About Books #61: Coming Home to Maple Cottage

I’ve been reading a lot of cosy winter books lately… It’d be easy to forget it’s technically still winter. Luckily, there came Coming Home to Maple Cottage to remind me of just that!

I was offered an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are strictly my own.

Story

Isla Rosewood is creating a new life for herself and her sweet nephew Elliot in their cosy, yellow-brick family cottage, brimming with special memories. Living in Sandcastle Bay was never part of Isla’s plan but, after her brother Matthew’s tragic accident, her whole world changed as she unexpectedly became a mother to the little boy she adores so much.

Leo Jackson was always known as Matthew’s fun-loving and wild best friend. But now Matthew is gone, it’s time to put his colourful past behind him. His role as Elliot’s godfather is the most important thing to him. And even though Leo and Isla are two very different people, they both want to give Elliot the childhood he deserves.

As the three of them enjoy time together watching fireworks, baking cakes and collecting conkers, Isla begins to see a softer side to charming Leo, with his twinkling eyes and mischievous sense of humour. And, despite herself, she begins to fall for him.

But does Leo feel the same way? Isla knows their situation is complicated but is it too complicated for true love… or will the year end with a happy new beginning for them all?

Opinion

There’s something about a good transition from fall to Christmas that just gets me. With the Christmas-part just at the end, this is basically the perfect read for November.

If you’ve ever heard someone say “everything’s good” and it made you think: “Yeah, something’s going to go wrong now!”? That’s basically this book. After her brother’s died a year earlier, leaving his son in her care because the mother’s out of the picture, Isla’s life got turned upside down. Holly Martin really takes her time to set up the scene of how that effected not only Isla, but also her best friend Leo and her godson Elliot.

Just as Isla is heading for a stroke of luck and she has finally gotten the okay to adopt Elliot? His mother turns back up.
Honestly, I cussed out loud when I read that. Again: the author sets up the characters and their relationships so beautifully, that you get invested in their lives pretty much from the get go. So, you know… When this freaking woman comes by and she doesn’t even care about the things she should care about? Yeah, I wasn’t okay.

One quick final note: this is technically the third part of a series, but I hadn’t read any of the other parts and, honestly? You don’t really need to have read the other ones…

Rating: 3.75/5

From very happy to very sad, featuring characters that have all sort of stuff to work through, and of course, in true holiday romance style: plot twists that seem to pop up out of nowhere? This is your classic, cosy, fluffy fall read. If you’re in the mood for some relaxation? Then this is the book to go to! (goodreads)

-Saar