If there was ever a book which made me laugh uproariously, it is this book

If there was ever a book which made me want to hug it, it is this book

If there was such a book that I wanted to never let go, it is this book

If there was such a book which should go on and on, it is this book

If there was ever a book where the characters were so loving, it is this book

If there was ever a book where the town was such a loving busy-body, it is this book

If there was ever a book which had an outrageous Aunt Agatha, it is this book

If there was ever a book which had a heartberry festival, it is this book

If there was ever an author who wrote the most perfect lines, it is this book

If there was ever a book which made me feel alive, it is this book

If there was ever a book which made me feel all the emotions, it is this book

If there was ever a pick-me-up book, it is this book

If there was ever a book which I will always cherish, it is this book

If there are more books by Holly Martin (of course, there are), I will pick them all

What more can I say beyond this, I laughed, I cried, I flirted, I loved. I felt more than I have ever felt in a book. I knew Holly Martin wrote beautiful books, but I didn't know she wrote dialogs which were so alive, so exhilarating. Every part of this book made me feel alive, more alive that I have felt in this entire week

Do I need to say anything beyond this to know the journey which this book took me????

The only niggle I had was that a problem at the farm had a simple solution, but they waited till the storm was upon them, to use it. That diluted the plot for me, and the ending was a bit rushed.

A lovely way to escape life for a few hours. A romantic story in a beautiful setting.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Love Holly's books. She is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. In fact, I was so disappointed when I went to download the next book now there and discovered it isn't actually available yet. She writes such wonderfully warm characters who make you chuckle. I also have to confess to never having come across a turkey as a tertiary character before! She always seems to come up with such great occupations for her characters too, so I feel as if I am being educated as well as entertained. Her books are all about love conquering all and this was no exception - loved it from start to finish. Hot male lead, and secondary male characters, great friends, crazy aunt and fabulous location. What's not to like? Can't wait for the new book to come out.

I sadly never received a copy of this bookj and now its been archieved. I will deffo go and purchase though as i really wanted to read this one

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Tori Graham is on the way to something new in her life. Her heart was broken after losing the love of her life. Far away from London, she goes to Blossom Cottage. She is excited to spend the summer in Sandcastle Bay and see her best friend Melody again.

Aidan Jackson looks after the cottage and their chemistry is undeniable from the start
She warms up to this lovely community quickly and spends a lot of time with the people.

Well, and there is Agatha, who predicts her getting married to Aidan from the beginning. This doesn't make things easier, especially when the two of them get closer. I loved the two of them together, the way they talked to each other and they just shared some cute and intense moments. Holly Martin captured that beautifully in her writing.

Then there is their past as well. Aidan was left by his fiancé and Tori's last love died. Matthew actually plays a very important role in this story as well.

I absolutely adored all the characters in this book. They are all so unique and different from each other and I liked the way they interacted with each other. Such a great bunch of people, always there for each other and so much fun to follow around. I hope we will hear more of some of them soon ;).

Sandcastle Bay sounds like a lovely and idyllic place, please take me there!

This is such a feel good book. It's full of love, passion, romance, family, friendship and humour! LOVE!!!

Ring: 4.5/5

Tori has come down to Cornwall for a few weeks to take a break from her broken heart as well as her work.

She has followed her friend Melody who now lives in Sandcastle Bay and has agreed to stay rent free in Blossom Cottage in return for some berry picking. Seems a fair exchange.

What she did not bank on is being chased by a turkey that thinks it's a dog and encountering a quirky old lady who says she will marry Aidan Jackson within a year.

Aidan Jackson is in fact the owner of the cottage and the farm where the berries need picking. These are not any old sort of berries but heartberries - and they have to be picked at night, by the first full moon and candlelight and it all has to be done before the tide starts and in time for the festival which features of course heartberries and lots of romance!

Tori doesn't know what she has let herself in for, but if it means she can spend more time with her friend Melody and her sister Isla, then it is worth it.

Trouble is Tori starts to find that Sandcastle Bay and Aidan start getting under her skin and she realises that the bustling life she was living before was perhaps not living or loving at all.

Resolutely trying to not get her heart broken again, Tori and Aidan come to some sort of an understanding, but it seems that the locals of the village and the heartberries have other ideas.

If you want pure escapism, then Holly Martin is your go to author. I was transported to the beach, to the fields, to the cottage and even to Aidan's bedroom (saucy!) with such ease that I felt so reassured by the book that love is out there for everyone.

