I enjoyed this book. Not my favorite in this series but still very cute. I loved the big city chef to small town diner. The trying to find the perfect pancake recipe to please this crazy town was fun. Connected with Iris because of her basic hot mess express life. Through the whole book I was excited anytime there was any connection with Olive. She had been through the worst tragedy and then sent to live with two strangers. Seems crazy to think but I’m sure that does happen. The spice level was really good. I love to read the stories of Dream Harbor!

Another cozy, small town, Hallmark-esque romance. I'm not normally a romance reader, but Laurie Gilmore's books have totally sucked me in through vibes alone - and they do not disappoint! Cute, cute, cute! Thank you, NetGalley!

This series has really been a joy to read and I can not wait for book 5 to come out this fall. This one was not my favorite of the series, but it definitely ranks up there in my top 3 so far. This series feels like you're in a hallmark movie or a Gilmore Girls episode. It's cheesy, it's predictable, but it's a fun, fast read that you can devour.

ile this book fits right in with its sweetness and side of spicy, I didn't love the trope. Usually I do but seemed forced. Overall was a good book and an easy read.

Thank you, Harpe360 and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this ARC!

There’s nothing quite like a heartwarming trip to Dream Harbor! This new, cozy installment focuses on Iris, who we met in the previous book, and newcomer Archer, a single dad who moves to the town after learning he has a daughter. I love how the series continues to expand on Dream Harbor, adding residents, but still calling back to favorites from the initial books. All of the “Dreamers” we know and love make an appearance! And we get to see a couple of new corners of the town, such as the quaint diner.

While this book included a few tropes I’m not all that crazy for (insta love, nanny romance, etc.), it spends enough time with the MCs to build a believable relationship. They spend a lot of time making late-night pancakes (swoon!), going through day-to-day moments, and just chatting about life, which felt believable and helped their growing attraction feel genuine. I also enjoyed seeing both characters develop outside of the romance, with Iris learning to overcome her fear of commitment and Archer falling in love with fatherhood.

I’m so happy that this series continues expanding, and I can’t wait for Annie and Mac’s story (YAY! FINALLY!) in the next book, The Gingerbread Bakery!

I’m a huge fan of this series as a cozy romance. It reminds me of Gilmore Girls with the town, but there’s enough spice to make it better than a hallmark movie. While the dad nappy trope isn’t my favorite, I felt this one was handled well. The characters are cute and quippy. Definitely better than some others in the series, this was a quick enjoyable read.

I’ve enjoyed the previous Dream Harbor books so I was excited to get an advanced copy of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House. I read the previous books on audio so it was a new experience reading this book on my Kindle. It may have been my favorite of them all. The single dad and slow burn tropes- phew! I loved how the characters developed throughout the book. Definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to Laurie Gilmore, Harper 360, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading 'The Christmas Tree Farm', I was willing to give Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor series another shot—especially since this story listed so many of my favorite tropes.

Overall, it was a light and cozy read with some sweet moments, but the characters felt a bit flat and constantly left me wanting more. The last third of the book really took away from what could have been a truly charming story. While it does deliver a HEA, there were several rushed and unknown about tropes that just didn’t fly with me.

If you love small-town romances with a Hallmark vibe or have enjoyed other Dream Harbor books, you might still have fun with this one.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Harper 360 for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a cute fun read! One of my favorites of the series! The chemistry and the banter was top tier and I loved the setting! Will continue to read anything Laurie Gilmore writes!

This was the first of Laurie Gilmore’s books I read. I’ve never picked up anything by her because I’m really not a fan of spice, but gave this one a try after getting the ARC.
The story wasn’t anything special, but was pretty cute. There really wasn’t much substance to the characters.. they seemed to each have one or two problems circulating their inner thoughts that was repeated over and over again, and then were just magically solved all of a sudden.
That being said, I really wasn’t expecting much by way of plot and character development and this story was pretty consistent with my expectations.
I’m not in a sprint to, but I am going to go back and read the rest of the books in the series after this.

Thank you to Harper 360 and NetGalley for the ARC of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, I must confess, this is my first Laurie Gilmore book I’ve ever read (yes-I started with the 4th book in the series). Thankfully, I was not lost on the relationship dynamics at all. I do own books 1-3, I just haven’t been able to read them yet! So when this ARC came up, I took a gamble on starting with book 4 hoping that I would be able to pick up just fine and I can comfortably tell you that I did just that and I will be making time to read books 1-3 very shortly.

This book is as adorable as its title in all possible ways! Oliver is so darn adorable that you couldn’t help but root for Archer and Iris’s relationship! From what I understand of books 1-3, the characters flow in and out of this book effortlessly and apparently there is a book 5 on the way that everyone has been waiting for! Please note, as adorable as this book and series appears, this is not a child friendly series. This book has a fair amount of spice and would not be appropriate for kids. I only say that because I’ve seen several kids see these books out in stores and they are immediately drawn to them (understandably).

I really enjoy the community Laurie has created with Dream Harbor and I cannot wait to go back and piece more of the characters together. The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is out March 18th, so please do run and pick up your copy!

