📚ARC Review 📚

Coming Home to Starr’s Fall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Laurie moves to the small town of Starr's Fall to set up a pet shop/bakery. She’s hoping to start over and move on from her past. On her first day in town, she meets Joshua, the grumpy bookstore owner across the street, whose cat won’t leave her dog along. They both live above their shops so it’s hard to avoid each other.

This was such a cute, fall read. A clean romance with great characters and side characters. The romance is a slow burn as they work through their past with each other’s help. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed but overall, it was a good. Fans of Gilmore Girl will like this one!

This book will published on September 18, 2024. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for an advance copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Laurie and her dog Max move to Starr's Fall to set up a pet shop. Although this is set in small town America there is a lot of similarities with what is happening here in the UK, with town centres full of boarded up shops. I admire Laurie's courage in starting a new life, there are reasons for her choosing Starr's Fall which are gradually revealed. Add a grumpy bookstore owner for a touch of romance, welcoming residents which show the advantages, and disadvantages, of living in a small town. This is the first in a new series set in Starr's Fall and there are some storylines which are set up for the next book(s) and I look forward to finding out more about these.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

This was a cozy fall vibes contemporary romance with a grumpy MMC but the focus really is on the FMC who was a foster child, moving to the sleepy town of Starr’s Fall to start over and hoping to find her biological mother. That theme is a current running through the entire book with a small amount of love story and closed door romance and found family themes. This was a very short book and I felt like the ending was rushed a bit and the romance took a back seat. I would have liked more of the love story but it was still cute and cozy, perfect for the fall season.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and @netgalley for this e-arc in return for my honest review.

This is definitely a sweet CLEAN read.

Firstly, it definitely gives the fall vibes that every romantic fall girl needs,

Second, Laurie owns a dog BAKERY! That’s right a bakery that makes treats for your fur baby!!! Who cannot fall in love with Laurie for this alone?

Lastly, yes the book can be slow at times. It’s sweet, innocent, and so endearing. Laurie’s past is sad and she is so so deserving of good.

Ultimately this book is great for closed door readers. It has some minor romance but nothing too serious. Like I said earlier, it’s endearing.


Welcome to your new fall read!

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This book had small town vibes and I loved how welcoming the towns people were. Laurie made the best of her life circumstances and didn’t let her past hold her back. She opened up to Joshua and he also responded to her kindness. Loved their connection.

I wish we would know more of the mother’s circumstances for doing what she did and what about the Father? Just felt a few things were left unsaid. Maybe it will come further in the series?
3.75 stars

Laurie has moved to Starrs Fall to open a pet store.
She’s also looking for her Mother. On her first day in town she meets Joshua who owns the bookstore across the street.
This is a quick book which I almost read in one day.
It’s set in a nice location with a good story. It has some clean romance too. It’s another good one by this author

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of Coming Home to Starr’s Fall by Kate Hewitt.

This was a new author for me, but the line under the title stating “perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls” is what drew me in. I will say I struggled a bit giving this a 4⭐️ review as I did expect something more as a fan of Gilmore Girls…but all in all, I did enjoy the book. The romance between Laurie and Joshua as the both work through the one things was very sweet. It was a very clean romance, so something a little different the spicy romances that all the rage right now. I’ll say as a GG fan, I kept wanting to read the town as Star’s Hollow, so that threw me off. Other than the very close town, and small town vibes, I didn’t see a lot of similarities. And maybe one could argue that Joshua’s grumpy was similar to Luke’s. Overall not a bad book, just not what I thought I was getting. And definitely set up for the second in the series!

My friends and family who know me well know I’m a major Gilmore Girls fan! I am always looking for shows and books that give me that same small town feel. This book did just that! While it was a pretty easy read and nothing too fascinating happened, it really was such a sweet, heartfelt book that I couldn’t put down. I long to live in a place like Stars Falls where the community supports each other and where dreams are made into reality!

This was a 3.5-3.75 for me. Love the town of Starr's Fall, definitely gives Gilmore Girls vibes without it being too similar to the show like other books are. Overall it was a cute fall read, got me in the mood for cozy vibes and chilly weather! The only thing that wasn't my favorite was the ending seemed rushed. I'm sure since there's more Starr's Fall coming we'll have answers to questions, but it just felt a little off to me. I definitely recommend reading this if you're looking for something to read while curling up next to the fire place this fall!

Cosy ✅
Small town ✅
Fall vibes ✅
Grumpy sunshine ✅
Perfect for Gilmore girls lovers ✅

A perfect read to get you into the autumn mood.
This book follows Laurie and Joshua. Laurie is new to Starrs Fall and has a positive optimistic approach to life. She is opening her own business ( a pet store and bakery) and is also searching for her long lost family.
Joshua is a grumpy bookshop owner who grew up in Starrs Fall and after leaving for a few years has returned and he’s not too happy about it.
Can both of them find home in Starrs Fall?

