Meet Me at the Cupcake Café

Cupcake Café #1

by Jenny Colgan

Come and meet Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Cafe. Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that - Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery, she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. When she's made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment. Armed with recipes from Grampa, and with her best friends and local bank manager fighting her corner, The Cupcake Cafe opens its doors. But Issy has absolutely no idea what she's let herself in for. It will take all her courage - and confectionery - to avert disaster ...

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Food, Adult

456 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2011

About the author

Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including 'The Little Shop of Happy Ever After' and 'Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery', which are also published by Sphere.' Meet Me at the Cupcake Café' won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was 'Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams', which won the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2013.

For more about Jenny, visit her website and her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

Jenny Colgan has also been published under the name Jenny T. Colgan.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shout out to this absolutely fabulous book in my latest booktube video is up - all about the best books I read each month and 2019's bookish stats (and yes, I really did read 365 books in 365 days!).

Now that you know this one made the cut - check out the video to see what other ones made my top 12 list!

The written review:

4.5 stars

I have a head for business and a body for sin. Unfortunately, the sin appears to be gluttony.

Issy Randall is a baker at heart - nothing gives her more joy than baking the perfect cupcake, delicately frosting a cake or making cinnamon roll so good that you can't think of anything else.

Her grandpa ran several successful bakeries and taught her everything she knows.

Baking is...Life. So when you describe what you're making, you must describe life. Do you see? It's not just recipes

But Issy - ever the practical girl - went for a corporate career. Baking was only ever a hobby.

But then the worst thing happened at work - she was made redundant.

Aka - her job was dissolved and her boyfriend (at the time) delivered the news.

Now with no job, no boyfriend and no future career plans, Issy has to take a good, long look at what she wants to do for the rest of her life.

Life was always easier, reflected Issy, when you were carrying a large Tupperware full of cakes. Everyone was happy to see you then.

And so she opens the Cupcake Cafe.

Multiply all ingredients by four to get too many cupcakes.

Ahhh, Jenny Colgan - you knocked this one out of the park.

This was just the right level of sweetness and adventure.

I adored Issy. She could be a little dense when it comes to love but her heart was in the right place.

The way she interacted with her grandpa just melted my heart every time - and his excitement over her cafe was so contagious!

The way she looked at baking made the book so much fun - I love it when the characters seem genuinely excited about a passion.

I was so invested in the cafe - I loved watching it develop and grow. I don't think I've ever been so invested in a cupcakery.

Also, did I mention there's recipes in the book? There's quite a few recipes - some scaled up for a bakery's needs and others designed to make with a friend.

Muffins are just an American way of saying, ‘I eat cake for breakfast.'

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[Ylenia · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were so many different POVs in this book that it got annoying really fast - switching for one to another to another to another in the same chapter. The characters felt one-dimensional, at best.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful story filled with recipes that will tempt your sweet tooth. I was in the mood for a corner cafe story and this fit the bill perfectly. My first experience with Jenny Colgan’s novels, and I immediately grabbed her other books because she hit the mark with my literary craving.

When Issy Randall is made redundant in her city job, she takes her severance pay and decides to open a Cupcake Café that will display all the wonderful recipes she’s inherited from her grandfather. It’s not an easy task for this carefree girl who must immediately learn how to budget, plan, task and manage a business all on her own. Lucky for her, she brings on Pearl who helps her get the café off the ground. Together, these two ladies create a cozy corner in an eclectic town that offers wonderful treats and savory coffee selections.

Issy, Austin, Pearl, Helena and even Caroline were a perfect blend of characters. I loved how these very different characters came together and brought the story to life. I was so invested in their lives that I couldn’t put the book down! There were happy moments, sad events and serious events that kept the story flowing at a steady pace.

The funniest scene in the book was when Caroline fed Louis a healthy cupcake and his jaw dropped along with all of the ingredients. I liked this story for so many reasons and I can’t wait to pick up another Colgan novel. YUM!

[Brooke — brooklynnnnereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caution: This book may contain recipes and descriptions that lead to an overconsumption of cupcakes and/or other baked goods.

What a cute and cozy read! I have no idea why but for me this was a book equivalent of a romantic comedy circa the 90's featuring Meg Ryan. It was just a sweet (mind the pun) and warmhearted read that was good for the soul.

For those that like to bake, baking recipes are included at the beginning of nearly every chapter. I cannot personally attest to the difficulty of the recipes in actuality but they read as if they would be good for beginners. There's nothing worse than when recipes are included which are only helpful for the Julia Childs' of the baking world. Nope. That did not appear to be the case with these recipes. Fun, easy-ish, and delicious for all.

