I really enjoy the author’s series books. When I first started this, I didn’t even realise that this was to be a series. The book focuses on different people coming into the secret sunshine cove than existing people within the community (although they play a significant role in the plot itself).

In this book, we meet a friend of the first lady to wander into this area in the first book. She has had a tough time moving on with life after her divorce and we are to see how things panned out and why.

I was moved by the concept of hope in this book. Friendships forged long ago as well as those in the nascent stages are tested by trying times and our leading characters are real in their struggle to do the best they can. There are emotional moments as well as some surprisingly humorous moments between sedate and serious conversations.

Life in Starshine cove is ordinary in some ways, while being unique and interesting in others. This time around we have a group of friends who address the time between when they first hung out and the older family women they are now. Given that I have reached a point myself where I do not have the time or even content to talk to old friends like I once did, I could empathize with the situation.

I highly recommend this series to fans of happily-ever-afters, especially when they are hard-fought for and worth the effort. The near mystical setting of Starshine Cove is also a draw. I already have another book by the author on my virtual shelf.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and the previous books in the series.

I hadn't read Debbie Johnson before and I'm happy to say that I will definitely be reading more from her. This was a delightful, summery and fun chick lit novel.

If only I could find the elusive turning to Starshine cove!
A delightful return with cameo appearances of previously met incomers to the cove and a great wedding to boot!
As always the characters run the full range with plenty of eccentricity spattered amongst them!
Thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the new characters- this is a lovely series to dip into.

In the third Starshine Cove novel, readers follow Lucy Brown and her daughter as they visit Starshine Cove for Lucy’s friend Ella’s wedding. After meeting a handsome stranger at the airport and having a flirtatious moment with him, Lucy certainly does not expect to run into him at Ella’s wedding in Starshine Cove. Lucy is also running from her old life and abusive ex-husband while trying to protect her daughter and her ex’s new wife, but Lucy cannot fully escape her past. As she reckons with the past and dares to dream about the future, Starshine Cove might provide Lucy with the answers and life she is looking for. With so many wonderful characters and an absolutely charming setting, readers will enjoy their return to Starshine Cove and seeing it through Lucy’s eyes. With new characters and a new romance in these pages, Johnson’s latest book is a strong continuation of the series that readers will absolutely love. Lucy is a complex and realistic protagonist, and her growth over the course of the novel is absolutely wonderful to follow. As the story unfolds, readers will lose themselves in the world of Starshine Cove and the lives of its inhabitants in this fantastic summer read.

I really loved this book. Lucy is a woman with a traumatic past who learns to overcome and accept that no one is perfect and everyone is a little bit of a mess but that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve love. She finds herself in Starship Cove for a friends wedding and discovers what life can actually be in this slightly magical place if she just chooses life. Definitely worth the read!

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and author Debbie Johnson, for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Finding Hope in Starshine Cove is the book #3 in the Starshine Cove series by Debbie Johnson. If you haven't read any of this series before, have no fear, as neither did I and I had no trouble keeping up and I didn't feel like I was missing some back connections. Lucy Brown is a bit of a recluse, she has to return to the living to got her friends wedding in Starshine Cove, Dorset. Although there is fun and humor, there are some deep and troubling issues at the core of this story of women receiving mental abuse and being physically restrained. Lucy is suffering from panic attacks, something that I have also experienced, but is gradually recovering in this friendly environment. This doesn't affect the overall feel of the book, which is overwhelmingly positive.

A beautiful story about 2 people who randomly meet at the airport. Chance then brings them together again at a wedding in Starshine Cove. A beautiful setting with a delightful community. As their troubled pasts emerge they begin to heal. Along the way old friendships and new relationships are formed.
A delightful holiday read. I would love to live in Starshine Cove with such a caring community.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed retuning to this series by Debbie Johnson. The characters are loveable. The plot is one that is engaging and I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

I really enjoy Debbie Johnson books and this is no different , great story with likeable characters. I look forward to more in this series.

Book 3 in the Starshine Cove series and this book transports you right to Starshine Cove and makes you feel like you are there watching the story unfold. A lovely read.

