Coming Home To Seashell Cottage

Whitsborough Bay #3

by Jessica Redland

Discover MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER Jessica Redland's uplifting series, Welcome to Whitsborough Bay. For Clare O’Connell, home is where the heart aches…

Since the age of sixteen, Clare O'Connell has lived her life by four strict

Don't talk about Ireland

Don't think about Ireland

3. Don't go to Ireland

4. Don't let anyone in

And so far, it's worked well. She's got a great career, amazing friends, and she's really happy. The future is all that counts, isn't it?

However Clare is about to realise that you can run from the past, but you can't always hide from it…

When her boss insists she travels to Ireland for work, Clare finds herself drawn back to the village of Ballykielty – the home of her family, and the home of her secrets. The one place where vowed never to return to again…

With the door to her past now wide open, the first three rules have gone out of the window. Will Clare stick to rule number four?

Can she be brave and face up to her family and the demons of her past?

An emotional novel of family, friendship and dealing with your past from top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland.

Winner of Chill With a Book Book of the Year 2019 Award as Dreaming About Daran

This book was previously published as Dreaming About Daran.

Praise for Jessica

'Jessica Redland writes from the heart, with heart, about heart' Nicola May

'I loved my trip to Hedgehog Hollow. An emotional read, full of twists and turns' Heidi Swain

'The Hedgehog Hollow series is a tonic I'd recommend for everyone. There is so much to make you smile in Jessica's stories and they are always uplifting reads, which will make you really glad you decided to pick up a copy.' Jo Bartlett

‘An emotional, romantic and ultimately uplifting read. Jessica always touches my heart with her sensitive handling of difficult subjects. The gorgeous community she has built around Hedgehog Hollow is one I hope to visit again and again.’ Sarah Bennett

'A beautifully written series that offers the ultimate in heartwarming escapism.' Samantha Tonge

'Hedgehog Hollow is a wonderful series that has found a special place all of its own deep in the hearts of readers, including mine.' Jennifer Bohnet

'A warm hug of a book. I never wanted to leave Hedgehog Hollow. Very highly recommended.' Della Galton

'A heart-warming ride that navigates broken hearts and painful secrets, but ultimately restores your faith in the power of love. I absolutely adored it.' Jenni Keer on Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn

'I fell in love with this story from page one.

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Ebooks, Womens Fiction

346 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 17, 2016

About the author

I was born in Teesside but now live in Scarborough on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast. My home inspired the creation of the fictional seaside town of Whitsborough Bay where I set many of my books although the Hedgehog Hollow series takes readers to a gorgeous new countryside setting in the Yorkshire Wolds.

I live with my husband, our teenage daughter and sprocker spaniel, Ella. I'm a self-confessed stationery addict with a ridiculously large collection of notepads who loves chocolate (although it doesn't love me), hedgehogs, 80s music, collectible teddy bears and lighthouses.

Other than a career detour into retail to set up and run my own teddy bear shop (the inspiration for novel Bear With Me), I've always worked in HR, specialising in resourcing, coaching and L&D. Writing always had to take a back seat to the day job until June 2020 when I left the world of HR to become a full-time author. I'm so very grateful to anyone who has bought or borrowed my books in whatever format, helping me fulfil a long-held dream of writing full-time. I still can't believe I get to spend every day chatting to my fictional friends and making stuff up.

Reviews

[DJ Sakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

For years I'd dreamed of what I'd say to him if our paths crossed again. The scenes in my mind had ranged from a Harry Potter - and - Lord Voldemort - style standoff with fireworks and demons (ending with me striking him down, of course)...

Granny Irish. That's hilarious... I can't help picturing you with a blue rinse, brogues and a shopping trolley. A tartan one. Ooh, and a Yorkshire terrier tucked under your arm... Perhaps one of those plastic headscarf things and horn-rimmed specs dangling from a chain.

Just thought I'd let you know that the old git is dead. I'm going to the wake tomorrow and the funeral on Saturday, although I suspect my ma will throw me out of the wake and have Satan on hand to brandish a pitchfork at me if I turn up to the funeral.

Make a scene? Of course not! Oh, unless you'd call tap dancing on Da's coffin in my glittery pink stilettos making a scene.

We haven't reached the end of forever yet.

Sometimes the past is called the past because it's passed.


