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My Family Is Not a Piece of Cake
Hope Crumble and her family serve up cakes, coffee and a large helping of calamity in this hilarious new series from much-loved author Catherine Wilkins.
Running a bustling café is Hope's family's dream - it's just not hers! Hope has a lot on her plate starting secondary school, but a surprise side dish of outrageous auntie makes things extra spicy in this hilarious new series from much-loved author Catherine Wilkins.
While Dad and Gran battle it out in the kitchen, Mum tries to balance the books while serving quiche to hordes of hungry pensioners. Meanwhile Hope's dramatic sister Stacey is determined to turn all of life into a stage and her "wishes-he-was-on-Wall-Street" cousin Connor decides to buy novelty costumes to advertise the business.
And then Auntie Rita rocks up.
Café Crumble is tipping straight into Café Chaos! Luckily for her family, Hope is there to save the day, though ideally this wouldn't involve dressing up as a giant ice cream and dancing outside the school gates...
You'll laugh (a lot), you'll cry (with even more laughter), you'll develop a strange yearning for caroons (whatever they are!). Welcome to Café Chaos!
Running a bustling café is Hope's family's dream - it's just not hers! Hope has a lot on her plate starting secondary school, but a surprise side dish of outrageous auntie makes things extra spicy in this hilarious new series from much-loved author Catherine Wilkins.
While Dad and Gran battle it out in the kitchen, Mum tries to balance the books while serving quiche to hordes of hungry pensioners. Meanwhile Hope's dramatic sister Stacey is determined to turn all of life into a stage and her "wishes-he-was-on-Wall-Street" cousin Connor decides to buy novelty costumes to advertise the business.
And then Auntie Rita rocks up.
Café Crumble is tipping straight into Café Chaos! Luckily for her family, Hope is there to save the day, though ideally this wouldn't involve dressing up as a giant ice cream and dancing outside the school gates...
You'll laugh (a lot), you'll cry (with even more laughter), you'll develop a strange yearning for caroons (whatever they are!). Welcome to Café Chaos!
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 13, 2025
3 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Wilkins
25 books22 followersI grew up in Hertfordshire, with one younger brother, two dogs and one cat. And some parents.
I always loved stories and jokes. Even though I was absolutely terrible at spelling and grammar, I wanted to be a writer. I didn't know how to do that though, so I did a degree in Sociology and then worked lots of random jobs, while telling people that I wanted to be a writer.
I have been a pizza deliverer, insurance broker, shelf stacker, litter picker, photo-developer, receptionist, HR recruiter, admin assistant, office temp, cashier, waitress, customer service rep, barmaid, stand up comedian and a writer. I love being a writer the best.
I also love travelling, and am very lucky that I have been to lots of different places, including America, Africa, India, Thailand, France, Greece, Italy, Germany, Belgium and Cuba.
I now live in London with my husband and our two rescued cats (Smithers and Liono) and I hope that I get to write many more books and visit many more places.
- from her website
I always loved stories and jokes. Even though I was absolutely terrible at spelling and grammar, I wanted to be a writer. I didn't know how to do that though, so I did a degree in Sociology and then worked lots of random jobs, while telling people that I wanted to be a writer.
I have been a pizza deliverer, insurance broker, shelf stacker, litter picker, photo-developer, receptionist, HR recruiter, admin assistant, office temp, cashier, waitress, customer service rep, barmaid, stand up comedian and a writer. I love being a writer the best.
I also love travelling, and am very lucky that I have been to lots of different places, including America, Africa, India, Thailand, France, Greece, Italy, Germany, Belgium and Cuba.
I now live in London with my husband and our two rescued cats (Smithers and Liono) and I hope that I get to write many more books and visit many more places.
- from her website
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 19, 2025
I really enjoyed meeting Hope Crumble and her family. Her parents and older sister Stacey plus her cousin Connor. They all live together in an apartment above the family café, Café Crumble. The name of the café and the family’s surname, is a great play on words given the theme of food. It’s an excellent word choice.
I found Hope’s grandmother kind, loving and generous. Her aunt Rita is really eccentric. What will happen when she ends up living with the family for a while?
