The Pet Shop at Pennycombe Bay

by Sheila Norton

When the going gets ruff, it’s time to make a change…

In need of a fresh start, Jess has moved to the beautiful Devon seaside town of Pennycombe Bay. However it isn’t the new beginning she was hoping for – she enjoys her new job at the local pet shop but feels like she’s treading on eggshells living with her moody cousin Ruth.

When she meets handsome stranger, Nick, on the beach, she thinks she’s made a new friend or something more. Although her hopes of romance are quickly dashed when she finds out he’s seeing another woman…

Can Jess make Pennycombe feel like home?

Genres: Chick Lit

320 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2019

About the author

Winner of the RoNAs 'Christmas and Winter Seasonal Award' novel, 2022, with 'Winter at Cliff's End Cottage'.

I live in Chelmsford, UK, with my husband Alan. We have three married daughters and six grandchildren. I've been writing ever since I was a little girl, and finally achieved my lifelong ambition to have a novel published, with the acceptance in 2002 of 'The Trouble With Ally'. Prior to this, I'd been having short stories published in women's magazines for about ten years.

My most recent books are stories set in the English county of Devon, and most include pets in the story! They are feel-good contemporary fiction.

I worked for most of my life as a medical secretary. I now write full-time. I like to relax by reading, walking,swimming, and seeing my family and friends.

I am passionate about my writing and love to hear from my readers. I am also happy to give talks to writers' groups and others, and book signings, in my local area.

Reviews

[Nicola Clough · Rating 5 out of 5]

My word I've loved all the books by this author but this has to be her best so far it was amazing so brilliant and so absorbing you lost yourself totally in the book when reading it. You wanted to keep reading to see what happened next and just couldn't put it down. So true to life and packed with so much amazing countryside and the characters are brilliant with many twists and turns. It was full of families, friendship, betrayal, finding happiness and very much about dogs and village life as well. So fantastically well written and so hope there is a follow on as didn't want it to end at all.
Jess lives with her cousin in Pennycombe Bay and she has her amazing dog prudence who she lives so much. She moved in with her cousin after her life went so wrong when she lost her job in a top hotel as a chef for doing something she didn't do but know one else owned up so she was told to leave and she didn't know what to do so she went to live with Ruth her cousin and she isn't finding it easy. She works at a pet shop and loves it so much and her boss Jim she gets on well with. She list her best friend when she lost her job and feels she hasn't got many friends while walking her dog she meets nick walking buddy and she gets talking to him and one day she's at home and finds Ruth has a new boyfriend and she finds out it's Nick and she's upset to start with as quite liked him herself but she still talks with him and gets a shock when Ruth has a go at her for flirting with him and says she will through her out if she continues it. But through nick she learns about pets for therapy and decides to look into doing it with prudence but she doesn't feel she has much confidence will this help her build it up. She sees nick on the beech and tries to get away before he sees her but she hears her cousin is drinking to much and nick has finished with her as he can't cope with it they plan to meet up together and when she's getting ready her phone rings and it's the hotel offering her job back and she so shocked but she learns Liz her best friend at the time let Jess take the blame for what she did and she so cross. She's so late to meet nick he has gone and she's cross and starts to forget about him. She is also friendly with Dan and Kevin who run the cafe but Kevin opens up to her about not being happy as dan doesn't want to commit and he decides to pack up and go to his sisters for a while and see what dan does. She tries to speak to ruth about the drinking but she won't admit it and open up and at the last minute Jess decides to go o her dads and leaves a note for ruth and she stays with her dad for the weekend. When she comes home ruth admits and opens up about her drinking and it was Jess going away as she thought she had left that makes her do something and Jess is happy to help her and ruth tells her what nick was really like and it makes Jess so cross. While working in the pet shop she a person called Tom comes in and she gets talking with him and soon learns his son is struggling at school with confidence and she goes to the school as he said someone use to go in with their dog so the children can read to the dog and it helps the children and the school are so pleased she's going and she is looking forward to starting and seeing Tom's son Jacob and she learns his mother has passed away and she's really feels she is falling for him. She starts helping in arranging a village Christmas effect and learns that kevin still hasn't come back and she also is upset as she's seen tom with another woman and he said partner so she decides to stay clear of men. Jim who owns the pet shop is very friendly with Vera but she has a fall and has to go in to hospital and he goes every day and gives more responsibility to Jess in the shop. When Vera is so poorly and he looks after her how will things go. Jess is so happy visiting the hospital with prudence and the school she is also given the job of running the shop and Jim is retiring so she's very happy as she has plans for the shop. What will happen with Kevin and dan will they learn to be happy will ruth stay off the drink and what will happen with tom and Jess will they be happy or not or is there more surprises to come with them yet. Ruth in all of this gains in confidence and when she sees her friend in hospital from the hotel how will she react to what she has been through will she forgive her or not.
So many twists and tuns and so worth far more than five stars.

