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Little Beach Street Bakery #2

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery

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Summer has arrived in the Cornish town of Mount Polbearne and Polly Waterford couldn't be happier. Because Polly is in love: she's in love with the beautiful seaside town she calls home, she's in love with running the bakery on Beach Street, and she's in love with her boyfriend, Huckle.

And yet there's something unsettling about the gentle summer breeze that's floating through town. Selina, recently widowed, hopes that moving to Mount Polbearne will ease her grief, but Polly has a secret that could destroy her friend's fragile recovery. Responsibilities that Huckle thought he'd left behind are back and Polly finds it hard to cope with his increasingly long periods of absence.

Polly sifts flour, kneads dough and bakes bread, but nothing can calm the storm she knows is coming: is Polly about to lose everything she loves?

448 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2015

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12044 people want to read

About the author

Jenny Colgan

121 books11.7k followers
Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including 'The Little Shop of Happy Ever After' and 'Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery', which are also published by Sphere.' Meet Me at the Cupcake Café' won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was 'Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams', which won the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2013.

For more about Jenny, visit her website and her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

Jenny Colgan has also been published under the name Jenny T. Colgan.

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5 stars
5,640 (23%)
4 stars
10,018 (42%)
3 stars
6,743 (28%)
2 stars
1,078 (4%)
1 star
165 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,799 reviews
Profile Image for Paul.
2,777 reviews20 followers
August 17, 2016
Well, here we are back at the Little Beach Street Bakery and, before we can even start queuing up for our bread rolls, the author immediately overturns the happy ending from the first book. Yes, everything's coming up dog poo for our protagonists... and it's just as well, really, as it wouldn't have been a very interesting book otherwise.

As it is, what we end up with is that rare beast: a sequel that is actually better than its predecessor! I know; that hardly ever happens, right? Well, in this case, Jenny Colgan has not only managed to bottle the magic she captured in the first book but she's plugged it into the amp and turned it up to eleven.

The peril is greater this time around, the stakes are higher and things look pretty bleak for a good portion of this book. There are a number of very moving sections and I even had tears rolling down my cheeks twice succumbed to my book allergy and had to start freebasing antihistamines.

I don't want to say too much about the actual story because it could only litter the review with spoilers but I will say that at least one character from the first book dies. Oh, yes... the author's pulling no punches with this one.

There's actually a fair amount of action in this book, mostly when the worst storm for 150 years hits the village, and our protagonists actually have to put on their hero boots and get stuck in.

What I liked the most about these books is that every time we start heading into twee chick-lit territory with a darker section, a bit of genuine peril or even just a mouthful of foul language from one of the characters! As a result, you get chick-lit that this big, hairy, middle-aged man is entirely unashamed to say he absolutely loved. I'll certainly be reading more from Colgan in the future.

P.S. Yes, the author shares more of her recipes at the back of the book again.

P.P.S. Yes, Neil the Puffin is in this one too, don't fret.

P.P.P.S. I did mention that one of the characters from the first book dies, right?

P.P.P.P.S. I'm not saying it's Neil that dies.

P.P.P.P.P.S. I'm not saying it's not either...

Additional: I just found out this author also writes science fiction... I think I may have just had a minor spasm of joy...
Profile Image for Lisa (NY).
2,138 reviews824 followers
September 5, 2021
[2.5] Did not soothe my frazzled brain like #1 did. First, the plot was sloppily patched together and second - the book should have been called "Summer with my Puffin" because anecdotes about Polly's pet puffin dominated. Too cute for me. Still - I like the setting and there were moments when I could almost imagine being on the island - so will round up to 3 stars.
Profile Image for Elaine.
604 reviews240 followers
February 25, 2015
I am beginning to get a little soft spot for Mount Polbearne – a quintessentially Cornish seaside town with cobbled streets, a fishing fleet and a lighthouse, it really does sound the perfect holiday destination and this book in particularly has really got me yearning for the summer to come now.

