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Sunshine at the Comfort Food Café
by Debbie Johnson
#4 in the Comfort Food Café Series
HarperCollinsUK
400 pages
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Perched on a windswept cliff on the stunning Dorset coast at what feels like the edge of the world, the café and its warm-hearted community are a haven for lost souls who happen to wander by with a heavy heart and a story to tell.
Serving up the most delicious cream teas; beautifully baked breads, and carefully crafted cupcakes, there’s nothing a cup of tea and a delicious treat won’t fix. For tourists and locals alike, the ramshackle cafe overlooking the beach is a beacon of laughter, companionship, and security – a place like no other; a place that offers friendship as a daily special, and where a hearty welcome is always on the menu.
So make yourself at home, catch up on the gossip with old friends, meet new ones and fall in love at the Comfort Food Café.
My Thoughts:
I absolutely adore this series by Debbie Johnson, and not only because it is set in my favourite county in England but because the characters are so diverse but all loveable in their own way.
If you haven't read the previous books in the series don't worry - the author cleverly gives the reader a concise background when the buyer of Briarwood, the run-down former children's home, moves into the village of Budbury and our main character Willow writes him a reference book so he can recognise the local residents without having to go through the painful ordeal of making introductions.
Willow is struggling to cope with mum Lynnie's Alzheimers despite the amazing support of Budbury's close knit community. Circumstances and a little help from the village's newest resident lead to Willow finally contacting her estranged siblings in an attempt to bring the family back together to try and ease daily life not just for herself but also in attempt to make life easier for Lynnie as she spends more of her time living in the past due to her condition.
Debbie Johnson has portrayed life with dementia in a sensitive yet very real manner, celebrating the fun day to day happenings while still balancing these with the scary emotions both the sufferer and their family members go through every hour of every day.
Every book in this series has been a complete triumph and the latest instalment had me laughing and crying in equal measure. One example of Debbie's brilliant writing which stood out for me was a quote from nonagenarian Edie: "It's not just your generation who does complicated. The films might have been black and white back then, but our lives weren't."
If you haven't read the previous books in the series don't worry - the author cleverly gives the reader a concise background when the buyer of Briarwood, the run-down former children's home, moves into the village of Budbury and our main character Willow writes him a reference book so he can recognise the local residents without having to go through the painful ordeal of making introductions.
Willow is struggling to cope with mum Lynnie's Alzheimers despite the amazing support of Budbury's close knit community. Circumstances and a little help from the village's newest resident lead to Willow finally contacting her estranged siblings in an attempt to bring the family back together to try and ease daily life not just for herself but also in attempt to make life easier for Lynnie as she spends more of her time living in the past due to her condition.
Debbie Johnson has portrayed life with dementia in a sensitive yet very real manner, celebrating the fun day to day happenings while still balancing these with the scary emotions both the sufferer and their family members go through every hour of every day.
Every book in this series has been a complete triumph and the latest instalment had me laughing and crying in equal measure. One example of Debbie's brilliant writing which stood out for me was a quote from nonagenarian Edie: "It's not just your generation who does complicated. The films might have been black and white back then, but our lives weren't."
The series so far:
About the Author:
Debbie Johnson is an award-winning author who lives and works in Liverpool, where she divides her time between writing, caring for a small tribe of children and animals, and not doing the housework. She writes romance, fantasy and crime - which is as confusing as it sounds!
Her best-selling books for HarperCollins include The Birthday That Changed Everything, Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe, Cold Feet at Christmas, Pippa's Cornish Dream and Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper. Debbie's next title is The A-Z of Everything, released on April 20.
You can find her supernatural crime thriller, Fear No Evil, featuring Liverpool PI Jayne McCartney, on Amazon, published by Maze/Avon Books.
Debbie also writes urban fantasy, set in modern day Liverpool. Dark Vision and the follow-up Dark Touch are published by Del Rey UK, and earned her the title 'a Liverpudlian Charlaine Harris' from The Guardian.
Her best-selling books for HarperCollins include The Birthday That Changed Everything, Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe, Cold Feet at Christmas, Pippa's Cornish Dream and Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper. Debbie's next title is The A-Z of Everything, released on April 20.
You can find her supernatural crime thriller, Fear No Evil, featuring Liverpool PI Jayne McCartney, on Amazon, published by Maze/Avon Books.
Debbie also writes urban fantasy, set in modern day Liverpool. Dark Vision and the follow-up Dark Touch are published by Del Rey UK, and earned her the title 'a Liverpudlian Charlaine Harris' from The Guardian.
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