Wednesday 24 May 2017

Book Review - The Cafe in Fir Tree Park by Katey Lovell

Amazon UK
Title: The Cafe in Fir Tree Park
Author: Katey Lovell
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Harper Impulse
Publication Date: 26th May 2017
Rating: 4 Stars


Maggie’s café is at the very heart of Fir Tree Park. Business is booming, her lemon drizzle is the stuff of legend, her children are happy and life is good. But she hasn’t had it easy. When her husband Clint was sent to prison, she had to raise Josh and Kelly alone. But Clint can’t hurt them now, and there’s no denying that Paolo, the Italian football coach she spies every weekend out on the green, is more than easy on the eye.

It may be summer outside, but a new arrival in Fir Tree Park sends an icy chill through the café…

From its gorgeous cover, to the delicious sounding cakes inside the walls of Maggie's Cafe, every page is a delight, as  the lives of the four leading ladies weave in and around each other in a very clever tale. 

Regardless of which of the voices/chapters you are reading, you are generally not only learning more about their character, but also of some of the others, as the lives of all for women are interlinked, but its only as the months progress, you see the full extent of everything. 

We have Maggie, who can almost always be found in her cafe in the centre of Fir Tree Park, she is continually baking, and has her two children Josh and Kelly, and an ex-husband who is currently in prison. We see a lot more of Kelly than Josh, so it feels as though Kelly is the 5th lady of this book, ever present and lovely to get to know, plus a really strong support character. Maggie may have her eye on a certain football coach that is incredibly sexy sounding. 

Kelly is also best friends with Fern who works in Maggie's cafe, Fern has such a strong crush on someone that she barely notices a potential boyfriend who keeps coming into the cafe. She also has self confidence issues, and a storyline involving her brother scared me to my core, as it encompasses one of my biggest most recent fears. 

Pearl who is related to Kelly and her family, is still getting used to being by herself after the death of her husband. Luckily she has an adorable daschund that keeps her going. She also has a massive secret on her hands that is hinted at a lot, and then slowly revealed to the readers, before some incredibly shocking and emotional few scenes. 

Then there is Lacey, who is in training for a half marathon, despite not being a fan of running. She is doing it to raise money in honour of her late aunt, and is determined to do her proud. Both of her uncles and her other aunt are very supportive, but none as much as the young man she meets early on in her training. 

Over the course of a summer you  will see these ladies lives change in ways you probably could not have predicted at the start of the book. I loved seeing how the story evolved and found it be a gentle and easy to follow writing style. 

This is a story of friendships, of family and relationships, of which Maggie's Cafe is the centrepiece of the story. So much action takes place in the cafe and in Fir Tree Park, which proves itself as a hub for the community. 

I thoroughly enjoyed following the lives of Maggie, Fern, Pearl, Kelly & Lacey throughout the book, and was glad to see for a change in books that the main characters spanned a good age range, from student to a lady in the latter half of her life. All of them are relatable to, and I was so glad I had the chance to get to know them all. 

Thanks you much to Harper Impulse and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...