshua is owner of a boo store at Starr's Fall and is taking care of his aunt's cat, Lea. While the romantic tension is building up between them Laurie is looking for her biological mother who gave her up for adoption when she was born and gives Laurie Starr's Fall as the place of her residence which leads her to come home to Starr's Fall looking for her own mother.

Joshua's book store and Laurie's date days with Joshua brings this novel to a delightful ending that the readers are waiting for.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for an advance copy for my honest review.
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What a wonderful read. I felt like I was transported to Starr’s Fall and really enjoyed meeting the characters. I hope that this isn’t the only book set in this location, I’d love to read more.

This book really transported me into Starr’s Fall. I could smell the fall air and feel the leaves crunch under my feet. I love how sweet this story is. Also, I love the journey that we go on with our main character. Packing my bags to move here immediately!

Sometimes you need easy reads. Ones that don’t need a lot of heart thumping action or tears coming down your face. They’re the book cleansers of cute….
….Cute like Starr’s Falls which intentionally (I’m guessing) is to give the same feelings as Stars Hallows of the beloved Gilmore girls series.

It’s the story of 2 broken up people who find love in a small town. Laurie finds her way to small town Starr’s Falls with the keys to open up a dog shop and bakery. But she doesn’t expect to have to deal with the business owner across the street.. accurately nicknamed Grinch.

But we all know the story of the grinch, and his heart is just grumpy because of the lack of love. And Joshua, has felt this too.

It was a sweet read (PG! So good for YA) that is only about 250 pages.

Coming Home to Starr's Fall was a sweet romance that follows Laurie a young woman who has decided to start fresh in the small town. She is opening a pet store and bakery, but she also has an ulterior motive. She is trying to find her biological mother who gave her up for adoption as a baby. As Laurie gets settled into Starr's Fall she begins to make friends with several of the locals including her grumpy neighbor, Joshua Reilly, a bookshop owner. As they begin to get close, feelings start to develop. But both of them have complicated pasts and neither quite knows how to rely and support each other. As the hunt for Laurie's mom continues, she begins to pull away from all of the people who have been her new friends.

The town of Staff's Fall immediately makes you feel like you are reading about an episode of the Gilmore Girls. It is a small New England town, with the friendly and quirky small town feel. However, it doesn't just feel like a Gilmore Girls episode. Kate Hewitt does a great job of making a cozy romance book with lots of heart, depth, and emotion. Laurie is a highly resilient character who has only been able to rely on herself for most of her life. She doesn't have any family and few friends. She is immediately taken with the town and it's people. I enjoyed that Laurie was a soft female who was resilient and strong but wasn't hardened by her life experiences. Instead she took those experiences to radiate joy and friendliness. She begins to feel at home in Starr's Fall and its residents. The side characters in the book were sweet and quirky as well. There were many emotions and sad moments that the characters overcame. The sense of found family and coming to a place where you can belong was a strong theme in this book. The end of the book also set it up to expand the series with other town folks.

I enjoyed this story. It was a wonderful cozy fall romance read with themes of small town romance, found family, and personal growth.

This was such a cute, fall-themed book! I love small town romances, and the Grumpy/Sunshine trope always makes me smile. Laurie had a rough start to life and I was so invested in seeing her and her dog Max make a success out of themselves. The townspeople were quirky and fun and I loved the autumn ambiance that the author described. Joshua was the perfect grump and it was nice to see his character development as the story went on. If you're a fan of Gilmore Girls, you'll definitely love this sweet, closed door, small-town romance!

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

If you're looking for a sweet little palette-cleanser book that is giving Autumnal, Stars Hollow, Lorelai & Luke vibes then this book is for you.

It was a super short book and as a result the characters lacked a little bit of depth and I wasn't super invested in the relationship. Also, the resolution of the 'Laurie looking for her birth mother' storyline was a bit abrupt and not very satisfying which is why I can't justify a higher rating.

But it was short, sweet, and did what it needed to do. I would be interested in reading more books in this series as I imagine the town and the townspeople will become more developed as the series goes on.

My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Coming Home To Starr’s Fall’ written by Kate Hewitt in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Laurie Ellis is making a fresh start in Starr’s Fall, Connecticut, by turning an empty store into a pet store and bakery. She meets Joshua Reilly the owner of ‘Reilly’s Antiquarian Books’ from across the street who gives the initial impression of being unfriendly. Laurie has chosen to live in Starr’s Fall as she’s looking for her birth mother who gave her up for adoption, giving her address as Starr’s Fall on the birth certificate.

I don’t often read romantic fiction but couldn’t resist ‘Coming Home To Starr’s Fall’ as it’s by Kate Hewitt who’s one of my favourite authors. It’s a romantic novel with perfectly described characters who come across as so friendly that I want to meet them. It’s an easy story to read with a simple predictable plot and although I knew from early on where the story was heading I still got a great deal of enjoyment from keeping up with the characters, not forgetting the loveable canine Max who the store is named after and the feisty feline Lea. As this is the first novel in this series I’m looking forward to reading more and watching the characters develop.

What a sweet story. I pictured such a cute little town. I enjoyed the cast of characters. The main characters have had a rough life. Kinda realistic.

This is such a cozy fall read! I really connected with the characters, and I wanted to pack all my stuff and move to Starr Falls! I recently moved so I felt a deep connection to Laurie Ellis and understand what it feels like to feel lonely in a new place. I was also adopted so I really felt connected to the story and enjoyed how the author talked about hard topics in a good way. I also really enjoyed the romance between Laurie and Joshua in this book and their meet cute. Also how do you not love a pet bakery this is everything you need for fall wrapped in one! Great book to get under a blanket with a cup of tea and your puppy to read!

Thank you, Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a cosy, clean romance! It’s for Gilmore Girls fans full of small town fun. There’s found family and romance.
It’s also for people who just want a chill clean romance, it’s like the pumpkin spice cafe without the spice.

This is a small town cozy vibe book. Laurie goes to Starr’ Fall to start over and she finds friendship and love. This is a book that makes you want to cuddle up with a blanket and a cup of coffee read. This book can have some trigger warnings for some, parental loss and being in foster care.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.

This was so cute and cozy and the perfect read to get me in the mood for fall!

The story starts with Laurie Ellis moving to small town Starr’s Fall, Connecticut with the goal of opening her own pet shop/bakery and finding answers about her family.

The romance was adorable! Joshua, the owner of the bookstore across the street, is considered the town grump and recluse. But after Laurie moves in and a few chance encounters, her cheerily optimistic outlook softens Joshua not only to her but to Starr’s Fall as well.

If you are looking for a clean, cozy romance, with a strong sense of community, and found family, Coming Home to Starr’s Fall is the perfect book to read this fall season.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read.

Coming Home to Starr’s Fall will be released September 18th, 2024