Diving Into Helen Pollard's The Little Shop in Cornwall
The Little Shop in Cornwall was an expected good surprise. I was expecting to read a cute little romance story, but instead, I was greeted with depth, true life struggles and the obstacles people go through to overcome them.
The story of a new age shop owner, Claudia and the newcomers Jason, a widower, and his daughter, Millie was a charming take on starting life over after leaving behind painful memories. I enjoyed reading the slow burning love that blossomed between Claudia and Jason as it took on a realistic and understandable pace. Although they are polar opposites in their beliefs, they are able to come to an understanding and respect for each other as they realize they want their friendship-turned-relationship to work.
A nice touch Helen Pollard did was successfully describe the Cornish landscape, which makes this book a fitting beach read, or at least, makes you feel like you’re seeing the rolling waves right by Claudia’s shop.
I especially loved the growth the author portrayed Millie in the story as she started off as an angry teen who slowly opened up due to Claudia’s insightful and understanding ways. It brought a smile to my face when I read Millie took ownership during Claudia’s cat fiasco by stepping up and taking initiative.
Jason’s struggle of connecting with a daughter who is grappling with the grief over her mother’s death the year prior, was heartbreaking and the author completely makes you feel that frustration that he was experiencing.
Although there were moments where the cycle of Claudia and Jason coming to an understanding, then fighting, then doing it all over again was a bit too much and repetitive, the story of their relationship gave the book a good deepness to it. Let’s just say that the cover, although very cute, through me for a loop and delivered a story that was completely unexpected (in a good way!)
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Book Description
Claudia thought she knew how this summer was going to go. Turns out, she didn’t have a clue… It’s been two years since Claudia arrived on the beautifully rugged Cornish coast with nothing but a suitcase to her name. She’d walked out on the husband who had never loved her, ditched the corporate job she’d never wanted and vowed that no gym membership card would come within ten feet of her ever again. Swapping boardrooms and cocktails for a little shop right at the end of the beach road should have been a bit of a shock. But from the moment she first laid eyes on the empty, run-down store, Claudia knew this was where she was meant to be all along. After all that upheaval, Claudia was looking forward to a quiet summer, full of the usual holiday makers and long walks along the clifftops. But life in her patch of paradise is about to change in more ways than one. Enter recently widowed Jason, dragging his sullen teenage daughter Millie in tow. Millie and Claudia immediately hit it off. And while Millie loves everything about Claudia’s free-spirited way of life, practical architect Jason is less than thrilled about his daughter’s new interests. He doesn’t shy away from telling Claudia exactly what he thinks and sparks fly every time they meet. But as circumstances throw Claudia into Jason’s path in increasingly unexpected ways, she begins to glimpse what lies beneath his fiery temper and sharp tongue. Claudia was sure her new life was perfect in every way. But was there something missing after all? The perfect summer holiday escape, full of warmth, humour and heart. Fans of Sarah Morgan, Cathy Bramley and Phillipa Ashley will be charmed by this seaside romance.
Author Bio
As a child, Helen had a vivid imagination fuelled by her love of reading (long past her bedtime!) so she started to create her own stories in a notebook. She still prefers fictional worlds to real life and loves infusing her writing with humour and heart. Helen lives in Yorkshire with her husband, two grown-up (in theory) kids and a Jekyll and Hyde cat. She enjoys reading, coffee with friends and indulging her nostalgia by watching old seventies and eighties TV shows.
https://helenpollardwrites.wordpress.com/
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https://twitter.com/@helenpollard147/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8647878.Helen_Pollard
Buy Links
Amazon: https://bit.ly/2Y8VRhk
Apple: https://apple.co/30mq9zU
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2UmIbOS
Google: https://bit.ly/2AbYKG4
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