Cressida McLaughlin's The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse has been described as "warm and wonderful" and "like a lovely warm hug in a book", and I wholeheartedly agree.
I've recently been working my way through Cressida McLaughlin's books, of which there are 14. My first book by her was The Cornish Cream Tea Bus, which I loved, but my favourite book by Cressida was The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse.
The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse is a standalone novel, made up of four parts, set in Dorset. It's one of Cressida's earlier books in her career, but it is just as good as her later ones.
My mum and my sister love Cressida's stories so it was only right for me to join the bandwagon and fall in love with her stories too. So let's review The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse.
The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse by Cressida McLaughlin
Contemporary romance: 10/10
Self-discovery: 9/10
Forced proximity: 8.5/10
Friends to lovers (but other stages in between): 9.5/10
The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse is a contemporary romance novel set in Dorset as it follows the story of Robin Brennan.
Robin moves home from London to Campion Bay after tragedy strikes in the city. When she's home, she's reunited with her parents and the lovely residents of the town, including her friend Molly. However, her ex-high-school-sweetheart, Tim, still lives in Campion Bay and is rather eager to reunite with Robin.
Whilst she's helping out at her parents' guesthouse, they announce that they're thinking of retiring and moving to France. Robin being Robin means that she takes over the guesthouse in full force, renovating it and updating it for modern guests.
The renovations are exactly what the Campion Bay Guesthouse needs and let me tell you, when Cressida describes each of the rooms in the guesthouse...it will make you want to pack your bags and spend a week there! Each room has a different theme whether it's nature or the sky and stars at night.
Once the guesthouse is fully refurbished and ready for opening, Robin has all but one room booked. But on her opening night, Will Nightingale turns up on her doorstep, drenched from the rain, with an adorable cavapoo named Darcy.
From there, the story really gets going as we see Robin navigating her newfound responsibilities of the guesthouse whilst being pulled to her latest tenant and next-door neighbour Will as she helps him settle into the town, sort his aunt's house out and find out the truth.
I've read quite a few of Cressida's books and one thing I've noticed about them is that her writing style effortlessly hooks you as a reader. The way she constructs the narrative and builds momentum in the plot is really good.
This plot of Robin having a fresh start in her old town whilst juggling two suitors is heart-warming. Not only because you get to see romance but also because there's friendship, family, hardships and self-love as themes throughout too.
Robin's character is relatable, to me, in many ways. She works hard, is self-motivated and dedicated to doing well. But she's also sometimes a bit too selfless, always wanting to help others out. Robin is also kind-hearted and well-loved by all those in Campion Bay and isn't afraid to admit when she's done something wrong.
Will is the handsome charmer, who is trying to seek some answers. But he's also trying to make up for the past and the little time he spent with his aunt for the majority of his life. When he's in Campion Bay, Robin helps things make more sense and he begins to settle into the town.
I really enjoyed reading about both of these characters and following their character arcs throughout the novel. Their dynamic throughout was amazing to read and also to see how they interact with each other, others in Campion Bay, and how they deal with the issues they're faced with was really good and very well-written.
All the other characters, as well, including Molly, Tim, Paige etc, all felt very realistic to me. Cressida spends time introducing each of them and so by the end of the book, you feel as though you know them each individually.
Cressida's writing in The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse was so good and inspiring. The mixture of dialogue and descriptions was perfect - there are some writers I've read where the descriptions have been very in-depth, but Cressida includes the right amount of description mixed with the narrative to give you a clear visual image without taking away from the story.
You can tell that this book was written with love and care because it oozes off the page. The intricate details of the guesthouse, the plethora of different personalities in Goldcrest Road, all the different businesses...The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse has a community feel to it and I only hope one day I can write a book that hooks readers the same way Cressida has achieved.
Have you read any of Cressida's books before? If not, click the image below to head over to Amazon and give this one a try.
And come back later this week for an exclusive interview with Cressida herself!
Until next time...