The Beachside Sweet Shop
By Karen Clarke
- Release Date: 2017-03-02
- Genre: Romantic Comedies
Description
Chocolate fudge, butterscotch and raspberry bonbons… treat yourself to some sugary treats, a big slice of friendship and a sprinkling of romance at The Beachside Sweet Shop.
When Marnie Appleton inherited a sweet shop from her grandfather she was determined to do his legacy proud. The shop has been a much-loved feature of the little seaside town of Shipley for years, but now Marnie needs to bring it up to date, and she’s recruited gorgeous new assistant Josh to help.
Marnie gets busy redecorating the shop and choosing delicious new sweets to stock, but things are never that simple: new neighbour Isobel, a fame-hungry blogger, is on a crusade against sugar, and she’ll go to any lengths to secure bad publicity for Marnie’s shop.
Marnie fights back with homemade sugar-free treats, but with her best friend Beth heavily pregnant, her grandmother Celia recovering from an operation, and her very recently ex-boyfriend Alex returning to Shipley with a new love, Marnie has a lot on her plate.
And then there’s Josh, with whom Marnie is struggling to keep her relationship strictly professional…Will both the sweet shop and love flourish?
A deliciously heartwarming read about family, friends and handmade coconut ice. Perfect for fans of Cressida McLaughlin, Debbie Johnson, and Tilly Tennant.
What people are saying about The Beachside Sweet Shop:
“Brilliant! Such a beautiful, heart warming story! Loved every word! So well written. A magical, feel good tale. Loved, loved, loved. Highly recommend it to everyone.” Renita D’Silva
“I really loved this! It was like a breath of fresh air…I may also point out the bright bold and beautiful cover for this book. Its absoultely stunning and from the minute I saw it I wanted to read this book.” 5* Goodreads reviewer
“Fun, light hearted and fast paced.” 5* Goodreads reviewer
“highly recommended :)” 4* Goodreads reviewer
“had me laughing out loud.” 4* Consumer reviewer
“so funny…I’d recommend this book to everyone.” 5* Goodreads reviewer
“nostalgia in buckets (& spades?)…brilliant characters you instantly love.” 5* Goodreads reviewer
“a whole new seaside town to fall in love with…within the first page turn I was laughing out loud…really attacked my funny bone!...It was a delight to read and I am already looking forward to returning to Shipley in The Beachside Flower Stall.” 5* Rachel’s Random Reads
“fantastically funny…an entertaining read.” Jo’s Book Journey
“a lovely lighthearted read…an excellent feel-good romantic comedy.” 5* Consumer reviewer
“a sweet and charming read.” 4* Pretty Little Book Reviews
“The Beach side Sweet Shop has such a gorgeous cover, I felt I could have sat on that very deck chair and read my books on it!...gorgeous heartwarming read…The fictional Seaside town of Shipley sounds gorgeous, I almost packed my bags and started looking on TripAdvisor for a place to stay.” 5* The Reading Shed
“I really enjoyed this book … all the characters were lovable.” 5* Katie’s Book Ends
“Such a sweet book (sorry, couldn’t resist)… A really cute, sweet (sorry, I did it again) read. Thoroughly enjoyed it.” 5* Lilac Mills
“This is a light, fun, sweet read that I was hooked on from the second I started reading…I constantly wanted sweets when I was reading this book!” 4* Consumer Review
“A delightful British love story.” For the Love of Books
“a very sweet, heartwarming, and totally lovely book with a cute book cover.” 4* Goodreads reviewer
“Delightfully sweet story.” 4* Goodreads reviewer
“such a fun filled happy read… Loved it.” 4* Goodreads reviewer
Reviews
Clever and frustrating in alternate turns, the story shows Marnie’s growth and understanding
4By glhinceStruggling to keep her sweet shop afloat, a legacy from her grandfather, while dreaming of “elsewhere’ has Marnie in a bind. She gave up what she thought was most important: travel, a fiancé and new experiences in order to care for her grandmother after her grandfather’s death. See, they were the stable home and guidance for Marnie as a child, as her mother had spent very little time in Shipley, preferring the vistas and spaces of elsewhere. A bit of a negative Nancy, at first Marnie is full of self-doubts, woe is me, and existing in this life as she dreams of other places. It doesn’t help that her shop is in serious need of a reboot, and the new to the village neighbor is bound and determined to use a crusade against sugar to keep her in the public eye, by protesting and harassing Marnie’s shop at every opportunity. To the good: Marnie has a best friend in Beth, who, heavily pregnant, is more than supportive of her friend even as her husband can’t seem to keep civil. Funny and outrageous, Beth is the light and shine that Marnie needs through the story, until she comes to her senses, unearths a family secret and finds a new path for herself. Along the way, we have the mysterious Josh –clever, experienced and helpful. More than willing to pitch in and give Marnie a hand with the shop, even as his reasons are never quite clear until the end. A lovely flirtatious friendship bounces between the two, keeping Marnie’s rather socially awkward moments and her own internal conflicts free reign to run amok. And run amok they do: for so long she’s determined that, despite the pushes from her friends, the clear realization that she isn’t responsible for caring for her very independent Grandmother, and her own litany of excuses to stay put are really simply that. Excuses to keep her home, despite her feeling that she should want more. Clever and frustrating in alternate turns, the story shows Marnie’s growth and understanding of herself and those around her as she begins to gain self-confidence no longer comparing herself to her mother or others. With a litany of characters from the village and plenty of moments that instantly bring readers a picture of scenes, the story is light, quick moving and engaging. While I wasn’t quite sure of just what to expect, I’m curious to see the next book set in the small town of Shipley, and see if Marnie continues to thrive. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
