A Gift from the Comfort Food Café did not disappoint.
Debbie Johnson’s novels set in Budbury and the Comfort Food Café are always high on my list of must reads.
I know I’m guaranteed plenty of emotions, ending with hope moving forward.
- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 1976 KB
- Print Length: 400 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins (18 Oct. 2018)
- Language: English
- ASIN: B07BYZCXGH
Christmas has never been Katie Seddon’s favourite time of year. Whilst everyone else shares memories of families coming together and festive number ones, the soundtrack to Katie’s childhood wasn’t quite so merry.
But since she moved to the village of Budbury on the gorgeous Dorset coast, Katie and her baby son have found a new family. A family who have been brought together by life’s unexpected roads and the healing magic of a slice of cake and a cupful of kindess at the Comfort Food Café.
This year, Katie’s new friends are determined to give her a Christmas to remember, and with a gorgeous newcomer in town, Katie’s Christmas wish for a happy home for her son might just come true.
Available to purchase in digital, paperback and audiobook formats.
Book Review
I know I’m guaranteed the perfect escape when I visit Budbury and that by the end I will have walked side by side with the main character, totally involved with all that happens. And I’ve been interested in hearing Katie’s story since she first appeared with toddler Saul.
I do enjoy a first person narrative! I loved getting passed that lockdown of emotion to the reason why Katie views the world as she does. She’s a mixture of vulnerability and strength and I found her easy to identify with. As much as she wants to settle and be a part of the community – breaking a cycle – there’s another part of her that is ready to run if she thinks she needs protecting. And with the events and experiences throughout the story there is plenty to test her!
On Christmas Eve I felt a mixture of emotions and cried for different reasons – overwrought early evening with tears of sadness followed by one of the best scenes in the story! Debbie Johnson pulls you in so you experience everything through your senses. It was so easy to imagine myself in the woods around Briarwood, picture perfect for Christmas Eve and Santa hunting. I loved the optimism.
Talking of Briarwood, it was great to feel the buzz of activity and it being used for Tom’s purpose. I love the continuity of spending time in this community. Laura, Lynnie and Edie’s secondary stories provide just as much emotion as Katie’s.
There is so much wisdom on these pages. Single parents, well all parents really, will identify with Katie and Saul. I can’t end my review without saying that Saul brings so much to the story with that charm. transparency and innocence that only 3 year olds can. He’s a star.
Sometimes a series loses its way a little but not these stories. A Gift from the Comfort Food Café has everything I’ve come to expect and comes highly recommended from me.
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