As the weather changes this was the perfect read to welcome Fall. Laurie has packed her things and her dog Max and moves to Starr's Fall to open a Pet shop - bakery. Yes, a bakery for Dogs! and everyone in Starr's Fall has the same reaction - "What now? Baked goods for Dogs?". Eventually everyone warms to that idea. The book is full of great characters and each one of them is important to Lauries story.

It's a feel good book that also tackles some sensitive content but in a very nice way. I really enjoyed it and my mind needed the break from the usual thrillers I read.

Thank you Netgalley and to the author!

Laurie Ellis is moving to Starr’s Fall, a town no one moves to anymore. Still, she has her reasons and rents a shabby storefront in the downtown to open a dog bakery and pet store. She is going to call it Max’s Place after her sweet dog, Max. Max is all Laurie has other than her optimism.

When she arrives, she meets various townspeople and is welcome by all with the exception of Joshua. Joshua (a.k.a. The Grinch) runs the bookstore across the street. They both live above their shops and can’t seem to avoid each other or make peace. No one in Starr’s Fall has heard of a dog bakery, but Joshua is the only one that tells her her dream is ridiculous.

The town of Starr's Fall totally gave me Gilmore Girl energy! This novel was so good - there was romance, friendship, aging parents, a struggling town, and the grumpy-sunshine trope! You can’t help but root for all the characters in Kate Hewitt’s latest novel Coming Home to Starr's Fall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood for the opportunity to read this book ahead of it’s publishing date.

An easy read with great characters and a wonderful story to get lost in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

A wonderful story to immerse yourself in with great characters. An easy read which kept me turning the pages. I’m glad to hear this is the first of a new series. I will look forward to catching up with everyone in the next instalment.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Set in a small New England town, Coming Home to Starr's Fall by Kate Hewitt is about a woman who has grown up in the care system and is family- and friendless. She inherits money and opens a pet shop and pet bakery (yes, I know; the world's a mad place). Of course her only friend in the world is her dog. She meets her grumpy neighbour and falls in love. So far, so expected. But she also traces her birth mother, her real reason for relocating to Starr's Fall. Her mother is horrible to her and there's no suggestion of a relationship forming. This element definitely added a strength to the book.

Laurie moves to Starr's Falls to start a new life with opening an pet and bakery store with her dog Max. She also wants to try and find her mother who came from there. She moves grumpy bookstore owner Joshua who stays away from everyone

Coming Home to Starr’s Fall 🍂

Laurie has spent her life bouncing from foster home to foster home, never having roots or anyone to call her own. Determined to find her birth mother, she moves to small town America, a little place called Starr’s Fall, where she knows her mother was from originally. She opens a pet store and bakery opposite a dusty old bookstore owned by a grumpy tenant who's less than impressed with the disruption.

✨

This was a charming, cosy Autumn read with some lovable characters and small-town community vibes. Which sounds amazing but I can understand why Joshua would get really frustrated living there sometimes with everyone knowing your business and feeling the need to stick their opinion in. I liked that Laurie brought a new lease of life to him and watching their relationship develop!

Up until the 70% ish mark, I was fully committed to giving this a 4 star rating but sadly the ending felt very rushed and didn't do it for me. Which is so gutting because I was really enjoying the story! I just needed more from those last few chapters to make it perfect 🫶🏽

Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy ☺️

A cute little easy read for the autumn when you don’t want anything too deep and meaningful.

I thought the characters lacked depth and the relationship was rather unrealistic. The storyline involving Rose was very unsatisfactory and needed more depth and development. I kept really hoping that Laurie was washing her hands when she kept picking up the dog!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

An unputdownable cozy clean romance novel with a warm ending, It's a new beginning for Laurie Ellis as she is moving with her cute loving dog Max to a promising location in Starr's Fall which is a wonderful something happening to her this fall - As the leaves are falling, with a crispness to the air, along with the scents of coffee and pumpkin spice, past a half-empty street of shuttered storefronts and a bandstand that has seen better days…loved the author description of the place and atmosphere this way.

Laurie thought moving to Starr's Fall was actually having her own home ultimately that was magical and a miracle, leaving her depressing apartment she had been living with her foster Mom Nadine was something she was looking forward to. She was a foster kid to who had adoptive parents. Her plan to move as to open a pet store and bakery in Starr's Fall which the community friends found a bit strange. Why did she choose Starr's Fall as her home? I don't want to give away much of the story here and spoil the review. On her way to Starr's Fall, Anni Layman becomes her friend who helps her get to this place and welcomes her whole heartedly.

Laurie Soon becomes attracted to Joshua Reilly and shares her family stories and starts to date each other. Joshua is owner of a boo store at Starr's Fall and is taking care of his aunt's cat, Lea. While the romantic tension is building up between them Laurie is looking for her biological mother who gave her up for adoption when she was born and gives Laurie Starr's Fall as the place of her residence which leads her to come home to Starr's Fall looking for her own mother.

Joshua's book store and Laurie's date days with Joshua brings this novel to a delightful ending that the readers are waiting for.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for an advance copy for my honest review.
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What a wonderful read. I felt like I was transported to Starr’s Fall and really enjoyed meeting the characters. I hope that this isn’t the only book set in this location, I’d love to read more.