Sam Lovell lives in the small town of Porthmellow in Cornwall, and organizing the annual summer festival is her biggest job, apart from running her own mobile bakery. This particular year the organizers run into some trouble when their celebrity chef pulls out because of personal issues. Sam’s friend, Chloe, and fellow committee member, contacts Gabe Matthias and he agrees to be the celebrity chef instead. But Chloe is blissfully unaware of the history between Sam and Gabe. Despite their unpleasant parting of ways many years before, the two of them decide that they are perfectly capable of behaving reasonably in each other’s presence for the duration of the festival. Except that once they do lay eyes on each other, they secretly start wondering whether they can get their old magic back.

The festival and the need for a replacement chef, orchestrated by an ignorant Chloe, worked quite well to bring Sam and Gabe back into each other’s lives. I just feel that there wasn’t enough interaction between the two of them. A whole lot of time is dedicated to the festival, some pitfalls and other organizational issues. And while it is necessary for the plot to include these, I think it was maybe a bit too much. I would have liked to see more of Sam and Gabe together before they finally decided to bury the hatchet. And couldn’t her brother have talked to Sam himself once he had pulled his life back together and explained everything to her?

I wasn’t all that invested in Sam and Gabe getting back together. The story with Chloe and her daughter was a bit more interesting.

Sadly, I have to say this wasn’t the most exciting read, though I did enjoy reading some of the (what I assume are) local Cornish colloquialisms.

I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lovely summer read set in Cornwall, a nice web of characters and storylines. This is the start of a new series, so the perfect place to start with this author.

I liked this book. The story and the setting is fabulous. There’s a some intrigue woven in and several storylines converging into a satisfying ending. It’s missing a bit of zing to elevate it above other chick lit reads but none the less a good read.

Uh oh. Chloe, who didn't know the history, invited Gabe to stand in for the big name chef who cancelled on the food festival in Porthmallow. She had no idea of his history with Sam and her family or what this might mean, especially for Sam. Poor Sam- she never expected the food festival, which she started to bring some income to her small Cornish town- to get so big and she never expected to see Gabe again. This is a fun read for fans of small town tales. There are lots of characters, funny dialogue, and a nice second chance romance. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of this genre know what they'll get- a good read- but if you're new to it- just give it up and enjoy!

The first in a gorgeous new series from the author of Summer at the Cornish Cafe. A Perfect Cornish Summer is the first book I have read by Phillipa Ashley. I am glad I decided to try a Women's Fiction for a change as it was a very entertaining, fun filled read.

Summer is on the horizon, and the people of Porthmellow are eagerly awaiting the annual food festival. At least, most of them are... For Sam Lovell, organising the summer festival in her hometown is one of the highlights of her year. It’s not always smooth sailing, but she loves to see Porthmellow’s harbour packed with happy visitors, and being on the committee has provided a much-needed distraction from the drama in her family life (and the distinct lack of it in her love life). When their star guest pulls out with only a few weeks to go, everyone’s delighted when a London chef who grew up locally steps in at the last minute. But Gabe Matthias is the last person Sam was expecting to see, and his return to Porthmellow will change her quiet coastal life for ever. Curl up with this gorgeous novel and savour the world of Porthmellow Harbour.

My parents are British and I visited Cornwall 2 years ago the way this is written I was transported back and could picture it in full colour. The author was good at describing the every day life in a Cornish harbour town, as well as the feelings of the locals and the volunteers with respect to the festival.

I found the characters to be well developed, and multi-dimensional. There were lots of twists and turns and multiple sub-plots to keep you engaged and interested in the outcome. It's the story of a woman, her family, her friends and her community and how they all work together to help one another succeed, despite hard feelings, and past differences. I will definitely read other books by this author.

*I requested and received an advanced readers copy Courtesy of NetGalley and Avon publishing. All opinions are my own.

I love Phillipa Ashley's books and this one is really good as it's engaging, entertaining, and make you feel good.
The setting is amazing, it made me crave to be there, the cast of characters is fleshed out and engaging, the plot hooked me since the first pages.
I look forward to reading the next book by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I recieved this book via Netgalley and give it my honest review.
This book is well written and a delight to read, with charming Cornish settings and relatable characters. Food festival and romance a perfect holiday read. It took a little while to get into but still enjoyable. I would recommend this book.

Bit mixed on this loved it 80% of the book, but just felt the ending let it down. I didn’t think the way the MC reacted to the news was believable and everything felt resolved far too quickly when it had been in turmoil the rest of the book. I think it could have been 2 separate books and would have been dealt with better

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A Perfect Cornish Summer by Phillipa Ashley is the perfect choice for summer read.

