Series: Starshine Cove #3 (Standalone)
Publication Date: 24th April 2024
Genre: Contemporary Small Town Fiction, Romance
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Heartwarming but a bit heavy
Lucy Brown has been in hiding for a decade, thanks to her ex. However, she finally ventures out to meet her best friends and attend a wedding in the small town of Starshine Cove. The trip proved to be a great decision for her and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Rose.
But then, Lucy is stunned to see a man she impulsively flirted with at the airport and gave a fake name. They seem to have a connection, but Lucy is a long way from healing. With the past threatening to spill, Lucy has to decide what she needs from her life.
The story comes in Lucy’s first-person POV.
My Thoughts:
The book works well as a standalone despite the presence of recurring characters. They are the supporting cast and enhance the plotline.
This is a heavier book than it appears to be. It deals with psychological domestic abuse and its after-effects on the victims. Lucy has panic attacks, and there’s another character going through a similar phase. The book is not exactly a light read, though it has many sweet and humorous moments. It can be triggering to some readers.
Now, that’s done, I have to admit that the author writes teenagers very well. Rose is a doll! She is childish but mature, composed but dramatic, stable and reliable, but prone to sulking. In short, she is easy to love and relate to (though I haven’t been a teen for a while). Rose is my favorite character in the book.
Lucy’s narration takes some time to get used to. She is frantic and rambles, the result of living with a controlling spouse. However, we don’t know this at the beginning, and the first chapter has her monologue, which made my eyes glaze. NGL, I was worried about where it would go. Fortunately, there's a reason for it. We can get used to her thought process.
Starshive Cove is a beautiful place, and we are once again transported to an almost magical land with kind and helpful neighbors. This book is set in spring, so the flowers have started to bloom!
Josh is an adorable guy. The adults act like adults and can communicate, so that’s a big plus. Lucy and Rose also have meaningful conversations, which I like.
I knew there would be a third-act breakup, but it doesn’t happen until around 93%, which is too late, IMO. That leads to an HFN ending, which is okay since this is a series, and we’ll meet the characters again. However, I am disappointed that Lucy’s self-healing journey doesn’t come across clearly.
When the FMC calls herself a mess for most of the book in feel-good fiction, I have the right to hope she would realize and openly acknowledge that doesn’t define her. Circumstances forcing her to be stronger is not the same as self-healing, which Lucy needs. I don’t want to say more, as they’ll be spoilers.
The pacing is on the slower side due to the topics handled. Since these are important social aspects and are well-handled (as far as I know), I didn’t mind the slow pace much.
To summarize, Finding Hope in Starshine Cove is a heartwarming story with likable characters and a lovely setting. It has dogs and kids, too, so yay!
Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing, for eARC.
#NetGalley #FindingHopeInStarshineCove
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Extra:
I’d like to thank the author for handling the henna scene carefully. I appreciate the inclusion of the question about cultural appropriation.
It came at a time when I also found out about how Holi is being termed a South Asian (what is that even!) festival. Please read this piece to know more.
Holi, Yoga, Oman, Carnatic music, etc., are Hindu. Our pagan gods and rituals are the roots of these and will continue to be. There is no such thing as South Asian ethnicity, where several cultures lose their identities to form a single convenient group.
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