The Strawberry Patch Pancake House Book Review
Check out my review of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore, a small town romance part of the TikTok famous Dream Harbor series.
Laurie Gilmore's Dream Harbor series that started with The Pumpkin Spice Cafe came at the perfect time for this stressed-out mama.
It's like the universe knew that as I navigated my baby's Senior Year of high school, I needed the perfect escape from reality and a set of cozy reads to soothe my soul.
While I often get frustrated with series that require extensive knowledge of plot details to pick up and get into the sequels, the beautiful thing about Laurie Gilmore's books is that they could be read as stand-alone novels and are super easy to jump back into.
I've loved the little shops of Dream Harbor and the quirky cast of characters that populate the small town romance and eagerly downloaded this book to my Kindle as soon as it was released.
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
Summary of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House
As a world-renowned chef, single dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive.
Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when it’s suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny, she almost runs in the opposite direction.
Now, Iris finds herself in a whole new world. One where her gorgeous new boss lives right across the hall and likes to cook topless… Keeping everything strictly professional should be easy, right?
What I Liked
Here's what I would tell my best friend about the book:
- Back to Dream Harbor: This popular series by Laurie Gilmore feels like visiting old friends. It's such a comfortable and cozy world she's built and it makes for a relaxing read when you're already familiar with some of the cast and details.
- MMC is a Chef: The romantic male lead is a chef. As a food blogger myself, I'm always a sucker for a fun foodie themed book.
- New Parent Struggles: This is a Single Dad - Nanny romance and a major plot point involves the challenges of becoming a parent for the first time. Not only do they fall in love with one another, but watching them experience the challenges of parenthood and the overwhelming love that develops for the young girl was so heartwarming.
- Hunting for a Secret Recipe: A minor plot point involves the MMC's quest to recreate the town's beloved pancake recipe at the local diner. This minor detail just happened to be my favorite.
What I Didn't Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.
Honestly, this was my least favorite of the books in the Dream Harbor series. I enjoyed The Pumpkin Spice Cafe and adored the The Cinnamon Bun Book Store but I could have skipped this one altogether and not really missed much.
It was my first ever Single Dad - Nanny romance and I realized that is just really not my favorite romantic subgenre. I enjoy reading fiction about moms and parenthood in general but I guess I prefer my romance books to feature more grown-ups and less kids.
It also seemed to be missing the cozy seasonal festiveness the other books in the series did so well. It was the first book in the series that felt truly rushed and a little scattered.
How Spicy Is It?
🌶️🌶️🌶️: The Strawberry Patch Pancake House rates a Level 3 on my spicy books rating scale. There are a few open door spicy scenes but since it is a slow burn romance, they don't start up until over halfway through the book and are limited in number.
Romantic Tropes and Content Warnings
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is a Single Dad romance. You can read more about romance subgenres here.
It also takes advantage of several romantic tropes including: forced proximity, slow burn romance, and found family.
The only content warning I'd give you is that grief over the death of a loved one is a predominant part of the plot but the story is not too emotionally heavy in that regard.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I give The Strawberry Patch Pancake House four stars on my star rating scale. It was a pleasant escape during an especially busy season of family life and helped me to relax and get to sleep more easily. If your nerves are feeling rattled, this book is a lovely break.
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