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booknerdjo's review
4.0
Another cute and cosy read - with lots of humour and heart!
Young, widowed single-mum Bridget, returns with her children to the village by the sea where she grew up and met her husband. She is hoping that the move will be a fresh start for all of them.
She soon finds herself at the centre of the community by baking fresh bread and other treats in a village where there is no bakery.
She also finds herself drawn to charming Irishman Jack, but she needs to decide if she is ready to be with someone else.
Really sweet and very Christmassy
Young, widowed single-mum Bridget, returns with her children to the village by the sea where she grew up and met her husband. She is hoping that the move will be a fresh start for all of them.
She soon finds herself at the centre of the community by baking fresh bread and other treats in a village where there is no bakery.
She also finds herself drawn to charming Irishman Jack, but she needs to decide if she is ready to be with someone else.
Really sweet and very Christmassy
melindamoor's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jo_bookworm's review
5.0
Bridget, newly widowed with a young daughter and twin teenagers heads back to Mulberry-on-Sea thinking this is the place where she can heal and her family can start again. With only a few weeks to Christmas she seeks sanctuary in the beach house that her widowed husbands parents own.
Not perhaps the ideal way to start another Christmas without her husband, trying to make a home in a beach house that is perhaps not quite full waterproof and a car about to drive its last mile. Her introduction to the community doesn’t leave a lot to be desired, but she soon find solace in coming back here.
Bridget turns to her love of baking, bread especially and finds herself sharing her loaves with the locals. She meets up with old friends and makes new ones with people who are on their own for whatever reason and just want some company. All of this means that suddenly Bridget’s bread is gaining in popularity and when her twins set up an little enterprise from their own home, it seems that Bridget is well and truly now part of the community.
At the same time, the children are blossoming and they are finding this second Christmas a little easier to deal with. Even when you have to deal with drunk grandmothers on zoom calls and rather exuberant dogs.
This really is a Christmas read which has community spirit rising off the page, just like the bread that Bridget bakes. The best bit is the fact that you can smell and taste the bread and you don’t put on an ounce of weight! The thought of freshly baked bread, eaten with lashings of butter and a large cup of tea on the beach, all wrapped up warm had me wishing I was spending time at Mulberry on Sea.
A book to whisk you away, full of Christmas, community and carbs – what more could you want! I hope to see more of Bridget soon.
Not perhaps the ideal way to start another Christmas without her husband, trying to make a home in a beach house that is perhaps not quite full waterproof and a car about to drive its last mile. Her introduction to the community doesn’t leave a lot to be desired, but she soon find solace in coming back here.
Bridget turns to her love of baking, bread especially and finds herself sharing her loaves with the locals. She meets up with old friends and makes new ones with people who are on their own for whatever reason and just want some company. All of this means that suddenly Bridget’s bread is gaining in popularity and when her twins set up an little enterprise from their own home, it seems that Bridget is well and truly now part of the community.
At the same time, the children are blossoming and they are finding this second Christmas a little easier to deal with. Even when you have to deal with drunk grandmothers on zoom calls and rather exuberant dogs.
This really is a Christmas read which has community spirit rising off the page, just like the bread that Bridget bakes. The best bit is the fact that you can smell and taste the bread and you don’t put on an ounce of weight! The thought of freshly baked bread, eaten with lashings of butter and a large cup of tea on the beach, all wrapped up warm had me wishing I was spending time at Mulberry on Sea.
A book to whisk you away, full of Christmas, community and carbs – what more could you want! I hope to see more of Bridget soon.
hinalovestoread's review
3.0
It was supposed to be a Christmas book. A story revolving around Christmas as the title suggested but Christmas happened after 70% of the book was already done.
I had to skim in many places because the descriptions were getting too much.
It was an okayish read.
I had to skim in many places because the descriptions were getting too much.
It was an okayish read.
bookishlychar's review
4.0
Happy publication day Alex Brown! 4/5 stars!
This is my first Alex Brown book and she does such a good job talking about grief, loss and starting over. Not only that, it is set in the beautiful Mulberry-On-Sea, during the Christmas season. She paints the portrait of a quaint seaside town perfectly, so much so, that I could picture myself there, enjoying the winter.
Bridget was a well developed character, who, although, in her own grief over the loss of her husband suddenly a year ago, is trying to keep it together for her children and figure out how to make ends meet. Not only is Bridget a great character, the other people in the book are so true and genuine. Jack, the love interest, is a sweet guy, who is gentle and patient with Bridget. Even more, he has no expectation that Bridget be "over" her husband, but rather hold him in her heart and embrace new chances.
I enjoyed this novel, but found it predictable at times. I am excited to check out more books by Alex Brown! I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.
This is my first Alex Brown book and she does such a good job talking about grief, loss and starting over. Not only that, it is set in the beautiful Mulberry-On-Sea, during the Christmas season. She paints the portrait of a quaint seaside town perfectly, so much so, that I could picture myself there, enjoying the winter.
Bridget was a well developed character, who, although, in her own grief over the loss of her husband suddenly a year ago, is trying to keep it together for her children and figure out how to make ends meet. Not only is Bridget a great character, the other people in the book are so true and genuine. Jack, the love interest, is a sweet guy, who is gentle and patient with Bridget. Even more, he has no expectation that Bridget be "over" her husband, but rather hold him in her heart and embrace new chances.
I enjoyed this novel, but found it predictable at times. I am excited to check out more books by Alex Brown! I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.
pinksy's review
3.0
Feel good and an uplifting read.
I was really cheering Bridget on. Left me feeling really Christmassy!
I was really cheering Bridget on. Left me feeling really Christmassy!
kitvaria_sarene's review
3.0
A Cosy Christmas at Bridget's Bicycle Bakery was a cute, short and easy read.
I am addicted to Christmas romances, and read a ton of them. and while this one was fun enough, it didn't hold up to my favourite titles. So I'll still happily give it 3 stars, as it had me well entertained, and was a quick read.
I liked that it was mostly a positive and upbeat story, despite the family in th espotlight having lost their husband/father a year ago, and having to start anew. It was the fluffy sort of book that makes you feel warm without challenging you, or your emotions at all.
And this is were it just fell a bit flat for me. The love interest was just too perfect all around, and I never got a real feel for any of the characters. Their lifes just turned around in a sort of magical way, instead of a relatable character arc, if you know what I mean. They were all nice anough, but I just didn't get enough of a connection to *really* care for any of them.
It was a warm and cozy read, one you can definitely devour after a horrid and long day at work (which I did). So even if I would have wanted a little bit more of depth to it, I do not regret having read it.
(One more little gripe for me was, 21 pages out of 223 according to my ereader where recipes, but mostly advertising and "other books you could enjoy". While I do not mind soem of that, a whopping 20 pages and so 10% of the whgole book was just a tad too much.)
I am addicted to Christmas romances, and read a ton of them. and while this one was fun enough, it didn't hold up to my favourite titles. So I'll still happily give it 3 stars, as it had me well entertained, and was a quick read.
I liked that it was mostly a positive and upbeat story, despite the family in th espotlight having lost their husband/father a year ago, and having to start anew. It was the fluffy sort of book that makes you feel warm without challenging you, or your emotions at all.
And this is were it just fell a bit flat for me. The love interest was just too perfect all around, and I never got a real feel for any of the characters. Their lifes just turned around in a sort of magical way, instead of a relatable character arc, if you know what I mean. They were all nice anough, but I just didn't get enough of a connection to *really* care for any of them.
It was a warm and cozy read, one you can definitely devour after a horrid and long day at work (which I did). So even if I would have wanted a little bit more of depth to it, I do not regret having read it.
(One more little gripe for me was, 21 pages out of 223 according to my ereader where recipes, but mostly advertising and "other books you could enjoy". While I do not mind soem of that, a whopping 20 pages and so 10% of the whgole book was just a tad too much.)
shamrockshelf's review
5.0
4.5 *stars*
Thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for providing and advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is a "Christmasy" book!!!
It would have been 5 stars but the first chapter was hard to get into. It was unnecessary, too descriptive. Every other word was just too much for my liking. That's why it will be 4.5 stars from me.
My thoughts:
Finally a good Christmas themed book. Despite the first chapter the rest of the book was amazing. When I was reading it I felt like it's Christmas time already. The snow, the moment of grief, the family relationships, the freshly baked goods and of course Hot Jack! It's a perfectly balanced romance book.
Brief synopsis:
All you need to know: the main point is dealing with grief and how to live your life after losing someone you really love and not feeling guilty/bad about it. But there is a cute romance aspect as well. Timeline is shortly before Christmas and you can definitely feel the vibe of it. And you can't imagine Christmas time without freshly baked sourdough bread, mince pies etc.
If you are looking for a Christmas book, pick this one up!
Thank you!
#NetGalley
Thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for providing and advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is a "Christmasy" book!!!
It would have been 5 stars but the first chapter was hard to get into. It was unnecessary, too descriptive. Every other word was just too much for my liking. That's why it will be 4.5 stars from me.
My thoughts:
Finally a good Christmas themed book. Despite the first chapter the rest of the book was amazing. When I was reading it I felt like it's Christmas time already. The snow, the moment of grief, the family relationships, the freshly baked goods and of course Hot Jack! It's a perfectly balanced romance book.
Brief synopsis:
All you need to know: the main point is dealing with grief and how to live your life after losing someone you really love and not feeling guilty/bad about it. But there is a cute romance aspect as well. Timeline is shortly before Christmas and you can definitely feel the vibe of it. And you can't imagine Christmas time without freshly baked sourdough bread, mince pies etc.
If you are looking for a Christmas book, pick this one up!
Thank you!
#NetGalley