My Review:

I fell into Ms. Redland's work when I stumbled onto her second book Getting Over Gary, and I continue to adore her skilled and adroit writing style, humor, and smart observations. Dreaming About Daran continues with many of the same characters I met in Gary, but the main focus has shifted to a character that I did not expect to empathize with, as she had been a rather frosty she-devil. Regardless, of her previous depiction, I was crazy about Clare and loved this book from beginning to end. The plot was full of unpredictable twists and turns, shocking revelations, hidden agendas, buried secrets and traumas, lies, and long-standing resentments. Ms. Redland has proven herself to be highly skilled and adept in tempering rather heavy subject matter and harrowing and sorrowful back stories with amusing and humorous observations and clever exchanges between her characters. She is wily and sly and brilliantly gets her point across in an entertaining, insightful, relevant, and observant manner. The last quarter of the book was extremely exciting - I snorted, smirked, gasped, and squealed with glee while the surprises just kept unraveling. And - of course - there were all the new words and phrases I can add to my fun vocab list to now include minging, winding you up, feck, bolshy, stroppy, bollocks, and craic.

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the last year or so since I had visited Whitsborough Bay, I had clearly put aside in my mind just how much I loved this series, and thus I was even more impressed while I was reading Dreaming About Daran to see just how much story, and backstory and all around depth had been jammed into this book.

Early on in the book, I did wonder if I was watching an episode of Neighbours, as I had seen very similar storylines in the soap over the past couple of years, but as I was drawn into what was happening between the pages, I was just absorbed into the story.

For Dreaming About Daran focuses on Claire, the third of the friendship group introduced in Searching for Steven, and I think Claire has definitely got the best of the three books. She has also had the toughest of childhoods and pasts, which shocked me as the truth of her past slowly came out.

Claire doesn't let anyone get close to her, not since she was 16 , where she was forced to leave Ireland and has never been back since, until she is forced to for work, which starts triggering all sorts of memories, flashbacks and a reminder that she perhaps really needs to deal with the past.

Forgive me for being cryptic, but so much of the plot is wrapped is started from that work trip to Ireland, and is written so well in the book, I would make a hash of it by trying to explain.

Not only we learn about Claire's past, but we also catch up with Elise and Sarah, and see just how their stories are progressing. This is the third book in a trilogy and it can easily be read as a standalone. However for fans of the series, this ties up a lot of loose ends, brings the trilogy to a natural close, while still packing in so much in its 330 pages.

Dreaming About Daran was a pleasure to read, and I'm sure some will need a box of tissues to deal with some parts of the book. Of course this does have a romance in it, although I was fairly sure I knew who Claire would end up with, my thoughts on that changed half a a dozen times as more about the characters are revealed.

With a story that takes in Leeds, Whitsborough Bay and also Ireland this is a fabulous story, and is a fitting end to what has been a really enjoyable trilogy. I am really eager to see what Jessica Redland will write next, as if its even half as good as Dreaming About Daran then I'm sure it will be fantastic.

Thank you to Netgalley for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. What a book!! Absolutely perfect, I would say. The emotions, the words, the scenes all captured my heart, shattered it and joined it back again with a soothing glow. An escape from the world crisis was what this book was, and I thank author Jessica Redland for giving me moments where I could experience my emotions completely.

Claire refused to return to Ireland due to events of the past. But when work forced her to go, she had to face her past with a bang, especially when a letter from great-aunt Nuala brought home certain soul-breaking truths.

Having read many books by this author, I knew I was in for an emotional ride. What I didn't know was how I would be sucked into the story from the get-go, connecting to the main character Claire in a way I had not been able to, in recent times.

The words chosen by the author were juxtaposed so aptly that the powerful imagery it gave overpowered my senses and immersed me into the depths of the story. I didn't know I would feel my emotions so keenly. This was the most I had reacted for a Jessica Redland book.

Family and friendship, forgiveness and second chances were the themes the story was based on. But the real core of the book was author Jessica Redland's sheer talent in pulling off the different genre in one. There was mystery and suspense, romance and relationship, twists and humor. What stood out for me was the strength of a woman to overcome all the strives and forgive herself and the others.

A brilliant book from a brilliant author, she is soon becoming the Queen of my emotions.

[Dilushani Jayalath]

*Kindly received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I don't know what's wrong with me these days for not finishing books. I didn't finish this one either. So yeah I won't rate it people.

