Finding Love: All will be well when the tulips bloom

by C.L. Peache

Loved bingeing Firefly Lane ? How about And Just Like That ? Then Finding Love is for you! Best Friends Kate and Sam have practically grown up as sisters their entire lives. Kate’s parents are like Sam’s parents, Sam’s problems and joys and troubles are like Kate’s own. So when Kate’s mother is put in a medically induced coma after what was supposed to be a routine operation, both their lives take an unexpected turn. Except you never know if love is lurking just round the corner…Even if it’s at a hospital. Slowly but surely Kate starts growing closer to Henry, a kind, friendly and handsome nurse. But they both have their own pasts to work through and their own mental barriers to cross. Meanwhile Sam is locked in outright warfare with Arty, the cheeky car park attendant. Determined to be the bane of his existence, she is surprised when she finds his number left on her car. As Sam watches Kate go through the stressful situation, she’s sure there’s something else under the surface; something else that her friend is hiding. And it might just be someone from Kate’s past threatening to ruin it all. For fans of Cecelia Ahern’s P.S. I Love You and Sophie Kinsella’s grand romances, comes a heartwarming, domestic tale of love, loss and familial bonds that go deeper than blood.

250 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2023

About the author

After living in various parts of the UK, including Wakefield, York, Derby, Newark-On-Trent and the Yorkshire Dales, I now live on a narrowboat cruising the canal network. I enjoy reading, writing, travelling, walking and watching all forms of motorbike racing and socialising (networking).

At the beginning of my writing journey, I started my blog which tracks the ups and downs of writing. ((I need to mention that my blog posts are usually visited by ‘Brackets’!))

To the books…

Lost the Plot, A diary of a narrowboat adventure was published in November 2024. This a reflective diary sharing the trials, tribulations and excitement of leaving land to live a life afloat and travel the UK canal and river network. Some of this journey is available to watch on our YouTube channel Lost the Plot.

In November 2022 the third book in my fantasy trilogy Festival of Time, Battle was published and joined Rescue and Escape to complete this series.

In 2021 I joined The Bombay Circle Press and they are the custodians of One Step Ahead, a mystery novel based in Jersey which was published in June 2025. Power of Nature, mystery/thriller and my romance/rom-com Finding Love which are available in bookstores in Mumbai, Newark Bookshop in Newark-on-Trent and from Amazon. (They previously published; A Christmas Wish, Decisions, Decisions, and A night lost to the past on their app.)

A Christmas Wish has been republished on Amazon.

I’m part of a wonderful writing group based in Newark; The Fosseway Writers and have stories in various anthologies including: The Brinwade Chronicles, which is a collection of 28 Gothic stories by 13 writers. Burning Old School Ties, Blood, Sweat and Typewriters and Writings on the Walls.

In February 2019 I was lucky enough to travel to New Zealand and during my time exploring this wonderful part of the world I kept a journal and this became 187 Kilometres, turn left. A guide to our 43-day bucket list adventure.

In December 2018; I published my first horror novella Game of Souls.
Current projects:
Psychological thriller series - book one is currently being submitted to agents.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Saga Publications and Book Sirens for providing me with an e-arc of this title in exchange for an honest review!

Finding Love by C.L. Peache is a recently released contemporary romance following two different love stories. Kate, a freelance writer whose mom suddenly went into a coma, falls for Henry, a nurse at the hospital. Meanwhile, Kate’s best friend, Sam, slowly falls for Arty, a parking attendant at the same hospital.

There are a few things I enjoyed about this book, but unfortunately, I did not enjoy it overall. I always love the presence of animals in books, so the inclusion of Lee the cat was quite adorable. It was fun to see his personality shine through, making his minor role a highlight of the book. Additionally, I really liked Kate as a main character. She was well developed and I felt for her struggles throughout the book, particularly pertaining to her past experience with domestic abuse.

I didn’t love that this book followed two different love stories, and I would have preferred the focus to be solely on Kate and Henry. I enjoyed their chemistry quite a bit more than that of Sam and Arty, whose relationship I never became invested in. Generally, the story dragged in certain parts and I found myself wanting to get to the end.

