I have read 3 of this book series and all out of order sequence but is it a problem? NO. i just didnt hear or read a book by debbie until last summer so im having to go backwards.... I love Debbies books.
Its a sad storyline really with the family breaking up because the father has died and ha sleft wife and two children coping. Why not get up and move to Dorset, the base for these books are all set in Dorset and until you have been you can imagine the whole setting.... Its a long book, but you get a whole lot for it.
Laura sees a job advertised at the cafe and get the job, one stop further in the foot of Dorset living. you read the book from Lauras perspective and although itss a very hot summer she has many down days especially getting to DORSET. Debbies books always makes me smile, and they are so enjoyable and fun filled. i wish i could give her 10 stars.
tHANK YOU TO NETGALLEY

5 - "This is the Comfort Food Café… and miracles can happen here." Stars!

Book one in Debbie Johnson’s Comfort Food Café series brings on the summer season, and also gives us the story of a widow and her two children trying to move on from the unexpected death of her husband/their father.

Something about this-upping sticks and dragging us all off to Dorset-feels like the first step to finding out who I’m going to be next…

This isn’t the first book I have read in the series, I actually read book two a couple of years ago, so I remembered Laura Walker and her children Nate and Lizzie as secondary characters from that. I also remember in the telling of that book being intrigued as to the origins of Laura’s arrival in the town of Budbury, Dorset, and reading Summer at the Comfort Food Café gave me all the answers I needed.

Bit by bit. Day by busy day. I am feeling stronger.

This is not a short book by today's standards, by Debbie manages to cram a whole lot of story into it. You are introduced to all the characters that live and reside in Budbury, Cherie Moon is the matriarch of the group in that she is the owner/proprietor of the town hub; The Comfort Food Café. A place that is more about the people that it serves than the profit going into the till. And somewhere that Laura sorely needs in that it offers her a distraction from her own life and troubles, it also gives her a purpose, something that has been sorely lacking since the loss of her husband. You watch her grow in confidence and pull herself back out of the shadow of grief as the story develops.

"Please… ignore the tears. I can’t help them. Just… see the rest of me."

There are some really funny moments in this book, the author has a real knack of hitting the write note when delivering certain scenarios and situations, at one point I went from howling with laughter to howling in tears in the space of a few paragraphs. There are highs, and I have to say the last 25% of the book had me sniffling into more than a few tissues, but for all that I came away at the end with massive smile on my face. I loved the secondary characters, Laura’s children obviously play a huge part in the story as well, and Matt, the brooding, sexy vet… *insert girly sigh here!

We both have pasts and we both have our emotional burdens-but right now, we are simply enjoying each other for who and what we are right now…”

I read this book in a day, I loved each and every page, (even the ones that had me crying like a baby), so much so that I have already made a start on book four; Sunshine at the Comfort Food Café. I am saving book three; Coming Home to the Comfort Food Café for Christmas, so I know without doubt I have something to look forward too from this author later on this year.

Wow! This book had me hooked straight away. It made me cry within the first few pages, had me chuckling a few pages later. I cried at least a couple more times, but laughed a lot too.
A heartwarming story of recovery from grief and the power of good friends and good food. It left me feeling full of hope and a sense of completion. A big warm hug of a book. Read it!

See review of Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe.

I really loved this book, having been asked by NetGalley to review Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe first, I was then asked to review this one. At first I was somewhat confused but realised that this is the first book in a series of four and reading this made the other novel just fall into place being the fourth as I now realise that there are two more books between the two titles. I can honestly say that I loved this book and the characters in them and will be putting the two books between on a wish list soon. It truly is a 'comfort' book, just cosy and draws the reader in to a wondrous collection of quirky characters. I just wish this cafe was my local as it is just so full of friendship and community so lacking these days. A lovely summer holiday read and perfect for curling up and immersing oneself in. I look forward to reading the missing two volumes, and can see there is plenty of room for more in this series, I, for one, shall be looking out for them.

This is the first book by Debbie Johnson that I’ve read and I can undoubtedly say that Debbie is now on my favourite authors list!

Sometimes all you want is to curl up with a delightful romcom that has you intermittently laughing out loud and crying and this book certainly delivers that! This book gave me so much enjoyment and a real feel-good feeling at the end.

I fell in love with Laura and her children and the gorgeous Matt, Sam, Cherie, Willow and all the other wonderful, warm and engaging characters that Debbie has created.

If you are looking for a summer read, this is the book to choose!