This was a cute and quick read. I wouldn't say the story or plot was anything beyond what was expected but it was still an enjoyable read that gave me the taste of a romantic comedy film in book format.

***Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, fluffy, enjoyable and readable. Perfect for a sunny day on a sunbed.

Four stars.

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet book about a woman discovering her strengths. But, it seemed to take a long time. And she kept falling back into the bad relationship with the ex. I kept wanting to slap her silly and tell her to stop being his doormat. Wait till you see what an ass he was to her. And since this book is written through everyone’s POV you even get to hear how he justifies his crappy actions.
Anyway, great recipes. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Me at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan

Synopsis /

Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that - Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. So when she's made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment and open up her own café.

My Thoughts /

What do you get when you read Meet Me at the Cupcake Café? Well, what you get is really two books in one! 1. A wonderful story. 2. A book filled with recipes that will tempt your sweet tooth. What could be more a-peeling? This is a heart-warming book filled with friendship, family, finding love, and most importantly, finding yourself. It is a book about the triumph of hope and passion over greed and selfishness. It is a book about having a life, not a lifestyle.

Meet Issy Randal. Issy loves baking - nothing gives her more joy than baking the perfect cupcake, delicately frosting a cake or making a cinnamon roll so good that you can't think of anything else. Issy’s grandfather, Joe ran three successful bakeries in his day. Grandpa Joe is an excellent baker and Issy, who spent her whole childhood in her beloved Grampa Joe’s bakery has learnt everything she knows about baking from him. /Baking is...Life. So when you describe what you're making, you must describe life. Do you see? It's not just recipes.’ But being a very practical girl, Issy embarked on a career in the corporate world and for her, baking was only ever a much loved hobby, until… Redundancies in her corporate office finds Issy out of a job and, with no future career plans, Issy has to decide what she wants to do going forward. Life was always easier, reflected Issy, when you were carrying a large Tupperware full of cakes. Everyone was happy to see you then. In aftermath of that thought, Issy decides to open a cupcake café with the hefty severance pay she’s received from her redundancy. She has (most) of the money and she has Grandpa Joe’s recipes, now all she has to lean is how to budget, plan, task and manage a business all on her own. No problems, right?!

Lucky for Issy, Pearl, single mother to the sweet adorable Louis, comes on board to help Issy run the café. Issy and Pearl, together with newcomer Caroline, create a cosy corner café that offers wonderful sweet and savoury treats with tea and coffee selections. The secondary characters have been written in wonderfully. They are well chosen and very well described and, could very well resemble characters in your own social circle! Issy’s best friend Helena is Fierce and loyal to a fault, you wouldn’t want to get on her bad side!

My only criticism, if I need to find one, is how the relationship between Issy and her (ugh) self-centred boyfriend, Graeme was written. It was so frustrating to read Issy “going back” to Graeme repeatedly. She did. And it was lots. He always kept their relationship a secret - from their colleagues and friends, even to the extent of dropping her off in the middle of the pouring rain so they wouldn’t be seen together. He didn’t let her know she was going to be made redundant. He was the one who told her she was being made redundant! He never called her, except when he wanted something. He wasn’t supportive when he found out she was opening a café. I mean WHY would you keep going back??

Warning: This book contains recipes and descriptions that may lead you down the path of an over consumption of cupcakes and sweets.

3.5 rounded up

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A baker, a real estate agent, and then back to a baker. Issy Randall had come full circle in her life, but could the circle be completed?

Issy lost her job at the real estate agency and was at a loss as to what she could do for a living. She wanted to do something creative this time around. She decided to open a cupcake shop since she had Grandpa’s recipes and his inherent baking talent to back her up. Issy started out having a rough time with her new endeavor, but she wasn't giving up just yet.

The characters in the book worked well together, were easily visualized, and will have you rooting for their successes as well as shedding tears for their losses. Issy was a sweet, loveable character who found good in everyone just like her Grandpa.

MEET ME AT THE CUPCAKE CAFE is absolutely adorable just like the main character, Issy, and focuses on finding happiness, sharing happiness, and developing wonderful friendships.

Once I started reading this charming book, I didn't want to stop because I needed to see what Issy's next move was. The recipes at the end of the chapters added that extra special touch and were connected to what was happening in Issy's life during that particular part of the book. The cupcake and cake recipes sounded so yummy.