[Leonie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Annoying characters and utterly predictable. I almost did not finish.

[Frenchorchidea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always really enjoyed Sheila Norton's book. "The Pet Shop at Pennycombe Bay" is the third one I read from her. This book is not only good, it's excellent! It's my favorite from Sheila Norton so far! 5 stars out of 5 without any hesitation! This book is a pretty thick one but it's a real page turner. Every time I had to put the book down, I couldn't wait to pick it up again. The writing style is so pleasant and the story is so lovely! This book is full of cuteness with the constant mention of pets (dogs and cats), it's full of romance even though the romance is full of suspense, we don't know up until the end what will happen on this front! But it's also full of grave issues such as alcoholism and beating. All in all this book is excellent and I can only recommend it! I can't wait to read the next Sheila Norton's book (hopefully there will be a next one!).

[Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing I need to comment on is the cover. I like the fact that our leading lady looks like her descriptions inside. An average comfortable thirty year old. The tale begins simply enough, woman runs into a man on the beach also with a dog and they have a 'meet cute'. Things may not go the way we expect as she heads home that she is sharing/tenant of/living with her cousin. The sub-classifications are for the mood in which we find cousin Ruth in. 

Jess is a shy individual, suffers from bouts of anxiety when meeting new people and in new situations. This year may be the year of change as she is pushed into unexpected situations and her inner confidence starts to seep through. The town of Pennycombe bay is small enough for such a change to be realistic enough and have us cheering her on. Although this books starts of in a typical fashion, it is anything but. This is not about Jess's love life or her overly simple retiring lifestyle. It is about all the people in her life and to some extent the people in next extended circle. Each is struggling with an issue and they are all routine problems but need assistance from friends and family to overcome. The only drawback I think might have been the size of the book, if it was slightly shorter I would have loved it more. I did enjoy getting to know the world around Jess and Jess herself. This is a book with an overall positive outcome and nothing happens as we would expect it to which feels good when reading a book in this genre. It keeps you guessing about when that 'good thing' will happen to get everyone in a rut, out of it. I would definitely recommend this book to people who like reading this genre and those who like dogs/cats because they do make a significant contribution to move the story forward!

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story featuring some fabulous pets, from Sheila Norton.

I knew as I started it I would be in for a treat. After all Jess not only talks to Pru her dog all the time, she imagines Pru's answers too.

To start with Jess is rather lacking in confidence, but as the story progresses, she really does grow.

I loved her pets as therapy volunteering work, her attempts to help her cousin Ruth with a problem, and Jess becoming a vital part of the Pennycombe Bay community.

Pru isn't the only fabulous animal, there are a whole host of others featured too. There is also a multitude of sub plots which get you really involved with this lovely local community.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and just wish I had a dog like Pru myself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ebury for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Marit · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️⭐️ An enjoyable read set in a coastal village in Devon. Dogs and cats always add a lovely touch to a story as does a gorgeous setting. Some family and social issues also play a part but overall this is a delightful happy read.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming, honest, endearing.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jess has moved to Devon after losing her job. She has to love with her cousin which is a pain and with a determination to enjoy the place and the people she starts to make friends. Jess soon falls for Tom but can they make their romance work?

This was my first read by Sheila and I loved it. Really lovely story and would read more. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Michaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with this writing style it just didn’t engage me at all.

I didn’t like Ruth and it made me mad how Jess didn’t stand up for herself.

Lovely ending. And I think it enjoyed the last quarter more than any part of the book.

Wouldn’t read it again.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always get really excited when I see a new book by Sheila Norton. Her style of writing draws me in straight away and I always feel I'm right there next to the main character. She also instantly makes you want to visit wherever the book is set and this novel of hers is no different! I love that once again animals are included and are quite a main factor in the novel and I also like the cover. I enjoy the bright, summery colours and the little cute parade of shops at the top of the cover.

When this one started, I didn't relate to Jess as much as I would to Sheila's other main characters. I'm not sure why I didn't warm to her at first - I thought that she was a bit of a pushover and I didn't like the way she let people talk to her. I understand that she was very shy but didn't understand why she let cousin Ruth (who she lives with) talk to her terribly! I did feel really sorry for Jess throughout the start of the novel, and perhaps this was what made me warm to her in the end.