[Jennifer (Jaye) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Revelations & More*

This series of books based in the fictional place of Whitsborough Bay by Jessica Redland all have a familial theme of love and heartbreak. But each one concentrates on a different character. I suggest reading them in order to understand some of the references to other characters from past books although Jessica where appropriate adds a little summary

This one explores Clare O’Connell. She was my least favourite character but boy this one is packed with so much drama and heartbreak.

This is my favourite book so far and Clare is now my favourite character. She is Irish and in her early thirties and comes across hard as nails, a no nonsense plain speaking person who will talk about anything except these four thingspoints

1-Don’t talk about Ireland
2-Don’t think about Ireland
3-Don’t go to Ireland
4-Never let anyone in

When her job in marketing means she has to go to Ireland she fights against going. But relents because she is the one for this particular bridge building exercise to save a contract.

We find out the real painful reasons why she has a troubled past. I found myself in tears at parts of it, her only crime in her parents eyes was falling in love at 16 with a man of faith and bringing shame on the family and there were huge consequences.

She knows she must confront her past and she gets more than she bargained for, things that she grieved for were turned out to be wicked lies and one revelation and heartbreak after another ensues.

All this means she has no choice but to see this through as she is thrown into the deep end - in more ways than one.

We also see that the high heel short skirt person Clare is, is a creation and a barrier around her heart. I won’t expand on this because I do not want to give anything away. The best was definitely saved until last. I found myself routing for Clare, how much can one person take!!! Will she ever let anyone into her heart?…

I must also add in between the drama and angst there are some comedy touches.

[Lisa Whittaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4 in the Whitsborough Bay series and the final one.

I’m a bit sad about that.

Loved it!

[Karschtl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the third book in the Whitsborough Bay series that I've read, and while Clare featured in all of them I didn't really got to know her in the previous books. She was only a bystander there, but now she is the main attraction who finally tells us her whole story. And boy, what a story that is!

There are several issues Clare needs to face, discoveries to make and surprises to stomach. Although the book has only 344 pages, it felt like a really long story with several bends along the road. However, some things are also a bit repetitive, like the confrontations with family members.

I have to say that, after reading this part, Clare is my favorite of the three friends. She definitely is an interesting character! I already had a look and saw that there are even more books set in Whitsborough Bay, but unfortunately none of them mentions any of the characters I've come to know so far. I would love to have a follow-up on Shannon, Callum and baby Luke!

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a habit of jumping into books mid-series, and usually have no problems, but I wish I had started at the beginning of this one. Not that I didn't enjoy this story, because I did, a lot, but because it does contain spoilers for the previous ones. The problem is that I want to read the previous books, I enjoyed this one that much.

Clare O'Connell is an amazing character. She has so much to deal with from her past. When her great-aunt Nuala's letter arrives revealing terrible secrets, it changes Clare's life forever. The emotions I felt while reading this book were so varied. I went from anger to sadness, happiness to despair throughout this story. I cannot believe what Clare went through in her life. She didn't deserve what happened to her and I was so happy to read about the doors that opened once she began asking questions. I have read about dysfunctional families before, but this one takes the cake. People who are cruel in the name of righteousness can be the worst and her father is one of them. Ben, her best friend's brother and her friend as well, is amazing. The way he stands by her and supports her can only be done out of love, but what kind of love?

Jessica Redland has quickly become a favourite author of mine. She writes of friendship and all that goes with it. Secrets, lies, forgiveness, self-searching, growth, following dreams and other themes involving family are all in these pages. There is also some abuse issues covered, so be prepared for that. I will definitely be going back to read the previous books in this series, but I recommend you start at the beginning to follow the stories of the characters in chronological order. I did a read/listen with this book narrated by Lucy Brownhill. It was a very pleasant performance with great pacing, expression and intonation. I will definitely listen to books she narrates in the future.

[Gerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 stars

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this author's one book about Searching for Steven, it was just alright for me. This book, however, had so many plot twists, that I was like "Yes, she has stepped up her game" There were so many plot twists that as so memorized and truthfully I could not put this book down. Wow, her "da" was the devil reincarnated.. The more I learned about him, the more I so grew to dislike him. I felt so sorry for this girl. I mean the more this girl learned about her past life only made me want to console her and be her best friend. My God, the journey she went on. And she survived!! What a strong character!! I loved her and her story, not the beginning, but how she overcame her obstacles. Her "da" pointing fingers is the biggest joke of the story.