Ms. Colgan’s book is an endearing, delightful read that will raise your spirits and definitely have you making something sugary or running out to buy something sugary at your favorite pastry shop.

The book was as sweet as the icing on Issy's cupcakes, and a book that will leave a cozy, warm feeling with you as you share Issy's successes and heartbreaks. Don't miss this enjoyable, heartwarming read. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Mike Finn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books is an excellent cupcake: light, full of flavour and with just the right amount of sweetness to make you smile.

This was my first Jenny Colgan book. My wife bought it for me because I’d said that it was good to see a novel that set out simply to bring its readers some happiness. The book kept its promise.
There was enough plot to keep me turning the pages, enough character definition to want the heroine to win through and choose the right guy in the end and enough contemporary British context to give a distinctive time and place.

Jenny Colgan has such a light touch that’s it’s possible to fail to notice how well she writes. There are no wasted words and all the ingredients are perfectly balanced. As with the cupcakes that she describes, the success of the novel comes from have “real” ingredients (people and situations that I recognise) prepared with love.

Love is at the centre of this novel: the possibility for love and happiness created by the very existence of the café and the cupcakes it serves, the love she has for her baker grandfather and the craft that he’s taught her, the loves for other people despite their flaws and despite their diverse backgrounds.

This books is about the triumph of hope and authentic passion over greed and selfishness. It is about having a life, not a lifestyle.

And of course it has great cupcake recipes.

If you need something baked with love and leavened with hope in your life, take a few hours off and read this book.

[Bren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho este libro, entre receta y receta de pasteles y cupcakes vamos conociendo a Issy y a su abuelo.
Issy trabaja de administrativa en el ramo de los bienes raíces y tiene un novio bastante guapo, pero su vida gira alrededor de pasteles gracias a la pastelería de su abuelo que fue quien le enseñó no solo a prepararlos si no a amar todo el proceso.
Así que el día que Issy se queda sin trabajo a ella se le ocurre abrir una pasteleria.
Por supuesto este libro tiene esa parte de los nuevos comienzos, de poner un negocio propio lo cual no resulta en algo tan idílico como podría parecer, hay que trabajar mucho, hay que sufrir mucho, hay que pasarse los primeros días después de abrir su negocio sin dormir porque no hay quien entre ni siquiera a ver lo que ahí se vende.
Así pues vamos sufriendo con Issy y también viviendo con ella como poco a poco su negocio empieza a dar frutos y entre todo eso, nos vamos leyendo todas las recetas que su abuelo le va enviando para hacer unos pasteles y unos cupcakes deliciosos.
Ha sido un libro ligero de leer, pero realmente lo he disfrutado muchísimo, Issy es un personaje que es fácil de querer, pero su abuelo es realmente entrañable.
Me gustan estos libros donde las personas son realistas, vulnerables, donde tienen problemas y buscan la manera de lidiar con ellos y para eso pasan por todos los estados de ánimo, desde la depresión, la preocupación, la congoja y sin embargo a pesar de ello hay que levantarse todos los días y buscarse la vida.
Este es el segundo libro que leo de esta autora y de verdad que me gusta mucho su estilo, su forma tan sencilla de plantear situaciones de vida, no es una novela romántico en el sentido más conocido del género, esta es más bien la vida de una mujer normal, una cualquiera que además de todo conoce a dos hombres, porque al fin y al cabo eso es parte de la vida de cualquier mujer soltera y no siempre una relación de pareja es lo que se espera de ella, hay decepciones y también hay aciertos en ese sentido, pero no, este no es un libro que gire sobre una relación romántica, esta es la historia de una mujer joven cualquiera.

[Rebecca Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny Colgan’s Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is a predictable but fluffy and delicious read. This feel-good book has a lovely protagonist and memorable side characters. However, the plot is too busy, the constantly switching perspectives is distracting and I wish the characters were more consistent.

Issy Randall is an excellent baker who has learnt everything about baking from a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe’s bakery. When she’s laid off from her boring desk job at a real estate office and loses her selfish boyfriend (who happens to be her now ex-boss), Issy decides to open a cupcake café. It’s not smooth sailing as she learns how to run a café and she struggles to attract customers. Along the way, she finds romance, copes with her sick grandfather, and makes new friends.

This is a heart-warming book filled with friendship, family, finding love, and most importantly, finding yourself. I love the yummy recipes with the sweet personal touches and I especially like how each recipe connects to a chapter. Issy’s supportive relationship with her grandfather is really well-written. I also love the friendships and the strong links that she makes in the community.

