Visit Cornwall in a Book – Women’s Fiction & Chick Lit set in Cornwall

Cornwall was on our bucket list this summer but obviously, that’s not going to happen now. Instead, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the Cornish coast in several women’s fiction books.

Here I share my reviews of the books I’ve loved, along with suggestions of a few more. So why not visit Cornwall in a book too, with the best chick lit and women’s fiction from the Cornish Isles.

This post includes reviews of the following books set in Cornwall, as well as recommendations for many other titles to try:

Phillipa Ashley – Summer on the Little Cornish Isles

Phillipa Ashley – A Perfect Cornish Escape

Nancy Barone – New Hope for the Little Cornish Farmhouse

Rosie Chambers – Katie’s Cornish Kitchen

Ruth Saberton – The Last Card

Jo Bartlett – Christmas with the Cornish Midwives

Laura Briggs – A Wedding in Cornwall

Laura Briggs – A Christmas Cornish Reunion

The Best Chick Lit & Women’s Fiction Books Set In Cornwall for 2021

Summer on the Little Cornish Isles by Phillipa Ashley

This lovely story is what good chick lit is all about – betrayal, romance, humour, friendship, community spirit, and a new business venture thrown in too. We visit the little Cornish Isles of Scilly with newly-single Poppy as she tries to turn a local gallery into a profitable business.

Phillipa Ashley has written some interesting characters, everyone has their little quirks, even down to the cat and the dog.  I loved the development of Poppy and Jake’s personalities. You get to know Poppy’s past pretty quickly but many secrets evolve throughout the book all the way to the end. Each chapter finishes in a way that you just have to keep reading. This is definitely a “one more chapter” book, so perfect for a summer holiday read where you have no distractions.

There are two previous books in this series, but this can be read as a stand-alone.  Definitely, an author to check out more from, especially if you want a bit of armchair travel to Cornwall.

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A Perfect Cornish Escape by Phillipa Ashley

A Perfect Cornish escape is another book in series from the harbour village of Porthmellow in Cornwall. Each novel can be read as a standalone and you can read them in any order.

This story focuses on cousins Marina and Tiff who are reunited for the summer.

Marina lives in Porthmellow and was widowed almost 7 years ago after her husband disappeared at sea. Tiff is a journalist from London who comes to stay in Cornwall to try and rebuild her life after losing her job and her boyfriend.

The pair work on a charity event to raise funds for the local search and rescue which includes the watchtower that Marina runs in her husband’s memory.

The ladies both have possible new love interests and we follow how those new relationships develop.

A pleasant read when you need something that’s not too taxing.

New Hope for the Little Cornish Farmhouse by Nancy Barone

I discovered New Hope for the Little Cornish Farmhouse by Nancy Barone when I was searching for books set in Cornwall for this blog post. This book is perfect for a lazy weekend when you want to get stuck into something that is far removed from your own real life.

This story focuses on Nina, an author of 3 books, who is left destitute after her husband left her taking everything she had earned. Nina struggles to make ends meet with two children and a farmhouse that needs a lot of work.

Totally out of the blue she is whisked off to LA to meet with Hollywood screenwriters and actors who want to turn her first book into a film. She returns to Cornwall with the heartthrob actor whom she is going to co-write the screenplay with.

There is obviously a will they, won’t they? scenario developing alongside existing friendships and family.

Despite the storyline being so not what I usually read, I found it captivating and read the entire book during a very lazy Saturday. I would definitely read more from Nancy Barone.

Katie’s Cornish Kitchen by Rosie Chambers

Katie’s Cornish Kitchen by Rosie Chambers tells the story of Katie who is still recovering from being dumped 4 weeks before her wedding. She is offered the chance to resurrect an old village cafe in Cornwall.

She brings the cafe/bakery back up to scratch and plans to run it with an eco friendly and ethical ethos, along with a kindness and community vibe. Very much in the same vein as what I’m trying to do here at Tea and Cake for the Soul.

