A heart-warming charmer that is deliciously feel-good, Rachel Burton’s uplifting novel The Tearoom on the Bay is a must-read for fans of Milly Johnson and Phillipa Ashley.

With her heart in pieces, Ellie finds herself in desperate need of a fresh start. She needs to go somewhere where she isn’t constantly persecuted by echoes of her past relationship and the only place she can think of where she can start again and not be constantly haunted by her break-up is the place she was at her happiest. Somewhere that makes her smile and which she simply cannot wait to get back to. The only place where she had felt at home: Sanderson Bay. With nothing keeping her tethered to her old life, Ellie decides that now is as good a time as ever to start over so she heads over to Sanderson Bay and begins to build a life for herself in the warm-hearted community that welcomes her with open arms.

So much has changed in a year for Ellie. No longer heartbroken, Ellie has built a brand new future for herself in Sanderson Bay. Now the owner of her own café, Ellie is living the dream serving delicious bakes and brewing artisan teas. She feels content and fulfilled and might even start to unshackle herself from her past and move on as she finds herself drawn to brooding Ben. Ellie feels like finally the time has come for her to embrace this brand new chapter in her life, but just when she thinks that she can take a leap of faith and take a chance on love, her former boyfriend strides back into her life and turns her wonderful new world upside down! Will Ellie end up losing everything a second time? Will any hope she might have had of a future with Ben be thrown into chaos and jeopardy? And will she still belong in Sanderson Bay?

Not only is poor Ellie having to deal with long-buried family secrets, but when she finds out that Ben might not be who she thought he was she begins to wonder whether she will continue to be held hostage by the past or whether the time has come for her to embrace her brand new future with the man who has come to mean everything to her: Ben.

Warm and witty, Rachel Burton’s The Tearoom on the Bay is an enchanting romantic escape that is as irresistible as a slice of your favourite cake. A poignant and emotional tale about letting go of the past, taking chances and falling in love, The Tearoom on the Bay has got it all: a gorgeous setting, a wonderful heroine, a handsome hero, loveable supporting characters and plenty of humour, drama and charm to keep readers gleefully turning the pages.

A romantic read I couldn’t help but fall in love with, Rachel Burton’s The Tearoom on the Bay is a compulsively readable tale I highly recommend.

Once you get into this story it's hard to put down. I love the sense of community this has from beginning to end. It's how places should be pulling together to help everyone.
Glad Ben and Ellie finely got together properly with no secrets.
I'm hoping there's a few more after this one as would like to know how they all get on.
I love the recipes in the back I'm going to try them black bean brownies

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book. I now need to look out for other books from this author

A lovely cosy read in a great setting. Ellie is a lovely main character and so you are rooting for her to have a happy ending with Ben but of course the path of true love never runs smooth! Lovely warmhearted read where the characters draw you in from the first pages

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Really enjoyable book by Rachel Burton.

Ellie has put everything into her little teashop in the bay and it's a great success. But she's neglected her own life. Along comes Ben - but if course the road is never smooth!

Nice Christmas theme to this book which I hadn't realised at first!

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This book leaves you with a good feeling when you finish it a great quick read.

Found this to be humdrum and with a pace that didn't really draw me in. Unfortunately, too slow for me and not my cup of tea (sorry for the pun!)

Such a sweet, fun Christmas romance.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was one of my favourite reads of 2020. Ellie returns to Sanderson Bay after a troubled time. She takes over her relatives cafe and runs a wonderful artisan tea shop. She can judge a customer and create a special blend of tea just for them. My wonderful friend Adele bought me some Russian Caravan tea because I was so enamoured with this idea.
There are secrets and you wonder how everything will pan out.
I absolutely loved this book.

A really sweet book from start to finish. I loved every character and the very adorable setting... and Christmas. It is a great story about a persons development as well as being a very lovely & love story. Such a cosy read that explores where you are from. It's well written, the plot is highly entertaining, the characters are well developed and likable.
An excellent read, highly recommended

Loved this book, most certainly one i couldn't put down if only we could visit the tearoom in real life!!

The Tearoom on the Bay by Rachel Burton
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars

You know, I have always been something of a sucker for an underdog story and this one really resonated with me. Sanderson Bay is a small town with all the charm and quirky personalities that often in habit such places. After years of living away from her home-away-from-home, Ellie has returned and is living her dream. For the first time in many, many years Ellie is happy and looking forward to her future.

In the wake of her boyfriend just walking away with no explanation, Ellie has done little to cultivate her personal life. She loves her little tea shop and spends nearly every waking hour developing new brews, serving her loyal customers, and hosting theme nights. Ellie loves her life and her circumstances and doesn’t see any real need to change what she’s been doing. Fate is a fickle mistress and often likes to shake things up just when a person thinks all is as it should be. To that end, Fate decides Ellie needs a visit from her rat bastard ex and the mysterious Ben, all within a few days of each other.