I don't usually read single parent tropes, but I was excited to read The Strawberry Patch Pancake House since I've already read all of the previous books in the series. Our FMC is Iris who was a side character in The Christmas Tree Farm. Archer arrives to Dream Harbor to meet his daughter for the first time, Olive, and hired Iris to be the live in nanny.

I loved Olive's interactions with Archer and Iris. It was so sweet and endearing seeing her opening up and blossoming. I honestly enjoyed the first 75% of the book and then the author decides to drop a surprise pregnancy trope that I absolutely loathe. It honestly really upset me and if I had known it was going to be in this book I definitely would not have applied to read this ARC.

Thanks, Netgalley, for giving me the chance to read and review it.

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is definitely for people who like kitschy small town romances. This reminds me a lot of Virgin River and books like that that carry a few characters through the different books. It’s definitely a good pallet cleanser after a harder/tougher read.

this is such a good lighthearted romance series. i have not been disappointed with any of the books so far. keep them coming!

I love, love, loved this book! I am not the typical audience for this book and I don't read romance at all, but this book was so cozy and fun to read. I am definitely going back and reading the rest of the series! Chef Archer moves to small town Dream Harbor after learning he's a father. His daughter is named Olive, and I find that so cute because my favorite dot grid notebook company is named Archer & Olive! So being thrust into single fatherhood, he hires a live in nanny named Iris, who is kind of flighty.

From what I understand so far, this is a "slow burn" romance. It was simply delightful. I could imagine this is the perfect book to read while curled up on a porch swing with lemonade.

I got the audiobook of this too, and reread it that way. I honestly enjoyed reading the printed book more. The audiobook was okay, and the narrator was fine, but I could imagine the story better while reading the ebook for some reason.

I am a big fan of the Dream Harbor series and The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is an excellent addition to the world! With our favorite characters relegated to the background, we’re introduced to Iris (we’ve met her before but she hasn’t been a main character), a young woman with no direction in life, Archer, a high class chef, and Olive, Archer’s daughter who he only found out about when her mother died in an accident.

I enjoyed the addition of Olive, a child, to the romantic mix. It took a while but she finally started warming up to Archer, with a little help from the Dream Harbor community, and Iris, of course. I love how the whole neighborhood stepped in to help whenever Archer needed it. It’s just as fantastical as a story with dragons, to me.

I did not like the last quarter of the book. Of course the author had to bring in one of the most classic and hated tropes and it pretty much ruined the book for me and left a bad taste in my mouth. It didn’t feel necessary to add that bit, honestly. Why can’t it just have been Archer, Olive, and Iris? Why add a pregnancy to the mix? A pregnancy that caused a breakup, no less. Why do so many romance novels feel the need to do this, especially with a person who expressed a desire not to have kids in the first place? Having a person who didn’t want kids fall in love with a man who already had a kid was enough.

While I love the world of Dream Harbor, and enjoyed the initial interactions between Archer, Iris, and Olive, this end bit ruined it for me, as did the sex scenes to be honest. For the first full scene to have the classic ‘I’m on the pill’ line, knowing where that would lead, I lost interest. For some people, I’m sure they enjoy this sort of thing. But it was just not for me.

I couldn’t get into this one. I’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series but this one just wasn’t working. Maybe the nanny/ dad dynamic? Maybe I appreciated the seasonal elements of the other books which this one didn’t have? It just had no build up and felt very flat. I do not think I will be continuing with the series, which is a shame because I already read and enjoyed three of them previously. Ah well.

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore. I enjoyed reading this book and the other in this series. Great beach read.

Archer moves to Dream Harbor Paris while working from his dream job being a chef. He finds out he has a daughter that he didn’t know about whose mother died tragically and now he needs to take care of her! But how will he take care of Olive while working daily at the diner in town? Enter Iris… a swim instructor at the Y barely able to pay rent. When Archer needs a live-in nanny, Iris jumps in with both feet even though she doesn’t have much experience with children.

All of Laurie Gilmore’s books set in Dream Harbor are so sweet. The town is its own type of character and Archer and Iris’ story was heart-warming.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've really enjoyed all of the previous books in the Dream Harbor series. I don't go in expecting anything other than a cute, cozy little small town and that's exactly what I get.

Unfortunately, this one is probably my least favorite of the series so far. Iris and Archer are our main characters and we have a fun nanny x boss trope at the forefront of this novel. Archer finds out that he has a five year old daughter one day after her mother passes in an accident and he is now her sole parental figure. Iris is down on her luck, but gets a nannying job for Archer and his daughter, Olive.

This one was kind of weird because, remember how earlier I stated this series is just a cozy little good time. Well, this one felt a bit strange because the author took on a severe and serious topic and twisted it to be a lighthearted trope?? I don't know, it just felt a bit odd?

I wasn't super sold on the trope this book ended on because I wasn't entirely sure Iris and Archer had much connection. Their relationship is primarily lust-motivated.

I think I will continue with the series because I do enjoy the cozy vibes the series brings.