A Home in Sunset Bay by Rebecca Pugh
Release Date: 9th February 2016
Publisher: Carina UK
Buy: Kindle
Rating:
There’s no place like home…
Enough is enough! The always perfect Laurie Chapman had jumped in her car and raced as fast as she could from London heading to Sunset Bay and (she hopes!) the open arms of her estranged sister…
Mia Chapman loves running Dolly’s Diner in the picture-perfect coastal Cornish town of Sunset Bay. Now that her and Grandma Dolly’s dream is finally a reality Mia has never been prouder! Until Laurie suddenly turns up on her doorstep… How can she forgive the sister who walked away?
Once upon a time Mia and Laurie were best friends. Back together after so long, the time has come for the sisters to figure out what went so wrong all those years ago – and whether they can ever put it right!
After the sudden death of one of her closest friends, Laurie Chapman decides that it’s time to re-evaluate her life. She is stuck in a stressful job and beginning to think that life in London isn’t for her. Then when her boyfriend Neil does the unthinkable, Laurie decides that she is going to escape London and she knows exactly where she’s going…
Meanwhile Laurie’s sister, Mia, is living out her dream running Dolly’s Diner in the gorgeous coastal town of Sunset Bay. Inherited from her late Grandmother, Mia is working hard to make the diner a success, although it seems to leave little room for any sort of a love life…Or any sort of a life at all, really…
Despite being close when growing up, Laurie and Mia have little to do with one another any more, so when Laurie turns up at Dolly’s Diner it looks as though there is certainly not going to be a tearful reunion between the two. But what happened to the sisters to make them become so distant? It’s certainly going to take more than one of Mia banana milkshakes and stack of pancakes to put things right…
After loving Rebecca Pugh’s debut novel, Return To Bluebell Hill, it would be a massive understatement to say that I was excited about A Home in Sunset Bay. As soon as the cover was revealed I fell that little bit in love and once I had read the synopsis I just knew that this was going to be the perfect book and it most certainly didn’t disappoint.
Both the characters and the world that Rebecca has created are simply wonderful and I feel as though that is part of the reason as to why the story works so well. I just knew that Rebecca was going to have me dreaming of Sunset Bay and longing for sandy beaches and fish and chips. Sunset Bay sounded completely idyllic. I can’t imagine a single person who wouldn’t want to live there (apart from Marnie, of course…) The residents are friendly, there’s a cracking diner which could keep me supplied with coffee and quite honestly the men sound pretty gorgeous too. However, Rebecca doesn’t shy away from the fact that, as in real life, a quiet lifestyle by the sea is not what everyone wants. We’re all individuals with different perceptions of success and happiness and that was something that really resonated with me.
Rebecca did such a fantastic job with creating believable characters who were easy to relate to and an absolute joy to read about. I loved both Laurie and Mia, but for completely different reasons. I really felt for Laurie who is surely in a position that so many of us have experienced; feeling trapped, unhappy and questioning as to whether you chose the right path in life. She was always so concerned about pleasing other people…I just wanted to give her a big hug and tell her to do what made HER happy. Then there’s Mia; also self-deprecating and hard working yet full of fun with a warm, bubbly personality. I loved her work ethic and her determination to make sure that Dolly’s Diner was a success was wonderful. There is no doubt that Grandma Dolly would have been immensely proud of her granddaughter.
As for Cal and Marco…guy candy alert! These two were completely swoonsome and you can’t help but adore them both.
Aside from the luscious setting and the fantastic array of characters, the overall plot of A Home in Sunset Bay is a strong one. I was massively intrigued to see what exactly had happened between these two sisters to make them fall out so spectacularly. I felt for Laurie and desperately wanted her to get her life straight after all of the rubbish-y things that had been happening to her – but I also wanted to know why Mia was so horrified when she turned up at Dolly’s Diner. It was fascinating to watch the two sisters once again come face to face as they try to sort out their differences and salvage their relationship.
Rebecca Pugh is one of my favourite reviewers and with all of the romance that she so lovingly reads, it’s clear that she knows the genre inside out. As a reader, all of my romance boxes were well and truly ticked and Rebecca seems to know exactly what works and what doesn’t in a good chick-lit novel. Not only that but I love how Rebecca’s voice and personality really shines through in her writing. It’s full of charm, sweetness and beauty and even though this is only Rebecca’s second novel I am finding that she has a really distinctive style of writing that I’m beginning to recognise.
Despite ultimately being a cracking romance, there are so many other themes intertwined within the story. You have the complexity of families, self-discovery, friendships and the importance of following your heart. If you’re looking for some escapism with strong characters and a intriguing plotline then reach for A Home in Sunset Bay. If you’re a romance fan then there is no way in this world that you will be disappointed.
Right, as for me, I’m off to pack my suitcase and I’m jumping on the next train to the glorious Sunset Bay…
A huge thank you to Jennifer at HarperCollins for sending me a copy of A Home in Sunset Bay & for having me on board the official blog tour. ♥
Rebecca Pugh grew up in the green county of Shropshire, with a mind full of fairy-tales and happy endings. Enchanted by true love and Disney Princesses, she decided that no matter what life threw her way, she’d continue to see the world through a child’s eyes. Through the pages of countless books, her adoration of reading blossomed, and it didn’t take long for her to fall under the spell of hundreds of authors’ words.
Now, Rebecca’s own story has taken a fairy-tale like turn, and at 22, her dream has come true. With her faithful companions: Bonnie the dog, her partner, and her gigantic family by her side, Rebecca is ready to share her stories with readers who enjoy falling in love and losing themselves within beautiful, fictional worlds.
Rebecca Pugh is the author of women’s fiction and romance, her all-time favourite genres. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a good swoon?
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