Coming Home to the Comfort Food Café (The Comfort Food Café, Book 3)

Debbie Johnson

Oct 2017 · The Comfort Food Café Book 3 · Sold by HarperCollins UK

About this ebook

A brand new cosy novel from best-selling author Debbie Johnson.

Welcome to the cosy Comfort Food Café, where there's kindness in every cup of hot chocolate and the menu is sprinkled with love and happiness...

Moving to the little village of Budbury, Zoe hopes the crisp Dorset sea breeze and gentle pace of life will be a fresh start for her and her goddaughter, Martha.

Luckily for them both, the friendly community at the café provide listening ears, sage advice, shoulders to cry on, and some truly excellent carrot cake. And when Martha's enigmatic, absent father suddenly turns up, confusing not only Martha but Zoe too, the love and support of their new-found friends is the best present they could ask for.

Have Zoe and Martha truly found their home at the Comfort Food Café?

‘As sweet and as satisfying as a mug of hot chocolate’ Sunday Times bestseller Milly Johnson‘Full of comfort and cheer – the perfect antidote to cold winter nights’ Sunday Times bestseller Jane Costello

Readers LOVE the Comfort Food Cafe!

‘Full of heart and delivers so much more than you expect...a real joy to read’ Alba in Bookland

‘I truly believe that Budbury, the Comfort Food Café and the characters that live there have magical healing powers. I want to live there. I want to be in the novel, in every book in this series’ Lisa Talks About

‘I urge you to pull up a chair, grab a bowl of your own comfort food and sit back and relax with a wonderful story’ Rachel’s Random Reads

‘Funny, touching, realistic and sweet’ Bananas Are Tricky

‘I simply adored it with all my heart and my whole little miserable life’ On My Bookshelf

‘Debbie's best yet’ Annie Cooper’s Book Corner

‘Such a heartfelt story’ Jane Hunt Book Reviews

‘The perfect story whatever the season. I adored it’ Rae Reads

Ratings and reviews

Here we are again at the Comfort Food Cafe in sleepy old Budbury - except Budbury really isn't all that sleepy and is full of characters that are all linked through the tender ministrations of the wonderfully named Cherie Moon. Zoe and 16 year old Martha are still reeling from the death of Kate, Martha's mother and Zoe's best (and quite likely only) friend. Martha is rapidly running off the rails and Zoe decides that the best way to deal with this is to move away from the bright lights of Bristol and settle for 6 months in rural Dorset. Quite a similar plot line to the first of the series I think you will agree. In fact, much of the story is very similar to that first book - the main difference being Zoe is determinedly upbeat and refuses to give in to melancholy for her sake and, most importantly, for Martha's sake. All the usual crew are here in cameo and the tale really picks up with Zoe and Martha arriving the day after Frank's 81st Birthday celebration - strangely a movie monster themed one that has spilled over to the next day. Great welcome to The Rockery for the intrepid duo and a great device for introducing new readers to the motley crew that inhabit this rural idyll. The basic story is the same old, time worn chic lit fodder of girl meets boy, they fall for each other but she tries to deny it, they have a massive misunderstanding and then fall into to each other's arms to live blissfully ever after. We know this, but we read them anyway. Even though it is really clear who Zoe is going to fall in love with and that the feeling is reciprocated this doesn't detract from the enjoyment of this book. The characters are so vivid and realistic (if a little too nice sometimes) and the tale is told with such humour and genuine affection that the telling is definitely more important than the tale. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am genuinely looking forward to getting back to Budbury and the Comfort Food cafe when the next book hits the e-reader but I am kind of glad that is a few months away as 3 in as many days could cause a sugar overload - it's all that hot chocolate and cake Laura keeps serving up!

It’s been nearly a year of changes for Zoe, losing her best (and only) friend to breast cancer and inheriting the guardianship of her sixteen year old daughter Martha, constantly put down by Martha’s grandparents and second-guessing her every move. With grief almost overwhelming her, constantly doubting her ability (and her sanity) at taking on the pseudo-parenting of Martha, and spending more hours sleepless than not, something has to give before she utterly fails at the one thing, from the one person who ever trusted or accepted her, Kate. Martha is sorely feeling the loss of her mother, and with the usual teenaged ups and downs is a pretty miserable person to deal with –understandably, but still. When she snuck out yet again, was tossed from college, not doing her A-level work and generally taking every chance to pick the wrong choice, Zoe makes a decision and starts to plan for a six month getaway to somewhere new –where they both can get a fresh start. Zoe is all that Martha has for choices, Kate’s parents are too controlling and stifling, and Martha’s now basic teenaged acting out would surely escalate. And, with her father being a virtual stranger, and living half a world away, he was never an option, and never missed. Off they go to a small coastal Dorset town – a cottage community of holiday lets becomes their home base – Zoe hoping for everything to turn around instantly, Martha sullen and reserved, declaring everything ‘boring’. But this may just be what they need – some wacky and wholly accepting people who open hearts and homes to the two of them, there for advice for Zoe, no judgment for Martha, and a surprising arrival. Martha’s father Cal arrives to save the day (or the delivery) of the town’s newest resident during a knock-down storm, and while he is accepted and makes a place in the town, and starts to spend time with Martha, he’s clearly not trying to take over Zoe’s position. But ingrained self-doubts are hard to shake, and with Zoe’s only experience of acceptance and family coming from Kate and her constant defense, friendship and openness, the doubts Zoe carried that would wake her at night with panic-attacks, this chance to take away the one constant in her life for the last sixteen years is one thing she’s not sure she can trust. Until she sees she can, and starts to believe it, until …. Johnson brought so much to play here: the little community, fully committed to accepting, pitching in and even jumping in to defend those who need it. Zoe’s own struggles for herself and her ‘parenting skills’ – convinced that she’s doing everything wrong, and the certain yet quiet support of another mum who can assure her that everyone gets it wrong sometimes, that everyone is simply punting and hoping for the best. The strength and honest support from Cal, Martha’s true ‘teen strop’ moments, and even the confrontation and reconciliation (of sorts) with Kate’s parents, a huge revelation from them all. An interesting place to be, full of, as Cheri says, people who were meant to be there. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

I loved this book. A story of heart wrenching sadness, hope, commitment, love and happiness. Told with pain and humour. Truly engaging.

About the author

Debbie Johnson is a best-selling author who lives and works in Liverpool, where she divides her time between writing, caring for a small tribe of children and animals, and not doing the housework.
Her books include The Birthday That Changed Everything, Pippa’s Cornish Dream, and Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe, all published by HarperCollins.
Follow her on twitter @debbiemjohnson, or at www.facebook.com/debbiejohnsonauthor – but be warned, she mainly talks about dogs.