Love Letters by Katie Fforde

Laura is a shy 26-year-old who is passionate about reading and works in a bookshop with her best friend, Grant. Unfortunately, the bookshop is going to close for good, and Laura is soon forced to consider her options for the future. Luckily for her, an author’s agent she meets at a signing event arranged by the bookshop in its closing days leads Laura to become an organiser of a local literary festival, which changes her life completely. She does new things that she never thought she would so, makes new friends, and meets a literary hero of hers, author Dermot Flynn.

Love Letters is a bit of a hit and miss story for me. Whilst I like that parts with Dermot and Laura, and the new friendships that Laura forges, there are places in the narrative which are weak and made me skip parts of the story. I also found the way in which Laura constantly pines over Dermot a bit irritating and there are sections which are dull and add nothing to the story. Some great moments but these are outweighed by some bad writing. 2.5 stars.

Welcome To My World by Miranda Dickinson

27 year old Harri is a travel advisor yet she has never set foot outside of the UK. She wishes to see the sights around the world, in particular, Venice, which she deems is the perfect place for lovers. She finds a kindred spirit in Alex, an old school friend who has returned to town after spending the last 10 years travelling. He constantly regales Harri with stories about his adventures to her enjoyment.

 

Despite Alex enjoying his travels, one thing he yearns for is to find love. One romantic disaster to another, he soon asks Harri to help him. Around the same time, Alex’s mother, Viv, asks Harri to help her submit Alex into a magazine feature to find him a date (or many). Can any good come of this?

 

These events and many more soon lead to trouble. Harri soon feels her world crumble around her, and something has to change, but is she brave enough to take a risk?

I really enjoyed this story by Dickinson, yet it isn’t perfect. Much like It Started With A Kiss, there are parts which I glossed over, such as Harri visiting Viv at the allotments. These parts were less interesting and interrupted the flow of the story. Another thing I tired of was Harri’s constant thinking about how she never gets to travel, and yet she sees everyone taking a risk in their lives but fails to do so the same, and she always agrees to what boyfriend Rob wants too easily in their relationship (even though this is integral to the plot). Yet, as the story moves on, Harri starts to realise what she wants to do and takes action, earning a “yey” from the reader.

I think that the plot was really good, and I liked the main characters and friendships. The narrative is well crafted; at the beginning of each chapter, it flashes to a future event where Harri is in great turmoil, and as the story continues, it leads up to this event, which I was intrigued to discover. It all becomes clear as the book culminates in a fantastic ending, well worth reading. 4 stars!

An Offer You Can’t Refuse by Jill Mansell

17 year old Lola is blissfully in love with Dougie, but his mother is disapproving of their relationship. With Dougie about to go to university, his mother offers Lola £10,000 to break up with him, and she is aghast at this. Yet, new problems surface and Lola is forced to reluctantly take the money, breaking up with Dougie and starting a new life abroad. 10 years later, Lola returns to the UK and soon crosses paths with Dougie again. Upon seeing him, Lola realises that she still loves him, but Dougie seems far from forgiving. Lola sets her sights on winning him back, but can Dougie let go from the past?

The story is funny to read, and Lola is extremely likeable as the main character. Although you cannot always condone her actions, and her self-confidence is enormous, she comes across as a witty, smart and fun person. As a reader, you get gripped by her story. Some of the supporting characters were good, such as Blythe – her relationship with her daughter is a joy to read – loving but real, as Blythe is not afraid to confront her daughter at times. Sally is a good comical character although she can veer on irritating at times. One character that I have to criticise is Dougie. Mansell provides no insight into his character, so the reader is unaware that he still loves Lola until the very end, and throughout the story, he only really comes across as one-dimensional. He acts hateful towards Lola and there is nothing redeeming about him that the reader wants the two to get back together – in fact you think that Lola should find a new guy instead!