Little town of Porthmellow is eagerly awaiting its tenth annual festival and Sam is behind it all. She runs her small but profitable pie store and with the help of locals organizes this event. Although she is happy with her life she still hasn't found her soul mate. Maybe it's because Gabe, the love of her life has betrayed her causing her brother to leave his home forever.
Now, ten years later by chance he is coming back to take part in the festival. Things are never going to be the same.

Lovely, entertaining romance book with lovable, multilayered characters that readers can easily identify with. Gorgeous setting that takes your breath away and mouthwatering food are just adding to the charm.
Beautifully woven love story that surpasses problems, temptations and time.

What an inventive story! I really enjoyed the way the author used imaginative characterization to convey little nuances about the people, and the way that emotions are so vivid and strong - It really makes for a great reading experience! I would definitely recommend everyone read this book :)

Join Sam and her lovable group of volunteers as they work to put on the Porthmellow Food Festival in Cornwall.

A beautiful setting for the annual Porthmellow Food Festival in Cornwall, with a host of unforgettable quirky characters.
Volunteer Sam, instigator and now in charge of the festival, still has to recover from events 11 years ago when she lost her brother Ryan and blamed everything on her then boyfriend Gabe. But Gabe has now returned to his hometown, transformed into a famous chef and still as lovable as ever. Can Sam forgive him?
A great beach read.

A good book is one that keeps me up at night and is read in the car and this book did that for me. My first book by Phillipa Ashley and she did not disappoint. I loved her characters and especially that they were different ages with different backgrounds all meeting however for the Cornish village food festival. Phillipa is a great storyteller and so the book was easy to pick up and put down but you never lost the plot or nuances of each character. So thank you and would love to hear more about these “friends” again.

Phiilipa Ashley is a great story teller, describing the harbour scenes so well that you could almost be there. Add to that a brilliant mix of characters and you have a very enjoyable book.

Sam is the main organiser of the Porthmellow food festival, an annual event, bringing much needed visitors and income to the small town. When the star attraction chef pulls out Gabe steps in at short notice. Many years ago his family ran the fish and chip shop but he is now a talented and famous chef who has appeared on TV. Sam and Gabe were a couple until an incident with her brother broke them up. How will Sam cope with Gabe being back?

The supporting characters have their own stories, I just loved Evie and Troy. Then there is Chloe a newcomer with family problems and Drew with an ex wife and a son. Will Chloe be able to find her happy ending?

I love Phillipa Ashley books so was very excited to read A Perfect Cornish Summer.

Whilst the story did not disappoint, it had sweet romance and friendships galore. The characters felt a little flat. Still, despite this it was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to more from Phillipa.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for letting me read this in return for an honest review.

This novel is built around the preparations for the food festival taking place in a small tight-knit coastal community. Sam is a likable main character and so are several of the minor characters; the main male - Gabe - however never quite feels comfortable within the storyline. Of course any person going back to their old stomping ground with those who turned their backs on him but there always remained that distance. As the book progressed I got a little more interested in what he was keeping to himself but even that reveal wasn't worth the anticipation.

The characters' plans and feelings alter far too quickly but at the same time the whole thing felt as though it was never going to end. I was tempted to add to my DNF list but thought it might improve which it didn't - even lighthearted stories need some enticing drama or something to keep it exciting surely. We revisit the history between Sam and Gabe over and over again yet the festival itself? Barely described or explored, and finished in the blink of an eye. I really liked Chloe and Drew, they both seemed much warmer characters and their development felt realistic and enjoyable. In some ways we could have had them as leads and I might have preferred it overall.

Give me a cosy book any day, but this one simply didn't float my boat.

ARC received from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for a review

This is the first Phillipa Ashley book that I've read and it definitely won't be the last because it was amazing! With humour, heart break, love, romance, kinship, food, community spirit and a range of characters, Phillipa expertly takes you on a journey to Cornwall in the lead up to the town's festival which entices and enthralls from start to finish! I would definitely recommend this book and I am keeping everything crossed that it'll be the start of a whole new series of books for Phillipa as I want to go on more journeys with these characters!

I'm ready for SUMMER! What better way to prepare for summer sunshine than to sail off to the Cornish coast. Well, at least in my imagination! It is A Perfect Cornish Summer thanks to Phillipa Ashley's brilliant new cosy.