When we join the residents, Polly Waterford thinks life just couldn’t get any better. She has her dream job running her bakery, living in a lighthouse with her gorgeous American boyfriend Huckle and her cute little pet puffin Neil. Little does she know that storm clouds are brewing and once again her life is going to be turned upside down.

This is a really nice, easy read and would be perfect for relaxing on the beach. There is romance, drama, intrigue and danger with a cast of characters who may not all be likeable but are certainly entertaining to read about. I did have to agree with Huckle though when he said that Reuben was annoying! He isn’t a major character in this read though so I could put up with him! And, the bread! I could almost smell that heavenly freshly baked bread scent in my kitchen as I was reading. I want a Beach Street Bakery in my village now! Many thanks to the publishers for the review copy.
Profile Image for Tiago | MrsMargotBlog.
157 reviews29 followers
September 11, 2017
QUE LINDO!!!
Foi tão bom poder viajar outra vez até à Cornualha, voltar a sentir os cheiros e sabores dos pães da Polly, ver onde a relação dela com o Huckle chegou.
Ter a Selina mais presente foi interessante, Malcolm foi detestável.
E mais uma vez adorei as receitas que autora deixou no final do livro.
E devo dizer que já estou ansioso por ler o terceiro, que só pelo título deve vir aí uma mão cheia de receitas natalícias, quero muito.
Teria tanto para falar deste livro, mas não quero fazer spoilers.
Acrescentar, que adorei o final ❤️
Profile Image for Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede.
2,058 reviews886 followers
January 27, 2018
Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery is a sweet book! ;)

Honestly, I've come to love Jenny Colgan's books and I'm kind of sad to have read this book since it's the last one in this series so far). This is book two, but of course, I started off by reading book three, then book one and now this one. Still, it doesnt matter if you read them in a different order, each book has a deliciously interesting story with both sadness and humor mixed together. I listened to the audio version and honestly, there are some really funny scenes that made me smile.

And, of course, Neil the puffin is in this book! I adore Neil! I recommend this series warmly!
Profile Image for Beverly J..
555 reviews28 followers
February 21, 2016
I have no words to describe how cliché this thing was. I enjoyed the first one but this one was ridiculous.
Profile Image for C-shaw.
852 reviews60 followers
November 29, 2016
I suddenly realized that my library books are due Wednesday and I have this one and _News of the World_ still to read. Eek, drinking coffee now to stay up late and get a good ways through another of Jenny Colgan's good novels before farming duty calls in the morning. :-} Stress like this I can handle, no worries.
* * * * *
Whew, finished it just after midnight. I am in love with these characters, Huckle (very cool name), Polly, and Neil the puffin. This is not great literature, just an imminently readable, good story, so I am giving it five stars for those reasons.
474 reviews
July 19, 2017
This is the second offering from this author that I have read. The first one I liked much better than this one. The premise on both were interesting but the execution failed for me on this one. The main character has a good story arc but I felt the other characters were a bit outlandish and unbelievable. The main character was British and her love interest was supposed to be American. I can understand that through spending time in the country he would pick up phrases that were local so his dialog could be British, but his thoughts would still be in his native language and there was no differentiation between the two. Other problems were innuendos and references to intercourse that were offensive to me, sometimes vulgar language, and it's very formulaic. Just like all the other books in this genre, it is about a woman who loses or quits her job and opens her own store only to encounter obstacles in her professional and romantic life. The first time it's an interesting read, but after that it is boring and I lose interest. I've tried many different authors with the same result which is why I have difficulty enjoying contemporary fiction.
Profile Image for Marieke | Marieke's Books.
709 reviews151 followers
April 14, 2020
Wat een gigantische teleurstelling.. Waar ik heerlijk kon wegdromen bij deel 1, kwam ik maar moeilijk door dit deel heen. Ik miste de luchtige sfeer, vond dat er onnodig veel drama was, weinig liefde en ik heb zelfs op het punt gestaan om het boek aan de kant te leggen..