The ex really is a first-class jerk and the minute he walks in, Ellie realizes just how lucky she was when he walked out the door. In an effort to not be a jerk herself, Ellie allows her ex to sleep on her couch until he can figure out what and where he wants to be when he grows up. Ben, on the other hand, has a place to stay and what is, apparently, a load of heavy business to deal with while in town. Both Ben and Ellie are immediately attracted to one another, but each has his/her own reasons for remaining aloof. To make things even more awkward, Ellie is trying to start a new relationship with Ben while her ex is making himself at home and even working in her tea shop to help earn his keep.

Ben’s situation is difficult, at best, and downright tragic at worst. He’s trying to find closure related to the loss of his father and he juggles a horrible work schedule with the care of his mother. His current work assignment has taken him home to Sanderson Bay which allows for some of the closure to take place and some sneakiness to occur. While Ellie is unaware of Ben’s reasons for being in town, Ben is painfully aware of his reasons and is actually doing all he can to save what he has started to build with Ellie. Yet again, Fate steps in and yet again, it isn’t pretty.

The Bottom Line: WOW! It seems as if I actually agree with the Goodreads rating for a book 😊 There’s a lot of information that comes with this book and I enjoyed taking in every bit of it. Ellie is a wonderfully sympathetic character and I found myself really rooting for her. Ellie doesn’t have a particularly easy time in this read and one of my favorite aspects of the read, was the response of her family, friends, and the community around her. There is a great deal of support from the entire community and that is something I always appreciate in my reads. I also very much liked Ellie’s response to her ex and the various issues she is presented with; Ellie is tough as nails and her responses always seem to be spot on and just what I wanted out of her. This is another book where I certainly wouldn’t mind a sequel in which I get a glimpse of Ellie’s life a year or two in the future.

I adored this book!.
The characters were relatable and loveable, and the storyline was so beautifully written it bas you hooked!
With a beautiful setting, a fantastic plot and the most wonderful of endings, this book is a must read.

A great read with a warm, cosy café setting, I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining read. You sense early on that Ellie has hidden vulnerabilities and that someone in her past is responsible for her guarded attitude to taking a risk. She has returned to her childhood village and it exudes safety and community. You sense that Ben has something to hide from the beginning. I enjoyed the characters who visit the tearoom and Ellie’s care in matching them with a tea. How I wish the café was there to be visited! A delightful read as Ellie finds her confidence again.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book.

The Tearoom on the Bay is the first book I have read by Rachel Burton. It was a quick, light and pleasant read following Ellie as she returns to Sanderson Bay after a nasty break up and in doing so she will rediscover all that she left behind and perhaps come to an understanding that maybe she should have never left in the first place. That all she had ever wanted was really there all along, or maybe things will just prove too challenging and she will flee once again? Who knows but the journey to discovering the answer was an interesting one and the plot kept my attention at a time when I needed to switch off and relax. It’s not my favourite book that I read around the Christmas season but I still enjoyed it. The gorgeous cover suggests this is a full on Christmas book with the candy canes and the gingerbread man but it’s not at all as it’s merely mentioned towards the end of the book so if you want full on Christmas perhaps this is not the read for you but if you want an easy escapist read than it certainly is.

Sanderson Bay is a close knit community where people love to be part of other people’s business, in a good way for the most part, but sometimes it can be a bit intrusive. It’s a year since Ellie returned to seek shelter and comfort when her partner Marcus left her. Since moving to the bay she is less stressed and feels that she has room to breathe, the walls don’t always feel as if they are closing in. Running her grandparents café, The Two Teas Café, but her name is now on the deeds has given her a chance to indulge in her love of teas. She associates people with a certain tea and loves to find the right one that work wonders for individuals. The cafe sells a variety of loose leaf teas, teapots and tea drinking accessories and Ellie has been enjoying every moment of her time there. Yet there is a part of Ellie that still feels she has not put herself back together following the hurt caused by Marcus. Something is missing in her life and there is still a little niggle remaining that despite how far she has come in the last 365 days that there is a little void in her life. She dislikes this feeling and is desperate to call Sanderson Bay her forever home. But what is stopping her from fully embracing the new and wonderful opportunities she has been afforded so far since her return?

There was a wonderful cast of support characters who were stalwarts alongside Ellie. The ladies of the Knitting Club who meet weekly at the café were a varied bunch. Miranda, Clara, Lisa, Bessie and Sascha alongside Ellie form a good strong bond of friendship. Sascha perhaps is the closest to Ellie, she makes Ellie feel grounded and stops her feeling like a strong wind could blow her away. We got to know a little of her story as she too gave up her old corporate way of life and came to the bay to run the hotel with her husband. She is desperate to have a child and hopes the slower pace of life will help her to fall pregnant. I thought Sascha was a great support system to Ellie and her own personal storyline was written with empathy and love and I was rooting for a positive and happy outcome for her.