The humour is subtle and the wonderful characters are easy to like and love and all I want to do when I read books like this, is to keep reading, to keep wanting to know more about them, to experience what they experience. Pure escapism reading at it's best.

Clearly Holly Martin has set up this book to be another trilogy and I simply cannot wait until I can return to Tori, Aidan, Melody et al in the future.

Sit down for a few hours and become engrossed by this book. Perfect example of this genre. Romance, friendship, fun, great location and good story.

I feel like I say this every time I write a review for Holly Martin’s latest book, but that’s only because it has to be said; she out does herself every time and her books just get better and better. People call her the queen of romance and I have to say, they would be right. She writes feel good romantic comedies flawlessly and they are not to be missed.


In ‘The Holiday Cottage by the Sea,’ our lovely leading lady Tori Graham is visiting the seaside for a much needed break and to see her best friends, who recently moved back home and whom she misses immensely. She is excited to catch up and enjoy time with her friends and get stuck into her little summer job of helping to pick the village's famous heartberries. Tori is keeping a few secrets that make her feel quite emotional about going back to the home of someone she was once very close to, but she’s surprised to meet some very friendly locals, who help her come to terms with her past and look forward to her future. One local in particular being an incredibly attractive fruit farmer. Can Tori learn to take risks and open her heart again? Will the magic of the heartberries prove true? You will have to read to find out!

I kid you not I was smiling and laughing and so totally into this book from reading just the first few pages. Holly got the humour and the story spot on and I easily sank back into my couch and devoured it. Tori was funny, sweet and I absolutely loved that she was an animator. Holly always gives her characters the coolest jobs, which she has done so much research into. I find myself day dreaming about different career paths, but also feeling like I’ve had a small bit of experience in various industries after I’ve finished reading them. It’s very cool. If only I could add them to my CV! :p

As well as Tori, her friends and the rest of a colourful cast in Sandcastle bay, there was one person in particular that drew me in. The fruit farmer, whose name I don’t want to give, because I feel like it’s a fun little introduction at the beginning of the book. I couldn’t help but smile and I’ll admit to giggling a bit too. I can’t spoil that for you and have you miss out. I will just say that he’s a bit of a dreamboat and I rather liked him a lot!

Like I said before, Holly hits the nail on the head with romance and a heap of comedy for good measure. She comes up with unique places, characters and stories that will make you feel all warm and cosy inside. If you’re going on holiday, having a break from work or household jobs, or are just looking for a something that will brighten your spirits for a while, then she’s the woman you need. Settle down with a cup of tea, a piece of cake and let her take you on an adventure filled with love.

I can’t wait for her next story. I have a feeling It’s going to be good!

Fabulous reading ! This is such a fun book. It has gorgeous location,. fun characters, romance and humor. I loved it and read it through to the ending.
The Holiday Cottage by the Sea introduces us to Tori Graham. Tori is in need of a break, so she decides to visit her friends Melody and Isla who live in an enchanting place called Sandcastle Bay. Tori helps with a bit of fruit picking in exchange for a free stay and is enjoying the work.
The scenery descriptions are so vivid I love the bay and the cottage by the sea. The locals are quirky and fun , all adding elements to the story.
Even though Tori is not looking for a romance, but enter a handsome farmer Aiden. Soon she is smitten with the farmer and hilarity ensues as they romance each other.
The Holiday Cottage is an utterly fabulous book that is delightful to read.
I was given a ARC which does not influence my review of this book.

light-hearted romance - evidently there are more in the series than the one I read, but this one works okay as there are enough gentle reminders of previous events. Of course you know how it is going to turn out, but it sure was fun getting there.

Another great book by Holly Martin. She never disappoints. This book was easy and flowing, and I have enjoyed reading it at the end of the day

I am fairly new to Holly Martin’s work but I have enjoyed everything I have read by her so far. This one, however, was the best to date. It was a sublime piece of women’s fiction with characters you really care about and a very sexy male lead. I raced through this book. It really cheered me up after an emotional few days too. I will be buying all of Holly’s back catalogue pronto!

