How wonderful to be back at the Comfort Food Cafe, that magical spot in the Dorset village of Budbury. This is the fourth book in the series about the cafe, the people who run it, the rest of the villagers, and those who visit it and fall under its spell. I have loved each and every story, and was excited to read this latest addition. As usual, there is a mix of laugh-out-loud humour (apologies to those who were sitting nearby when I was reading) and real life experiences, some of them so heart-rending as to bring tears to my eyes.

This book focuses mainly on Willow Longville, who has been one of my favourite characters all through the series. To those who are not familiar with the Comfort Food Cafe stories, she is a 26-year-old easily identified by her bright pink hair who lives in a cottage with her mother, Lynnie. Sadly, Lynnie is suffering from Alzheimer's, but Willow is doing a marvellous job of making sure that her life is as full as possible. Willow has siblings, but they are all off doing their own things, most completely unaware of the situation at home. Willow has her routine all in place, working at the cafe and running her cleaning business alongside caring for her mother. However, the arrival of a stranger, Tom, in the village is about to bring about big changes in her life that she never dreamt possible.

It was lovely to return to the Comfort Food Cafe, with its glorious location on the cliffs overlooking the sea. Marvellous also to be reacquainted with the villagers of Budbury and, of course, with all the delicious food that is served up at the cafe. I'm sure I am not the only reader who wishes that it was all real. It would be packed to the seams if it was. As is usually the case with Debbie Johnson's books, there was loads of humour in this story, but also the heartache of someone dealing with a very cruel disease in a loved one. Anyone who has been in that situation will identify with Willow and salute her for her dedication.

I would recommend this book as an excellent read for all ages. If you haven't read the others in the series, this could easily be read as a standalone story, but it's well worth catching up with its predecessors as well.

Another absolutely amazing story set around the village of Bubury and featuring The Comfort Food Cafe. I felt so at home really quickly, with all of the recurring characters, and this book focuses on Willow's story, whereas she has previously just been a side character.

This totally works as a standalone, and the mechanism used to give the relevant back details for all the previous books in a quick and easy to understand way, or as a great reminder for those that haven't got the best memories, was really clever and fitted into the book seamlessly.

I won't lie this story may affect some people a lot more than others, due to Willow's mum Lynnie and what they have to deal with on a day to day basis. Not only that but Willow as well as caring for her mother, also runs a cleaning business, and is a waitress at the cafe. She is distanced from her three older siblings, and just doesn't think she has time for love.

Enter Tom, gorgeous new guy to the area, a bit socially awkward, slightly geeky but generally all around fabulous once you start to get to know him. He and Willow hit it off instantly and I loved their rather weird conversations, as well as their normal ones, was impressed they seemed to be on the same wavelength.

All of the familiar villagers are present and I loved seeing more of all of them, as well as the latest updates to all the other previous main characters in this series which just adds to my love of a series Catching up with old friends and making new ones.

In fact with the depth of Willow's story I think this may be the best book in the series so far, and I'm positive that with every book I read from Debbie Johnson they really do just get better and better.

I loved every last second of this wonderful book, it was pure escapism and took me to warmer climes in the middle of a cold snap in the UK, which is just what I love about books. I can't wait to read more from this fantastic author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Oh guys, I can't tell you how happy I am that The Comfort Food Cafe series is going strong! I could read about it, and the characters, over and over again and I won't have enough. "Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe" is already the fourth addition to the series and yes, it is a stand - alone novel but without reading the previous books you're going to miss too much on the characters, the incredible warmth and hidden wisdom.

"Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe" focuses on Willow. Willow, the youngest of Lynnie's fourth children. Willow with pink hair, Doc Martens boots, and a dog. Willow, who's currently looking after her dementia suffering mum and juggling her own cleaning business with working as a waitress at the cafe. Willow is not angry with her siblings for travelling the world and for the fact that she's left alone to look after their mum. No, she's cheerful and happy with her life and takes things as they are. To help her mum remember things they both have journals in which they write things - who is who and what has happened.
Willow's cleaning business has been engaged to clean The House on the Hill - a large old house that previously served as a children's shelter and has just been bought after years of standing alone. When Willow spots the new owner she can't believe her eyes, as it's Tom, a former resident of Briarwood, and there is something that happened many years ago that is a reason for her being so shocked right now - you must read this scene for yourself. It's hilarious. They bond very quickly not only over their dogs or plans for renovating the House but also over plans for surviving the Zombie Apocalypse - don't ask. But you will love it.

I can't express enough how much I loved this book. It is full of so extremely beautifully captured emotions and feelings and standing ovation to Debbie Johnson for being able to put them so well into words. The dynamics between the characters were brilliant, and there was so much love and acceptance that you could spot and feel it through the pages. Also, the author has this talent to immediately draw you into the heart of the book - I, for once, right from the beginning felt at home, and yes sure, it was the fact that I've already known and loved the characters, but it was also the lovely writing style, so inviting and so enveloping, like the cosiest of blankest. The author always knows when to drop a surprise on your not - expecting - it head, or to put a joke or two to break the ice.

The banter between the characters was abso - bloody - brilliant, especially between Willow and Tom. I adored those two, they were so honest and so genuine around each other, and they talked, which made such a great difference...! There weren't any understatements, they knew where they stand, and I loved their testing, checking and their feelings and emotions. It was just so real and so true, you know. And I adored how much they loved their dogs, Bella Swan and the perfect mix of German Shepherd and Rottweiler, Rick Grimes. And the way Willow has done a very handy Game of Thrones - style recap on the residents of the village for Tom's benefit was brilliant, and it was also a great recap for us all.