Thanks to HarperImpulse and Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed the other book by Debbie Johnson (Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe) but since one of my reading rules is to not continue with book that use the word “retard” to describe a person, I’ve stopped this one at chapter 5. It makes me so sad that in this day and age writers who would never use racist or homophobic language in their mainstream books still thing that this vile word is ok. When you use the r-word to describe someone (“its to the right, you r**ard” in this case) and equate them with stupidity, you’re actually saying “you’re so stupid, as stupid as someone with a learning disability” - adding to the unacceptable view that people with learning disabilities are defined by stupidity and are acceptable targets for derision. So, no more Comfort Food Cafe for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read in return for an honest review, this certainly is one. Very disappointed as I’d been looking forward to a second instalment..

Warm, witty and engaging. A plethora of great characters and a poignant, funny and insightful narrative. A really enjoyable light read - fantastic

Laura Walker breaks away from her life in Manchester and drags her children away to fresh air, beaches and countryside, where she can try to move on from the devastation brought about by the untimely death of her husband.
This is where the magic begins and we get to meet the people of Budbury and learn all about the quirks that make them tick. I went back to this book after reading one of the later ones and was really glad I did. Highly recommended. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An absolutely cracking summer read (yes it must be nearly here I reckon).

Well written, very descriptive and an easy to digest story.

I read this book AFTER I'd read the sequel, so it filled in some of the blanks for me.

Sometimes you just need a light and easy read, and this book fits that bill. An enjoyable and comfortable read, filled with great characters and lush descriptions of food and scenery. Some bits of it made me cry a little, and others made me smile. I like the way the author writes each book from the POV of a new member of the "Comfort Food Cafe" cast.

I'm giving it 5 stars as I would happily read more in this series, which is always a good sign.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

I picked this book for a nice, easy read however it gave me so much more! The book offered a real emotional roller-coaster and there is so much empathy for every single character within the book. You feel a part of the Comfort Food Cafe from the beginning and that never goes.

I so adore this series of books - they are brilliant. I really loved this book! Excellent story with brilliant main characters. I would recommend this book so very much.

I love this book! Laura’s husband David died in ana code to and this book charts part of Laura’s recovery. Laura moves herself, her children and the family dog down to Dorset for a summer job. There is warmth, humour, fun, grief, courage and hilarity all contained in the pages. This is a story of learning to live again, learning to love again and moving on after a traumatic event. It’s definitely my favourite in the series so far. Read it. Tell your friends to read it too!

I saw a recommendation from one of my favourite authors on Twitter for this book so when I was offered a free copy from Netgalley.com I took the opportunity to try it.
Laura is a young widow with two teenage children living in Manchester and she is existing rather than living, consumed with grief after the death of her childhood sweetheart husband. She answers an enigmatic ad for a person to work at the eponymous Comfort Food Cafe in Dorset and to her amazement after pouring her heart out in a letter gets the job.
The book tells us in a believable way about her experiences with Cherie, the owner of the cafe and her customers who all have their own quirky ways.
I laughed out loud several times, cried my eyes out at times and thoroughly enjoyed this book. Debbie Johnson has obviously had experience of the ways of modern, social media using teens and writes so eloquently about love, loss and human frailties.
I love Dorset and the book brought back happy memories of family holidays spent there.
I have already purchased the other books in the Comfort Cafe series and look forward to catching up with all the characters I have met.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for a copy of this book. A very entertaining read, as I’ve found with every Debbie Johnson book. A book that is written so that you’ll laugh and cry along with the main character and her family and friends. A really good story, a book I’d recommend to anyone who loves a good romance.

I did enjoy this story, it was well written and certainly made me fall in love with the Comfort Food Cafe and all its VIPs. It slowly drew me in until I was totally engrossed in Laura's story and it made me smile and it also made me cry...quite a lot!

The characters in this book are all great, they are so real and bond together so well to create a really believable story. I loved them all, I wanted to find out their stories and to get to know them too.

This is a lovely story and a great summertime read. Do make sure you have a box of tissues to hand, you will need them; well you will if you get emotionally involved with the characters like I did.

This was a slow starter for me, but eventually I was hooked and couldn't wait to see how Laura's summer ended.
Will be binging on the rest of the series now!

I couldn't put this book down. The characters and their stories were so engaging and the Comfort Cafe sounds such an inviting place. I loved the range of age groups and the different types of relationships the stories covered. The central story of Laura and her family had me in tears on several occasions, but the hope that comes from the pages and the importance of having good people around you makes it an uplifting, if occasionally emotional read. I would definitely recommend this as an essential pick me up to escape the horrible winter and get a bit of warmth and sunshine in your life.

Loved it! I love all of Debbie Johnsons series set at the comfort food cafe and I eagerly await each new one :) This is our first glimpse at the joy that is the comfort food cafe when we first get to know all the characters.It starts with Laura and her kids and the miserable place they find themselves in and we follow them as they learn to love life again and find themselves a new place in their new world.