Emma returns to her native Cornwall to help her recover from a just-failed relationship and to help her concentrate on drawing illustrations for a new book about the coast that she had been commissioned for. She almost immediately runs into an old flame, Luke, with whom she had an acrimonious breakup with many years before. Add an art teacher that she had a very fractious time with at school and the scene is set for a book with very complicated relationships.
I love books set in Cornwall, where I have spent too many holidays to count, and Phillipa's books really bring this county to life for me. I always find myself drawn into the story as I can easily imagine the settings. There are many secrets which are gradually revealed, which both help and hinder Emma and Luke rekindle their previous relationship. There is a fair amount of time spent discussing the effect of rubbish left behind on the beaches which does slow the story down occasionally, however if this stops even one person leaving things behind it is worth it. In summary this is a book that I really loved, both the highs and lows, and can highly recommend.

Such a lovely cover! This story fell flat for me; it's surely one for summertime reading but the whole Romeo and Juliet tone wasn't appealing for me.

I’ve read a few of Phillipa Ashley’s books and loved them all so when I was given the chance to read a copy with NetGalley in exchange for an honest review I jumped at the chance! What a treat this book was too! Firstly it oozes with a gorgeous golden summery warmth throughout and it’s the perfect book to read on your summer holiday! I could almost feel the warm Cornish sun beating down on me and I was reading it in rather overcast and breezy Norfolk! Main character Emma Pelistry has returned to her childhood hometown somewhat reluctantly and almost immediately runs into Luke Kerr - they were teenage sweethearts years before but they had a terrible breakup and he’s the last person she wanted to see! The acrimonious history between their families was tied up with a haul of treasure from a shipwreck in the distant past but all the bad feeling and memories come back to the surface now that Emma is back. With a wonderful cast of characters including Emma and Luke’s former school teacher Ursula, and the backdrop of a gorgeous Cornish fishing village I was soon immersed in the story and couldn’t put this book down! I loved the developing relationship between Emma and Ursula, and the tales of the beach combers make me yearn for a visit to the coast! This story is full of lost love, family secrets and the possibility of new beginnings, I loved it! In fact, I think it’s my favourite Phillipa Ashley book so far, and I highly recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore this series of books set in Cornwall by Phillipa so I am always excited when the next one is due to be published.

Once again, this was another wonderful read. Perfect for a sunny day on the beach to escape into.

Emma lives in Oxford and works as an illustrator. Her agent secures a job for her for the summer so Emma stays at an old school friend's house just outside Falford where she grew up.

It's two months since she lost her Dad and returning to the place he called home is obviously going to stir up memories.

Will things have changed dramatically after fifteen years away? Will old friends still live there?

Emma unexpectedly meets up with her old flame, Luke on her first day back. They broke up 15 years ago due to a feud between their families but have they both moved on?

This is more than a romance. The setting is beautifully described as always in this series. It really is a story of a wonderful community who come together to clean up a beach, which also gives out a positive message.

It was lovely to see a few characters from the last books mentioned too. Every time I read one of these, I want to move to Falford!

If you haven't read any of the previous books, don't worry as you can read this as a stand alone. I would highly recommend the back catalogue though.

Written in chapters mainly from the point of view of Emma and Luke.

An easy five star read for this feel good, heartwarming, beautifully written book. Can't wait for the next one!

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and author for an ARC.

The real treasure in Falford turns out to be. a second chance for Emma and Luke in this romantic tale in a terrific setting. Emma's back after years away and she's trying to find her footing. Luke, her long lost (well, long ago) love has built his life and business but he's missing love. It's a tad trope-y but I'm a fan of novels set in Cornwall and the characters are good. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good relaxing read.

This was my first time reading this author, and I am looking forward to reading more from this author. This was a fun, summer read.

It was a lovely, chilled read and I enjoyed reading it. It had an interesting storyline, relatable characters and a beautiful setting. What more could you want?

A really well written story set in Cornwall, great holiday read with family feuds and an unrequited love between Emma and LukeSea, with twists and turns along the way, wonderfully written couldn't put it down

Emma needs some peace and quiet to finish a work assignment, and when friend Maxi offers her somewhere to stay, she finds herself back in her home town after many years away. One of the first people she sees is former love Luke - and things do not go smoothly. Can they find a way to overcome the issues from their youth? Will Emma find the peace she's after?

The book was an easy read, with beautiful Cornish descriptions. I did however find the main characters a bit irritating at times, the issue they had with their family history I felt just wasn't as big as made out and as such I felt the book dragged a bit in the middle.

As with many of Phillipa's books, I found myself falling (all over again) in love with Cornwall and its people. A beautiful setting and a delightful book. Exactly what I'd expect from this author. She never fails to please the reader (well, this reader, anyway!)