Her "da" pointing fingers and cursing at her is the biggest bigot I have ever seen. I loved how she handled it and loved how she awakened to the truth Great story and great read!!

When I looked at the price, I thought, well not that good of a book at that price WRONG!!!! This is a GREAT book for this price!! Well worth the money!! Thinking this author is being totally undersold!!! A must read for your TBR pile at this bargain price!!!

Thanks so much So Vain Books for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review. The plot twists will have you going WTH? And, I mean that in a good way!

[Susan Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anything I think Jessica Redland's books are getting better and better and I have been hooked from the first one. Loved seeing lots of the characters from the first two books and my favourite part was probably the friendship and shift in power within that friendship of the three girls, and how they were all keeping huge secrets from each other. The arch-enemies have become besties and the original bestie to both is on the periphery. Loved the flashbacks and interesting to have a Catholic priest as one of the two main male characters. A very serious topic was addressed too, and I had no idea that that was going on until very close to the end. Verbal abuse from family and being cast out for disgracing the family seemed the all-too-familiar tale of life in Ireland decades ago. But there's definitely more to this book than there seems at first glance. Highly recommend. Can't wait for the next one

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite like this author but I thought this book was over the top. A bit too far fetched for me, I thought the Irish 'story' was way out of date, more suited to the 1950s rather than the 21st century.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest #cominghometoseashellcottage #netgalley

Clare is an Irish PR Publicist who lives in Leeds with her best friends brother. Clare hates Christmas and new year due to her past. Ben and Clare have watched a Netflix show where the main characters complete challenges to win the King chess piece. This is when they decide to do this themselves. Until Ben dares Clare to come to his friends new years eve party. However Clares past is not far behind her!

I was recommended Jessica's writing by a friend and the book they recommended 'Making Wishes at BayView' was not available. So I decided to try the available one, this one.

I have since found out this is the fourth in the series of Whitsborough Bay. You would not know this something that the author has down to a fine art.

Their are some emotional subjects included in this book such as divorce, assualt, strict religion, rape, underage sex, adultery, forced adoption, car accidents, tsunami 2004 and ectopic pregnancy. Due to the amount of complex subjects involved in this book they are not able to be properly explored within the book. They felt skimmed over and then another subject would occur. This made it very 2d emotion and did not allow you time to engage with the characters. This almost felt like this should be split into two books to allow for the subjects and characters feelings to really be explored. Particularly the emotions behind the secrets that came out along the way which would have effected Clare.

It did take a good few chapters to get into this book due to it jumping around from present to 16 years previous. Then forward again. This remained throughout the book where a subject was revealed and rather than exploring different emotions at that time. The chapter then moves on again to either a few days or weeks ahead. The middle of the book is solely moving forward in time but the beginning and end range between present day and 16 years previous. I feel it would have worked better being the epilogue then past moving forward to present day. This would have potentially prevented some of the explanations required and allowed you to have strong feelings for Clares past which would ultimately have made the secrets even more poignant. .

On the other hand the characters complimented each other beautifully and I felt it was so effective that there were such strong female characters from all walks of life.

I do think the previous title of 'dreaming of Daran' suited the book better. We heard very little on Seashell Cottage which made the title feel an after thought.

[Mahjabeen Alam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clare hasn’t been home to Ireland since the age of 16. She is living her life, and so far, it has been going great! However, one night her boss calls asking her to go to Ireland and now she has no choice to go, even though she has vowed never to go back. Whilst she is there, she goes back to her home village, and we learn more about her past and why she is the way she is. I would recommend reading the books in order as each book is about the different friends. And following each friends’ lives. Jessica Redland does great with the development of each character as well as reminding us about each character and their relationship to the main character.

During the story we find out the secret that Clare’s father was hiding from her. We learn that she was pregnant at a young age and out of wed lock. Clare’s father and great-aunt put the child up for adoption, however told Clare that her baby had died. So, at the age of 16 she was kicked out of her family home.

During her research on finding her daughter, Clare finds out that the father of her child has sadly died. Whilst she’s in her hometown, her older sister Aislynn found out that she’s back and both sisters decide to get some answers about the past by visiting the Father of the Church.