Katie and her wacky assistant Talia set up various themed events to make the cafe successful and bring the community together.

This is a typical Rosie Chambers chick lit read but it has a more childlike innocence to it. Katie’s Cornish Kitchen has feel good factor and is a very easy read for the summer or lazy Sunday afternoon.

The Last Card by Ruth Saberton

Warning this is a real tear jerker so make sure you have hankies at the ready.

Grandma Lily (known affectionately as Grilly) finds a Christmas card from the 1940s and proceeds to tell her grandaughter Ellen about the time she fell in love with an American serviceman during the war.

I’m not generally keen on period fiction, but The Last Card was so interesting and informative of what people had to endure back then. It had me captivated and moved to tears pretty much all the way through.  Set in Cornwall at Christmas, there’s plenty of description and Cornish history to picture how the village was now and during the war.

This story is incredibly romantic and heartbreaking and made me think of those who’ve left us. Parts of the story were in current day and had me picturing my own nan making Christmas puddings right into her senior years. Make sure you find out stories from your elderly family before it’s too late, it’s so easy to forget they had a life before they got old.

Highly recommended even though it made me cry … a lot!

Christmas with the Cornish Midwives by Jo Barlett

This story certainly packs in lots of action, from brides trying to arrange a wedding in 5 weeks, to men lost at sea and a traumatic home birth. All within the first few chapters.

The story also shows lots of community spirit and fundraising during the festive season in the wonderful Cornish village of Port Agnes.

Although there is another Cornish Midwives story (Return to Port Agnes) Christmas with the Cornish Midwives can be read as a stand alone story and is a nice quick easy read.

Also available on Kindle Unlimited.

A Wedding in Cornwall by Laura Briggs

A Wedding in Cornwall by Laura Briggs is a quick read about a young American woman who moves to a fictional Cornish Village near Falmouth to start her new job as an events planner in a country manor.  Her first job is planning the wedding for a celebrity footballer and model.

At about 90 minutes reading time it’s a perfect bit of escapism. Featuring luxury cakes, chocolates, and flowers, alongside traditional Cornish fayre and traditions, it really does set a wonderful scene. I felt that I learnt quite a lot about Cornish history too.

A nice introduction to the Cornish Wedding series. Currently free on Kindle.

A Cornish Christmas Reunion by Laura Briggs

If you like the other Cornwall stories by Laura Briggs and enjoyed A Christmas in Cornwall you may like to check out this follow up.  A quick 2 hour read that emphasises the importance of telling people how you feel before it’s too late.

It is my intention to keep adding more reviews of chick lit and women’s fiction books that are set in Cornwall as I read them. Make sure you check out Kate and Clara’s Curious Cornish Craft Shop and The Little Flower Shop by the Sea both by Ali McNamara in my author spotlight post.

In the meantime you might like some of my other book posts:

* Chick Lit Books set in Scotland

* Tripfiction Books for Your Staycation

* 10 Books of Summer Reading

* Feel Good Reads for Summer

Do you have any books set in Cornwall to recommend?
Have you been to Cornwall yourself, where did you visit?

More women’s fiction and chick lit books set in Cornwall that you might like to check out:

Pippas Cornish Dream by Debbie Johnson

A Cornish Summer by Catherine Alliott

Daisy’ s Vintage Cornish Camper Bus by Ali McNamara

Cornish Dreams at Cockleshell Cove by Liz Hurley

Daughters of Cornwall by Fern Britton

The Cornish Gift by Fern Britton

There have been many authors who have written an entire series of books set in Cornwall:

Little Cornish Isles series by Phillipa Ashley

Cornish Cafe series by Phillipa Ashley

A Perfect Cornish series by Phillipa Ashley

The Cornish Cream Tea series by Cressida McLaughlin

The Cornish Village School series by Kitty Wilson

The Little Cornish Gift Shop series by Rachel Griffiths

The Little Wedding Shop by the Sea series by Jane Linfoot

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Pin for later – original photo by Pat Whelen from Pexels

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