I really like the Starshine Cove series!
This was a really cute rom-com with some serious topics as well.
I love the Starshine Cove community. They are a tight-knit community who look out for each other and will never shy away from helping those in need. I also love that you can't always find Starshine Cove as it doesn't show up on maps.
This book was about a woman trying to deal with life after divorcing her abusive and controlling ex-husband. They share a daughter, so she still has to see him. She also learns that his current wife is being controlled and abused as well. I'm glad that both women and the children got out of that situation.
I liked that they both had strong communities of support around them. I know that's not always the case.
This was overall a feel-good story.
This can be read as a standalone, but some of the characters are interconnected.
I would definitely recommend this!

Lucy Brown hides herself away from her ex-husband and a life that has beaten her down. Though unsure and completely lacking in self confidence, she accepts the invitation of her college friend Emma to attend her wedding. An unexpected layover on the way to Starshine Cove leads to a meeting with a handsome stranger. She couldn't be more surprised when the handsome stranger shows up in Starshine Cove. Though it takes sometime, they form a tentative friendship, Soon, Starshine Cove works its magic on the couple. Just as Lucy begins the gain a sense of optimism, the darkness of her past returns to threaten the happiness she so desperately wants.
This is a story of growth, of family found and the positive impact of their unwavering support. As the story progresses, we see Lucy gain strength and to accept herself. Her bouts of self doubt grow fewer and Lucy's new friends and acquaintances are there to lift her spirits and her mood when she back slides. It's when the stakes are highest, that Lucy finds her voice and sets herself on the path to regain the life she thought she’d forever lost.

Starshine Cove is reminiscent of the small village of Brigadoon, full of friends we have yet to meet and chances we have yet to take. It’s the ideal backdrop for this sweet, heartfelt story. A quick and easy read, it’s perfect patio reading on a warm, sunny afternoon.

This is a wonderful book that I very much enjoyed. It is the third book in the Starshine Cove series which I didn't realize when I first started reading but it didn't impact my impression of the book at all. There were obvious mentions and nods to the previous books but there wasn't anything missing if you haven't read them. I'm guessing if someone picked this one up and read it like I did without realizing, they would want to go back and read the first two as well.

There was much more to this book than I expected at first. It deals with PTSD and controlling/abusive relationships which I didn't see coming. I found it was well handled and really helped you understand the experience of someone that had lived through that experience. It also made my heart warm to see Lucy start to be braver and stronger and open her heart to new friends and romances. I also really loved to see her offer help to another person in the same situation.

I loved the town of Starshine Cove and wish there really was such a place where everyone helps each other and there's such a wonderful sense of community. I would definitely want an invite into this magical place filled with gorgeous flowers and birds and supportive neighbours.

I received an advanced digital reader copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I wish more than anything I could go back and read this book for the first time again! Such a cute yet chaotic small town romance. If you're looking for love, family, and friendship all bundled in one, look no further! Picture a hallmark movie with a group of witty girlfriends who are finally reunited and add a side of romance! I'll without a doubt be going back to read the other books in this little series! Not to mention it was a super quick easy going read!

My sincere thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Finding Hope in Starshine Cove by Debbie Johnson. I give my unbiased opinion of it in the following short review.

Lucy meets a handsome man in the airport and pretends to be someone she believes she is not - a confident, engaging woman. Of course, she never thinks she will see Josh again but when she goes to the wedding of a friend she hasn't seen for years, Josh is there. Lucy is also mom of a teenage girl and still dealing with trauma from her marriage even though it ended 10 years before.

This book is what I would consider women's fiction with a splash of romance. There are some serious themes regarding verbal and psychological abuse by a spouse which I thought was well done. The story moved along at a good pace, and I loved the found family vibes of Starshine Cove. I was unaware of previous books in this series, so I plan to check those out. It will be easy to recommend this book to others.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I did not realize this was part of a series, but it was fine as a standalone...and made me want to check out the rest of the series.

