Category: Jenny Colgan

Synopsis: Given a back-room computer job when the beloved Birmingham library she works in turns into a downsized retail complex, Nina misses her old role terribly – dealing with people, greeting her regulars, making sure everyone gets the right books for their needs. Then a new business nobody else wants catches her eye: owning a tiny little bookshop bus up in the Scottish highlands. No computers. Shortages. Out all hours in the freezing cold; driving with a tiny stock of books… not to mention how the little community is going to take to her, particularly when she stalls the bus on a level crossing.

MY RATING: 4/5

KAT’S REVIEW: Jenny Colgan novels never fail me and thankfully this one is no different. Nina is the main character and if I’m honest she is a little wet behind the ears at first. She works in a library which is suffering cutbacks and when she is finally offered a ‘back-room computer’ job she decides to make some brave decisions. The first few chapters went by but I wasn’t as absorbed as I normally would be. I think that Nina was a little too weak for my liking and it was only when she decided to take some chances that she started to shine.

Nina discovers that her passion for books is all consuming and she isn’t prepared to give up on her dream of running a bookshop. Only how her dream turns out is a little different from the one she has in her head. What transpires is a van situated in the Scottish Highlands and a complete change of life for her. Jenny Colgan has as always done a stellar job with describing where Nina moves to and I could literally picture Nina Parked up in her book bus.

With her whole life turned around she meets her new Landlord Lennox who is a brusque and seemingly unhelpful man who has little time for Nina and her fanciful ideas. Nina then makes a terrible faux pas and ends up getting her bus stuck on a set of railway lines which ends up opening up a whole new thread to the story. This novel is packed full of laughter and is a complete escapist read which will no doubt cheer you up no end. I’m afraid it didn’t quite live up to my favourite Colgan books featuring the Little Beach Street Bakery but is still a cracking read for those in need of some light reading to cheer you up.

Synopsis: Rosie Hopkins, newly engaged, is looking forward to an exciting year in the little sweetshop she owns and runs. But when fate strikes Rosie and her boyfriend, Stephen, a terrible blow, threatening everything they hold dear, it’s going to take all their strength and the support of their families and their Lipton friends to hold them together.

After all, don’t they say it takes a village to raise a child?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

KAT’S REVIEW: I rarely dislike a Jenny Colgan book and the Rosie Hopkins books are no exception. For those that plan to read these books in order it’s maybe not a good idea to carry on reading. The one HUGE thing I loved was that Jenny Colgan does a little ‘wrap up’ of all characters and where they are at up to date giving you a quick refresh. It’s a great idea and I immediately knew where I was joining the story again.

Rosie Hopkins has now settled into the village of Lipton and with the refresh at the beginning of the book I was reminded of all the local characters that make an appearance. Rosie is now living with boyfriend Stephen and regularly visits her aunt Lilian who is resident at a home nearby. We also see reappearances of local GP Moray, Rosie’s friend and colleague Tina and many more. One particular character which makes a brilliant ‘star’ performance in this latest book is the local dentist Roy.

One thing that quickly became clear was that the early part of the book was certainly not all flowers and romance. We witness both Rosie and Stephen face some harsh, bleak and very sad moments. This results in them making a trip back to Africa where Stephen had previously visited. I’m not deliberately being vague, but it’s difficult to mention parts of the story without fear of plot spoiling. Upon Rosie and Stephens return it seems the whole village goes into meltdown meaning last minute arrangements have to be made for Tina and her upcoming wedding. In addition to that we meet Stephens Sister Pamela who I thought was an absolutely cracking character to read about.

Overall, although not my favourite ‘Rosie’ book this was another brilliant read. It is well worth reading the two previous books, but if you haven’t and you come across this don’t let that stop you. I certainly enjoyed revisiting Lipton and all its characters and can’t wait to see what’s next for all of them!

My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Polly Waterford is recovering from a toxic relationship. Unable to afford their flat, she has to move miles away from everyone, to a sleepy little seaside resort in Cornwall, where she lives alone above an abandoned shop.

