Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe

April 29, 2013
The latest from Brit chick-lit writer Colgan (Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe) tracks 31-year-old Issy Randall as she transitions from thankless desk job to following her bliss. Being intimate with her duplicitous boss Graeme doesn’t save good-hearted Issy from being laid off. With her beloved Grampa Joe fading in a nursing home, and an unusual retail space up for grabs, Issy uses the knowledge of baking imparted by her grandfather to open her own business. Colgan does a good job of establishing how doubt and second-guessing keeps Issy and her loan officer, Austin, from acting on their affection for one another, letting the situation build to a boiling point. Meanwhile, Issy pines for old boss Graeme, who misses her for selfish, sinister reasons. Issy’s roommate Helena tries to help Issy’s love life and bolster her business confidence. Our heroine gets by with help from unlikely friends, including a shrewd single mom from the other side of the tracks and her high-strung sugar-snob nemesis. Being privy to Graeme’s condescending thoughts is a pleasure, since the nature of this narrative guarantees his comeuppance. Though longer than it needs to be, this is a satisfying read. Good guys sometimes finish first. Recipes. Agent: Ali Gunn, Gunn Global Media (U.K.).

June 1, 2013
A funny novel about friendship, food and love, from British author Colgan. Issy grew up helping her grandfather in his bakery in northern England. He always told her that bread was life and baking was love, and each chapter opens with one of his recipes. The book opens with Issy visiting him in an assisted living facility in London. Her mother, Marian, has long since moved to America. Issy works for a property development company and has a crush on her boss, the hot and ambitious Graeme. When Graeme announces the company must downsize, Issy is among those given a severance check, and she feels distressed at having lost both her job and her love. With her severance pay and a loan approved by another handsome bachelor, Austin, she reaches for her dream: opening a bakery/cafe. Among the women Issy hires to help her bake and serve cakes are a single mom and another woman going through a breakup with her child's father. Here, the business of relationships is examined in tandem with the business of baking. Readers with an interest in baking will love this book. Those who can't bake can skip the recipes and enjoy the humor.

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June 1, 2013
Isabel Issy Randall learned everything she knows about baking and business from Grandpa Joe: use high-quality ingredients, mix by hand, and if people look hungry, give them a cake. So when she loses her job and her boss/boyfriend in one embarrassing swoop, she takes her severance pay and opens a bakery in her out-of-the-way London neighborhood. No one believes she will make it, except Grandpa Joe and her flatmate, voluptuous nurse Helena. And the handsome, disheveled bank manager, Austin, who has a good feeling about Issy, even if she gives away a lot of merchandise for free. But when her ex comes back, is he looking for more than just cupcakes? (Yes.) A wonderfully diverse cast of supporting characters keeps Issy from indulging in self-pity and provides plenty of drama. The recipes, sent to Issy from Grandpa Joe, include cute reminders from a man who knows his granddaughter well. A hilarious, fast-paced fantasy about starting over, perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella. Absolutely adorable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)