Sunday 22 May 2016

Book Review - The Sunshine and Biscotti Club by Jenny Oliver

Amzazon UK
Title: The Sunshine and Biscotti Club
Author: Jenny Oliver
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Carina
Publication Date: 19th May 2016 
Rating: 5 Stars


The ovens are pre-heating, the Prosecco is chilling…and The Sunshine and Biscotti Club is nearly ready to open its doors. But the guests have other things on their minds…

Libby: The Blogger
Life is Instagram-perfect for food blogger Libby…until she catches her husband cheating just weeks before her Italian cooking club’s grand opening.

Evie: The Mum
Eve’s marriage isn’t working, but she’s not dared admit it until now. A trip to Italy to help Libby open The Sunshine and Biscotti Club might be the perfect escape…

Jessica: In Love with her Best Friend
Jessica has thrown herself into her work to shut out the memory of the man who never loved her back. The same man who’s just turned up in Tuscany…

Welcome to Tuscany’s newest baking school – where your biscotti is served with a side of love, laughter and ice-cold limoncello!

Perfect summer reading in a nutshell, a story of friendship, a hotel renovation, broken hearts, new loves, the sunshine, and of course some delicious cookery. I started this when it was lovely and sunny outside, and couldn't put it down, it is easily my favourite book by Jenny Oliver, and if you like your chick lit warm hearted and summery then I'm sure it will become a firm favourite for you too. 

The story alternates between the three leading ladies, Libby who is a food blogger and owner of the Hotel Limoncello. She has discovered her husband has been cheating on her, and the hotel isn't quite ready yet, so out goes the husband and in comes her huge friendship group from university days. 

Evie, is mum to twins, and married to Peter, but there must be something in the air, as their marriage is in a bit of trouble too, so Evie agrees to go over to Tuscany to help Libby, despite them having barely spoken properly for a while, and the friendship is on the verge of breaking. 

Then there is Jessica, who has been in love with another of their friends forever, but he married someone else. She is a bit of a loner, but she hasn't been in Italy for long before she catches the eye of a potential new man. 

There is a great warmth to this book, not just due to its stunning location in Tuscany, but also with how the friends interact with each other, they may not have all been together for years, but it doesn't take long for the dynamic to return to shared memories and catching up on each other's lives. 

There are a variety of threads of story weaved into this novel, and yet you don't feel lost, and I really did feel all the characters had incredibly separate personalities, as they banded together to get the hotel ready. And it wasn't all renovations, they also reluctantly had first allowed Libby to practise the Sunshine and Biscotti club sessions with them, including a memorable visit from a hotel inspector. I also loved the scene that involved a lake, and very little clothing from the whole group (and I'll leave that to your imaginations). 

I'm not sure I can put into words just how much I loved this book, it is everything I want in a story and perhaps more, and is definitely one of the most enjoyable books I have read recently. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Carina for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

1 comment:

  1. I'm going to have to stop reading reviews. I have spent ages sorting my shelves and reluctantly getting rid of some books and now I find lots more I want to add.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...