New Beginnings At The Cosy Cat Café by Julie Haworth

 

New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Café by Julie Haworth.

Published 18th July 2024 by Simon and Schuster.

From the cover of the book:

New Beginnings at The Cosy Cat Café tells the story of Tori who, after being dumped and left stranded by her long-term boyfriend Ryan on a trip of a lifetime to Asia, returns home to the sleepy Sussex village of Blossom Heath with her tail between her legs and her dreams shattered. 

Donning her frilly apron to help her Mum, Joyce, behind the counter at The Cosy Cup Café, Tori starts to believe – with the help of a hunky fireman and a clowder of rescue cats - that perhaps the secret to her future happiness might lie closer to home than she ever thought possible.

If you love your romance with a side order of cake, cats and cosy community dynamics, this is the purrfect uplifting, feel-good read from the winner of the RNA Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year 2023.

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When Tori's once-in-a-lifetime trip to Asia ends with her dreams being dashed, she returns home to the little village of Blossom Heath, in Sussex. Having been unceremoniously dumped by her long-term boyfriend Ryan, all her plans are now in disarray and she has no idea what comes next. While her heart heals, it is time to reconnect with old friends of the human and feline variety, and help out her mum in the village's coffee shop, The Cosy Cup Café. 

Then inspiration strikes: what if her mum's traditional village café was to become Sussex's first cat café, like the ones Tori visited in Asia? With the help of family, friends, and a very hunky fireman, The Cosy Cat Café is born, and with it the chance of a brand new future that Tori never envisaged - right here in sleepy Blossom Heath.

Julie Haworth returns to the picturesque Sussex village of Blossom Heath for New Beginnings at The Cosy Cat Café, the follow-up to her engaging debut, Always by Your Side. This second book follows the story of, new character, Tori, who returns to Blossom Heath broken hearted, and discovers that you do not need to travel to exotic locations to find happiness. There is more than a sprinkling of familiar faces from the first book, whose stories continue alongside Tori's, but you can read this a stand-alone - I do recommend going back to take in the first book as well though, as it adds context to many of the characters (especially the relationship between Rose and Jake), and it is a lovely read.

This is a gentle story, all about reassessing your life and finding new beginnings in unexpected places. Haworth continues the warm-hearted, relatable themes of her first book to weave an enchanting story around friends, family, and romance, with a big side-order of cats - which, if you are a fellow cat lover, you will enjoy enormously, because the cat characters are very much part of the story. 

There is a solid feel of community in Haworth's books, which complements the romantic storylines to perfection. Her characters feel very real, and they are made up of just the right mix for a rural village setting - with a range of ages and situations that are fertile ground for the mishaps and misunderstandings you need on the way to that happy ending. It is not surprising that the idea of something so 'modern' as a cat café divides the crowd, and Haworth cleverly uses the resulting tension to build in realistic dramas, and an enjoyable thread of mystery. Along the way she highlights a number of worthy topics around animal welfare and pet rescue, and she touches sensitively on the very real issue of loneliness too.

You know when you find a series that has a community you would love to live in that you are on to a winner, and Julie Haworth's Blossom Heath is that with bells on. I am already looking forward to my next visit!

New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:  

Julie Haworth writes uplifting stories about friendship and community, bursting with romance and charm, from her home in the bustling city of Chelmsford, Essex. Her debut novel, Always By Your Side, won the RNA's Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel Award for 2023. Julie is still pinching herself that she’s realised her lifelong dream of becoming a published author!

When she’s not busy writing or running her copywriting business, Julie can mainly be found shopping, drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee and hanging out with her two rescue cats. Julie is also a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors.