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A review by kairosdreaming
Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan
3.0
*This book was received as a free Advanced Reader's copy from NetGalley.
I was in the mood for something light. Something sugary, something that was quick, fun, and delightful. This book fulfilled some of those needs, but not all of them.
Rosie finds herself in a small town, so different from London, to help out a relative who's having health problems and general just being old problems. While she's supposed to be there to get the relative right again and help her sell her business and home and move into a nursing home, once there, Rosie realizes that there are aspects of country life that are appealing, and maybe a bit tempting to keep her from returning to the city. Running the sweetshop of course, is its own appeal.
The characters are really what make this book 3 stars for me. I love the plot idea in general, the sweetshop, the mentions of candy, the snarky "excerpts" from the aunt's candy book, and a lot of other elements. But the characters can be quite frustrating. Most especially, Rosie herself. I know I have the benefit of looking on as a reader and seeing her choices from that perspective. But yikes, what terrible taste in men. And I'm not just talking about the initial boyfriend either; I felt the same by the end of the book. She lets all the good ones get away. Her aunt too had some questionable random emotional swings (the mention of the lord of the area, what was that??!!).
The sweets though, that's where it's at. I enjoyed the descriptions (and have a few sitting in my cart now to try), especially when it came to everyone's favorite candy. There were also recipes in the book, and while I probably won't try most, there was one for coconut ice that sounded easy enough.
Cute book, quick read, I just wish the characters would have been a bit more sensible.
Review by M. Reynard 2021
I was in the mood for something light. Something sugary, something that was quick, fun, and delightful. This book fulfilled some of those needs, but not all of them.
Rosie finds herself in a small town, so different from London, to help out a relative who's having health problems and general just being old problems. While she's supposed to be there to get the relative right again and help her sell her business and home and move into a nursing home, once there, Rosie realizes that there are aspects of country life that are appealing, and maybe a bit tempting to keep her from returning to the city. Running the sweetshop of course, is its own appeal.
The characters are really what make this book 3 stars for me. I love the plot idea in general, the sweetshop, the mentions of candy, the snarky "excerpts" from the aunt's candy book, and a lot of other elements. But the characters can be quite frustrating. Most especially, Rosie herself. I know I have the benefit of looking on as a reader and seeing her choices from that perspective. But yikes, what terrible taste in men. And I'm not just talking about the initial boyfriend either; I felt the same by the end of the book. She lets all the good ones get away. Her aunt too had some questionable random emotional swings (the mention of the lord of the area, what was that??!!).
The sweets though, that's where it's at. I enjoyed the descriptions (and have a few sitting in my cart now to try), especially when it came to everyone's favorite candy. There were also recipes in the book, and while I probably won't try most, there was one for coconut ice that sounded easy enough.
Cute book, quick read, I just wish the characters would have been a bit more sensible.
Review by M. Reynard 2021