While I like the light plot, it is also predictable, sometimes unrealistic, and doesn’t always make sense. Additionally, there are too many plotlines and some suffer in favour of others. The real estate plotline is implausible. I hate Issy’s drawn-out relationship drama with attractive but awful Graeme. This could have been trimmed in favour of developing Issy’s romance with kind banker Austin. They are sweet together but lack substance. I love the happy ending but the abrupt last twist left me sour because it doesn’t fit Issy and Austin.

Colgan constantly switches perspectives which is really distracting. I don’t need to know the thoughts of all these minor characters. I wish she stuck with only Issy’s point-of-view because she is a likeable and sweet protagonist. Although her naivete sometimes annoyed me, I enjoyed her journey.

Single mother Pearl who helps Issy run the café, supportive best friend Helena, and witchy but decent Caroline are memorable characters. However, they sometimes act very inconsistently and implausibly. I wish they were a little better written. I also dislike the negative way that the characters talk about other women and the way that the narrative describes women. I wish Colgan had been more sensitive and inclusive.

I have some grievances with the book but it is such a feel-good and easy read that I don’t dwell too much on it. If you love baked goods, delicious recipes, and a fluffy but meaningful book, Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is a perfectly entertaining summer read. I like Jenny Colgan’s books and I can’t wait to read the next one in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for this book in exchange for an honest review.


🧁🧁🧁 ½ cupcakes out of 5!

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I need a light and fluffy book, sweet as a fresh-baked cupcake, I know Jenny Colgan is my go-to book goddess. Her books tend to combine yummy, tempting treats, plucky heroines, family touches, and a good, lovely romance. Yes, it can feel a bit formulaic if you read enough of her books -- but that doesn't take away from the joy of indulging (much like the joy of scarfing down one of Issy's amazing confections).

Issy is a little bit clueless when it comes to love, involved in an office romance that turns out to be a terribly-kept secret -- with a guy so jerky that he drops her off in a rainstorm to walk to the office rather than driving her all the way there and having them enter together. Ugh, Issy, he's awful! When Issy is laid off, after a good long mope, she turns to the joy that baking has always given her, and with a little support from her friends and an attractive banker, decides to turned an unused storefront into the bakery of her dreams.

It's quite fun to read about Issy's ups and downs, the hard work of opening her cafe, the women who become her fast friends and the ever-widening circle of people whose lives become entwined with Issy and the Cupcake Cafe. Issy is also dealing with the sorrow of her grandfather's decline, which is quite sad and touching. Her romantic choices are really clunkers, and she's clearly making bad decisions. Likewise, a misunderstanding with the cute banker gets blown out of all proportion, which doesn't make sense for two straight-forward, honest people.

Meet Me at the Cupcake Café was Jenny Colgan's first novel, originally published in 2011, and reissued this summer by Sourcebooks Landmark (with a really sweet cover!). It's a perfect summertime book, with enough plot ups and downs to keep it entertaining, but not at all heavy or serious. Plus, cakes! Issy's recipes (and often hilarious commentary) are sprinkled throughout (plus a few more recipes tucked in at the end.) I'm not a cook or a baker AT ALL, so I skipped over the recipes for the most part, but I'm sure someone who is a true foodie will adore giving them a try! (And if you do make Issy's cakes, can I have some? Please?)

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.

[Marjolein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aah. This was such a lovely read. Issy was such a wholesome main character and all her friends were fun to read about in their own way. Except Graeme. He's complete & utter trash. But I really liked the story, this makes me want to open up my own bakery. Curious to see how the story continues!

[Darka · Rating 3 out of 5]

мені було нудно більшу частину книжки. не знаю, можливо, справа в тому, що це більш ранній твір, ніж історія про книгарку, можливо, я не мала настрою, а, можливо, він просто невдалий.

розумію, 2011 рік - це дикі доісторичні часи і концепт героїні, яка має пишну фігуру, - сміливе новаторство, але мені дещо дошкуляло, що в книжці постійно пишуть щось гидке про жінок худих. нормально мати героїню плюс сайз, ненормально агресивно накидувати на тих, хто не плюс сайз. тим паче, якщо пишні жінки в книжці зрештою трохи худнуть і стають конвенційно привабливішими.

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm categorizing this under romance, not chick lit. There was nothing "chick lit" about it. Predictable, but fun. However, disappointing in a few places.

