Book Review: Meet Me At the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan

Issy Randall, almost 32, suffers the loss of her job and her boyfriend (who was her boss) on the same day. Despondent, she hangs around in her pajamas for a few weeks until her flatmate, Helena, makes her get out and start looking for work. Instead of finding another office job, though, Issy decides to take a leap of faith and start a cupcake shop.

She was raised by her baker grandfather and has always loved working in the kitchen and baking gifts for her friends and coworkers. Going from making cupcakes at home to running a business of her own is a big leap, however, and Issy will need the help of Helena, her new friend Pearl from unemployment training, and Austin, her amazingly cute banker.

Jenny Colgan's Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is a sweet story of love and new beginnings. Colgan (who previously wrote Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams ) does an excellent job of taking standard chick-lit tropes and making them fun again. Interspersed between the chapters are recipes, some written by Issy's grandfather, others by Issy herself. Ranging from "Orange Cupcakes with Marmalade Icing for a Grumpy Day" to "Brandy and Horlicks Get Well Cake," the recipes will leave your mouth watering.

Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is a book to buy and read for the fun story, then keep around as a cookbook! It's nothing ground-breaking, but it's a really cute story. Although be warned: I snacked a LOT while reading this one!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Should I recommend this to my grandma? I think it's fine. Maybe there's a little swearing? Sorry, fuzzy pregnant brain doesn't remember the details...

Are you a chick lit fan?

I originally wrote most of this review for Shelf Awareness. You should subscribe to Shelf Awareness for Readers if you haven't already! This post contains affiliate links.