An enjoyable read that didn't have the main characters meeting and marrying within 2 weeks!
I loved the descriptions of the area and the unusual choice of shop the story was based around.

Claudia Bennett realises her marriage to Lee is over and three years later she is the proud owner of a shop called Healing Wave in Porthsteren, Cornwall. Here she can be the person she wants to be, free of Lee's controlling influence. Porthsteren is a typical Cornish coastal village - beach, harbour, picturesque houses and individual shops. Jason Craig and his teenage daughter Millie also move to Porthsteren to make a fresh start after the death of Jason’s wife Gemma. Jason is sceptical of Claudia's shop but Millie loves it. The equilibrium of the village is unsettled by the opening of a new shop which seems to be in direct competition with Claudias.

First of all, I love the setting. Oh to be in magical Cornwall right now! It’s a place I’ve loved since I was a little girl and so a Cornish setting always resonates especially when it’s as well described as this. I could sense the calming, soothing waves and the beach and the wild beauty. The story is well written, the storyline flows and it has interesting characters too. I have to mention the cat Pudding as he’s probably the biggest (literally!) character of them all! The story captures the village setting so well and I love the fascinating magical elements it contains. The growing friendship between Millie and Claudia is heartwarming though Jason’s initial disdain can be felt from Yorkshire! I really admire Claudia's philosophy, her desire to be in tune with herself and her positivity even when the chips are down. There are several themes running through the book such as the value of friendship, grief and loss, the difficulties within relationships all with magical overtones. The turbulence of Jason and Claudia’s friendship is depicted well and feels real. I like the way the novel ends.

Overall, it’s an easy, breezy, escapist summer read that is enjoyable with the added bonus of a wonderful setting, interesting characters and a good reflection of a small community.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

I absolutely adored this book. Made me wish I'd written it! A delightful tale of a gorgeous village in Cornwall and a lovely set of characters made me wish I was part of this community!

When you need to stop the world and get off for a while, what can be better than a nice easy read set at the coast in one of the most beautiful counties of England? This book was just what the doctor ordered and I could almost smell the sea air as Helen Pollard described Claudia, lead character, taking a stroll along the beach having decided that the life she had in London was not what she had signed up for when she got married. She gathered everything she owned and set up shop (literally) in a little harbour town in south east Cornwall having divorced Lee and moved south to start afresh.

Healing Waves is her new age shop, a chilled out Aladdin's cave of wind chimes, healing crystals and oracle cards. Nestled next door to Sarah & Evelyn's bookshop 'The Porthsteren Page Turner' Claudia has settled in to her new life and is embracing her inner peace. Trade is picking up and she's beginning to feel confident that she made the right decision to move here. That is until new arrivals 14 year old Millie and her dad come crashing into her world.

Millie adores Claudia's shop, but dad Jason is extremely sceptical about the messages it is sending his vulnerable teenage daughter who has recently lost her mum. He thinks Claudia is trying to influence Millie, unsure of the nature of the items available to her in Healing Waves. The two adults clash on more than one occasion with Millie stuck in between the warring parties. Hostilities run hot and cold but it isn't until a rival shop opens up in competition with Claudia that Jason realises how innocent and well-meaning Claudia's intentions are - and just how much he would miss her if she were forced out of Porthsteren. Small town gossip threatens to ruin Claudia's dream but is it too late to patch up Jason and Claudia's fiery fall-outs?

This is a lovely feel-good novel, perfect to lift the mood which seems to have cast a cloud over many of us during the dreaded lockdown we have had to endure this year. The characters are very well drawn and with many myths about new age healing dispelled amongst the pages I found this to be an informative and enjoyable read.

I have lost count of how many books I have read that feature Cornwall. Could it be all the television shows set there? Whatever the reason, there’s no denying the beauty and history of the place and I find myself dreaming of my own Cornwall escape.Claudia has never regretted leaving city life behind for the beauty of Cornwall. She has a lovely shop, amazing friends and a cheeky cat named Pudding. Life changes when Jason and his yeenage daughter, Millie move to town. Millie is drawn to Claudia’s shop, and Claudia herself. Jason, not so much. A reluctant romance begins to blossom between the city loving widowers and the shop owner, but will Jason ever give up his life in the big city?

This is the story of Claudia, a recently divorced shop owner in Porthsteren, and Jason, a recently widowed dad of Millie. Claudia and Jason tiptoed around each other for pages and pages but eventually – you guessed it! – got together in the end.