With the help of her friend Ben, she finds her daughter, Shannon, however, finds out that her Shannon thought that Clare didn’t want anything to do with her. Towards the end of the story, we learn that it wasn’t Shannon’s dad that had died but someone else who had matched the description. Clare also finds out that he was married and has 3 children of his own. She also learns about a secret that her parents having been hiding from during her dad funeral.

She is slowly growing her relationship with her Shannon as well the little family that she is growing.

I really enjoyed this story, a story about family, forgiveness and making relationships as well as mending friendship. Clare is also learning to accept her past for her to move on to her future. I was also kind of hoping to see her Shannon reaction to meeting her father for the first time.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

P*edophilia (that's apparently cute?), r*pe, ectopic pregnancy, abuse, underage sex, adoption, fake death (multiple fake deaths?) And that's all before chapter 17!! too many topics to cover them all appropriately.

This is the 16th book of a Jessica's I've listened to, I've loved every book until this one. I listened to chapter 17 then had to skip to the epilogue.

First and most importantly, I'm deeply concerned with the amount of people who think daran and Claires story was cute and romantic. It was mentioned a few times in the book as well as people here in the reviews. Darans a p*edophile, he even tells her she's technically a child, uses the typical grooming line of 'you're mature for your age' then gets her pregnant. Absolutely nothing is done about this, even in her 30s clair and her friends can't see this is a problem? Because they were in love? Sorry, WHAT? He was an adult who met her when she was 14. He was a teacher. There's nothing cute about that. It's disgusting and concerning that it was never an issue.

I've loved Lucy Brownhills narration throughout all the audiobooks she's done but this was terrible. Her Irish accent was so bad and inconsistent. Why did she sound like a pirate saying maR and daR. I had to look at the ebook to see if it was typed like this, no, it's Ma and Da.

I'm really disappointed with this book as I've loved hearing little bits of Claires story throughout the other books in the series so I was really looking forward to hearing her story.


I enjoyed getting to hear updates on Sarah and Elise, but found the whole dynamic between the 3 of them very odd in this book. Sarah and Claire argued because she hadn't told her what had happened then told Elise first while sarah was on honeymoon, that just doesn't fit with the personality we've seen from Sarah during the other stories. Sarah would have been a lot more understanding

Overall I was massively let down by everything about this book.

I initially gave it a 3 star but considering the p*edophile storyline I couldn't even give it that. Surely the author doesn't think that 'relationship' was OK? I have too many questions regarding that whole storyline.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟 Coming Home to Seashell Cottage 🌟

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thoughts whilst reading: How much can one person, and by extent, one family, suffer in such a short space of time, without anyone knowing any of it happening because they've been fed lies the entirety of their existence?! A beautiful book with a beautiful ending. Finishing of the series in the best way.

Other comments: Clare is a character which throughout this series has always been there, but she hates everything, everyone, and refuses to have fun. She has one friend, her best friend, and hates her best friend's other best friend. Odd behaviour. That is until you learn about Clare herself and the past she's had. My favourite quote from this book is 'Sometimes the past is called the past because it's already passed'. I think this sums up the whole book perfectly. Everyone has a past, that much is true, but sometimes it is meant to stay that way, never to be revisited, or, if it is, will it all be the same? Clare is a true character example of growth and understanding, and to never judge a book by its cover. For the first few books in this series I was really unsure of her character, but by the end of this installment she was one of my favourites. The story within this book is so heartfelt, and it needs to be explored for the characterisation to make sense. This book is the perfect end to an already great series. Your demons are your demons for a reason, but share them with your nearest and dearest, it's okay, no one goes through life without a single bit of bother, so open up, let people be there for you, and in return be there for others. Read this book. Heartwarming and uplifting

[Angie (mushmysteriesandmore) · Rating 4 out of 5]

We first meet Clare at a wedding, she’s not big on romance and all that nonsense. We also find out that she hates Christmas and New Year with a passion and she’s not close to her family. She has her best friends Sarah (the bride) and Ben (Sarah’s brother), and a new friend in Elise who she becomes closer to as the novel progresses. What I didn’t know is that this is part of a series and Sarah and Elise both have their own stories, I will be seeking them out as I enjoyed Clare’s story.

It’s not all pretty, Clare is hiding some pretty dark secrets, secrets she’s suppressed and hidden not only from her friends but herself as well. We start to see flashes that start to bring these to the forefront of her memory but it’s not until the explosive finale that we fully learn what she’s been through.

