Book Review of The Cornish Beach Hut Café by Jane Linfoot

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An unusually consequential cosy Cornish romance.

(This review is based on a review copy from the publisher)

First things first: a cosy Cornish romance differs from a cosy Cornish murder mystery in large part by replacing the murderer with a property developer and those two literary devices being interchangeable a quarter of the way into the twenty-first century speaks volumes about Cornish and English culture and where we are all headed. The property developer is seen mostly at a distance and serves to present the more central characters with an ill-defined but looming threat which gets them all (mostly) working together for the common weal. This is all seen through the eyes of one Florence May, who is trying to build a new life after health issues have brought an end to her most important relationship, her hopes of a family and even her ability to voice “audible” books for a living. In the love and hope of her friends, she overcomes all of these issues through a series of hilarious accidents which teach her to accept that she deserves a new life and that others are perfectly willing to share her worst moments as well as her best.

There’s quite a lot of baking, too, and the recipes are all at the back of the book.

The Cornish Beach Hut Café by Jane Linfoot is published in the UK as of the 12^th of July 2024 by Harper Collins.