I love the use of the animals throughout the novels and found little Prudence sooooo cute! I absolutely love animals so I feel like this is why I love Sheila's novels! As well as the animals, we heard a lot about the secondary characters and I love the community feel in this particular book and that everyone looks out for one another. I really liked Jim, Jess' boss, he was really kind and I liked their relationship with feisty Vera and her new cat Doc! I also loved the setting, it sounded so beautiful and I found myself on more than one occasion wishing I could live somewhere as idealistic as Pennycombe Bay!

I was actually surprised that this novel was released as one whole book at first (unless I completely missed the four different parts being uploaded separately on Netgalley?!) but actually I preferred reading it as one big story as you don't need to wait to hear that happens next! I'm not patient in the slightest so selfishly this book being released as one big novel worked out perfectly for me! Overall, I feel like this novel was a lovely and entertaining and easy to read book that I really found myself enjoying. As always, Sheila Norton has pulled it out the bag! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

[Bloss ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the most one-dimensional and tedious books I’ve read this year.

Alright, in fairness, I skim-read it.

1.5

Jess was annoying the ever loving stuffing out of me. She’s supposedly thirty but acts like a mousy 13 year old. She’s a whiny, imbecilic doormat that garners no sympathy and held zero interest for me. It’s a bit loopy how she has delusions about two-way conversations with the dog too... yikes.

The characters were ALL one-dimensional. They were either perfect or evil and redeemed/sullied themselves in tedious and ridiculous scenarios.

I am baffled by the reviews on here. Who can relate to an insecure airhead like Jess? How can you finds something this predictable and trite entertaining? Ugh.

It feels like every animal book is actually just a trite and “cutesy” romance geared toward bitter middle-aged women... it’s such a challenge to find animal fiction books that don’t follow these high school writing assignment cliches. :(

[Justkeepreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing feel good, romantic, funny, beautiful book. I absolutely loved it from the very first page with the naughty antics of the dogs. Fab

[Anna Morley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book ,

[Katherine Hayward Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was wonderful to recieve another book from Sheila and Ebury Press since I have reviewed all of the books in both The Vet's at Hope Green and The Pets at Primrose cottage series.

In The Petshop at Pennycombe Bay, Jess, a shy woman who is looking for a fresh start ofter she loses her job, ends up living in Pennycombe Bay with her cousin Ruth who is an alcoholic. Jess's only companion in life is her dog Prudence (Pru for short).

Life gets complicated when she meets Nick who encourages her to join Pets As Therapy (PAT), a group where pets are taken to the local hospital to be used as therapy for the patients there. Nick's dog Buddy and Prudence hit it off pretty quickly but will Nick and Jess do the same?

Pennycombe Bay is a gorgeous seaside setting and Sheila Norton has a true gift for making each setting in her books cosy and welcoming. The town is full of friendly locals- i loved Vera and jim. Vera is such a character! And Jim is so considerate.

Jess loves helping others and also ends up at the local school volunteering for Read2Dogs, her own idea where the children read their book to Prudence to aid their confidence and reading ability.

The primary-aged kids love Prudence and Jacob and his dad Tom soon capture Jess's heart- but who is that woman with Tom? Can Jess trust him or Nick more? Should she, or is she better off living a quiet life with Prudence?

The Petshop at Pennycombe Bay is more than just a story about pets- it deals with mny issues- the lonliness of the elderly, alcoholism, trust and learning to live and love again.

I adored all of Sheila's books but feel this one made more of an impression on me- the volunteering, the hospital, Jess's shyness which I identified with as I was shy once and know how crippling and limiting it can be.

Pru is dorable and Jess's "coping mechnism" of 2-way conversations with her bought even more depth to the already realistic characters of Jess and Pru and further strengthened their unbreakable bond.

Kevin and Dan had a good storyline too.

I want a sequel to this book!

The only letdown for me was that there were too many exclamation marks in Jess and Pru's conversation, making it sound too forced and upbeat. I realise they were a good support for each other but this made the contrast to Jess's other thoughts and feelings seem too drastic a change. It would read better without these exclamation marks.

Despite this, it is still a 5 star novel with a relaxing yet engrossing pace and I finished it in a few hours.

Thanks to Sheila Norton and Ebury Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Book #1 for Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon October 2019.