Hope has just started secondary school and I’m glad her best friend Leila is going to the same school as I’d have loved a friend like her.
Skyla is a realistic nemesis.
Café Chaos: My Family Is Not a Piece of Cake is fun, real, realistic and funny but there’s also a serious undertone to it with themes of things sometimes not going economically well at the café. I loved the meeting the family had about that because of the original ideas they came up with.
It was great to witness life in this close knit family. I even felt part of the family. I loved this book and I wish it could have been part of the book selection when I was Hope’s age. It would have made a great book to have had read to my class by our teacher. I think it can teach everyone a lot about life.
It resonated with me on so many levels: memories of school, trying to make friends, experiencing a change in school uniforms and school food as well as new routines.
Because of the great visuals and attention to detail throughout the book, I felt completely involved in Hope’s life, whether that was at home, at the café or at school. I also loved the mention of Leila liking fashion and makeup and Stacey using Impulse Vanilla body spray. I’ve always liked fashion and beauty and I remember buying the same body spray.
I liked all the characters except Skye.
I highly recommend this book and it’s very entertaining, enjoyable and memorable. It’s good for children and adults.
Thanks to Catherine Wilkins and Nosy Crow for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review
5 stars
I found Hope’s grandmother kind, loving and generous. Her aunt Rita is really eccentric. What will happen when she ends up living with the family for a while?
Hope has just started secondary school and I’m glad her best friend Leila is going to the same school as I’d have loved a friend like her.
Skyla is a realistic nemesis.
Café Chaos: My Family Is Not a Piece of Cake is fun, real, realistic and funny but there’s also a serious undertone to it with themes of things sometimes not going economically well at the café. I loved the meeting the family had about that because of the original ideas they came up with.
It was great to witness life in this close knit family. I even felt part of the family. I loved this book and I wish it could have been part of the book selection when I was Hope’s age. It would have made a great book to have had read to my class by our teacher. I think it can teach everyone a lot about life.
It resonated with me on so many levels: memories of school, trying to make friends, experiencing a change in school uniforms and school food as well as new routines.
Because of the great visuals and attention to detail throughout the book, I felt completely involved in Hope’s life, whether that was at home, at the café or at school. I also loved the mention of Leila liking fashion and makeup and Stacey using Impulse Vanilla body spray. I’ve always liked fashion and beauty and I remember buying the same body spray.
I liked all the characters except Skye.
I highly recommend this book and it’s very entertaining, enjoyable and memorable. It’s good for children and adults.
Thanks to Catherine Wilkins and Nosy Crow for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review
5 stars
March 12, 2025
Thanks to Nosy Crow for allowing me to read this book.
Fun, family and friendships (and the not so friendly) all combine to make this a good read.
Hope Crumble lives in a flat above her family's café, Café Crumble. She lives with Mum, Dad sister Stacey and cousin Connor.
Hope and her friend Leila are starting their new High School. Thankfully, the girl that was horrid to Hope at Primary school is not attending their High School. But on that first day....oh no!
Skyla though soon finds out that being rich isn't teh cool thing at High School, and that Hope isn't seen as weird. She seems to have a new plan though...to make it look like Hope is the rich one, and begins to bully her again. With the others taking her side against Hope.
But while helping her parents try to save the family business Hope and Leila also work out how to deal with Skyla themselves.
Really enjoyed the ideas the family came up with to help the business. Hope and Leila were really good characters, their friendship is genuine and based on their care for each other. Skyla is the child no one wants to be friends with really.
Very good, might have to see if I can get a copy for school. (ask head nicely?)
Fun, family and friendships (and the not so friendly) all combine to make this a good read.
Hope Crumble lives in a flat above her family's café, Café Crumble. She lives with Mum, Dad sister Stacey and cousin Connor.
Hope and her friend Leila are starting their new High School. Thankfully, the girl that was horrid to Hope at Primary school is not attending their High School. But on that first day....oh no!
Skyla though soon finds out that being rich isn't teh cool thing at High School, and that Hope isn't seen as weird. She seems to have a new plan though...to make it look like Hope is the rich one, and begins to bully her again. With the others taking her side against Hope.