The storyline is pretty flat. Claudia’s shop features crystals, soaps, symbols and the like, which are plentifully – to the point of excessively – explained throughout the book. Repeatedly, the couple finds a reason to argue and get back together. Did I mention, repeatedly. A little ho-hum drama is thrown in when Hester’s Cauldron, a witchcraft shop, is tossed into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Little Shop in Cornwall.

A nice feelgood read, with nice and carefully written characters.

This is a story about Claudia who’s starting a new life in Cornwall. She had a shop with crystals, soaps etc en she’s enjoying her new life. Troubles entering the town of Porthsteren with newcomers widower Jason and his daughter Millie. And with a new shop with crystals and soaps and wicca stuff.

I really likes the characters in this novel. Claudia is sweet and always nice and honest. But when she speaks in private someone is hearing a negative speech and the gossip circuit is doing the rest. But with friends she’s coping with that. But she is also quarreling a lot with Jason, who is overprotecting about is daughter. We can seer where it ends between Claudia and Jason, but there are a lot mountains to climb before the happy end will close the story.

It’s funny and recognizable and realistic. I love Porthsteren, I like the people, I like the story. I like the way meditation, crystals, wicca and withcraft are woven into of the story. It’s a really nice feelgood summer read.

Where better to be than by the sea. Where you can breathe in the clean air, listen to the waves crash and retreat against the shore as your worries drift away and you start to heal.

What better place to visit that Healing Waves, Claudia's little shop at the end of the beach road. Claudia escaped here from her frantic city life and re-balanced herself and made friends with the locals, her neighbours and the tourists that come to her shop. With her cat Pudding, Claudia has found the life she wants.

Jason and teenage daughter Millie, have moved to be nearer Millie's grandparents. Life has been tough for them in recent months and Jason is hoping a change of scenery will be what they both need. What he wasn't expecting was Millie's fascination with Claudia's shop and her interest in things that Jason has no understanding of.

Jason is scared of the unknown which is why he has taken an immediate dislike to what he thinks Claudia stands for. When he learns of a new shop opening in the seaside town and that Claudia's friends are perhaps slightly usual he starts to question the rights and wrongs of his move and the influence over impressionable teenagers.

But it seems that someone else in the town is none too take with Claudia and her shop, as natural disasters and man made ones seem to hit Claudia perhaps there is some sort of curse hanging around.

Help comes for Claudia where she least expects it and it seems that opposites can attract and that getting under the skin of someone and making them question is perhaps what she has been missing in life.

A bright sunny book which has so much spark in it, the interaction between some of the characters jumps right off the page and you find yourself fully immersed in the story and the setting. I was writing my own worries and problems on the sand and watched the sea take them away.

Escape to Cornwall this summer and heal all your troubles and meet some new friends. I hope we get to return here again soon.

"The Little Shop in Cornwall" was a great read. It was light, romantic and uplifting. I loved the main character, Claudia, and her store, Healing Waves. I admired the fact that she was able to get herself out of a bad situation and do something with her life that she truly enjoyed. She made me wish that I did yoga and studied the spiritual properties of crystals! She was a great friend and confidant to Millie, who was in the process of grieving her mother's death and moving to a new place. The romance was very cute, even if Jason couldn't get out of his own way. The setting was beautiful and the characters were colorful. I would highly recommend this book.
#netgalley #thelittleshopincornwall

If you want to escape to a picturesque Cornwall village, this is the book for you. After leaving her husband and career in London, Claudia has found contentment owning a New Age shop in Cornwall. She finds early on that a certain lack of privacy comes with village life, but thinks she has adjusted.

New widower Jason moves to town with his teenaged daughter, Millie. The Goth- looking girl is adrift, and Claudia immediately takes her under her wing, to the consternation of rational, logical Jason, who thinks her new age leanings are a bunch of hooey.

Just as they work out a sort of peace, a new shop opens in town, directly competing with Claudia’s, while hers falls victim to vandalism and evil rumors, not to mention a significant drop in business. As Claudia and Jason navigate their burgeoning attraction, each must figure out how much they can risk to be together.

A good distraction during troubling times. #NetGalley #LittleShopInCornwall

Claudia has built a happy life and business in Cornwall- she has a new age shop and it's a fun place. Jason, a widower with his 14 year old daughter Millie, is not amused. He's an architect and his feet are firmly on the ground. Millie loves the store and she's most admiring of Claudia but Jason, not so much. You know these two are going to overcome that- their dialogue is wonderful and they make a good couple. Jason steps up when competition comes to town, and that's just nice. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a "takes a village" romance (I loved all the other people and, of course, Claudia's cat) AND it's set in Cornwall! It's light, it's fun, and it's a happy read- perfect!