And so Polly takes out her frustrations on her favourite hobby: making bread. But what was previously a weekend diversion suddenly becomes far more important as she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, and each loaf becomes better and better. With nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, with local honey (courtesy of local bee keeper, Huckle), and with reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes and bakes . . . And people start to hear about it.

Sometimes, bread really is life . . . And Polly is about to reclaim hers.

My Review: OH MY! I have read most of Jenny Colgan’s books and am very fond of her Rosie Hopkins books. However, MOVE OVER Rosie because Polly is in town! I picked this book up and did not put it down until I managed to finish it later that day. I just fell in love again and again, and now I feel a little bit sad that Polly is gone. The only thing that perked me up was the idea of a re-visit in the form of Jenny Colgan’s release in February 2015 entitled summer at The Little Beach Street Bakery.

Polly Waterford is by far one of my favourite characters this year. She is without a doubt a gem of a woman who I literally cannot wait to read about next year. Polly is having a tough time and when her and her partners business fails she ups sticks and moves into a ramshackle flat which is basically an abandoned shop. The sleepy little town she is residing in is the furthest from what she is used to as you can get. It’s essentially an island that is isolated once the tides turn and the bridge to the mainland is inaccessible.

The way Jenny describes the place made me fall in love with it and immediately want to visit. While Polly is trying to recover from her past toxic relationship she realises that she has a whole new host of problems to deal with, such as a job, not knowing anybody and living in a place that is fit to be knocked down. However, Polly is not a pushover and her character from start to finish is just perfect. She is very sarcastic but funny with it and one of her relationships made me chuckle and it was with a bird!!!!

I don’t want to delve too much into the storyline as I don’t want to spoil it for anybody but trust me when I say this is a magical book and one which I read in one sitting. Jenny Colgan has won me over with Polly, and although Rosie remains one of my favourites she is beaten to the post by the brilliant Polly Waterford. If you haven’t read a Jenny Colgan, then what are you waiting for? A magical and reality escaping haven, it’s a book you should definitely have in your collection

My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Curl up with Rosie her friends and her family as they prepare for a very special Christmas . . .

Rosie Hopkins is looking forward to Christmas in the little Derbyshire village of Lipton buried under a thick blanket of snow. Her sweetshop is festooned with striped candy canes large tempting piles of Turkish delight crinkling selection boxes and happy sticky children. She’s going to be spending it with her boyfriend Stephen and her family flying in from Australia. She can’t wait.

But when a tragedy strikes at the heart of their little community all of Rosie’s plans for the future seem to be blown apart. Can she build a life in Lipton? And is what’s best for the sweetshop also what’s best for Rosie?

My Review: I was so excited when I got an early copy of this book, because I only recently got around to reading the first book Rosie Hopkins Sweetshop of Dreams. I really enjoyed that and was excited to get stuck in to the follow up, which is set at Christmas (so perfect timing). First off I must just say that I LOVE Jenny Colgan covers, and this one is especially ‘christmassy’ (I know that’s not a word but you know what I mean). For those that haven’t read the first book, although it’s not a necessity I think it makes this book so much more enjoyable.

Although I really enjoyed the first Rosie book, I LOVED this one and it started from the first few pages. Mrs Colgan re-acquainted me with the main characters, Rosie and her live in boyfriend, grumpy but adorable Stephen; as well as Rosie’s cranky aunt Lillian who now lives in a home. There are also numerous characters that have progressed from the first book and we see them back in the second such as Tina, Moray and the strange and quirky young boy Eddison.

I felt like I had practically moved into the village within a matter of pages and found myself holding the book everywhere I went on the off chance I could squeeze a few more pages in. This time around Rosie’s family are making their way across the water from Oz and Rosie cannot wait to see them all. With the excitement of her family visiting, the running of the sweetshop and the general activity in the village; I almost felt as shocked as the characters were when a tragedy occurs in the village. This is a catalyst for quite a few things (which I can’t details because that would be spoilers!).

