Meet Me at the Cupcake Café: Cupcake Cafe, Book 1

I am almost disgusted with myself for having never read a Jenny Colgan book. I have always seen her books around but don't ask me why, have never managed to pick one up. Thankfully, I finally got around to buying this book which was released in 2011 with its very enticing cover. I started reading and immediately loved the main character Issy. Issy's Grandpa Joe ran bakery's his whole life and has passed his love of baking on to Issy.Very early on we meet Issy's pathetic excuse for a boyfriend Graeme (who I despised from start to finish) along with some other characters that feature in the book. When Issy is made redundant from her City job she takes the plunge and sets about opening her own type of Bakery called The Cupcake Café.Jenny Colgan has done a grand job of making the readers feel for Issy. We see her struggle with lost of things at once and try to manage starting a new business, her love life, the care of her Gramps as well as having some sort of social life. What made this book a little bit different is that at the start of various chapters (I cannot recall if it was every one) we see Issy's recipes for her famous Cupcakes. There is something refreshingly different about that approach, and some of the descriptions that go with the recipes had me chuckling.I read three quarters of this book in one day, I read in the morning, my lunch break, my commute and even when I was washing up! I then eagerly picked it up the following morning and finished it. The story is a lovely read and you feel like you are taking the journey with Issy and you can't help but will her success on. I loved the characters, including the feisty Pearly and difficult Caroline both who work with Issy. I also loved Issy's flatmate Helena who has a very brisk attitude. You also see other local characters come in and they all add their own flavour to the story.I was really excited to see that Jenny Colgan has a follow up to this book due out October 2012. I think a follow up would be brilliant, especially as the end of this one is extremely open-ended with many possibilities for the characters. Overall this was a book that I loved in every way, and it especially cheered me up as I am in the middle of my own very precarious start of a new business. This book was a real `feel-good' read and I loved every bit of it. Highly recommended.

With many chick lit style novels there is always a heroine, and in this book it is Isabel. Now I don't oppose to this, and yes her life doesn't always go smoothly but sometimes she is just sickly nice and I do wish you had reason every now and again to harden my view on her but it was impossible. Meet me at the Cupcake cafe was a light-hearted book about a woman who loses her job and goes on to open a cafe, which was not her dream as such but was something she excelled at... baking.I loved the beginning of each chapter, as most of them contained a nice recipe from her grandfather. The recipes were easy to follow (the scones were delish) but they also contained some funny little antidotes from her grandfather when explaining each recipe. I think I enjoyed this part as the relationship between Isabel and her grandfather was so moving. My grandpa also suffers with dementia so I felt I could really connect with the ongoing struggle of forgetfulness and 'episodes'. It was truly moving and upsetting throughout the book when he was struggling to remember who she was, and this may have only been because of the personal experiences but it really hit home.The rest of the book follows the rises and falls of the cupcake cafe, and with so many things going wrong it kept you interested throughout the book. Even though this book is no Jackie Collins it did have a few bits of scandal, less graphic of course, but it did contain some unexpected twists. Pearl is another main character in the book, and her struggle with being a poor single mother I feel will relate to a lot of mothers struggling to get by. Then there is Austin, the good looking banker, who had to take on the responsibility of looking after his baby brother (a lot younger than him I should add) when both his parents died. I feel that approaching a lot of difficult topics all in one book but handling them fantastically shows what a talented author Colgan is. Throughout the book I found myself drooling at the thought of all the lovely cakes (if you are on a diet I wouldn't recommend, I think I ate more in the two days it took me to read than I have since I finished reading it) and wishing I could go to the cafe for a cake and a coffee just to be a part of something special.I loved this book and its light hearted nature. It is a good read and I'm sure Colgan will produce more splendid books in the future. I would recommend this book to anyone especially on a hot summer's day.

Issy, the main character finds herself doing a job she doesn't particularly enjoy with a boyfriend (boss) who doesn't value her for the wonderfully warm, loving and funny person that she is. After being unexpectedly made redundant by her boyfriend (what a cad) she despairs of ever finding another job.Issy comes from a long line of traditional family bakers and throughout the book there are some wonderful descriptions of what the bakery was like many decades ago. Unsurprisingly Issy has an inherited her grandfather's talent and light fingers for baking and she can easily make the most delicious, light, fluffy cakes that are to die for. It isn't long before she takes the plunge, rents a shop and opens her own cupcake cafe. However, as you would expect, things are by no means plain sailing and this wonderful book takes you on a journey with Issy as she battles to keep her shop open and to find true love.The characters in the story are well developed and you can't help but admire the support and friendship they offer to Issy. Her relationship with her grandfather brings a huge amount of warmth to the story and you can empathise with her distress as he slowly deteriorates.I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. I couldn't stop myself from speed reading through the pages as I so wanted to find out what was going to happen next.As well as a great story the book contains a host of fabulous recipes to try out for yourself.If you like a well written chick lit with a proper story behind it then you will love this book.