So sweet and fun to read. This books is a real page turner and I couldn't put it down.
Really enjoyed it and it's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley

I love books that create such a wonderfully vivid setting that you want to move to Sandcastle Bay to meet your new friends. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to everyone and I hope that we return at some stage to catch up with everyone .
Tori has taken a holiday helping Aidan to harvest the heartberry crop which has wonderful local traditions surrounding it. It has to be harvested at night and they get together after realising there is a huge spark of attraction between them The pages sizzle as the romance develops. Aidan is such a wonderful character surprising her with origami flowers. They know their romance is destined to be a short term fling but they get to know each other and the things in their past that made them wary

There is a great cast of characters that have a range of fascinating jobs and families and. a delightful busybody matchmaker who bets on characters getting married. She is such a joy- although that is maybe just from a distance,

The Holiday Cottage by the Sea by Holly Martin is a fun contemporary romance set in England. Tori Graham takes a much needed holiday to Blossom Cottage, on beautiful Sandcastle Bay, to visit her best friend Melody. Tori is recovering from a broken heart, can she find love again? This book made me relax visualizing sitting on the beach, listening to the water sounds. I found this book to be a quick and fun read, and look forward to reading this author again.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sweetness, wit, charm with a side of hotness ... that's exactly what I've come to expect from a Holly Martin book and Tori and Aiden's story delivered that and more! The banter between these two kept me giggling. Their attraction was off the charts. The meddling townsfolk were endearing. The seaside village sounded breathtakingly beautiful. I fully immersed myself in this story and I absolutely fell in love with it. The only problem being that the book ended.

It was a simply gorgeous tale, set in a wonderful coastal village filled with characters I cannot wait to read more about. Holly Martin you've done it again! 4.5 stars

A fair story of Tori, who goes down to the seashore to take a vacation from work and visit with her two childhood friends. She stays in the cottage, owned by berry farmer Aidan, and his brothers and sister. Overall I did like the story, but considering all the events are suppose to be within one week it seemed super fast for the romance and everlasting love. Another thing, was that there were actually three romances going on at the same time, which got a little distracting. Wasn't sure which one to concentrate on. Would still recommend this book and author, but not my favorite by her.

Another brilliant book by Holly Martin. Romance, friendships, lovely surrounding, everything is included in this book. You just want to be part of it.

Four beachy stars to The Holiday Cottage by the Sea! 🏖 🏖 🏖 🏖

Sometimes you need an easy, fun read to escape the real world, and The Holiday Cottage by the Sea plopped onto my Kindle at just the right time.

It turns out Tori Graham needs a vacation from real life, too! With a broken heart, she heads off to picturesque Sandcastle Bay for the summer. Tori meets Aidan/girl meets boy, and the rest is an endearing tale of love.

The Holiday Cottage by the Sea is an absorbing read full of heart, along with moments that will make you laugh and smile.

Thank you to Holly Martin, Bookouture, and Netgalley for the ARC. The Holiday Cottage by the Sea is now available!

The Holiday Cottage by the Sea is the perfect vacation read. It’s also the perfect rainy day, curl up on the couch read. It might even be the perfect “read surreptitiously at your desk when you’re supposed to be working read”, but I wouldn’t know about that. Err…. Anyway, the cover of The Holiday Cottage by the Sea proclaims it’s “An utterly gorgeous feel-good romantic comedy”—that glowing promise along with the bright cheerful colors on the cover drew me in…And happily, this lovely story delivered on the promises made by the cover! Filled with a picturesque seaside village setting and well-drawn village residents that are as much a part of the storyline as the main characters, I desperately wanted to plan a trip to visit Sandcastle Bay by the time I was about one-third into the book. The author paints a vivid picture, and I could definitely picture each place she described as I read. Something I noticed relatively quickly--I LIKED these people. They seemed like people I’d want to be friends with. They aren’t perfect, they make mistakes and they stumble, but they’re FUN to be around (or at least to read about!). There is a lot of humor in this book. I caught myself laughing out loud a couple of times and smiling pretty frequently as I read. It seemed to me to be a “happy” book, in that I had warm-fuzzy feelings most of the time I was reading it…that’s not to say it doesn’t have serious or sexy moments, because it absolutely does, but overall…it left me happy. I haven’t read this author before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. As I got into the book, I recognized that we were either getting three love stories in one book (I admit, I did hope for that, as I genuinely wanted each of these pairs to find their happy endings), or we were laying the groundwork for a series…by the end, it was clear this will be a series. But I wasn’t disappointed by that…I look forward to spending more time in Sandcastle Bay. This is a standalone, complete story…but there are a couple other relationships that I suspect we’ll see future books about. And I for one, am happy to have found a new author I am eagerly awaiting new work from!