Team John or will it be Team Ben after all?

Synopsis

Grab your strawberries and cream and get ready to return to the beautiful Swallowtail Bay!

Summer is in full swing and the locals are getting excited for the launch of the Swallowtail Bay strawberry food festival. But will all run smoothly when festival organiser Hetty’s heart is torn between lord of the manor John Thornhill and successful bakery owner Ben?

My review

Hettie Colman is great at organising children’s birthdays parties. But she knows she has more up in her sleeve!
So when the local community of Swallowtail Bay is wondering how they can reinstate the Strawberry Festival to its former glory, Hettie jumps at the opportunity she was looking for.

How will she be able to organise a festival in only four weeks? And where is she going to host it???
Hettie believes that the grounds of John Thornhill’s are just perfect. But will she be able to convince John it’s a good idea? And will he help her out?

And at the same time, Ben comes back in the picture. He’s her ex – boyfriend but he’s not ready to just give her up!

Be prepared when you start reading this story, because you won’t be able to put it away!

From the very start I liked Hettie and her enthusiasm. She is demined to make a success of the festival, and will not just take a “no” for an answer.
For every problem she encounters, she finds a solution. She does not take the problems lightly, but tries to please everyone with her solutions.

Her first encounter with John isn’t an easy one, as he does not want anything to do with the festival. Even if he seems just grumpy, there is more to his reluctance. When I got to know what’s really going on with him and his family, my heart just broke a bit…
It is a sad story, reading about how 1 misfortune is just the catalyst for his family.

Hettie and John are bonding during the festivals and its preparations. But when Ben makes clear he wants a second chance, Hettie is obviously divided. should she go back with Ben? Or does she need something new? This dilemma made me only like Hettie even more, because she does not take things for granted. She wants to be sure of her decision and does not want to regret it.

It’s wonderful how the festival is coming alive, how a community works together to have back what once was an institution!

I liked reading this book so much, because it was not a ‘simple’ story. There was more than just a love story, it’s a story about community, about real problems and facing them. Daring to be yourself again and dare to take a leap of faith.
And most important, that with the right people by your side, problems are easier to be solved and that you should always follow your heart, no matter how afraid you are!

It may seem like this doesn’t make sense, but once you’ve read this book, you’ll know what I mean!

But the last thing I will say about this book: you have to read it and just enjoy it!