But while helping her parents try to save the family business Hope and Leila also work out how to deal with Skyla themselves.
Really enjoyed the ideas the family came up with to help the business. Hope and Leila were really good characters, their friendship is genuine and based on their care for each other. Skyla is the child no one wants to be friends with really.
Very good, might have to see if I can get a copy for school. (ask head nicely?)
April 24, 2025
What a fun book this is! Following Hope Crumble and her family, Café Crumble - the family business - is trying to keep it's head above water. Trying out new ideas and like any family business, it comes with it's own mixture of personalities, wild ideas and even wilder decisions!
I loved Rita, her ideas made me smile, Grandma Margery is a gem and Leila is a friend that is a keeper! The moral of the story is to look after yourself, others abd treat others how you want to be treated yourself. Money shouldn't be a factor when it comes to friendships. Skyla's interactions were a bit hard to read as it brought back memories of my own school days being bullied but for different reasons.
The themed nights sound a lot of fun!
I loved Katie Abey's illustrations in this! super CUTE, COOL and WILD!!
I loved Rita, her ideas made me smile, Grandma Margery is a gem and Leila is a friend that is a keeper! The moral of the story is to look after yourself, others abd treat others how you want to be treated yourself. Money shouldn't be a factor when it comes to friendships. Skyla's interactions were a bit hard to read as it brought back memories of my own school days being bullied but for different reasons.
The themed nights sound a lot of fun!
I loved Katie Abey's illustrations in this! super CUTE, COOL and WILD!!
December 1, 2024
This is a surprising find for me. I have always seen funny books set in the current world are more "reading for pleasure" materials, but this one actually has a lot of things that I can use as hooks for teaching. The voices of the characters are very authentic and you can picture the chaotic scenes in your head just by reading it. It is also very refreshing to read a book for this age group that is not about magic or super power.
December 1, 2024
Hope has it tough. She's loved and looked after, but no-one at home seems to have time for her. Everyone is busy trying to make their cafe make a profit, and then Auntie Rita appears and is dumped in Hope's room. Luckily, she has a fantastic best friend who helps her deal with Skyla, the bully that has followed them to Y7. This is funny abd heartwarming, and there's lots of cake!
February 4, 2025
A great almost diary style read for middle grade readers. A kooky family, a family business, first days of secondary school with the ability to reinvent yourself. This book is cute, funny, with big notes of being true to yourself, supporting your family but not losing your voice, learning how to deal with bullies in the best ways. Really sweet and full of illustrations!
February 18, 2025
I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it touched on quite a few subjects and showed how they can be resolved, I will be recommending it.
January 6, 2025
This was real fun! Think my Y6 girls are going to enjoy this - friendships, finding yourself and family! Loved the illustrative details too!
March 18, 2025
I received this book from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
I found out about this book from a book blogger friend of mine and was excited that I was able to read it thanks to Netgalley!
I have to be honest and say that I was THIS close to DNF-ing the book at around 67 pages in because of two certain characters, I will talk about them in the later part of my review. I am glad that I pushed through because in the end this was a fun read!
😍 Loved the MC! Despite everything she never gives up even when things look very sad and not so good. I love that she embraces her weirdness and I was delighted that she was practicing to do card/magic tricks and even had a couple she was really good in.
😍 Loved the café and wish I could visit it! It sounds like such a fun place to just hop by and get a tea and some snacks. I also love the name of the café + their logo!
😍 Stacy, the sister + Margery, the grandma, these two were my favourite family members. Stacy because she was sweet and fun and I loved how she did her best to help out her mom and dad with the café but also holding on to her dreams of acting. And Margery because she is a sweet grandma and loves to bake.
😍 Leila, the best friend. Or I should say, the bestest of friends because she sticks with Hope. I have read a few too many books with kids going to a new school and friends just ditching friends, but no Leila stays with Hope and thought up an epic plan to stop the bullying once and for all. And come on, a friend who wants to wear the same mascot outfit as you to help out and make it more fun? That is the best friend.