* Very slow start, I almost gave up on it
* Heroine leaves a lot to be desired. I mean really, ex boyfriend says "jump" and she says how high.
* Abrupt ending, with an unexpected twist done solely to alert you that there are more books coming.

I don't think this is the best this author has.

[Elusive · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘Meet Me at the Cupcake Café’ is the first installment in the ‘At the Cupcake Café’ series. It tells the story about Issy who loves baking and excels at it. Therefore, when she is suddenly jobless after being made redundant, she decides to open her own café. However, it’s challenging to acquire customers and besides that, she feels that at her age (thirty-one), she should be settling down before it’s too late. Soon she finds herself torn between banking advisor, Austin who has a much younger brother and her handsome boss, Graeme.

It was incredibly difficult to become engrossed in this book. I’ve read one book by this author before – Little Beach Street Bakery and I’ve noticed some similarities. In both, somehow the food element overshadows everything else including the characters and the actual storyline. Meanwhile, the characters are one-dimensional and have no presence. This story could have been light and enjoyable but it wasn’t as it suffered from the aforementioned issues and it didn’t help that there were too many things crammed into one book. It just didn’t work at all.

The most grating thing was undoubtedly the incorporation of multiple perspectives (using the third-person narrative). The problem was, there were way too many unnecessary shifts. Pretty much all of the characters’ perspectives were featured at one point or another – Issy, Helena, Pearl, Caroline, Austin, Graeme, Des etc. The only relevant ones were Issy, Austin and perhaps Graeme. Other than that, the rest were pointless because they didn’t play any significant role or have their own subplots. Plus, the frequent changes in point-of-view were distracting hence terribly annoying.

The pacing was too slow for my liking. I didn’t expect Issy to have her café up and running by the first page but it took too long to get there. Despite that, I liked the details regarding its location, appearance, the menu, the baking process and the general interior layout. The café name could have been more creative but it was straight to the point and served its purpose. Issy was definitely not a smart businesswoman though as she constantly gave away free cupcakes and had no inkling about marketing. The least she could have done was to research via the internet.

The romance aspect was boring and dragged out. Austin and Issy had no chemistry. I was tired of the repetition in which Austin noticed how pink Issy’s cheeks were. As for her, she kept thinking about his thick messy hair. Yawn. It was frustrating to read about her going back to Graeme repeatedly even after he’d made many mistakes. He had always kept their relationship a secret from their colleagues even to the extent of dropping her off in the middle of the pouring rain, he didn’t let her know she was going to be made redundant, he didn’t call her, he wasn’t supportive when he found out she was opening a café etc.

It’s realistic that she would find it hard to leave Graeme as she’s worried that her time is running out and she feels like he’s a great catch and desperately wants to believe what they have is true love but she was seriously immature and dumb for her age. In fact, I highly doubt that someone like her could actually run their own business successfully. I didn’t exactly dislike her but I found her to be tiresome and exasperating. If romance had been completely excluded and the focus was solely on baking and learning to be a great entrepreneur, this might have been a much better read.

Overall, ‘Meet Me at the Cupcake Café’ was forgettable, dull and uneventful. The café itself was more interesting than the entire cast of characters put together.

[Renate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really one of the nicest books I've ever read! It was such a warm, funny, well-written story I really couldn't put it down. I came by it in a bookstore in Ireland, and somehow the cover persuaded me to buy it, although I don't like the color pink.

The story might be a bit unrealistic, for everything that happens to Issy, the main character, happens like perfect coincidence, but all too luckily timed. It doesn't decrease the story, though. It might actually make it better. Everytime something bad happened to Issy, I felt really sorry for her. So when after that something happened that made it all better, I was relieved and happy and wanted to read on to see what a beautiful consequences this thing might have.

I think the characters are all well-chosen and very well described and used as if they're real. It's nice to see how Issy changes during the book, while she still stays the same as well. She's just like a real person, just as her friends and 'enemies'. They are quite stereotype, though. You can immediately tell who is the 'bad guy' and who is the 'good guy'. But as they were all used in a smart and funny way, it doesn't matter it's quite obvious how everything will end up.

I think if you want to feel happy after reading a book, you should definitely read this one!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

You probably know this story. A young woman loses her job and decides to try what she does best and open a cupcake cafe. You know there will be a Bad Boy and an almost unseen Love Interest. You know this poor woman is going to struggle to run the cafe. But you know that Good will triumph and that this woman is going to find Love and Happiness at her cafe and that’s why you will read it this summer and love it, despite its predictability. You will, I assure you. You will love it.