The story also introduces us to some new characters, such like Willow's siblings, especially her sister Auburn who comes home to help Willow look after their mum. My gut feeling is telling me she's going to be the heroine of the next novel - I hope I'm right because she seems to be a very colourful person that has a lot in store.

This was a brilliant, feel - good, poignant and touching romance, set in a wonderful, full of lovely people, village, and the community spirit there is very easily spotted. They all know about each other's businesses and they meddle in each others' lives, and not always in a very subtle way, but it is hilarious and so uplifting, to know that they had their backs. They also always have time to eat a slice of cake and to try Laura's new recipes.

I simply loved this book and didn't want it to end. I've been hooked by Willow's story and fell for her immediately. It was bitter - sweet, with many emotional and poignant moments, and with many hilarious as well, it made me cry and it made me laugh - out - loud, just the perfect mix for me. It touched upon some heavier issues as well, just like Tom's past or Lynnie's disease but it's done in such a subtle and gentle way and it opens eyes to what it really means to be an orphan or how it is to live with a person suffering from dementia, how emotional and unstable this life is. I was truly hanging onto every single word of the story and I could beg for more, guys. A gorgeous story about family, friends, love and forgiveness, with a lot of hidden depth that made me feel so warm inside and left me feeling hope and optimistic. Highly, highly recommended!

I love this book. What’s not to love? If you like cake you will like this book. If you like Dorset you will like this book. If you like dogs you will like this book. If you like the idea of community spirit , a sense of belonging, lending a hand along the way and never judging a book by its cover you will like this book.
In fact, you will like this book!

Really enjoyable read.
Willow was a character featured in the other books within this series, so it is nice to have a book based on her story. She lives at home with her mother, Lynnie, who suffers from early onset alzheimer's. Caring for her mum, and working at the cafe and her cleaning business has been her focus, until she meets a man who changes all this.
A great bunch of characters, and looking forward to more books in this series!

My name is Willow Longville. I live in a village called Budbury on the stunning Dorset coast with my mum Lynnie, who sometimes forgets who I am. I’m a waitress at the Comfort Food Café, which is really so much more than a café … it’s my home.

Willow is the youngest of four children born to Lynnie, a yoga-teaching new age hippie. Unfortunately Lynnie is now suffering from dementia and Willow spends her time looking after her mother whilst juggling her own cleaning business and working as a waitress at the cafe. Relentlessly cheerful with her pink hair, Doc Marten boots, pierced nose and tattoos, she and her mother have journals in which they try to write every day - Lynnie to help her remember who she is and who other people are, Willow as a form of therapy.

As the book opens Willow is writing her journal entry for the day, a list of eight things that happened to her during the day, some mundane, some weird and some inexplicable. Her cleaning service has been engaged on behalf of the new owner of The House on the Hill (the locals' name for Briarwood, a large old house which has sat empty for 10 years after the previous owners retired. There she meets the young owner, Tom Mulligan, a former resident when Briarwood was a children's home, now a successful, but socially inept, inventor and millionaire. Soon Willow and Tom are bonding over their plans for surviving the Zombie Apocalypse and their nerdy dog names (Bella Swan and Rick Grimes in case you are interested).

This is a feel good geeky romance set in a wonderful village where everyone meddles in each others' business and social life revolves around the cafe and the pub. However, a warning, this is relentlessly British and there may therefore be a number of cultural references which fly right over the heads of other readers (or I might be making assumptions about the narrowness of our culture). If you like schoolboy puns and stories where no-one is too busy to sit down and eat a slice of cake (its mentioned 34 times according to my Kindle) then this is the charming book for you.

I loved it from start to finish, I want to know more about Willow's sister Auburn (because of her hair colour) and brothers Van (big ears as a baby) and Angel (blonde curls as a baby), although Angel prefers to be called Andrew now and is a teacher.

This is the second book in this series that I have read, they can easily be read as stand-alone novels as the various relationships between the villagers are explained (Willow even does a handy-dandy Game of Thrones style recap for Tom's benefit), I really must get hold of the first two books and read them!

Highly recommended for fans of Strictly Come Dancing, cake and dogs!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Review shall be up on my blog on publication day: thecosiestcorner.blogspot.com

What a lovely addition to the Comfort Food Cafe series. I've absolutely loved reading this series and this one was no different. I've been intrigued by Willow so it was nice to read her story and get to know her more. She's been seen as quite eccentric with how she dresses/acts etc but deep down she is such a lovely character with her own life worries.

Willow works at the Comfort Food Cafe but also does cleaning to help support her life and also her mums. Willow's mum Lynnie has the beginning of the horrible disease, alzheimer's so has to care for her mum when the disease takes hold and confuses her mum. It's quite an emotional and sad story and I really do feel for those going through this. It opened my eyes to what it's like and I found it to be a lovely but emotional story.

The story itself is so beautifully written and I was hanging onto every word. The characters were all lovely and it was so nice reading about some old familiar faces. Being back at the Comfort Food Cafe felt so nice and it was really lovely reading about my favourite fictional cafe again. One thing I do love about this series is the location, it sounds absolutely beautiful and not for the first time I find myself wishing that I was living somewhere like this!

This isn't your typical chick lit novel, it has a lot of hidden depth and is all about family, friends and love. It's such a nice story and possibly one of my favourites from this series. It will leave you feeling warm and cosy. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

This book is the fourth from the comfort food cafe,although its a stand alone book. Its so beautifully written,with warmth and humour oozing from the pages. Budbury,where the book is set,has the most amazing caring and welcoming community,definitely somewhere i would love to live. Part of the story is about Willow and her mother and their relationship. Its written so honestly and yet so tenderly. There is a lot to this book, its got depth,humour,sibling rivalry,love,romance and people pulling together when it really matters. Its a gem of a read.