What an absolute delight to return to Cornwall in the capable hands of Phillipa, such a joy to read with a vein of warmth running through the entire story and such beautiful characters

Really enjoyable read from Philippa. Ashley. I love the Cornish setting and the characters are relatable.

Emma and Luke loved each other in their teens but it ended acrimoniously. Years later they meet again and realise their feelings are still strong - but the situation is complicated with hidden secrets on both sides.

The more books I read that are set in Cornwall the more breathtaking it sounds. Living on the coast like that makes for a great setting for a book with an artist as the main character.

I really liked Ursula but the two main characters didn’t quite “move” me. They went through some things as teenagers but it didn’t really seem as traumatic as they made it out to be. After 15 years they should have grown up enough to be able to act like adults.

Overall it is a good romance but not one that swept me off my feet.

I did appreciate the Beachcombers cleaning up the beach each week and education people on all of the things they found. Plastic is destroying our planet and people need to open their eyes and realize this.

What a perfect holiday read. I’m a sucker for books set by the sea and especially those set in Cornwall and this one is definitely one of my favourites. This book is apparently part of a series set in the same community but works perfectly well as a standalone. I will certainly be searching the previous books though.

Emma, an artist, is struggling to cope with the death of her father as well as the break-up of her long term relationship so she returns to her childhood village to stay with her oldest friend. Unknown to her, her ex-boyfriend Luke has also returned to live in the local area, in fact he has bought her old childhood home. The story explores the relationship between the two of them and what really happened in that fateful Summer when they were both 17. I loved both the main characters but especially felt for Emma as she struggled to process everything that happened in the past as well as deal with the present. There are a host of other characters, all of whom are brilliantly written. I loved Emma’s ex Art teacher Ursula and the growing relationship between them after initial dislike was one of the highlights of the book.

The setting is brilliantly described and the book has a strong environmental theme running through it which adds to the story. I loved this book and would certainly recommend it.

Another brilliant tale from Phillipa Ashley!!
Emma is returning to her old village in Cornwall for a few weeks one summer to stay with her friend whilst she completes a new series of illustrations. As an artist there is plenty of inspiration around the beaches, which leads her to confront some unfinished issues from her teenage years........ no spoilers!!
Fabulous descriptions of the beaches around the Lizard, and picking up the litter left by the tourists or what is washed up from the sea.
Although not my favourite characters in this one, and the relationships a bit annoying and frustrating at times, some great wildlife, history and local knowledge!! I really enjoyed reading this as a great fun Summer read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the early read!!

Visiting Cornwall with Phillipa Ashley is always an enormous treat. The beautiful descriptions of the Cornish coast and the multifaceted characters draw you in making this a thoroughly enjoyable read perfect for holidays.

I’ve read all Phillipa Ashley books and although I enjoyed this one it didn’t grab me like some of her previous ones. It’s an easy read with a satisfying romantic element,

This was a sweet, enjoyable story of love, friendship, family disputes, lies and secrets.
Luke and Emma were childhood sweethearts, but had to keep their relationship a secret because their families were feuding. Each of their fathers was determined to find a treasure believed to have been buried many years ago. When Luke accidentally finds a clue in Emma's attic and shares it with his dad, things turn bad quickly. Finding the treasure broke both families apart, and Luke and Emma walked away from each other and never looked back. That is until Emma returns to town and literally collides into Luke. Can these two overcome years of anger and distrust to rediscover the love they once shared?
I truly enjoyed the story and the characters. Each had their own issues but I liked them both. Recommend this story, great beach read.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I found this story of a second chance at love enjoyable. While I am not sure these two (Emma and Luke) really spent enough time to know who they have grown into as adults, they still have strong feelings lingering from their teen romance, that was broken apart by many situations that occurred. Can they really have an honest, mature relationship when both of them hold secrets from each other?

I enjoyed returning to the Cornish Isles, and although I do not see this book listed as a part of a series, the story takes place in the same area of previous Phillipa Ashley books and a few characters are mentioned that I already know from other books. The book can be read independently not having read other of Ms. Ashley’s books.

Quite a bit of the book focuses on a beach cleaning team of townsfolk that go out regularly to clear off items left by people using the beach. This struck me so sad. I never imaged that people could act so badly, but I suppose I give people too much credit for people actually acting like mature adults, which also brings me to some of the characters in the book. Some of these adults certainly did not act properly when Emma and Luke were teens and now years later, they still have not mature very much more.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

A brilliant book, family rivalry, childhood sweethearts, missed opportunities all wrapped up in one novel. What more could you want? Of course nothing is simple or smooth, and the tale never goes in the direction you expect so as usual it's wonderfully written and will keep you hooked from start to finish.