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my e-copy! This is the second book I've read of Jenny Colgan! I did enjoy this one, but it was a bit slower. Took me awhile to get into the story, but it was such a comforting, light read! I think this book would be a good summer book and good book for a change of pace from thrillers. I loved how it has the recipes too! They sound great and I definitely want to try them out!

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly don’t remember how this book began. I remember what I was hoping to find, because I love baking, I love cupcakes, I’d like to open my bakery… but wow, this book. Looking back at it, it seems like a different writer took over about halfway through.

Short version: Bloated, in need of severe editing, lackluster characters, no conflict.

In the beginning, all Issy has going for her is that she’s nailing her boss. Her uber attractive “male model, sharp lines” boss who is, apparently, half tiger or something? The way it’s described is somewhat strange. Anyway, Issy is laid off from her job and she gets upset with her boss, Graeme, because hey, they were sleeping together and he never told her this was coming. Because logic! Seriously, chick, you expected him to say something?

So Issy comes into a big wad of money thanks to the company she worked for and spends a lot of time moping. Like, an immense amount of time just doing the whole “pajamas and ice cream and soap operas” stuff. Eventually she gets the idea to open a bakery because she’s an awesome baker and everyone tells her so. Everyone also tells her she has a cloud of black hair. She knows she has a cloud of black hair. Gosh, I’m so glad Colgan made sure I knew Issy has a cloud of black hair every two pages—any slight passing breeze made it whip around her head like, I don’t know, a black cloud? Of hair?

After not-so-interesting events, Issy gets a little rundown shop in Pear Tree Court, which is off the beaten path and is so boho chic with it’s little tree in the middle. The shop struggles in the beginning, but after a horrible (and somewhat coincidental since Issy was just thinking that her shop was a failure) accident nearby, the shop begins to boom.

Meanwhile we’re introduced to some lackluster characters. Pearl and her son Luis, who are implied to be on some sort of government support system, lives in a tiny apartment with her mother, and struggles with the relationship between her and Luis’s father. Caroline, an evil health obsessed harpy who Pearl and Issy absolutely cannot stand but works in the shop anyway (yet never becomes a decent character like Colgan wants you to believe). Des, a real estate agent who apparently knows nothing about caring for his own child. And Austin, Issy’s love interest and banker.

There is no conflict in this book. It’s incredibly boring. The only conflict happens in the last forty pages and is immediately resolved through some bullcrap means—I honestly don’t know what happened. Colgan’s style is bloated and confusing. Let me take some text for you that I tried to read aloud to see if it made sense, but no, it really didn’t:

And sure enough, at six o’clock, close to his bedtime, as he’d pointed out several times, when the last rays of sun were hitting the narrow passage from the street, a car backed up, completely illegal, into the passageway and a large wheelchair-friendly door pinged at the back.

I understand what the passage is trying to say but Colgan goes about it in all the wrong ways. And the POV is EVERYWHERE. Issy meets a new person—we get their backstory as if Issy knows all of that, but this is a third-person story that sticks with Issy. Until there are page breaks everywhere to jump POV, which is incredibly messy and reminds me of amateur ebooks. At one point the POV switched so many times in paragraph that I forgot who we were following.

This book is a mess. Twice as long than it needs to be. There’s no conflict, it’s boring, the prose is messy. I was hoping to be enchanted with a bakery and instead found a bug in my cupcake.

[Nienke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het cupcake café is een heerlijk boek, letterlijk en figuurlijk, dus lees het niet als je honger hebt! Want dan sta je gegarandeerd binnen no time in de kast te zoeken naar wat zoetigs, want een zoetig boek is het zeker.

Issy wordt ontslagen én gedumpt door haar baas. Ze is in de 30 en ziet haar toekomst somber in, ze wachtte op een aanzoek en in plaats daarvan zit ze nu zonder baan en zonder man. Haar hobby cupcakes bakken helpt haar erdoorheen en zo komt ze op het idee om een cupcake café te openen. Gaat het haar lukken om haar leven weer op orde te krijgen en misschien wel de ware te ontmoeten?

Elk hoofdstuk begint met een recept, geschreven door Issy's opa. Het klinkt allemaal erg lekker en als je van bakken houdt is het ideaal om zelf te proberen! Haar opa is ook een leuke toevoeging in het boek, hij brengt humor maar ook een stukje diepgang in het verhaal.