Out of the darkness, she discovers her daughter, long thought deceased and not only that, she also has a grandson at the grand old age of 32ish and starts to build a new family life with them. All the time, thinking of her daughter’s father, Daran. He’s the reason she’s never allowed anyone access to her heart but even he has some surprises for Clare.

I enjoyed this story as it was different to my usual reads in that the romance took a back seat, it was there but it wasn’t the primary theme to this book, more just rolling along in the background. This was more about family and friendships and how they bend and shape us into the people we become without us really noticing, it’s also about second chances and learning from mistakes.

[Nuchu Lahari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hell lot of stuff in it!!!

OH MY GOD!

I thought the second and third books have more than enough drama and twists in them. But this one just beat all of them and sky rocketed with the storyline!

However, I must appreciate the intriguing writing style and am glad that despite of having a lot of new story, the author very well fitted all of it in around 320 pages which is truly commendable!!

Since it's the last book in the series, we can expect mini-intros of all the characters present from the first book. This makes it easy to understand the background story for those who are reading it as a stand-alone novel.

So along with that mini-intros of existing people and additional new characters coming to the picture, there are many people involved in this book, all at once! But it never became clumsy or over crowed. Again Kudos to the writing style and the narration!

From being a single, independent, young girl, Clare suddenly becomes a family girl having relations upto 4 generations. She had to remember and go through that one thing she has been avoiding all her life. The one thing which even her best friends do not know!

And our Ben is a gem. He has been there for her in everything!

The ending is as expected but the twists in between are great!

I also noticed this one similarity in all the 4 books of this series wherein the male protagonists are too good to be true. Yet they are true!!

[Debbie Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will start with saying what I loved about this book. I have read quite a few of Jessica’s books and I love the setting of Whitsborough Bay and the people who live there. Being so familiar with the place makes it feel warm and cozy. I really love Claire as a character and enjoyed her being the central character in this book. I was rooting for Claire and the male character to be a couple, and was so pleased when it finally happened. I loved the idea of found family and how opening up can help to address childhood trauma.

Now onto what I didn’t like, and what probably took this from a four star rating to a three. It was the relationship between Claire and Darren. To me this was an example of grooming and an adult having a relationship with a child. This line annoyed me so much that I had to stop reading to make a note; Darren says to Claire “Technically you are still a child”! No she is actually a child and you’ve known her since she was fourteen. At that point I said “I don’t know where this relationship is going but this is so wrong”. My annoyance about this relationship stopped after we found out he had ‘died’. Other aspects I wasn’t keen on were the dynamics between Claire, Elise and Sarah. It just didn’t ring true to me. I also found that a lot of traumatic events happened in this book, some of which didn’t seem necessarily- like the coach crash.

However, overall I did enjoy Claire’s story and ended up sobbing my heart out.

[kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this series and was really looking forward to Clare's installment but I was extremely disappointed by the way Clare and Daran's "relationship" was portrayed. He was a grown man having a sexual relationship with a SIXTEEN year old - after spending years being inappropriate with her in the early 2000s. She was a child! The fact that nobody calls him out and acts as if he could be Clare's "soul mate" was such a huge turn-off to the series and the author.

Though it was well-written, the whole flippant attitude towards Clare and Daran (and - SPOILER! - Shannon's subsequent pregnancy/marriage for that matter) was really bewildering and turned my stomach a bit. I was screaming at my Kindle about how repugnant the whole thing was.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claire is a confident, headstrong girl with loads going for her, but when a letter arrives from her aunt, the deathbed confession absolutely changes everything in her life. The daughter she had when she was only 16 didn't die that day.

I'm in the middle of the road on this one. Babies, teen pregnancies, sexual assault, and religion are prominent in the story, but aside from these moments, I enjoyed the story of Claire's interactions with friends and non-family members. She even befriends the old priest from her childhood, which is adorable in its interactions.

If you like babies and religion doesn't immediately rub you the wrong way, you may enjoy this story more. Babies definitely ruin the vibe for me.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a really good listen, in line with the other books in the series. I had significant issues with the initial relationship between Claire and Daran though, given the age difference and he being of an age where he knew what he was doing...it was cringe-worthy and formed the basis of an almost revered foundation for Claire, which seemed wrong. If it was a book about something that happened 100 years ago, it would have been less troublesome, but this was a modern day story. If she had just been 18 or 19, it would have been much more palatable. Regardless, the rest of it was good and showed a lot of character development through several of the repeating Whitsborough Bay characters.

