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Sunshine Over Bluebell Cliff Blog Tour: Review

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

I’m back with another blog tour and this time it’s for Sunshine Over Bluebell Cliff by Della Galton. Thanks to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources for organising this blog tour and to the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Be sure to click on the banner below to check out the rest of the bloggers on tour!

Goodreads: Sunshine Over Bluebell Cliff
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Release Date: 28 April 2020
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance
Panda Rating:

A place to make your dreams come true…
Clara King is left in sole charge of a fabulous new cliff top hotel for the summer. The owner has barely left the country when Clara realises that someone is hell bent on putting the Bluebell Cliff out of business. It becomes a race against time to hunt down the sneaky saboteur before they succeed in bringing the hotel to its knees. Meanwhile Clara’s family is in crisis following her Grandfather’s affair. With her dream job under threat and her personal life in chaos, Clara discovers when what you love the most is in danger it can bring out the very best in you.

It’s been a while since I’ve read ‘chick lit’ or women’s fiction but Sunshine Over Bluebell Cliff reminded me of why I enjoyed them. There was a good mix of elements in the book that make it a fun, light and easy read, which is not only perfect for my mood right now but it’s a great palate cleanser between all the fantasy and sci-fi that I am and will be reading!

This book made me weirdly nostalgic for the UK and I think that’s what made my reading experience so enjoyable. Not that I’ve ever been to where this book is set but I lived in Norwich and we had quaint little seaside towns not too far from the city which I used to go to fairly often, and this reminded me of those warm summer days, strolling along the beach and staying in a cozy cottage for the weekend. I loved the concept of this hotel that “helps make your dreams come true” and it sounds like just the kind of place I’d love to stay for a short summer getaway.

All the characters from the staff and guests were a charming mix of quirky. I loved reading about the different guests that they’d host at the hotel and they’d range from awkward and hilarious to very cool! That said, there isn’t a whole lot of character development for many of them, including our main character Clara. She wasn’t an awful character but I didn’t become particularly attached to her. The romance was a slow burn enemies-friends-lovers romance that gave me butterflies watching the chemistry grow between the characters. You can tell how much family means to Clara because of how involved they were in the story and while there was a little bit of family drama, it was also really heartwarming to see their interactions. The mystery was also an interesting addition that had me guessing up until the end (we all know by now that I’m really bad at predicting whodunit)! 😂

That said, while Galton’s writing style is easy to read, sometimes I felt the storyline jumped around a bit erratically and I found that some of the details in the writing about every day things slowed the pace down a little bit. I guess the erratic storyline did add to the chaotic feeling of the story but sometimes it just threw me off. But everything wrapped up really nicely without a cliffhanger of an ending!

Overall, Sunshine Over Bluebell Cliff was an enjoyable and light read that’s perfect as a transition book or if you’re looking for something feel good. While it may not stick with me or be that memorable, I still enjoyed my time at Bluebell Cliff!

Della Galton is the author of 15 books, including Ice and a Slice.  She writes short stories, teaches writing groups and is Agony Aunt for Writers Forum Magazine.  She lives in Dorset.

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Have you read Sunshine Over Bluebell Cliff or is it on your TBR?

11 thoughts on “Sunshine Over Bluebell Cliff Blog Tour: Review”

  5. I love bluebells so much. Where we lived when I was a child we had so many around us each may and I used to gather them and bring posies to my mum. She’d put them in a jar and sit it on the kitchen window and be all proud of me. I know it’s not exactly relevant to the book but the title made me think of that memory. Lovely review Dini 💙💙💙💙

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    • Aww, Emer ❤ That's such a lovely memory! It's so wonderful how memory works doesn't it? Sometimes all it takes is just an image or a smell or a sound and then you're transported back to (hopefully) wonderful times! This is so sweet. Thanks for sharing with me 😍

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