However, with the tragedy to one side, we see loads of things happen as a result of it and this includes some sad moments, as well as some legendary moments! There are some very funny scenes that go on featuring Lillian and Rosie’s Mum which had me giggling. These two particular characters make such a difference and are an absolute joy to read. There seemed to be a number of conclusions made with this follow up book which I was really chuffed about too.

All in all my review may sound vague, but I really wouldn’t want to spoil this for anyone as it was such a brilliant book. I couldn’t out it down from start to finish and think it was even better than the first one. It was full of love, laughter and plenty of tears and is without a doubt a perfect Christmas Present! Can’t recommend it highly enough and think that JC fans who are itching to get this will be thrilled!

My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Rosie Hopkins is about to face major upheaval. Her elderly aunt Lilian – feisty, independent Aunt Lily who never talked about her past – needs her help, so Rosie is moving to the depths of the countryside for a few months to look after her. Plus Rosie will be away from Gerard, the man she hopes to settle down with soon, and they’ll miss each other dreadfully… won’t they? Lilian Hopkins has spent her life running Lipton’s village sweetshop, through wartime and family feuds. As she struggles with the idea that it might finally be time to sell up, she also wrestles with the secret history hidden behind the jars of beautifully coloured sweets.  And the longer Rosie and Lilian spend together, the more they realise they can learn from each other…

My Review: I am a pretty recent covert to the Jenny Colgan books and was a huge fan of the Cupcake books. I’m currently working through her other books and realising that the sequel to this is due out in a couple of months I figured now was a good time to read it. As with her other books it didn’t take me long to get into the story and straight away really liked Rosie as the lead character. When Rosie is asked to go and help her elderly aunt Lilian in the countryside she is really unsure. Her boyfriend Gerard (who was awful I must say) would be left behind while she sorted out the family issues at hand.

As soon as the story moved with Rosie to the Countryside it improved dramatically. With the introduction to her aunt Lilian who I absolutely loved, it seemed like her and Rosie worked really well together as characters. Lilian’s little sweet shop has been closed for years and with her Aunt’s declining health, Rosie needs to sort out the sale of the shop and finding a home for her aunt. The other element of this story was not only Rosie’s but of Lilian’s past and how she found herself to be where she is today. As the reader we get to see snippets of Lilian’s history and her own life being brought up in a time when war was as the forefront of everybody’s mind. This was such a nice way to layer the story as you find yourself understanding why Lilian is the way she is now.

There are many village characters that also add sparkle to this story and I found myself wishing Rosie on as all she seems to do for the first half of the book is land herself in hot water. I particularly liked the stroppy and awkward character Stephen who seems to be determined to do things his way! I read this book very quickly and absolutely loved it. As usual with Jenny Colgan books you get the added addition of something extra and in this books case it was sweets. You get taken back in time with all the nostalgic mentions of sweets from days gone past, as well as sweet recipes at the start of each chapter! I have to say that the Cupcake books are still my favourite but this is a definite second. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the follow up of this due out in November 2013.

My Rating: 3/5

After finishing the Cupcake Café books by Jenny Colgan I was looking forward to this one. In this book we meet Anna Trent who works at a Chocolate Factory. Anna doesn’t appeal that much as a character in the beginning. She has had an accident at work and is recovering in hospital. She meets her old French teacher Claire who is also being treated in the hospital. However, Anna is at an all-time low and seems quite depressed with everything. As Anna is on the mend her relationship with Claire grows and she learns a little more about Claire’s life growing up.

It took me a little while to warm to Anna, but slowly I began to see the girl she was before. When Claire offers her a once in a lifetime opportunity to work in Paris it takes Anna some time to come around to the idea. Anna soon learns that Claire’s former sweetheart is a well-known chocolate maker and he makes his chocolate entirely by hand. Once Anna makes the decision to try it and arrives at the strange and quirky shop, the story takes off a little bit more.

Anna meets the famous Thierry as well as the two guys in the shop. In addition she meets Thierry’s son and there is of course the outlandish character she is living with Sami. As usual Jenny Colgan has done a stellar job with describing Paris and catching the magic, but the characters just didn’t grab me like they usually would. I certainly warmed to Anna, but actually preferred Claire, whose story we see in sections throughout the book where we flash back to Anna’s past in Paris.

