✨️ Review ✨️
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by: Laurie Gilmore
Rating: 3/5 🌙's

Overview: Iris is having a hard time in life. She doesn't make enough money to pay the bills and needs a second job. One of her friends suggested she become the nanny for the new guy in town Archer. He just moved to Dream Harbor to be with his daughter he knew nothing about who is a toddler. Iris doesn't know the first thing about kids, but she knows she needs the money, and hey, you can't beat a free place to stay. That is until she meets Archer and Olive. Archer is a world-renowned chef who is easy on the eyes, and Olive is the sweetest of little girls. Her mom passed away, and she has been thrown into a new life with a father she knew nothing about.


Thoughts: Let me start out by saying I feel as if this book could have easily been a 6 moon book. I understand that this is a light, hopeful romance about two unlikely people in a taboo way. Nanny x Boss trope. However, i feel like the death and grief that Olive would go through after losing her mom and being thrown into a home environment with two strangers wasn't touched enough. I think that would have elevated this book into such a good book. I might have said this book was my top so far for 2025 if there would have been more on the pain and confusion Olive felt. And I know we weren't reading from her perspective because this was a romance novel, but maybe showing olives pain a little more through her dad and Iris's eyes?

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a heart melting, warm story about unconventional family dynamics. This book will make you swoon for Archer and feel the tension between two people who don't want to make a little girls life MORE complicated.

Thank you so much for #netgalley and #harpercollins for this DRC in exchange for my honest review and opinions.

A light, beautiful read. It’s lovely being back in the small town with our favorite people. I love their meeting and how passionate they are with each other. A sweet and sexy story.

This is my favorite of the series so far! Olive is adorable! Love the nanny/single dad trope! Cozy spring romance with some spice! Archer is a chef and just moved to town. Iris is the new nanny!

This series continues to surprise me in the best ways possible. What you think is going to be a stereotypical, cozy small town romance somehow always ends up being so much more. I loved getting to dive deeper into Iris' character who we have seen flitting about Dream Harbor throughout the series. Archer was a realistically flawed, but somehow absolutely perfect (and sexyyyy) MMC. Often I find that children as the focus in romances really pulls you out of the reading and they tend to be written as overly cliché. Olive, however, was the perfect bonding agent and really added extra depth to the storyline.

This is a very fluffy, mindless romance. It is easy to read, though sometimes the grammar and syntax left a little to be desired. I overall enjoyed it but I’m not sure if I’d read other books from this author.

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is the next book in the Dream Harbor series. It follows Archer, a professional chef whose life is flipped upside down when he learns that he has a child. He stumbles into life as a single dad and now a pancake chef at the local diner. In the hopes of making the transition easy, Archer hires a nanny to help him with his daughter.

If you love a romance, this is a cute book. It is super predictable, but it keeps you engaged as you rush to read the happy ending.

I was so excited to read this as I've loved the others in the series. It's a cute quick read. Not my favorite of the series but still a good book.

My first read of the Dream Harbor series and I’m in love! The chemistry of Archer and Iris just flew off the page! Love the relationship that grew with Olive. Such a sweet and steamy read!

I was very excited for the newest addition to the Dream Harbor series, however, this one ended up not really working for me. I feel like the characters were almost caricatures of themselves only focusing on their "worst" qualities. Their relationship was very lusty from the beginning which was kind of a turn off for me. Then the relationship progresses extremely quickly and it was definitely a case of instalove. I did like Olive and how Iris and Archer bonded with her over the course of the book. I also enjoyed seeing the other characters from previous books and the overall setting.

This is a cute series. This book was hard for me to get into. Iris is all over the place. Why anyone who knows her would recommend her to be a nanny to a little girl who just lost her mom is beyond me. Archer, just met his daughter, hires this woman with no references. Insta love that makes no sense. She’s a hot mess, not in a cute way. She’s slightly unlikable. He’s a world renowned chef working in a diner. Where are the funds from this famous chef, who excels at everything he does? Why does he need to settle for this life.
And it’s not enough, a nanny, who doesn’t like kids, moves in with this guy to take care of a child who had experienced trauma, she goes and gets pregnant?!?!! If you know you don’t like kids. And don’t want kids. You’d think this person would double up on protection. This is the person tasked to take care of human? And just give the kid a pop tart, you know as long she’s eating something? There are so many cringe moments.
After reading this book, I don’t even know if I will read Annie and Mac’s book, and I’ve been looking forward to that one.

Unhappy executive chef trying to find a balance between the daughter he know about and his new job as the head cook at a local diner. He gave up Paris for his daughter, but he needs a nanny. Iris needs a place to live and a job. She had never been a nanny, but perseverance on the adult’s part wins in the long run. Enjoyed the underlying theme of the pancake recipe and the ultimate solution.

I absolutely love Laurie Gilmore's Dream Harbor Series. This is book 4 and while you could read it, I would recommend starting at book 1 just so you get to know and love the town and characters.

This series is cute. This is not my favorite couple but I still enjoyed being in the town and the cameos from other series characters. I am so excited for the next books couple though.

Super cute single dad story. I do enjoy that this series doesn't really need to be read in order!

Also I could really use some pancakes after reading this one lol

Iris starts to Nanny for Archer and has never really dealt with kids before but thankfully the kid is super easy to handle (minus occasionally running off) can Archer keep away from Iris? Will it bother Olive the daughter who lost her mom and learning to be around her dad?

Definitely check this one out and the rest of the series

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I've loved reading about all these people in this nosey small town throughout this series. This one was a lot of fun. I always love a grumpy/sunshine and Olive was a fun kid to read. It's a single dad/nanny romance that is sweet and funny, but also approached some serious topics with grace and maturity. Forced proximity leading to found family is always one of my favorites.

Laurie Gilmore does it again! SPPH is filled with all the charm, humor, sweetness, and love we have come to expect from the Dream Harbor. I loved Iris and Archer’s story! The single dad/nanny trope is not usually my favorite but she did it masterfully. I loved every second of it!

I loved this book and read it in one day! It’s about a chef who finds out he has a 5 year old girl and with taking her in he needs to find her a nanny. He moves to the town where his daughter lives to make the transition as easy for her as possible and that’s when Archer meets Iris. ❤️ so good

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. My reviews can be read on my GoodReads account here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly

Oh my gosh. This was super cute. I love this little series. I was giggling the whole time. I couldn’t stop reading it. The romance was perfect and I loved these characters. This is worth the read for a quick fun pallet cleanser.

This is the first book that I have read by this author but I enjoyed the book. I will read more of her books. This is as they say a slow burn read. A chef with a daughter and a nanny who is scatter brained leads to a read that will keep your attention.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the Publisher and leaving a review by my own choice.