[Marjorie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I bought this book as a light hearted holiday read and it does fill that criteria nicely. It is a light and fairly frothy tale of one woman's, Jess, struggle to forge a life for herself after everything has fallen apart and she finds herself more or less adrift. I'm still not entirely sure why she felt that she had to leave her former life and finds it impossible to trust anyone, it is covered in the book but glossed over to some extent and I certainly can't remember it a coupe of weeks after finishing the tale.

So, she's moved in with her cousin Ruth. Works in a local pet shop. Has no social life. Trusts no-one. To be honest Jess has a fairly bleak existence that is only broken up by her internal conversations with her dog Prudence. Then she meets fellow dog walker Nick on the beach and her horizons begin to broaden.

This book does cover a lot of ground, not all of it nicely sanitised small town life. The author manages to weave in alcoholism, same sex relationships, Pets As Therapy, abusive relationships. Unfortunately, for me, it all felt a little superficial and the characterisations lacked any real depth to them so it was difficult to really empathise with Jess or to really settle in to the community at Pennycombe Bay. to be honest the only bits that I really enjoyed were Vera and Eddie's later life romance and Jess's conversations with Prudence. The rest of it just really passed me by.

The pace is nice and steady and events unfold fairly naturally. I just found that it was all a little twee somehow. It is a good holiday read as it is easy to pick up and put down, probably because I wasn't really invested in the place or it's people.

[Joanne D'Arcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jess spent many a holiday in Pennycombe Bay but now she is back to live there.

But life is not perfect for Jess, whilst she enjoys her job at the local pet shop, she is living with her cousin Ruth who is hiding a secret and takes a dislike to Jess' dog Florence.

Jess gets involved in the local community and she meets a variety of different characters along the way,

Jim, her boss is kind to her but is also fussing and worrying over Vera, who having lost her dog has no reason to come and see Jim in the shop, that is until she has a nasty fall.

Nick and his dog Buddy become friends of Jess and of course Florence, but also of her cousin Ruth and it makes for some awkward conversations and moments, until Nick loses Buddy. Jess realises even more she doesn't need a man in her life, Florence is just enough.

Tom pops into the pet shop for supplies and starts to chat with Jess, when he reveals that his son, Jacob is struggling in school and that they used to have a dog go in for the children to read to, Jess senses another opportunity to do good.

Getting involved with Pets as Therapy at the local hospital and school, mean that Jess can spend more time with her dog and also other people. Her small circle is now widening and Jess is embracing life a lot more in Pennycombe Bay.

With all this going Jess stills very shy and worries about the future. When she learns something about the past, perhaps she can now move forward and start talking to someone else more often than the dog Florence!

This is an enchanting book which has some great characters and includes the pets as much as the human in all the interaction. A perfect book for anyone that loves pets as well as feel good community storylines that remind you that there is a choice in being lonely or not.

[Lozzle_pops · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm afraid I didn't enjoy this book at all. I was drawn in by the blurb during this tough time we're collectively experiencing (an uplifting story about community and friendship) but I was left feeling frustrated and disappointed by weak, one-dimensional characters and a repetitive writing style peppered with unnecessary exclamation marks.

Just a few gripes to give an idea of this book. The main character, Jess, is irritatingly down on herself and reads like a much older woman. I lost count of how many times she mentioned she was terrible at relationships, how boring and plain she was and how no one could ever be interested in her. And don't get me started on the conversations with her dog - cringeworthy. I'm all for people talking to their pets but the narrative style of the dog replying was extremely grating. Then we have characters who tell each other "we have so much in common!" when literally all they have in common is the fact they both have dogs, phrases that are used over and over, and an author who rather than showing their reader, simply tells them everything in great detail, especially when it comes to the weather and the tourism numbers in Pennycombe Bay.

Not for me.

[Glenys · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of the book is a really nice design and really suits the story.

I don't want to insert too many spoilers into my review, but I loved the story and thought it was excellent. I lived in Teignmouth, Devon for 6 years and temped many times in Exeter so it took me back to those days, I could imagine Jess's cousin Ruth commuting into Exeter on the train each day from Pennycombe Bay and watching all the lovely scenery pass by, and how Jess would take her dog Prudence down onto the beach for a run.

It was very well written and researched, especially regarding Pets for Therapy animals (PAT) and Read2dogs, I know what a difference these pets can make to enrich the lives of residents in care homes, and how they look forward to dogs like Prudence popping in to see them each week, so I thought this was a lovely way to introduce this service into the book by taking Prudence into hospitals, it helped make the children in the hospital that Jess visited feel much better and brightened their day to see Prudence and also the children in the school that grew in confidence after they had read to Prudence.

