Ever since I had the pleasure of spending a summer holiday in Cornwall a few years ago, I've become obsessed with this beautiful part of England. And I cannot thank Cressida McLaughlin enough for continuing to give me my Cornwall fix. Every time I'm craving a Cornish read, a new one by her hand is just around the corner. In the last year alone she has published The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday and The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop, and while her latest release – From Cornwall With Love – has a different title and cover design, I was delighted when I found out that it's another charming addition to her Cornish Cream Tea series. May it continue!
Maisie has always lived a quiet life in Port Karadow and that's just the way she likes it. She loves running her dad's hardware store and developing her photography skills on the side. Despite pressures from her mum to do something more with her life and settle down with the "nice" teacher from the local school, Maisie prefers the slower pace of life in the Cornish town and has never felt the need to move on like so many of her peers did.
And the only man Maisie ever had eyes for was her best friend from school, Colm. Colm who was supposed to stay around in Port Karadow with her when all their friends moved away for university. Colm, who suddenly left, moving halfway across the world to Australia and hasn't been back in Cornwall in a decade. Until he one day reappears out of the blue and walks into Maisie's hardware store.
From Cornwall With Love is the perfect summer getaway... and you don't even have to leave your house! I read this novel during one of the May Bank Holiday weekends and my goodness, the charming story and beautiful descriptions of the setting instantly transported me to the sun and beaches of Cornwall (I almost expected sand to fall out whenever I cracked open the pages!). Initially I was annoyed with myself for not getting my act together and booking a trip away during that weekend, but honestly, reading this book felt just as much like being on a relaxing holiday (even if Maisie's busy village life was the opposite of relaxing).
The prologue felt slightly different to what I'm used to from Cressida McLaughlin, as it's written from a teenage point-of-view rather than an adult one, but I appreciate that this part was necessary to establish the character of Maisie and her conflicting feelings for Colm. Once we got to the present time though, I was absolutely glued to the pages and rooting for Maisie to find happiness in whatever shape it would take. There were lots of people in her life with ideas of what she should and shouldn't do, and I am so glad that she stayed true to herself throughout.
And while new readers can dip into this novel without any prior knowledge of Cressida's fictional Cornish town of Port Karadow and its inhabitants, I do particularly enjoy all the subtle (and not so subtle) nods to past books and characters. Seeing little glimpses of these wonderful people's lives after their happily-ever-afters means that we don't have to truly say goodbye to the characters we've fallen in love with in her previous books.
I especially love the feeling of community the recurring of these lovely characters creates. Although it's perhaps giving me slightly unrealistic expectations as I now want to live in a town filled with people just like those from Cressida's books. A girl can dream, right?
From Cornwall With Love gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings (and I don't just mean from the sunshine and the sand). I'm at this stage in my own life where I am perfectly content not having grand ambitions but enjoying the simple pleasures of every-day, so I could really relate to Maisie – and I loved that message in this novel. There's no need to conform to societal pressures to be happy; just be yourself and that's good enough ❤️
From Cornwall With Love by Cressida McLaughlin is published by HarperCollins and you can now buy a copy from your favourite local book shop!
Disclaimer: This book was gifted to me, but this has not impacted this honest review.
Blog tour stops for From Cornwall With Love by Cressida McLaughlin
This review for From Cornwall With Love is a part of the official blog tour for the launch of the book. Make sure to check out the other stops too!
Disclaimer: This book was gifted to me, but this has not impacted this honest review.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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