[Diane]

Welcome to the lovely small-town beachfront setting of Seashell Harbor and the friendliest population of characters you will ever meet. I loved the small-town setting, the extended family of both main characters, and the rescue animals that provided a comical and heartwarming addition to the story. But most of all I loved Hadley and Tony’s numerous confrontations because all of that angst lead to a satisfying happily ever after thanks to the author’s lyrical writing and the machinations of Hadley’s we'll meaning grandmother. I read an early copy of this book provided by the publisher and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t get me wrong; I really like Clare

There were at least 3 moments I felt were just “pile on the shite” as opposed to stuff that actually should happen to move the story forward.
The first was the repressed memory. I know they happen, but not sure what it added. The whole story line was hideous enough and it felt like toooo much.
The second was the comeback kid… we can get through the tragedy… it is so much more reasonable.
The third was the coach accident. Really? Why?
So not my favorite of the series, although I do think that “Irish” is my favorite character. She has been dealt a shit hand and turned it into power. Love her!!

[Wendy Leo-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a finale to the fabulous Whitsborough Bay Series. It has been wonderful witnessing Jessica’s writing flourish and the characters develop. I must admit it was with great regret, when I read the last pages as I felt I was losing contact with some dear friends in Sarah, Elise And Clare. However a little birdie has told me that they reappear in Jessica’s later books. “Coming Home to Seashell Cottage” felt a lot more dramatic to me as she addressed the distressing topic of adoption from both side of the story but in true Jessica style she still managed to give it a good dollop of Yorkshire/Irish humour to make it a relaxing escape. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

[Lucy Dunphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to knock a star off my overall rating just because I found it very odd that nobody was calling out Daran for having a sexual relationship with a minor. It annoyed me. Putting that issue aside, it's a good read, not Jessica's best but it had her usual warmth, wit and of course absolutely heartbreaking storylines. There were plenty if twists throughout but it was quite distressing to read all that Claire had gone through in the past. Quite upsetting. Claire was a great character, I did really like her and Ben...what an absolute darling. One of my favourite male characters that Jessica has created.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a real suprise.

I was expecting something that was light and frothy, but it had so much depth. It covers some very gritty topics, including rape, religion, bigotry , adoption, PTSD, and yet it still handles it all with warmth and empathy.

The characterisation was fabulous, and I really hope that the author hasn't been through all the traumas in the book, becasue they were certainly very real.

I really enjoyed it, not realising that it's part of a series, so I'm off to read the rest!

[Callie Mikesell (callie_reads_books)]

I genuinely don't know how to rate this one. There were parts I liked, and there were parts I was really conflicted about. I felt like the romance was a little underdeveloped because the focus was on Clare and her past. That was fine, but the past also made me feel weird. Falling in love with a man 8 years older than her at 16 years old and then having a baby together? IT'S A NOPE FROM ME. And then the author made it a sweet thing instead of predatory and inappropriate? Idk, it just did not feel right, so I can't make up my mind about this.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story
Lots of triggers, oh my goodness poor Clare, everything happened to her, it’s a wonder she survived at all. Thank God, He was on her side, obviously.

The story started well, enough drama to keep the reader interested. Meanwhile as you get further into the book. Stones are overturned and out jumps another drama. Usually you can preempt what’s about to happen but that’s not the case here. So many new twists and turns.

I’m glad Duran & Clare didn’t get together in the end. I was happy with the ending.

I can’t believe Duran turned up alive, I know everyone else did, but I was sure he’d stay dead. I guess seeing him did help Clare move on.

Ma was an evil witch and Da, there’s just no excuse for his behaviour. Clare was lucky to escape.

Loved the Clare Shannon Luke reunion. That was Very special.

I’m pleased Clare finally got the cottage.

Ben was “ …is amazing!”

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having met Claire in earlier books, and finding her a bit of a conundrum, not always in a positive way, I was curious to see what was behind her prickly exterior. And when an author is writing about a character that engenders so much negativity from her behavior, it’s interesting to see just what that character’s story is. While I am more familiar with the lighter tone that is a highlight of Redland’s title, Claire’s story starts with more tumult and angst, and we have to work for those lighter moments.