This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
REVIEWED BY KIRA SLAUGHTER
Evie Flynn has always been the black sheep of her family- a dreamer and a drifter, unlike her over-achieving elder sisters. She’s tried making a name for herself as an actress, a photographer and a singer, but nothing has ever worked out. Now she’s stuck in temp hell, with a sensible, pension-planning boyfriend. Somehow life seems to be passing her by.
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Then her beloved aunt Jo dies suddenly in a car crash, leaving Evie an unusual legacy- her precious beach cafe in Cornwall. Determined to make a success of something for the first time in her life, Evie heads off to Cornwall to get the cafe and her life back on track- and she gets more than she bargained for, both in work and in love…
Just looking at the cover of The Beach Cafe I know it’s going to be one of those novels where you struggle to put it down to do things such as, you know, eat and go to work. Right from the first chapter I was hooked on the story of Evie, the main character who considers herself to be the black sheep of her family.
At the beginning of the book there are a few chapters that explain the background of Evie’s family and the events that lead up to her accepting responsibility of her late aunt’s cafe in Cornwall. I have to say that going on the descriptions of Evie’s boyfriend, I can’t say I blame her for hotfooting it to Cornwall!
When Evie arrives not everything is plain sailing. She has some pretty awful staffing issues and the cafe is in a state of disarray, which is not how she remembers it from her childhood. She soon regrets her decision, but sticks it out as she wants to prove to her family, especially her super smart and perfect sisters, that she can be a success at something.
From there on things start to look up as she hires a new waitress and a gorgeous new chef (my list of chick lit hotties is getting longer with each book I read!) The descriptions of the scenery where the book is set are amazing and it made me want to give up my job and move to Cornwall for the summer. Lucy Diamond goes into amazing detail and there is hardly any effort needed to imagine yourself lying on the beach or waking up to an ocean view.
The Beach Cafe is a gorgeous summery read and I devoured it in days. With a great setting and some very likeable characters, I highly recommend you go and pick up your own copy and just imagine yourself lying on that beach in Cornwall.
9/10