The Little Bakery on Rosemary Lane

I haven't read the first book in this series - The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane but I may pick it up after reading this book. In fact, there is nothing about this book that screams sequel at you. A couple of times I wondered if Della's story had already been told but they were just vague wonderings as this is very definitely a book about her sister Roxanne. I also wasn't aware when I purchased it that Ellen Berry was a pseudonym of Fiona Gibson - there was a pleasant surprise as I am quite a fan of Ms Gibson's books. I quite enjoyed this book. In fact the first 40% I tore through but it seemed to really lose it's momentum once we moved from Rox's life in London to her arriving at her sister's flat above the bookshop in Burley Bridge. The London sections are written with a vibrancy that is sadly missing once moved to a more rural setting. This was disappointing as the whole point of the book, if the title is to be believed, is about Rosemary Lane. In fact, there is not really that much about the bakery at all so slightly misleading there. But I can see where it comes from. The characters are well written and I particularly enjoyed Isabelle, especially the reveal at the end of the book. She may be a very peripheral character but she is important to Rox and the reasons why she has made a firm friendship with a woman so many years her senior. Some of them are not so appealing and I found it a little lazy that Sean was painted rather blackly whilst Martin was a seeming paragon of virtue - not really like characterisation I have come to expect from books under her normal writing name. Despite this sniping and nit picking I did enjoy the book, although I was cursing myself for not reading something more festive due to the snow falling outside the window. I will possibly give the other books in the series a try - particularly the first one as I feel that there is much to learn about Della and her cosy little haven. I am pretty sure the third one will be about Rox setting up her little vintage shop on Rosemary Lane and will likely read that one as well - although there is nothing to indicate this is the truth or when this book may happen. Nice compact writing in easy chunks that you easily pick up and put down so a good read for the commute.

A story about the growth and changes of Roxanne, a late 40-something single woman that loves her job as a Fashion Director, is hoping for more from her photographer-boyfriend Sean, and now is faced with major changes at work. Leaving the small Yorkshire town at 18, to work her dream job: things have settled in for her professionally, even as she wonders if her personal life will ever move into that next step. But, a big shake up at work, followed by a rather disastrous 50th birthday party for Sean lead to her taking a sabbatical (she planned to quit) and she’s off to visit her sister Della and her little specialty bookshop. From the earliest moments, Roxanne is a bit ditzy but brilliantly creative, with a large streak of insecurity about her own capabilities outside of fashion. What saves her from being annoying is the intention: she wants to see everyone in the best light possible, she wants to cheer on other people’s success, she wants to be accepted and encouraged and find her place. But, she’s frustrated with people’s tendency to see her as ‘full of London airs’, assuming her days are spent in fashion houses with lattes and late nights. Uncomfortable with her own ability to make things work, a belief reinforced by her sister’s behavior and seeing her as her little sister, not a grown woman, it takes Roxanne a bit to find a comfortable place for herself back home. With a nudge toward a man in Michael, the owner of the new bakery, she’s still mindful of the presence of Sean in her life, even if that presence is mostly ill-timed telephone calls and late night visits. This was an escape and get away read about a woman who has escaped home again to find her new direction. Many different scenes allow Roxanne to use her own particular brand of creative problem solving to create a result, and her own discoveries about herself, her relationship with her sister, and even the relationship with Sean. Each new discovery seems to lighten the weight on her heart: while she’s solidly aware that her love of fashion is frivolous and that the effort she feels is needed to exist in that world is responsible for countless hours of primping, preening and polish, she does have a knack for visualizing the pretty, a knack that many could use. With her disappointment in Sean’s behavior and the new friendship with Michael, though she’s managed to survive as a singleton for years, the opportunity for a relationship that she’s longed for may be harkening. Even as the story ended without a final defined ‘this is what happens” for Roxanne, and the moments about the bakery were minimal – and perhaps the story should have been retitled, this was a clever, well-developed and beautifully character driven story, full of heart and those questions we all face at different points in our lives. 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.

what a disappointing end