One summer, while Sam and her friends are thinking of their small town's financial woes and also making plans to attend a festival in a nearby town, it occurs to Sam, who has money troubles of her own, that a festival is exactly what her own town of Porthmellow needs. It's also what Sam needs in her own life to keep her from thinking about her dismal, rather lonely life. Now it is twenty years later and the festival that Sam and her friends started is a region success and about to celebrate that twentieth anniversary! The only problem is that the nationally renown chef that they had booked has cancelled and the newly booked chef is someone from Sam's past that she never wanted or hoped to see again. Between the feeling of dread at that prospect and the sabotaging occurring all around the village, Sam is worried that the festival may not make to year twenty-one.

I adore Cornwall and talk about it so often that my own family just assumed it was a town nearby on Lake Michigan - I honestly kid you not. If there is a book written about Cornwall, set in Cornwall, featuring someone from Cornwall, you can bet I'm going to read it. A Perfect Cornish Summer did not disappoint me in the least with its small, twisty streets, community togetherness, sly humor and, of course, unpredictable stormy coastal weather! There are multiple story lines but each are relevant and well placed; they tie in nicely with one another and, I suspect, serve as an introduction to the key players who will be integral to subsequent books in the series. There also are multiple sub-plots which are not so much mysteries as they are mysterious subterfuge. This is a cosy read, it's not going to be an edge-of-your-seat dark thriller, nor should it be. It's the story of a woman, her family, her friends and her community and how they all work together to help one another succeed, despite hard feelings, past differences and even different tastes in music. Phillipa Ashley is a gifted story-teller and she has done a beautiful job of creating a tale that will envelope you in its summer warmth. Now, how quickly can I get to Cornwall from the middle of the US!?

Thank you to #Netgalley, #PhillipaAshley and @AvonBooksUK for my advanced copy of this delight book. You will find it on sale April 25th.

An amazing novel by an amazingly talented author. When I had an email asking me if I wanted to take place in the blog tour for Phillipa Ashley's new novel I jumped at the chance. I have adored Phillipa's previous novels and I absolutely fell in love with this cover so I knew I couldn't turn the opportunity down.

The cover really gives us a lovely feel as to what the novel is about. We have beautiful colourful cottages either side of the cover, with colourful and patterned bunting hanging overhead a female character. In the background is a beautiful, bright blue sea and I just love the use of all the flowers in the pots and the little sign pointing to the food festival. It's summery, feel-good and eye-catching and I couldn't wait to get stuck in.

I'd never been to Cornwall before, but Phillipa does such a fantastic job of describing the little town that you feel like you've been there yourself! The setting sounded idyllic and I fell in love with the little town of Porthmellow and the food festival that is hosted there. It's hosted by our main character Sam, who we learn has had her fair share of heartache throughout the years. What with losing her mum and then her brother, she also broke up with who she believed was the love of her life, so she's had a devastatingly hard time. After trying to find a way to make ends meet so that she can live a good life with her sister, she decides to set up the food festival and this particular novel is set around it's 10th anniversary.

The festival is doing really well but there are a few people that do not want the event to take place due to the crowds and the disruption to the seaside town. Sam learns along the way that someone is out to ruin the festival, after tearing down flyers and then causing damage to her work van. She starts to question whether this person is out to get the festival or if they're actually out to get her. The chef that was headlining the festival pulled out with not a lot of notice so the committee had to rush in order to find a replacement. Chloe, who is new to the area, contacted Gabe, a successful chef who originally grew up in the town. She believed him to be the best person for the job and so contacted him and booked him for the festival. Of course, not knowing about the connection between Sam and Gabe.

It's clear from the very beginning that Sam and Gabe have a history, and we learn as the novel goes on what he done to break Sam's heart. However, although I know why they split, I still couldn't help but hope that they would end up back together! They seem to have such a great connection and I couldn't help but love reading about them together. Other characters which I really liked were Chloe, Drew, Troy and Evie. All of the characters are part of the committee and the whole novel does have an amazing community feel to it.

The novel is summery, heartwarming and easy and enjoyable to read. This novel had wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It made me long to visit Cornwall! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

I really like Phillipa Ashley's writing so was excited to get to this and it did not disappoint. This was a very romantic moving read and I found I could connect well with the characters. The setting was on point as always, and has rekindled my want to live in Cornwall as it always seems so idyllic and very community focused. There are a lot of characters and it feels busy but I didn't find it to be a problem.

Overall an enjoyable read which I highly recommend.