New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe by Julie Haworth

New Beginnings at The Cosy Cat Café tells the story of Tori who, after being dumped and left stranded by her long-term boyfriend Ryan on a trip of a lifetime to Asia, returns home to the sleepy Sussex village of Blossom Heath with her tail between her legs and her dreams shattered. Donning her frilly apron to help her Mum, Joyce, behind the counter at The Cosy Cup Café, Tori starts to believe – with the help of a hunky fireman and a clowder of rescue cats – that perhaps the secret to her future happiness might lie closer to home than she ever thought possible.

If you love your romance with a side order of cake, cats and cosy community dynamics, this is the purrfect uplifting, feel-good read from the winner of the RNA Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year 2023.

My thoughts:

Thank you to Sara-Jade Virtue of Books and the City at Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to join the blog tour for New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe by Julie Haworth. I enjoyed reading Julie’s debut novel last year and you can read my review here: https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.home.blog/2023/09/03/always-by-your-side-by-julie-haworth-2/

It was lovely to be back in Blossom Heath again, to catch up with Rose, Jake, Scout and the other residents. However it is Tori and her mum, Joyce at the centre of the story.

Tori finds herself back in Blossom Heath thinking about the amazing year she spent travelling. Could the cat cafe culture she saw in Japan bring new life to her mum’s cafe and help support a local cat rescue charity?

I loved how the story evolved in this book, and how the characters of Blossom Heath are developing. Julie’s writing brings the community to life and has a real feel good vibe to it.

As someone who is allergic to cat fur, this is probably the closest I will get to visiting a cat cafe, but I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual visit and look forward to reading more by Julie in the future. A lovely book to enjoy with a cup of tea on a summer day. Available now in ebook and will be published in paperback on Thursday 18 July.

Author Bio:

Julie Haworth writes uplifting stories about friendship and community, bursting with romance and charm, from her home in the bustling city of Chelmsford, Essex. Her debut novel, Always By Your Side, won the RNA’s Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel Award for 2023. Julie is still pinching herself that she’s realised her lifelong dream of becoming a published author!

When she’s not busy writing or running her copywriting business, Julie can mainly be found shopping, drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee and hanging out with her two rescue cats. Julie is also a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors.

Julie loves to chat with her readers and you can find her on Twitter @jhaworthauthor or over on Instagram @juliehaworthauthor