When it comes to the ending, as a reader, you are happy for Lola in that she got what she wanted, but it doesn’t seem to come together well. This is partly because there is no indication into how Dougie feels and he only decides to confront her towards the end about what happened in the past. Surely he would have thought to have done that earlier on in the story if he still loved her so much?! The part when he mentions that his mother approves of their relationship at the end seems tacked on. His mother spend so much effort and money in keeping the two apart and yet the reader is meant to believe that she is now ok with the whole thing?! The story resolves itself in a happy ending, albeit in an uneasy and uncohesive manner.

There are also issues in the story, such as Gabe and Sally’s romance. It was predictable but the way it was introduced into the story didn’t work for me. It seemed random and out of place. It isn’t really believeable that the two would become a couple. Similarly, I felt that the storyline between Gabe and Savannah was a bit of a distraction to the main story. It didn’t really add anything to the narrative and felt a bit tedious to read. I’m not criticising Gabe’s character completely though. I like the platonic friendship he shares with Lola, just not his romantic relationships.

Overall, it is a good story although let down by weak characterisation and poor plotlines. 3 stars (just)

Meet Me at Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan

Issy Randall has always loved baking. Taught by her grandfather when she was young, she has proved herself to be a skill baker, whipping up cake-based delights for the enjoyment of her friends, work colleagues and the passengers on the bus she takes each morning. Made redundant from her office job, Issy decides to take a big risk and opens up her own cafe, but can it succeed?

Meet Me at Cupcake Cafe is a glorious tale full of baking recipes (which the author recommends that you try!) which I think is a good idea, and sets it apart from other cooking stories. I like the way in which Colgan depicts the close friendship between Issy and Helena, as well as the new friendships forged with Pearl and Caroline.  Issy is a likeable character – as a reader, you really want her to succeed and you get caught up in her journey as she becomes more confident in career, life and love. This is a funny book and at times, quite emotional, such as the aprts between Issy and her grandad. Whilst the story focuses on Issy, another thing I liked about Colgan’s writing was the way in which she writes from the perspectives of other characters too. The reader gets to know the different feelings of an event, and it gives the story a greater depth as a result.

All-in-all, Meet Me at Cupcake Cafe is a light-hearted, fun read. The story is fairly predictable but charming, but it is a sweet treat! 3.5 stars.

This year also sees the release of Christmas at Cupcake Cafe, the follow up story coming soon!

Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Cafe, is in love and couldn’t be happier. Her new business is thriving and she is surrounded by close friends, even if her cupcake colleagues Pearl and Caroline don’t seem quite as upbeat about the upcoming season of snow and merriment. But when her boyfriend Austin is scouted for a possible move to New York, Issy is forced to face up to the prospect of a long-distance romance. And when the Christmas rush at the cafe – with its increased demand for her delectable creations – begins to take its toll, Issy has to decide what she holds most dear. This December, Issy will have to rely on all her reserves of courage, good nature and cinnamon, to make sure everyone has a merry Christmas, one way or another …Indulge yourself and your sweet-toothed friends with Jenny Colgan’s new novel, simply bursting with Christmas cupcake recipes and seasonal sugar-fuelled fun.

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/jenny+colgan/christmas+at+the+cupcake+cafe/8926085/

A Minute to Midnight by Amy Silver

Since the age of 13,  Nicole Blake has made a list of five New Year resolutions with Julian Symonds, who is concealing a big secret. Over the next 20 years, Nicole and her friends cope with career highs and lows, new love and life changes, and the aftermath of everything being blown apart after one momentous event during noe year. Can Nicole get her life back on track and move on?

This was a surprising read, quite serious and heavy in its tone, yet I loved the way the story was pieced together, and the way in which the narrative was told through diary form in the past and present. It was interesting to see how the characters deal with the fall out of one momentous year, and the sacrifices that Dom makes for his wife at the end were touching. Silver has written a great story which kept me gripped and captivated. 3.5stars, almost a 4.