Jenny Colgan

Come and meet Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Café. 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 Café 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 . . .

Meet Me at the Cupcake Café

"[A] heartwarming story a la Bridget Jones' Diary with a twist...Colgan folds in a colorful cast of characters and whips up an easy, sweet read."—USA Today Issy Randall can bake. No, Issy can create stunning, mouthwateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery, Issy has undoubtedly inherited his talent. She's much better at baking than she is at filing, so when she's laid off from her desk job and loses her boyfriend, Issy decides to open her own little café. But she soon learns that her piece-of-cake recipe for a fresh start might be a little more complicated than throwing some sugar and butter together. A smart, quirky contemporary confection of recipes and friendship, Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is about how life might not always taste like you expect, but there's always room for dessert! Also by Jenny Colgan: The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris Sweetshop of Dreams What reviewers are saying about Meet Me At The Cupcake Café: "A hilarious, fast-paced fantasy about starting over, perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella. Absolutely adorable."—Booklist "A funny novel about friendship, food and love... "—Kirkus "A delightful story... warm, funny and well-written."—Fresh Fiction "Absolutely adorable... charming... an endearing, delightful read"—Silver's Reviews

A Novel in Recipes

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe

Sarah Sammis

Everything comes together in a way reminiscent of the Shopaholic books. Though Issy and her roommate are both quite bubbly, they aren't as over the top as Becky and Suze.

I listened to the audio as performed by Michelle Ford. She brings a brightness to the text that gives life to the characters.

There's a sequel, Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe.


http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comm...

Melissa Palmer

Book #26 Read in 2017
Meet Me at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan

Colgan is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books are wonderfully quick reads, which focus usually on food, or books, or some combination thereof, with interesting characters, romance, humor and happiness. This book included a ton of baked good recipes that any foodie would love.

Patricia Nelson

I thorough enjoyed this book. It was light and fluffy and a nice story. The embedded recipes sound wonderful and I can't wait to try some of them!

Beatriz

Lisa van der Heijden 

Rating: 3.6/5.0 

Meet me at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan was the first Dutch book I read in a while. I started listening to the audiobook due to the enthusiasm of @booksandsparkles for this story. 

My favourite aspect of the story was the discussion of several themes, such as friendship, family, self-respect, and chasing your dreams. After being fired, Izzy starts her own cupcake café after being a passionate home baker for years. I love reading about her journey of making her small business a success and finding her self-worth through it. While it takes a long while for Izzy to stand up for herself, which was frustrating, the ending was satisfactory. 

Furthermore, I loved the portrayal of friendship and familial relationships in this story. Izzy has a heart-warming bond which her grandfather who basically raised her and taught her to bake. He is struggling with dementia but throughout the story he sends Izzy his recipes, which are included in the book. Furthermore, Izzy’s financial adviser Austin has an adorable bond which his little brother. Izzy’s interactions with her other friends and employees put a smile on my face. 

Something I must mention are the negative comments towards a fuller body shape. While it did not trigger me, I can imagine others might be triggered by it especially when most of the comments are unnecessary for the overall story. 

The plot was predictable but charming. Because it is predictable, it is a comfortable reading experience. Everyone gets what they deserve. There is enough progression in the plot to make the story interesting. I only would have liked to see more of the relationship the story builds towards. In my opinion, it was a bit rushed in the end. 

In conclusion, it was a charming and adorable story but not something I would remember long term. 

Rating breakdown: plot (3/5) characters (3/5), writing (3/5), worldbuilding (5/5), overall enjoyment (4/5)

Trigger warnings: Toxic relationship, death of a loved one, emotional manipulation, negativity about bodyweight.  


Kate B-L

Cozy & sweet, like a slice of cake at a rustic cafe. The book feels like getting snowed in, in the best way possible.

"[A] heartwarming story a la Bridget Jones' Diary with a twist...Colgan folds in a colorful cast of characters and whips up an easy, sweet read."--USA Today Issy Randall can bake. No, Issy can create stunning, mouthwateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery, Issy has undoubtedly inherited his talent. She's much better at baking than she is at filing, so when she's laid off from her desk job and loses her boyfriend, Issy decides to open her own little café. But she soon learns that her piece-of-cake recipe for a fresh start might be a little more complicated than throwing some sugar and butter together. A smart, quirky contemporary confection of recipes and friendship, Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is about how life might not always taste like you expect, but there's always room for dessert! Also by Jenny Colgan: The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris Sweetshop of Dreams What reviewers are saying about Meet Me At The Cupcake Café: "A hilarious, fast-paced fantasy about starting over, perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella. Absolutely adorable."--Booklist "A funny novel about friendship, food and love... "--Kirkus "A delightful story... warm, funny and well-written."--Fresh Fiction "Absolutely adorable... charming... an endearing, delightful read"--Silver's Reviews

Liz Carpenter

Carla Maxwell

This is an absolutely brilliant book, I loved every second of being in Issy’s World. 
I would thoroughly reccomend this book to anyone looking for a feel good, lighthearted read.

Terry Leslie

I like the book, and the detail, and all the characters POVs, but I'm the kind of person who has to finish a chapter before I put the book down, and when the chapters are like 50 pages long, I struggle to get into the book.

Don't miss Jenny's gorgeous new novel - FIVE HUNDRED MILES FROM YOU is available to pre-order now 'A sheer delight from start to finish' Sophie Kinsella ___________________________________ Come and meet Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Café . . . Curl up and escape with Jenny Colgan 'An evocative, sweet treat' Jojo Moyes 'Gorgeous, glorious, uplifting' Marian Keyes 'Irresistible' Jill Mansell 'Just lovely' Katie Fforde 'Naturally funny, warm-hearted' Lisa Jewell 'A gobble-it-all-up-in-one-sitting kind of book' Mike Gayle ___________________________________ 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 Café 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 . . . ___________________________________ Why readers ADORE Jenny Colgan 'Jenny Colgan has a way of writing that makes me melt inside' 'Her books are so good I want to start over as soon as I have finished' 'There's something so engaging about her characters and plots' 'Her books are like a big, warm blanket' 'Her stories are just so fabulous' 'She brings her settings and characters so vividly to life' 'The woman is just magic'

Meet Me At The Cupcake Café

Bianca

Zahra

Having spent her childhood helping her grandfather in his bakery, Issy Randall decides to open her own cafe after being laid off from her desk job, but she encounters a host of problems on the path to success in business.