No matter how far away a dream may look like…

Synopsis

The next warm and uplifting instalment in The Little Board Game Cafe series, perfect for fans of Holly Martin and Christie Barlow.

In the cosy Yorkshire village of Hebbleswick, single mum Taylor dreams of a fashion design career, but she spends her days fixing zips, hemming skirts and worrying about her son, Max.

At the local board game cafe, railway enthusiast Harry, still recovering from a painful breakup, dreams of fatherhood. When Taylor and Harry cross paths, sparks fly, but Harry’s confidence issues and Taylor’s concerns for Max threaten their budding romance.

Can they find a second chance at love where they least expect it?

My review

Taylor learned the hard way that dreams don’t always come true. That because her dream of becoming a fashion designer turned out to be more fixing zips and hemming skirts instead of creating her own clothes.
And being a single mother to Max is a challenge on its own, as Max has struggles with changes and is also having a difficult time at school.
So it’s obviously understandable that dating is the last thing on her mind.
But when her and Harry’s paths cross, something ignites between them, even if Harry is having issues of his own.
Yet both for Taylor and Harry, the village of Hebbleswick shows its kindness and care, making them both feel more at home, welcomed and confident than they once were. But will it also be enough for them to investigate that spark more deeply?

The more entries there are in a series, the more fearful I become that the quality of the stories will diminish. Of course, with only three books in this series, the fear is less, but yet, it is still there a little bit.
But my fear was so unjustified, because perhaps this was my favourite book from the series up to now!

In some ways, I could truly relate with Taylor. Haven’t we all had a dream we wanted to come true? Only to realize later that perhaps it will only remain that: a dream.
While I have absolutely no eye for fashion at all, I admired Taylor’s sense of fashion. And I could clearly see her passion for fashion, and I understood what her big dream was.

Unfortunately, life doesn’t always follow your dreams, and we see a Taylor struggling on all aspects in her life: she is more fixing zips, reapplying buttons where missing. But also she is struggling with the place she is living in, and then there is also Max.

From my point of view, it is clear what Max is going through. Even if Max isn’t the easiest child, I immediately loved him. And just like Taylor does, I wanted to protect him from everything and everyone.
Being Max isn’t easy, but beside his struggles, we see that the love Taylor has for him is truly reciprocated. And seeing Max growing up, and finding trustworthy people and thus making him open up, was a real delight.

And one of those people is Harry. Harry and Max have many things in common, like their passion for trains. But Harry also understands, not on the exact same level though, the struggles Max is having. One of those issues is trusting people. It broke my heart to read how Harry’s own confidence was non – existing all because of some he loved broke his heart in a terrible way…

It’s so obvious that Harry is a good and caring person, ready to help whenever he can. But his past makes him wary, because do people like him for him being Harry, or rather for what they can gain from him? And unfortunately, in this world, it’s something too relatable…

So yes, both Taylor and Harry come with serious baggage. But aren’t exactly these kinds of people that truly deserve the world? And deserve to find happiness and love?
While the board game café isn’t in this book the main setting, it for sure has its very important value for these two people.
Because it’s at the café where the magic happens once again, in more than just one way. The people there, owners and customer, show once again what being surrounded by the right people can do to someone.
Taylor finds herself surrounded by people cheering for her and her passion, making her see that there is a new niche to be explored.
And Harry finds himself being accepted for who he is, making friends and changing in a person that isn’t so ‘beige’ anymore.

Now, this book is also filled with so much laughter. Not only because Taylor and Harry are different from each other in many ways, causing hilarious situations. But also little Max made me laugh several times, especially towards the end.
But there were mainly genuine smiles of contentment while reading. Because it was lovely to see Taylor and Harry together, how they make each other turn into a better, more confident versions of themselves.
And obviously, things don’t run smoothly all the time, but that also is part of life, making choices for the sake of someone else, even if it hurts you. And there are also misunderstandings.

Nevertheless, this was truly a heartwarming story, about two wonderful people, not having had an easy time. But learn that surrounding yourself with lovely people, in a wonderful village, nothing is insurmountable and that perhaps dreams can come true.
And that when you meet someone special in your life, it is understandable that you are cautious, as there is a lot at stake, especially when it doesn’t affect only your life. But for the right person, who understand you perhaps better than anyone else, and is your biggest cheerleader, it’s definitely worth it taking that leap of faith.