The second half of the book was slightly better than the first half and although I enjoyed it I just felt it was lacking something. I have read a lot of Jenny’s books and especially loved the Cupcake books. Maybe I am making too much of a comparison but this one just wasn’t one of my favourites. I will as usual be eagerly reading all her other books I haven’t read and will look forward to any new releases. I just think I couldn’t get along with the characters in this one as well as others.

My Rating: 4/5

I hate to admit this but only picked up my very first Jenny Colgan book towards the end of last year (yes I know it’s ridiculous) but that book was The Cupcake Café. I devoured it and was thrilled when I realised there was a follow up book that had just been released. I eagerly picked up this one, Christmas at The Cupcake Café, and couldn’t wait to see where Issy was in her world.

For those that maybe haven’t read the first one, fear not this can still be read as a stand-alone. However, it was so much more enjoyable being able to go back and see how all the characters were getting on. Issy took the plunge in book one and started up her very own Cupcake Café. We now go back to the café to find Issy, along with her two workers Pearl and Caroline running the café in their usual no-nonsense way. Issy is in love with her boyfriend Austin who works at a local bank, and things seem to be going smoothly for her. That is until Austin is called away on business to New York.

The distance between them is the start of things going very wrong for Issy and pretty soon it seems that nothing is the same as before and she has no control over things. The one major difference between this book and the last although I still wanted to know about Issy, I was also really keen to see more of Pearl and Caroline. Although Issy is the main character, Jenny Colgan has done a stellar job of making the reader really engage with all the characters. Austin’s younger brother Darney, Issy’s mother, Doti the Postman, they all caught on with me and I just wanted to keep reading about all of them.

This book didn’t have nearly as much impact with me as the first (not sure why), but this certainly isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it. I really enjoyed it and as usual it took me only two days to read it. The one thing I love is that these characters are memorable; I would really love to see the return of not just Issy but the other characters too. The story itself was good, but like I said just didn’t have as much impact as the first. There is the addition of recipes all the way through the book which is a really nice touch, although it did make me quite hungry more often than not. Having finished it I am eagerly planning on getting stuck to other Jenny Colgan books. Another really good book!

My Rating: 5/5

I am almost disgusted with myself for having never read a Jenny Colgan book. I have always seen her books around but don’t ask me why, have never managed to pick one up. Thankfully, I finally got around to buying this book which was released in 2011 with its very enticing cover. I started reading and immediately loved the main character Issy. Issy’s Grandpa Joe ran bakery’s his whole life and has passed his love of baking on to Issy.

Very early on we meet Issy’s pathetic excuse for a boyfriend Graeme (who I despised from start to finish) along with some other characters that feature in the book. When Issy is made redundant from her City job she takes the plunge and sets about opening her own type of Bakery called The Cupcake Café.

Jenny Colgan has done a grand job of making the readers feel for Issy. We see her struggle with lots of things at once and try to manage starting a new business, her love life, the care of her Gramps as well as having some sort of social life. What made this book a little bit different is that at the start of various chapters (I cannot recall if it was every one) we see Issy’s recipes for her famous Cupcakes. There is something refreshingly different about that approach, and some of the descriptions that go with the recipes had me chuckling.

I read three quarters of this book in one day, I read in the morning, my lunch break, my commute and even when I was washing up! I then eagerly picked it up the following morning and finished it. The story is a lovely read and you feel like you are taking the journey with Issy and you can’t help but will her success on. I loved the characters, including the feisty Pearly and difficult Caroline both who work with Issy. I also loved Issy’s flatmate Helena who has a very brisk attitude. You also see other local characters come in and they all add their own flavour to the story.

I was really excited to see that Jenny Colgan has a follow up to this book due out October 2012. I think a follow up would be brilliant, especially as the end of this one is extremely open-ended with many possibilities for the characters. Overall this was a book that I loved in every way, and it especially cheered me up as I am in the middle of my own very precarious start of a new business. This book was a real `feel-good’ read and I loved every bit of it. Highly recommended.