Jenny Colgan heeft een fijne schrijfstijl, maar in Het cupcake café zijn de hoofdstukken best wel lang, waardoor het niet altijd even vlot leest. Daarnaast kon ik me niet altijd goed verplaatsen in Issy. De momenten met Austin waren leuk en daar voel je de chemie tussen de personages. Maar bij Graeme was ze naïef en op een gegeven moment had ze helemaal geen eigenwaarde, toen begon ik me aan haar te irriteren. Ook was haar vriendschap met Helena niet altijd duidelijk, ze waren beste vriendinnen maar zo kwam het niet altijd over, ik miste daar iets. Pearl en Louis daarentegen zijn leuke personages waar ik blij van werd.

Het cupcake café is het eerste deel van een duologie en is een heerlijke feelgood!

[Yna from Books and Boybands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe tells the story of Issy, who, after being made redundant at her job, decided to start anew by continuing her grandfather's legacy - starting a cupcake cafe. This story mainly involved her trying to learn how to manage a business - how it's not just about loving baking, but also having financial and operational know-how.

Aside from Issy's personal struggles, we also meet a list of colorful characters from their small town. We see their troubles, solutions, and how they work together - often with Issy - to achieve happiness.

I was invested in their journeys, but most of all, I was rooting for the cupcake cafe to succeed. It was a fun experience, in its simplicity and coziness. (The bonus recipes are also super nice!)

[Marloes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Issy Randall heeft het grootste gedeelte van haar jeugd in de bakkerij van haar opa doorgebracht, van wie ze de liefde voor het bakken heeft geërfd. Bakken is leven. Nu is ze 31 en heeft ze een (niet zo geheime) affaire met haar baas Graeme, maar ze raakt haar baan kwijt na een bezuinigingsronde. Het is tijd voor een grote verandering!

Issy besluit de sprong in het diepe te wagen en voor haar grote droom te gaan: ze wil een eigen Cupcake Café openen. Maar hoe doe je dat wanneer je geen enkele ervaring hebt met het runnen van een bedrijf? Met de steun van haar beste vriendin Helena, de recepten en tips van haar opa, de hulp van een makelaar en een bankmedewerker, haar goddelijke cupcakes en een flinke portie naïviteit gaat ze ervoor. Er zijn heel wat hobbels om te overwinnen, maar Issy is vastbesloten om dit plan te laten slagen, ook al heeft ze erg weinig zakelijk instinct.

Jenny Colgan is er weer in geslaagd om levensechte personages neer te zetten met wie je gaat meeleven, die je in je hart sluit, voor wie je het beste wenst of aan wie je een hekel krijgt (hoi Graeme, arrogante kwal). Ze hebben allemaal hun goede en mindere kanten, maken heel wat mee, ontwikkelen zich en maken dit verhaal tot een sprankelend geheel. Wel vond ik dat, vooral in het begin, de nadruk behoorlijk werd gelegd op uiterlijke kenmerken, wat echt niet altijd nodig was. Gelukkig wordt dat later minder en gaan de innerlijke kwaliteiten van de personages stralen.

Vrijwel elk hoofdstuk begint met een recept, die ik zeker nog eens uit wil proberen en die echt een leuk extraatje zijn, maar waar je ook ontzettende trek van krijgt. Of het nu broodjes, cupcakes of boeken zijn, door elk boek van Jenny Colgan krijg ik wel ergens zin in! De ontwikkelingen in dit verhaal zijn soms wat voorspelbaar of ongeloofwaardig en de hoofdstukken wat lang waardoor de vaart af en toe wat afneemt, maar de stunteligheid en lieve acties van Issy, de vlotte, humoristische, beeldende schrijfstijl en de warme, vrolijke sfeer maken van dit boek een leuke feelgood over doorzetten, je dromen waarmaken, vriendschap, liefde en cupcakes. Een boek waar je blij van wordt!

3.5⭐️

[Rea Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet Me at The Cupcake Cafe is the first book I have read by Jenny Colgan. I have found the last few weeks when I have gone in to Whsmiths to find a new release book which I haven't read I am stuck as there seems to be a bit of down time in the kind of books I like to read. What pulled me to this book was firstly there is a statement about the book from an author I enjoy ( Sophie Kinsella ) secondly the style of the front cover which is pink and cream which is very fitting considering the book is about cakes!!