Although I liked Kate and Henry as a couple, their relationship was full of “insta-love,” which I did not enjoy. Their feelings for each other developed rather quickly and their relationship progressed very suddenly.

The most frustrating thing about the book for me were a few lines pertaining to diet culture/body shaming that I found to be questionable. There is a moment at the beginning of the book where Kate expresses the sentiment that a food she is eating will impact the look of her body, as well as another moment where she commented on the amount of food another woman near her was consuming. I found this content to be frustrating and unnecessary, hindering my enjoyment of the story.

Although this book didn’t work for me, I think Peache wrote a solid romance dealing with a few heavier themes such as the sickness of a loved one, the loss of loved ones, trauma, and the survival of domestic abuse. If you are looking for stories that deal with these kind of themes, Finding Love could be a book worth checking out!

Major Content Warnings:
domestic abuse (past experience), loss of a loved one, coma, sickness of a loved one

Minor Content Warnings:
catcalling, attempted sexual harassment, diet culture, body shaming

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate’s mother went into the hospital for a routine procedure, but ended up in a coma. This book follows as Kate and her best friend Sam (a sister in every way but blood), find potential love as they visit the hospital and navigate life with the fear of losing Kate’s mother. There are also important subplots related to Kate’s former relationship, as well as her father’s secret past. I enjoyed the story overall. It was engaging and interesting. There was a lot at stake between the different subplots. I liked the characters and especially the strong friendship between Kate and Sam. I think the main issue I had with the book was the changing of POV. This story is told mainly from the perspectives (in third person) of Kate and Sam, but it also has small parts from other characters’ perspectives. The POV would change in the middle of chapters and sections with no clear break or delineation. I’m not a fan of that. It disconnects me from the story. And all the little parts of secondary (or even tertiary) character perspectives were a little distracting. I understand why the author used that route to convey certain content, but I think there are other methods that would have better served the flow of the narrative. There are themes in this story of death, grief, medical issues, past abusive relationship, potential stalking, and miscarriage. This is what I would consider somewhere between an undetailed open door story and a fade-to-black with extra details and innuendo. There is a moderate amount of strong harsh language throughout the book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Kate’s mother slips into a coma after what should have been a straightforward operation, the last thing on Kate’s mind is finding love. . . but that’s exactly what happens while she’s visiting the hospital. And when she calls on her best friend Sam for support, Sam also finds herself falling for someone unexpectedly.

The problem is, when it comes to romance, both friends have a disappointing track record. Can they put their pasts behind them and move on?

This is such an enjoyable novel. The endearing cast of characters are refreshingly relatable that you’ll find yourself cheering them on. Finding Love is a warm, romantic novel about love and friendship – but it’s also so much more. There are poignant moments, complex emotions, unexpected revelations and laugh-out-loud scenes. A fabulous book that is recommended as a great holiday read.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite part of the book was the relationship between Kate and Sam. Their banter was hilarious and I loved how the neighborhood characters played a role with each of the girls, especially Kamal.

There wasn't much conflict. Even the internal conflicts felt mild, almost too perfect. I expected a very different storyline with Johnny based on the initial suspense created. Once the history was revealed, and given Kate's fear, it felt too quick for her to forgive.

I did love the happy endings for everyone and the relationships between characters was great. Just would've loved more conflict.

I received an advance review copy for free through BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Paula Pugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly a novel about finding love under worrisome and troubling circumstances, The power of love both romantic and friend powers the pages as Kate, her friend/sister, Sam, and Darius, Kate’s father, anxiously await for her mother’s condition to improve. All have personal problems holding them back which only love and friendship can alleviate.
I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Book Siren in exchange for an honest review.

This book was cute. If you're looking for a fun romance then this is for you. The only thing I didn't like was the change of perspective, there was no warning and it was hard to figure out whose perspective you were reading from. Otherwise, I thought the story was cute.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINDING LOVE is a heart-warming story about found families and second chances. I loved the exchanges of light-hearted banter as these quirky characters forged new relationships and overcame hardships. This was the perfect book to read on a rainy Saturday morning with a cuppa and a cat on my lap.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flew through this in one sitting! A heartwarming, emotional story of healing and finding love. I loved the characters and adored Kate and Sam’s friendship, they brought the laughs with their best friend energy throughout.