Publisher: 1st October 2020 by Aria & Aries
Pages: 416 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: contemporary romance, holiday, Christmas, women’s fiction
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Synopsis:
It's time for Ellie to return home and rediscover the past she left behind...
After a tough break-up, Ellie returns to the only place she's ever really felt at home – the coastal town of Sanderson Bay. A year later, she's living her dream, brewing delicious artisan teas and selling them at her very own café. And when the mysterious and brooding Ben walks into her tearoom, Ellie finally dares to dream of true love.
But then her ex shows up in the Bay, and just as Ellie discovers some tragic truths about her family's past, she learns Ben might be hiding an unwelcome secret of his own...
Can Ellie let go of her past and brave a future with Ben?
My Thoughts
‘I sit down placing the teapot in front of me. The tea has brewed for exactly four minutes and I pour the reddish-brown liquid into my favourite blue and white striped china mug. No milk, no sugar. Just tea. I sit and watch the steam curling off the surface of the liquid as I allow it to cool and I wait for the subtle aroma of bergamot to hit me.’
The Tea Room on the Bay ticked so many fun boxes for me - great getaway escapism - and I was engaged from the very first page (quote above). If you love tales from tiny English villages full of community spirit and with a sweet romance thrown in - then you will love what Rachel is offering here. Added into this mixture is the recipe of overcoming those often tough hurdles life throws at you and how it is worth it when you follow the path meant for you and find true happiness.
‘Maybe there isn’t such a thing as the right time. Maybe there is just time. You can make all the plans in the world but the “right time” happens by chance when you turn up in the same place as somebody or something else. Some people call it fate.’
Of course all of the above is appealing when looking for that light read, however, what an added bonus that this one also involved TEA! If you are a tea lover then look no further! The Tea Room on the Bay has a wonderful assortment of teas, pots and cups. In fact, the tea room owner Ellie, has this gift of assigning a tea blend to those she meets! Now, that’s fun - ‘Do you ever stop thinking about tea?’ she asks. ‘Not really,’ I reply. I so want to go to Ellie’s tea rooms, sit in a cosy corner reading for a while whilst sipping whatever tea blend she believes is a perfect fit for me.
‘I think there’s a tea for everyone,’ I say. ‘Even people who say they don’t like tea.’
I really enjoyed escaping to Sanderson Bay and getting to know many of the wonderfully entertaining characters in this heartwarming tale. Of course you know how it ends - that is why you sign up for these books in the first place. However, it is the journey Rachel takes you on to get there that makes this the perfect holiday read with just enough ‘what if ...’ moments to keep you entertained right to the very end.
So if you are after something light and entertaining, a tale about taking a chance to find the place where you belong, then take this trip to The Tea Room on the Bay - you can’t go wrong with a nice cup of tea in a quaint English seaside village at Christmas time.
‘After years of worrying what people thought, after years of trying to live up to other people’s expectations of me, I’m trying to do my own thing. I’m trying to make myself happy and healthy. Some days it even feels like it might be working.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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