Plot
Issy finds herself at a loose end when she is made redundant by her boss Graeme who is also her boyfriend. Heartbroken and jobless Issy needed to find a way to get her life on track and quick as she is not getting any younger. With a large redundancy package and the help of her Gramps who sends her the recipes for cakes he used to use when he was a baker she decides to take the plunge and open up her own Cupcake cafe. Issy has full support from her Gramps and from her bestfriend /flatmate Helena and also her new employee Pearl who faces her own troubles in life. With the cafe up and running and word of the cafe getting around will Issy be able to find time for romance. Will she pleased when Graeme arrives with an offer up his sleeve!!


My Opinion
Issy our main character is an absolutely joy to read about. She is very soft natured and seems to know what she wants in life but may just need a little push to get what it is she so desperately wants. As the reader we can only hope that things improve for her as the book goes along but this book just shows she is in for a bumpy ride! I felt like the character of Issy was very believable she could easily be the girl next door.
After reading the title to the book and reading the first few chapters I thought it was going to be a very basic and predictable storyline but I was wrong! There were a few twists and turns and some of the characters such as Graeme the ex and Austin the bank manager were hard to work out until the end of the book you wasn't sure if they were hiding something.

Jenny Colgan had a way of describing the cafe which made you feel as though you were really sitting in this cafe with a coffee and cake in hand!

One of the things which has really stood out for me in this book and makes it different to all the other books out there is that at the beginning of each chapter there is a recipe for a variety of different cupcakes, I have never seem this in a book before so this is new to me and in my opinion was a nice touch although I have to say having these recipes to hand and reading this enjoyable book about this welcoming cafe did make you want to follow in Issy's footsteps! The way Cohen talks about her cakes makes it seem as if she has a great passion for cakes either baking or eating!

I did find at a point in this book that I felt rather moved with the relationship between Issy and her Gramps and it was at this point I realised how real this book felt.

In my opinion this is a definite must read, a real page turner. There is a real mix in this book with a little humour, a lot of touching emotional parts with a little romance but not too much. After reading this book I will defiantly be on the lookout for more Jenny Colgan books in future.

Book review also on my new book blog http://reabookreview.blogspot.com

[Olia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Це було неймовірно...

Дуже мила, затишна, літня (хоч події відбуваються не тільки влітку), атмосферна історія.

Історія про дівчину Іссі, яка любить пекти капкейки і торти, і якій зовсім не подобалася робота в офісі, хоч вона зовсім цього не усвідомлювала до свого звільнення. Про дівчину, яка збирає навколо себе хороших людей, і протягом книги таки вчиться казати людям "Ні" і відсіювати "поганих" людей. Про дівчину, яка любить мріяти і завдяки цьому і своїй праці досягає успіху. Про дівчину, яка знаходить кохання і найкращих друзів🥰🥰

[Femke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wat een superleuk boek, zo jammer dat ik het uit heb! Een heerlijk romantisch boek waar je lekkere trek van krijgt :)

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Absolutely adorable. This is such a tender story with several very lovable characters. I mean, how can you go wrong in a cupcake cafe?!

[Ptiteaurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il y a longtemps qu'on me conseille de lire un roman de Jenny Colgan et quand j'ai reçu ma box de Noël , j'ai eu la bonne surprise de découvrir ce roman Rendez vous au cupcake café. J'ai passé un super bon moment en découvrant ce roman feel good avec ces personnages auxquels nous allons nous attacher .


j'ai passé un super moment avec ce premier tome et j'ai envie de découvrir la suite de cette saga et ainsi retrouver ces personnages que j'ai aimé découvrir . La plume de Jenny Colgan est addictive et nous offre une histoire qui nous donne le sourire aux lèvres .

Chronique complète : https://thelovelyteacheraddictions.bl...

[Monique Takens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaahh precies wat ik verwachtte van een boek van J.C. , een heerlijk verhaal vol vriendschap , liefdesperikelen en ups en downs . Leest weer lekker 😉weg .
Ik vond het verhaal nog niet helemaal af , hopelijk komt dat met deel 2 die in dit najaar verschijnt helemaal goed .

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

When life is feeling out of control I find myself gravitating towards lighter reads. I enjoy the cozy aspects to Jenny Colgan’s books which are really appealing when life is a bit of shit show. This one centres on a young woman made redundant at her job, who then decides to embark on opening her own cupcake cafe. There’s a cozy atmosphere with descriptions of the cafe, the food and the characters. There’s romance but it’s in the background which I appreciate. Life being what it is of late, and with Christmas coming, I see more of these kinds of reads for the next little while and thankfully there’s a number of her books to choose from.