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ebroeffle's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Pregnancy
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Incest, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Infidelity
laheath's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Mrs. Quinn becomes a contestant on Britain Bakes and with each recipe, she recalls moments in her life and how they shaped her, particularly a secret she has kept from her husband for almost 60 years. The last 20-25% of the book focuses on the revelation of this secret but I would have liked more depth with the ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity and Adult/minor relationship
fkshg8465's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really cute. Emotive. Mad me laugh. Mad me angry. Mad me sad. Mad me full. Stayed up all night to read it before it was due back to the library. It was somewhat predictable, but the relationship between Jenny and Bernie was what made the book complete magic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Rape, Bullying, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death of parent, Infidelity, Outing, and Pregnancy
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Title: Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame
Author: Olivia Ford
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 30, 2024
T H R E E • W O R D S
Redemptive • Gentle • Delicious
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Nothing could be more out of character, but after fifty-nine years of marriage, as her husband Bernard’s health declines, and her friends' lives become focused on their grandchildren—which Jenny never had—Jenny decides she wants a little something for herself. So she secretly applies to be a contestant on the prime-time TV show Britain Bakes.
Whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras and timed challenges, Jenny delights in a new-found independence. But that independence, and the stress of the competition, starts to unearth memories buried decades ago. Chocolate teacakes remind her of a furtive errand involving a wedding ring; sugared doughnuts call up a stranger’s kind act; a simple cottage loaf brings back the moment her life changed forever.
With her baking star rising, Jenny struggles to keep a lid on that first secret—a long-concealed deceit that threatens to shatter the very foundations of her marriage. It’s the only time in six decades that she’s kept something from Bernard. By putting herself in the limelight, has Jenny created a recipe for disaster?
💭 T H O U G H T S
There's no denying older characters in books is one of my favourite tropes. Add in some food elements, and of course, I had to add Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame to my most anticipated 2024 releases. I just knew this book would deliver so many things that work for me before I even picked it up.
Jenny was an absolute star! I really loved getting to know her and her story. Ford utilizes parallel storytelling (snippets of the past interwoven into the present) to give us Jenny's back story and it worked perfectly. As for Bernard, her supportive husband, I absolutely adored him. Honestly, I just want to hang out with these two. The other characters, especially the other contestants, could have used more development.
This novel is predictable in the best way possible. It certainly wasn't hard to figure out how things would go once I knew what Jenny's secret was. My one issue is that for a lighter-hearted story it was longer than it needed to be. I just wanted to get to the reveal, likely because I knew what to expect.
Olivia Ford's experience in the entertainment industry made the baking contest realistic and she gave the reader just enough of it without it bogging down the narrative. All of the food descriptions were absolutely delicious. I seriously wish a sample of each of Jenny's creations could be delivered to me while I was reading.
Overall, Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame was an absolute delight. It's a coming-of-old, feel-good story with depth, filled with tender moments and with high entertainment value. It's that gentle reminder that it's never too late to peruse a dream or doing something for yourself. Olivia Ford is an author I will be keeping an eye on.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• baking shows
• yummy food
• coming-of-old stories
⚠️ CW: infidelity, misogyny, sexism, death of parent, pregnancy, adoption, grief, chronic illness, medical content, medical trauma, sexual assault, alcohol
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"It's strange, she thought, how recipes outlive the people that wrote them and yet they almost bring a part of that person back to life, as if a tiny piece of their soul lives in those instructions."
"'Recipes are very precious things. They contain little pieces of history, of nostalgia, and of people - exactly as they were at the time when they wrote them. In reading their words and following their methods, they were by my side. I thought I was alone when I headed into the barn, but I never really was.' She paused, thinking of her recipe book, of him. 'I suppose what I mean to say is: keep writing them down, keep making them, and keep passing them on.'"
Author: Olivia Ford
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 30, 2024
T H R E E • W O R D S
Redemptive • Gentle • Delicious
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Nothing could be more out of character, but after fifty-nine years of marriage, as her husband Bernard’s health declines, and her friends' lives become focused on their grandchildren—which Jenny never had—Jenny decides she wants a little something for herself. So she secretly applies to be a contestant on the prime-time TV show Britain Bakes.
Whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras and timed challenges, Jenny delights in a new-found independence. But that independence, and the stress of the competition, starts to unearth memories buried decades ago. Chocolate teacakes remind her of a furtive errand involving a wedding ring; sugared doughnuts call up a stranger’s kind act; a simple cottage loaf brings back the moment her life changed forever.
With her baking star rising, Jenny struggles to keep a lid on that first secret—a long-concealed deceit that threatens to shatter the very foundations of her marriage. It’s the only time in six decades that she’s kept something from Bernard. By putting herself in the limelight, has Jenny created a recipe for disaster?
💭 T H O U G H T S
There's no denying older characters in books is one of my favourite tropes. Add in some food elements, and of course, I had to add Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame to my most anticipated 2024 releases. I just knew this book would deliver so many things that work for me before I even picked it up.
Jenny was an absolute star! I really loved getting to know her and her story. Ford utilizes parallel storytelling (snippets of the past interwoven into the present) to give us Jenny's back story and it worked perfectly. As for Bernard, her supportive husband, I absolutely adored him. Honestly, I just want to hang out with these two. The other characters, especially the other contestants, could have used more development.
This novel is predictable in the best way possible. It certainly wasn't hard to figure out how things would go once I knew what Jenny's secret was. My one issue is that for a lighter-hearted story it was longer than it needed to be. I just wanted to get to the reveal, likely because I knew what to expect.
Olivia Ford's experience in the entertainment industry made the baking contest realistic and she gave the reader just enough of it without it bogging down the narrative. All of the food descriptions were absolutely delicious. I seriously wish a sample of each of Jenny's creations could be delivered to me while I was reading.
Overall, Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame was an absolute delight. It's a coming-of-old, feel-good story with depth, filled with tender moments and with high entertainment value. It's that gentle reminder that it's never too late to peruse a dream or doing something for yourself. Olivia Ford is an author I will be keeping an eye on.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• baking shows
• yummy food
• coming-of-old stories
⚠️ CW: infidelity, misogyny, sexism, death of parent, pregnancy, adoption, grief, chronic illness, medical content, medical trauma, sexual assault, alcohol
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"It's strange, she thought, how recipes outlive the people that wrote them and yet they almost bring a part of that person back to life, as if a tiny piece of their soul lives in those instructions."
"'Recipes are very precious things. They contain little pieces of history, of nostalgia, and of people - exactly as they were at the time when they wrote them. In reading their words and following their methods, they were by my side. I thought I was alone when I headed into the barn, but I never really was.' She paused, thinking of her recipe book, of him. 'I suppose what I mean to say is: keep writing them down, keep making them, and keep passing them on.'"
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent, Death, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexism, Infidelity, and Misogyny
adoptionssjensen's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, and Pregnancy
Minor: Rape
rachelle_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
This book is a fairly gentle read that pulls at your heartstrings a bit, too. I just love Jenny so much. What courage, to stretch outside of her role as wife and auntie and apply for a reality TV show. Her backstory adds depth to what might otherwise be too sweet and simple a tale. The pacing of this book is perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Infidelity
abby_can_read's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
📱
This was an adorable book. I loved it. I shed plenty of tears. The characters were great and their relationships were solid. The plot was a little predictable, but it kept me interested and engaged.
This was an adorable book. I loved it. I shed plenty of tears. The characters were great and their relationships were solid. The plot was a little predictable, but it kept me interested and engaged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, and Medical content
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, and Sexism
kdailyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, and Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Blood, and Infidelity
emiliap's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A 77-year-old woman becomes a household name through her love of baking after being on tv, while hiding a secret.
Now, I loved this book. I reread it because I wanted to savour everything!
The premise at the beginning that baking and using other people’s recipes is a way of keeping them alive was just so heartwarming, as was the love story between Jenny and her husband Bernard.
I’ve never wanted to hug a character so badly, I just want to wrap her up and keep her as my nan. The secret which reveals just further makes me want to protect her, and this got stronger with every flash back.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Michael Joseph Random House for allowing me to experience this as an ARC.
Now, I loved this book. I reread it because I wanted to savour everything!
The premise at the beginning that baking and using other people’s recipes is a way of keeping them alive was just so heartwarming, as was the love story between Jenny and her husband Bernard.
I’ve never wanted to hug a character so badly, I just want to wrap her up and keep her as my nan. The secret which reveals just further makes me want to protect her, and this got stronger with every flash back.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Michael Joseph Random House for allowing me to experience this as an ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
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