Meet Me At The Cupcake Café [Paperback]

How many of us sit in our offices dreaming of running our own little shop, whether it be a book shop, bakery, coffee shop or even a B&B.

This book allows us to escape and vicariously live this dream through Issy, a woman who was taught to bake by her Grandfather and has baked as a hobby all her life. Even though it is a story where you would expect the main character to succeed the disadvantages of pursuing this type of dream are also encountered.

The other characters in the book are from diverse backgrounds but are brought together in a very natural way. Each one has their own distinct personality, their own problems and their own quirks which add beautifully to Issy's story.

I loved this book and strongly recommend reading it.
Ok, I admit, I also fell in love with Issy and dreamed of working with her in the Café, but it is the mark of a good book when the characters feel that real.

Talking to Addison and Looking for Andrew McCarthy had always been my favourite books by Jenny but 'Meet Me at the Cupcake Café' would definitely be the one I would save if I had to save only one.

I really loved the character of Issy (Isabel) straight away. She is one that we can all warm to, and Colgan has written her a very realistic and believable woman. She's stuck in a relationship that doesn't seem to be going anywhere, she turns at work because she has to, not because she loves her job but secretly she enjoys her passion of baking beautiful cakes at home with her flatmate Helena. Everytime one of those delicious cakes is written about in the book, which is fairly frequently, I can't help but imagine in my head and it did make my mouth water! Colgan has a way with words that manages to make you imagine every bit of the cake and I really loved that, it brings the book to life for me and made me want to try out the cakes for myself! In fact, there are recipes at the start of some of the chapters so you can give it a go if you're feeling adventurous!

The idea of the Cupcake Café is on readers can see coming, obviously from the book title, but it was still exciting to read about the lead up to it. Things seem to happen very quickly for Issy, very much unlike how they would be in real life, but still it had to go that way or the book would have been very long indeed. I could imagine the inside of the beautiful cafe and I wish it was somewhere that really did exist rather than the Starbucks and Costa's you see everywhere these days. Readers will love the idea of the Cupcake Cafe and Issy's passion behind it and that is what makes the book so enjoyable overall.

The characters were all well done and complement the story inside perfectly. Issy is our leading lady, a thirty-something woman struggling with the direction of her life and looking after her ailing grandfather too. The scenes between these two in particular were very touching and well written, and I enjoyed them very much. I really could warm to the character of Pearl as well, the young mother who works in the Cupcake Cafe after a chance meeting with Issy when they meet at a redundancy course. She is quite a down-trodden character but we see her grow throughout the book which I really liked. Finally, Helena was my other favourite character, she's Issy's flatmate and a no-nonsense nurse, she tells it like it is and is quite refreshing for the book! But overall, there wasn't any characters I hated (aside from slimey Graeme and we're meant to hate him!) so I think Colgan has produced a great cast of characters for this book.

If you enjoy fun stories and in particular, ones about cakes, then this is going to be a must read for you. As well as the dreams of Issy starting a Cupcake Cafe, there are more serious issues within such as her Grandfather's illness but they are well done, and I think Colgan covered them very well, and very sensitively. The book moves at a good pace, there is always something going on to entertain the reader, and I really liked the inclusion of recipes throughout the book which were written by Issy's grandfather. It was one of these books that I didn't want to put down as I was hoping for a happy ending for Issy in all senses, and Meet Me At The Cupcake Café is certainly a feel good novel that will cheer you up, and is perfect reading for foodies! Definitely recommended by me, and I'll be looking to try more of Colgan's books in the future after my success with this!

I have read a few of Jenny Colgan books before and this one did not dissapoint me! Firstly a books cover always draws me to buy a book (i no it shouldn't!) but this one with the bright baby pink colour and beauitful cupcake cartoons is great. The story is quite fast paced and follows Issy who just lost her job, pursue her dream and the family tradition of opening a bakery. I found myself really feeling every emotion for Issy and her friends in this book. It was beautifuly written, and very senstive when talking about Granpa Joe who was alert at the start of the book but sadly got more ill as the book went on. An added bonus was the lovely recipes included in the book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a sweet and exciting girly read, ideal for a holiday or a book to read on the bus or train, but be beware its very hard to put down!!!!!