😍 The illustrations + the cover! They were so much fun and I love the style.
😍 I loved seeing how they all tried to save the café and came up with some fun ideas. Like a poetry night. Or fortune telling. Or ice cream. They all worked so hard and I loved that despite how hopeless it seemed at times they just kept going.
😍 I loved how the bullying was handled and solved. I am not a fan of bullying and definitely not a fan of how it goes these days (with everyone having to forgive that poor old bully) but instead it was solved in a fantastic way that had me laughing and cheering.
😕 But Connor can just FUCK off. For real. He acted more like a 3 year old, maybe 9 year old at times. Mansplaining shit, constantly trying to change words when someone had an idea to make it seem like he had the idea, sexism ahoy, that slow clap thing of his and that applause as well, and I could go on. I wanted to punch Connor so many times throughout the book. Sexist little shit.
😕 And then there is Rita, who just expects her family to magically have a room in their already small apartment for her. And who doesn’t seem to understand how life works in general. She frustrated me a lot. How she had NO respect for Hope’s stuff or furniture and when Hope was saying no Rita just went to Hope’s mom aka Rita’s sister. What the actual fuck. Are you an adult or a fucking child? I guess it explains a lot on how Connor is.
So yeah, I am glad I pushed through and this was a lot of fun in the end, but I am not sure if I will continue reading if there is another book about Hope. I would really have to see if there isn’t too much of Rita and Connor in it. I have had my dose for life.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I found out about this book from a book blogger friend of mine and was excited that I was able to read it thanks to Netgalley!
I have to be honest and say that I was THIS close to DNF-ing the book at around 67 pages in because of two certain characters, I will talk about them in the later part of my review. I am glad that I pushed through because in the end this was a fun read!
😍 Loved the MC! Despite everything she never gives up even when things look very sad and not so good. I love that she embraces her weirdness and I was delighted that she was practicing to do card/magic tricks and even had a couple she was really good in.
😍 Loved the café and wish I could visit it! It sounds like such a fun place to just hop by and get a tea and some snacks. I also love the name of the café + their logo!
😍 Stacy, the sister + Margery, the grandma, these two were my favourite family members. Stacy because she was sweet and fun and I loved how she did her best to help out her mom and dad with the café but also holding on to her dreams of acting. And Margery because she is a sweet grandma and loves to bake.
😍 Leila, the best friend. Or I should say, the bestest of friends because she sticks with Hope. I have read a few too many books with kids going to a new school and friends just ditching friends, but no Leila stays with Hope and thought up an epic plan to stop the bullying once and for all. And come on, a friend who wants to wear the same mascot outfit as you to help out and make it more fun? That is the best friend.
😍 The illustrations + the cover! They were so much fun and I love the style.
😍 I loved seeing how they all tried to save the café and came up with some fun ideas. Like a poetry night. Or fortune telling. Or ice cream. They all worked so hard and I loved that despite how hopeless it seemed at times they just kept going.
😍 I loved how the bullying was handled and solved. I am not a fan of bullying and definitely not a fan of how it goes these days (with everyone having to forgive that poor old bully) but instead it was solved in a fantastic way that had me laughing and cheering.
😕 But Connor can just FUCK off. For real. He acted more like a 3 year old, maybe 9 year old at times. Mansplaining shit, constantly trying to change words when someone had an idea to make it seem like he had the idea, sexism ahoy, that slow clap thing of his and that applause as well, and I could go on. I wanted to punch Connor so many times throughout the book. Sexist little shit.
😕 And then there is Rita, who just expects her family to magically have a room in their already small apartment for her. And who doesn’t seem to understand how life works in general. She frustrated me a lot. How she had NO respect for Hope’s stuff or furniture and when Hope was saying no Rita just went to Hope’s mom aka Rita’s sister. What the actual fuck. Are you an adult or a fucking child? I guess it explains a lot on how Connor is.
So yeah, I am glad I pushed through and this was a lot of fun in the end, but I am not sure if I will continue reading if there is another book about Hope. I would really have to see if there isn’t too much of Rita and Connor in it. I have had my dose for life.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews