Debbie Johnson

Starting Over in Starshine Cove was unexpectedly uplifting and delightful. The story begins looking five years into the past. Connie has just met Simon and her somewhat decadent fast-paced life among the rich and famous seems totally unimportant now. They fall in love, they get married and they make a life together in his hometown of Starshine Cove, a magical, beautiful, idyllic seaside village. The story could have ended right there: love from a wonderful man, more love than she could ever show more have imagined, then wonderful children, and a life full of friends and business and contentment. Perfect, happy ever after, the end. Except – that happy ever after doesn’t always show up when or where you want it to. Sometimes the reality of life steps in.

I almost stopped reading at this point. I just didn’t feel like watching Connie suffer through the rest of the book, the rest of her life, wondering what-if, replaying all her regrets in her head, enjoying life but never recapturing that feeling of endless love and contentment. But author Debbie Johnson had something entirely different in mind for all those pages. And it was inspirational and sweet and touching and totally satisfying. I am so happy I kept turning just one more page until I was so engrossed you couldn’t have pried the book out of my hands.

Yes, Connie still misses Simon when the present-day portion of the story begins. He was truly the love of her life and that doesn’t come around twice. She has those wonderful, happy children, almost all grown up now, many, many friends and her café where her creative heart can bloom. But that “the love of your life doesn’t happen twice” thing? What if that’s not exactly true? What if the exact same thing doesn’t happen twice, but that wonderful warm feeling you remember starts to glide over you again just the same?

Zack was not really a what-if from Connie’s past life, but more of a hmm-interesting-I-wonder presence in her life. She was attracted to him, but nothing ever happened and after she met Simon there wasn’t much room in her head for thoughts of the old days. There still isn’t, in fact, except that it so happens Connie’s daughter and Zack’s daughter are good friends and about to be roommates and once Connie and Zack meet again little tingles start to happen, things feel somehow familiar and they spend more and more time together. There are unknown secrets that might put on the brakes before anything can grow between them, and there is the fact that they both were actually married to loves of their lives. There’s something happening though and it seems to be proceeding at its own pace, not theirs.

Starting Over in Starshine Cove is a sweet, touching story about two people who met and parted, who have lived satisfying lives, survived unimaginable tragedy and loneliness and have now discovered some sort of kinship between them. These are not romantic youngsters with wide-eyes and innocent hearts, but author Johnson manages to insert a lot of romance, starry eyes, and innocent hearts between Zack and Connie, nevertheless. Watching a mature relationship develop between people who know and appreciate what they once had and are brave enough to step forward towards what they might have again is heartwarming, and he adult desire Johnson puts in there doesn’t hurt either.

This was my first introduction to the Starshine Cove series but I will be catching up. It was well-written with fascinating characters, a beautiful setting and enough romance to keep you warm at night. I received an advance copy of this book from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

Favorite Quotes:

I’m still half convinced this is going to end with a knife fight and me running for my life, chased by locals wearing goat heads and furs.

‘Are you selling something? Are you from the government?’ She spits the last word out like she’s swearing. Stick this old dame in a trailer in Arkansas and you’d be expecting her to whip out a sawn-off shotgun and chase us away.

I’m more of a coffee guy, but saying that here would be like announcing I worship Satan.

These old show more buildings are lovely to look at, but they take a lot of caring for. If you stop paying them attention, they get their revenge. Like women.

...then after that, we’ll all meet up in the pub! I’ll be having a large Glenfiddich to celebrate, and Joanne will have a small glass of cyanide to put her in a better mood.

I love my kids dearly, but sometimes motherhood feels like you’re at the zoo, they’re all monkeys, and every one of them is throwing poo at you.

Kate slips her hand into mine, gives me a knee-buckling smile. I realise that I’m not so worried about what can go wrong – more about what can go right.

I know it’s coming, but it’s like a new diet or fitness regime – as long as it starts tomorrow, I can live with it.

My Review:

This was such a fun read, I was sad to reach the last page. Thankfully, it is just the first in a series, so there will be more volumes and shenanigans in store for these quirky characters. I adored the main characters, who were realistically drawn with real-world problems and foibles. The writing style was engaging, polished, witty, amusing, and easy to fall into. I am eagerly awaiting more from this talented scribe who has added a new word to my British Isles word list with bahookie. show less

I listened to The A to Z of Everything on NetGalley audio, and I was grateful for the chance to explore a genre I wouldn't usually choose. The book is probably classified as contemporary women's fiction and focuses on family emotions and reflections on life. It is not as nuanced as much of the literary fiction I usually read, but I found its messages and themes thoroughly worthwhile. The mother's words of wisdom and the daughters' reactions were relatable and memorable.

Rose and Poppy, two show more middle-aged sisters, haven't spoken in more than sixteen years because of an incident that should have been attributed to Rose's ex-husband, Gareth. I think that Andrea, their mother, realized from the beginning that Gareth was an undesirable husband for her daughter, and in addition to being heartbroken that her daughters were not on speaking terms, also knew that it would take her death to get them to understand that their anger was misguided.

Andrea, a former movie star and accomplished actor, did not inform her daughters that she was dying of cancer. Instead, with the help of a friend named Lewis, she prepared a lengthy guide for her daughters to follow after her death. The guide included written materials, videos, music, clues, family photos, and so much more. Andrea was a clever mother and knew that she could accomplish her main goal, getting her daughters to talk to one another again, if she piqued their curiosity about the identity of their father and their mother's public life.

The author describes Andrea as going for gold in the Olympics of mothering. Andrea essentially uses emotional blackmail, theater metaphors, and heartfelt love to convince her daughters that their bond was worth repairing and they should live in guilt for the rest of their lives if they could not accept Mom's coaching from the grave. Through Andrea, the author emphasizes what many mothers know: children are both a blessing and a curse. To heal the rift between Rose and Poppy, Andrea knows she must reopen old wounds and force her daughters to trust and forgive one another. She does it with rudimentary ABC skills but enhances the basics with humor, sardonic wit, heartwarming examples, and plenty of food for thought. I think readers have lots to contemplate about their own lives with the A to Z of everything. Following are most of the alphabetics without spoilers:

Ashes
Beef and Bastards
Champagne
Daddy Issues
Emotion
Forgiveness
Gorgeous
Hamming
Inebriation
Jealousy
Karaoke
Location
Magical
Nudity
Oh my mother
Paris
Questions.
Rhonda
Sex
Truth or Time
Upping the stakes.
Victory
Wonder wall
X movies
Yesterday
Zinaida. show less

I picked this book because I loved the cover ( I know it isn’t the reason you should pick up a book but I am a cover magpie) and thankfully it was a really good read. Dealing with issues of loss, trust and finding yourself it was warm hearted and I loved the characters in Budbury and look forward to revisiting them in other books in this series. It is the first Debbie Johnson book I have read it won’t be the last. My only niggle was snow at Christmas in Dorset, had it been set in show more Scotland or Northern England I would have bought it but not on the south coast. show less