Our female lead, Lucy, is a single mom who escaped an abusive (not physical, but just as battered by the emotional bullying and manipulative isolation!) Robert Ithe ex) cheated on Lucy and has established a new family, only seeing their teenage daughter, Rose, on occasional visits. On her way to a wedding, Lucy meets a stranger, and strikes up a conversation pretending to be a bold, woman of the world named Amelia. The opposite of her timid rea-life persona. Never dreaming to see Josh again, both are shocked to discover the other again at the wedding festivities. The groom happening to be his brother. There was so much to adore about this book. The magical feel of Starshine Cove and its community. The reestablishment of lost friendships. The beautiful relationship between mother and daughter of Lucy and Rose. The connection and romance between Lucy and Josh. Josh is total book boyfriend material! There were also moments beyond the sweet and funny times as Lucy's past comes to invade the serenity she has found in Starshine Cove. Lucy is so much stronger than she gives herself credit for. I enjoyed how the storyline played out, leading to a satisfying conclusion!

4 stars

This was a super, heart warming read.

The 3rd in the Starshine Cove series, however it reads well as a standalone - I haven’t read the previous stories in this series and it didn’t affect my enjoyment.

Lucy is in Starshine Cove to attend the wedding of an old college friend, and it’s a chance to reconnect with all her old friends.

Whilst waiting for her flight from Dublin to the UK, she has a flirtatious encounter with handsome Josh, she invents a personality for herself and they say goodbye, never expecting to see each other again.

However it is a bit of a surprise for both of them when it turns out Josh is the brother to the bridegroom!

The characters are really well written. Lucy is someone you’d want as a friend and Josh is proper gorgeous!

Thanks must go to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

Review: This is the third book in a series from Debbie Johnson set in the magical and mysterious Dorset village of Starshine Cove, which is apparently difficult to find unless it wants you to do so. Once someone does find the village, its magic pulls them in and they never want to leave, but not in a creepy way. Each of the books can be read as a standalone, but reading them in order builds up a nice picture of the village and its growing number of inhabitants.

This story centres on single mother Lucy Brown, who now lives in Ireland with teenage daughter Rose, having left behind her life and marriage to a controlling and cheating husband in London. Lucy and Rose arrive in Starshine Cove for the wedding of one of Lucy’s oldest friends. They are both taken with the village and the people there right away. Lucy gets a shock when she encounters best man Josh, a man she has met once before in an airport lounge when there seemed to be an attraction between them. The wonderfully peaceful atmosphere of the village and growing relationship with Josh are disturbed for Lucy by an arrival who awakens in her feelings from the past. It remains to be seen whether this most magical of all villages can help Lucy conquer her fears and allow her to love and have hope for the future again.

I absolutely loved this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a few hours of real escapism. The village of Starshine Cove has drawn me in yet again; if only it were real, but then it would be full to overflowing by now with people looking for a bit of magic in their lives. As I have come to expect as an avid reader of Debbie Johnson’s books, this one has quite a lot of humour mixed in with the drama of the story - altogether very enjoyable. A very real problem faced by all too many people trapped in a marriage by a coercive partner is dealt with sensitively by the author. I hope that there may be more tales from Starshine Cove to come. I am enjoying getting to know all the characters who reside there and finding out how newer arrivals from previous books are faring.

This is one of those stories where you end up wishing you could live in it. If only Starshine Cove was real. I loved this book from cover to cover. Thank you for the chance to read this ARC

Once again this story really was just as wonderful as the cover suggests! I loved the first two books in this series and was definitely not disappointed by this one. The story is full of wonderful characters, those from the first two books and then also the new characters from this story, Lucy and her daughter and a very hot guy!

As I had expected, this story gave me all the feels. I did not just read this story; I felt it! I was laughing out loud, smiling and moved to tears. There really are so many lovely people in Starshine Cove and anyone that is lucky enough to end up there is immediately immersed into the community, unless they don't deserve to be. Everyone there looks out for each other and it seems like there couldn't possibly be a better place to spend a vacation or move to.

I hope there will be many more installments to this series as I really can't wait to return, despite having only just left there.