When I finish this book I just felt meh. In the beginning I was invested in it but as it went along I just started getting bored by it. I didn’t really love the characters and By the end I was glad it over. I felt the Hesters Cauldron storyline didn’t tie up an end very well and thought it was ridiculously quick for two people who were on and off to move in together at the end.

I am so honored to have received this eARC from Netgalley.

Claudia leaves a toxic relationship to live the life that makes her happy. Claudia is happy and owing her own shop Healing Waves, teaching classes about crystals and having meditation classes. Then, Jason and Millie move to town. Claudia and Millie seem to hit it off fairly quickly but Jason is a different story. He doesn't believe in the things that Claudia believes in or sells and he doesn't want his daughter around it either. As time goes on, a new shop opens in town and things turn bad for Claudia. Jason and Claudia form a friendship and then a relationship, that's seems to have more downhills than uphill.

This was a great story about friendships and relationships. It had me laughing, tearing up and at times saying "what is wrong with you"! I hope this story continues. I would love to see where the relationship between Claudia, Jason and Millie lead.

I can't wait to read more from this author!

I am not a Rom-com person but I could not put this book down. It was so delightful, the perfect beach read for this summer!
I could not put this book down! It has a mixture of romance and very light-hearted drama to make it a perfect beach read. The storytelling was very descriptive and detailed to make you feel like you are there with them, I really enjoyed that. Opposites truly attract in this book. A curly-haired new age healing shop owner and a straight edge architect and father falling for each other, who would have thunk that. I found myself getting angry with certain characters and laughing out loud with others it is such a fun read. I will say the way it ended made me feel as if there should be a sequel. Definitely glad I read this one.

I actually really enjoyed this book. It’s a little more emotional than my usual fare (as I expected from the blurb), but it takes it at a slow, mostly peaceful, pace that is very relaxing to read. I liked Claudia very much, she had the strength to leave her husband (in the prologue) and work out what she really wanted from life. She perseveres even when things are difficult, but she’s not infallible, and still gets stressed and upset about things. Jason, and especially his daughter Millie, are also very appealing characters, who have also been through a difficult time. It’s wonderful seeing Millie gradually come out of her shell. The character development in general is excellent.

The story comes to a very satisfying happy ending, though I do have some small doubts about whether Claudia and Jason will make it long term if Jason carries on putting his foot in it to such an extent. But I think they have better chances than a lot of couples do. I hope there will be a sequel set in the same place, perhaps focusing on other characters, but we could see how Claudia, Millie, and Jason are getting on.

I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Absolutely gorgeous read which I haven’t wanted to put down. This has been the perfect sunny afternoon read and escape. I have liked the characters and it flows as an easy read.

I enjoyed this quick read for the most part. A father and daughter move to a new town for a fresh start and meet a local new age store owner who did the same 2 years prior. Jason and Claidia are at odds and yet romance ensues. A quick read but Jadon is excused for a lot of what I would consider bad behavior by Claudia despite he commitment to be independent, which irked me.

Claudia moves to Cornwall to set up her own business after her marriage failed. Now she’s part of a community and lives the life she wants. Recent widower, Jason, is new in town and has his teenage daughter, Millie, with him. Sparks fly over Millie’s interest in Claudia’s New Age shop but will the initial hate become something more?
Meantime there’s a new business in town and it spells trouble for Claudia and could threaten her haven permanently.
I loved the character of Claudia. She seemed to have life sorted and tried to suit herself whilst living by a ‘no harm’ motto. I loved the way her relationship developed with the grieving Millie and seemed to help her come to terms with her loss. Her friendship with Tanya was also supportive and positive. However, I wasn’t sure about Jason. Yes he was trying to do his best for his daughter but he didn’t ever learn from his outbursts and mistakes and just kept repeating them. I wasn’t always sure their relationship was healthy.
I did love the Healing waves shop. It made a change from the usual cafes , cake shops or bookshops and I became quite interested in the idea of crystals.
In terms of what I wasn’t keen on - first of all Claudia loved her little town but I found it quite hostile and fickle, full of small minded people and couldn’t really see why she’d want to stay in the community. Secondly, I felt that there were some ends left untied- I wanted there to be some resolution to the feud and the hostility Claudia was facing. It just felt a little unsatisfying.
So a great sumner read but a few niggles.

A lovely escapist read. This is a nice addition to collections where women's fiction and contemporary romance are popular.

The Little Shop in Cornwall
by Helen Pollard
Bookouture
Romance | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 15 Jun 2020 | Archive Date 15 Jun 2020

Nice, light woman's fiction romance. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book. I am not familiar with the author but found this to be a great book to relax with.