The knitting ladies are a devious little bunch and I mean that tongue in cheek and in a positive light. They are determined to set Ellie up with a man as they can see that is the one thing she is lacking in life. They know that Ellie enjoys running the café and by doing this you have to put yourself out there but deep down she is shy, introverted, private and anxious. But will the arrival of newcomer Ben who says he is in the bay on business and to take a little break open up a whole new conundrum for Ellie or will a little spark ignite to create a bigger flame?

Ellie has spent a long time worrying about what others think and years living up to expectations but now she is trying to do her own thing to make herself happy and healthy. Ben offers to help her with the social media side of the business and to inspire some more events to be held at the café but initially he came across as being very secretive. On a work level he was hiding something big from Ellie but also on a personal level too. I think he came to the bay with a work goal in mind. Maybe goal is not the right word perhaps mission would be better suited and he kept this secret from Ellie. But I understood why he did because he came expecting to get his business done and to move on to the next thing he didn’t bargain on feeling a connection with Ellie. He was torn between a rock and a hard place as to whether to come out with it and say why he was really there. As for his own personal demons maybe coming to the bay will force him to confront those too? I liked Ben as a character, I could see the frustrations he was grappling with that he was trying to keep quashed but surely he needed to allow them to come to the surface to deal with what he has been storing away for so long.

The plot overall was very easy to follow and I enjoyed observing Ellie go through some strife and angst in her life because I was hoping it would make her a better and stronger person when she could emerge out the other side. There is a face from the past set to cause more upset for her and it challenges her in many ways. On a personal and work level she has an awful lot to deal with and as we get a deeper insight in how she is feeling and all the thoughts and memories rushing through her mind you become more sympathetic to her stance and just wish that she doesn’t cave under the pressure and can find the correct path to resolve her problems and make her life complete. All in all The Tearoom on the Bay is a nice story with enough to keep you entertained and reading on and to give you a distraction from the endless stress we are experiencing in the world today.

This was a cute read which took me away from the realities of my life. Romance and relationships in the tearoom were the core where Ellie had to decide between her new romance and her ex. Secrets too abounded in the story which added to the mystery in the plot.

With feel-good characters and a loving atmosphere, the book was a quick read.

‘I sit down placing the teapot in front of me. The tea has brewed for exactly four minutes and I pour the reddish-brown liquid into my favourite blue and white striped china mug. No milk, no sugar. Just tea. I sit and watch the steam curling off the surface of the liquid as I allow it to cool and I wait for the subtle aroma of bergamot to hit me.’

The Tea Room on the Bay ticked so many fun boxes for me - great getaway escapism - and I was engaged from the very first page (quote above). If you love tales from tiny English villages full of community spirit and with a sweet romance thrown in - then you will love what Rachel is offering here. Added into this mixture is the recipe of overcoming those often tough hurdles life throws at you and how it is worth it when you follow the path meant for you and find true happiness.

‘Maybe there isn’t such a thing as the right time. Maybe there is just time. You can make all the plans in the world but the “right time” happens by chance when you turn up in the same place as somebody or something else. Some people call it fate.’

Of course all of the above is appealing when looking for that light read, however, what an added bonus that this one also involved TEA! If you are a tea lover then look no further! The Tea Room on the Bay has a wonderful assortment of teas, pots and cups. In fact, the tea room owner Ellie, has this gift of assigning a tea blend to those she meets! Now, that’s fun - ‘Do you ever stop thinking about tea?’ she asks. ‘Not really,’ I reply. I so want to go to Ellie’s tea rooms, sit in a cosy corner reading for a while whilst sipping whatever tea blend she believes is a perfect fit for me.

‘I think there’s a tea for everyone,’ I say. ‘Even people who say they don’t like tea.’

I really enjoyed escaping to Sanderson Bay and getting to know many of the wonderfully entertaining characters in this heartwarming tale. Of course you know how it ends - that is why you sign up for these books in the first place. However, it is the journey Rachel takes you on to get there that makes this the perfect holiday read with just enough ‘what if ...’ moments to keep you entertained right to the very end.

So if you are after something light and entertaining, a tale about taking a chance to find the place where you belong, then take this trip to The Tea Room on the Bay - you can’t go wrong with a nice cup of tea in a quaint English seaside village at Christmas time.

‘After years of worrying what people thought, after years of trying to live up to other people’s expectations of me, I’m trying to do my own thing. I’m trying to make myself happy and healthy. Some days it even feels like it might be working.’








This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Ellie returns home to Sanderson Bay a place she feels safe.
Twelve months later Ellie takes over her Aunt & Uncle's cafe/tea room selling bespoke loose-leaf tea
Ellie starts a friendship with a man called Ben but she is sure he is holding something back from her.
Then Ellie's ex turns up to throw a spanner in the works
A great read
Thanks NetGalley

A heart warming, fast paced read that leaves you feeling good once you finish it. I haven't read anything by this author before but I certainly will in the future. There are many "little shop" books on the market but I particularly enjoyed this one, the development of the characters, the uncertainty and at times, tension.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series if one is being planned!