Review: Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan

About the Book

ISBN-13:9781335013231

Publication date:05/05/2026

Pages:368

Synopsis

Running a five-star Cornish hotel should have been Evie Hamilton’s dream job. But restoring it to its former glory is going to take a miracle. All Evie has is grit, and a hoard of unruly staff who love to speculate about her love life. She needs back-up, and fast.

Enter Abby Jones. Parachuted in by the hotel’s umbrella company for the summer, Abby thinks Evie could be the best friend she never had. But Abby has her own agenda for being in Cornwall. If her real motives are uncovered, their friendship is going to melt away faster than an ice cream in the summer sun.

Yet Abby’s arrival starts a chain reaction. With the help of a charming chef and a gruff pub owner, they begin to embrace their true selves and the bonds that unite them. But it’s not just the hotel’s five-star reputation that needs rebuilding – Evie and Abby will also have to brave tearing down their lives in order to reshape their futures…

My Thoughts

This is a cozy romance set at a gorgeous, historical inn in Cornwall, with characters that jumped off the page into my imagination. Evie is the manager of the inn by default since the previous manager got ill and had to step out of the picture. What Evie finds when she takes over is a beautiful place that is hemorrhaging money and she is determined to save it, if she can. Help arrives in the form of a young woman from “headquarters” Abby Jones. Abby can and does work wherever she is needed and becomes Evie’s right arm as well as a friend in whom she confides. Abby’s secret mission there at the inn may derail their friendship, so she has to make sure that Evie doesn’t find out who she really is. There are great family dynamics, a lot of drama, multiple secrets and romance, too in this well-written and compelling story of living through circumstances beyond your control and tackling challenges as they come. There are lessons to be learned here as well as a fantastic story and relatable characters.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from HTP Books via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

Sarah Morgan is a #1 Sunday Times and USA Todaybestselling author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She has sold over 25 million copies of her books, and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe. Her books have been translated into 28 languages and have earned her starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist and Library Journal.

Sarah lives near London, and when she isn’t reading or writing she loves spending time outdoors, walking or riding her mountain bike. She frequently stops to take photographs, much to the annoyance of her family. For more information about Sarah and her writing, please visit her website at Sarah Morgan.com