Review: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe – Jenny Colgan

Having grown up in an apartment above her Grandpa Joe’s little bakery, Issy Randal has always known how to make something sweet. She’s much better at baking than she is at filing, so when she’s laid off from her desk job, Issy decides to open up her own little caf . But she soon learns that her piece-of-cake plan will take all her courage and confectionary talent to avert disaster. Funny and sharp, Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe is about how life might not always taste like what you expect, but there’s always room for dessert!

Series: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe #1
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Source: Provided by Publisher
Reviewer: Joelle
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

This was a very cute story. It’s set in London so I loved all of the references to all things British–even the words I didn’t know! Issy is let go from her job due “redundancy” (love it!), but it’s her big chance to start over & maybe really start living her dream. And get rid of the deadweight that is her “”boyfriend”” Graeme.

Issy’s grandfather raised her & was a successful baker himself. With that encouragement, she gets the idea to open her own cafe where she can showcase her delicious cupcakes which up until then had just been treats she made for fun.

Of course, starting your own business is never easy. Helping Issy get the cafe off the ground we meet quite a cast of characters. Pearl stands out to me the most because although Issy relies on her a great deal to start the cafe, Pearl gains a lot from the experience as well.

While there’s definitely an element of predictability, there was more to the story than I expected. Without giving everything away I will just say, just like real life, there is death, disappointment, betrayal, heartbreak, etc. in this book. Be prepared to laugh & cry!

Great recipes in the book too, but realistically I will probably never make any of them. I’m happy to leave the baking to the people that have a real passion for it like Issy!