A book I will certainly pass onto my friends to read with a glowing review, I shall definitely be looking out for more books now by Sheila Norton.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved The Pet Shop at Pennycombe Bay. Ive read a number of Sheila Norton’s books and there’s something about them that gives you a warm (furry) feeling inside.

This book follows Jess and her beloved dog Prudence and their life in a beautiful coastal Devon town. She moved there in need of a fresh start but things don’t appear to be going to plan.

There are some great characters especially Jess, Jim and Vera. It’s a book that will warm your heart and is a perfect weekend read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House UK Ebury Publishing and the author for the chance to review.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheila Norton’s books are always a charming, heartwarming read, perfect for animal lovers. The characters are endearing- both the human and animal ones.
In this one Jess is working in a petshop in Pennycombe Bay. She used to holiday there as a child and now she is staying with her cousin, who doesn’t always make life easy.
Jess also looks into using her dog as a therapy dog and has some lovely encounters. It really makes you proud that some people look into helping the community in such a wonderful way and you can just imagine what a wonderful difference they make to lives.

[Hayley Marsland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheila Norton is yet another new author for me this year.

It's essentially the story of Jess who is, by her own admission, socially awkward and painfully shy, except when talking to her dog Pru, who naturally - albeit in Jess's head - answers back.

Now although this story is mainly about Jess and her life in the beautiful sounding seaside town of Pennycombe Bay, there are several graver issues, touched upon - and very well done too - such as alcoholism and domestic abuse.

It's a lovely book, with a sense of friendship and community spirit throughout.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle, uplifting tale of family, friendship and romance, showing the many ways in which pets can enrich our lives. Jess, the protaganist, takes us on her journey of finding herself, along the way forging a career for herself and falling in love. The closeness Jess feels for her dad, her pet dog Pru and her cousin is very touching, as are her secret inner thoughts. A thoughtfully written, heartwarming read.

[Pippa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must be on about page 195 (Kindle only showing %age) and I'm not sure I can be bothered with another 221 pages. This is my first by Sheila Norton, it was about dogs and was £0.99 so I gave it a go. I don't hate it, I just don't like it enough to carry on. By now I should have bonded with the central characters but I haven't. Have I lost interest because it is too slow, or does is it seem slow because I haven't engaged with Jess & company? I neither know nor care.

[penelopewanders]

I picked this up from the school swap shelf, even though I was not familiar with the author. Initially a bit skeptical, I quite enjoyed this, which despite an apparent lightness, gradually touches on some serious themes - alcoholism, death, abuse - to name but some. The almost crippling shyness of the heroine led to some situations which I found annoying - especially as she tended to jump to conclusions and make assumptions. Nonetheless I was more and more caught up as the book progressed.

[Alexa A. ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I really enjoyed this book! It's just fun and lightweight to read. My imagination runs wild in here, especially the scenery is in the beach. It feels like I am literally there and I'm the character in it. I love how they value animals in this story and it's one of the reads that will be better if they made it a movie.

read this if you're into:
♡ lightweight stories
♡ person who loves animals
♡ fun reads

[❄ Pixelflocke ❄ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5 ☆

Joah, für einen Sommerurlaub auf Kreta reicht es, mehr erwarte ich von so einem Buch auch nicht, von daher bin ich zumindest nicht enttäuscht 😅😆

Es ist halt sehr seichte Kost. Jess mochte ich ganz gern, sie war endlich mal eine Protagonistin, mit der ich durchaus ein paar Gemeinsamkeiten hatte. Aber alles in allem hat leider weder Jess noch der Rest der Charaktere wirklich viel Persönlichkeit abbekommen.

Das Ende war wie erwartet, war süß und jeder findet auf seine Art sein Happy End.

[Cherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book at the beginning and then I got a little bored halfway with the story but overall a lovely story with lovely characters in a picturesque town! I especially loved how important Prudence was in this book being a dog lover myself! I think I got bored of the story when it got to Jim and Vera for some reason saying that though I would read another book by this author.

[S L Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book if you are a fan of dogs which I thought should be included on the cover in some way. I think they are missing their target readers there. I was slightly disappointed by the ending. I was expecting a little more for the main character and I think it let itself down a little on the independence of women.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shiela Norton is a new author for me, so I borrowed this book from the library. The story is well written and enjoyable, but not quite my cup of tea (and one of the dogs dies). I probably wouldn’t recommend it to someone, unless I knew they were into this kind of story.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book of Sheila Norton I have read , I would not hesitate to buy more of her work. I read this in a couple of day's such realistic character's just normal people with a great stroyline.