Mijn volledige recensie vind je op Marieke's Books

Profile Image for Leona.
1,771 reviews18 followers
September 29, 2019
A disappointing read, especially considering how much I loved the first book. This just wasn't moving. The plot was stuck.
Profile Image for Obsidian.
3,230 reviews1,145 followers
September 28, 2021
I actually liked this second book a lot. Especially after the third hot mess of a book in this series. I do think that it had an interesting premise with Polly having to think of what else to do after the business she thought she would run forever is threatened. With her doing what she can to keep the bakeries going, and to have enough money to live in the lighthouse she bought, she also has to deal with Huckle having to make a choice as well in this one. I also liked the callback to the first book with Colgan expanding on certain characters we heard about in the last book and saw (such as Selina). The main reason why I gave this four stars though is that I thought at times that Polly was being super naïve about things. I didn't want her to lose in the end, but I thought her buying the lighthouse that sounded like a hot mess of a place to live made zero sense and I still don't get why she did it.
Profile Image for Rosanna Threakall.
Author 0 books93 followers
January 23, 2016
Such a perfect sequel. Such a perfect series. So far, a flawless author.

It's immersive, it's emotive, it's amazing-ive (?!)

Please read, thank you.
Profile Image for Anja.
115 reviews
February 3, 2017
Polly thinks, she has it all: handsome, lovely boyfriend, wonderful bakery, new friends, a beautiful island and a lighthouse as her new home. It couldn't be better for her. But of course, fate strikes again and Polly loses her bakery to a horrible man and her boyfriend has to go back to where he came from once again. Also, a woman returns to Mount Polbearne, who has something to do with the misery from the previous year and Pollys feelings about everything are turned upside down. Again.

Well, at first I was quite excited about that new person in town. I wanted to see how she and Polly clash with each other and I was hoping for a little bitch fight or at least a tiny row. Did I get that? No. Well, that woman owns a cat, which caused some trouble, but not the trouble I was hoping for. That was kind of disappointing, really. In the end, the big secret was unraveld, but did they fight then? No. Because it was in the middle of the big drama (literally) and they were best friends again after that. So disappointing.

The story itself wasn't entirely to my liking as well. I didn't like the fact that Huckle (what a great name, but I'll come to that.) left Polly alone for stupid reasons and then didn't come back for forever for reasons that were even more stupid. With every page I disliked him more. A shame, because I quite liked him in the first part.

Towards the end I got more and more annoyed with Polly and Huckle and the story itself. It also took me ages to finally finish it.

Then, the end. Well the happy end was okay, but not nearly cute enough. At all. And before the final happy end, of course there had to be some total, life-threatening drama. Which had to do with the sea, just as in the first part. Okay, they live on a tiny island, so heavy storms and huge waves and whatnot are probably most likely, but still. And after that Polly is the most wonderful heroine of all time, blah, blah, blah. How could it have been any different?

Now, to the names: Huckle. I could ignore the stupidity of that name in the first part, but now he has a brother called Dubose. Seriously? And what kind of cruel parents name their children Huckle AND Dubose? The brother was stupid, so his name fitted him perfectly.

All in all, I would say I clearly expected more. It was just not cute enough, not lovely, not satisfying in any way, at all. There was not the fight I was hoping for, no romance, because the guy went away, no daily bakery life, because the bakery kind of went away, too. Polly gets a substitute for her loss of the bakery, but still. Not my favourite book by far.
Profile Image for Megan.
470 reviews184 followers
March 17, 2015
Having been a huge fan of all of Jenny Colgan’s books so far, I couldn’t wait to sit down and get started on her latest release – Summer At Little Beach Street Bakery!

It is Summer in the Cornish town of Mount Polbearne and Polly Waterford couldn’t be happier. Polly is in love – with the beautiful seaside town she calls home, with running the bakery on Beach Street, and she’s definitely in love with her boyfriend, Huckle. And yet there’s something unsettling about the gentle summer breeze that’s floating through town. Selina, recently widowed, hopes that moving to Mount Polbearne will ease her grief, but Polly has a secret that could destroy her friend’s fragile recovery. Responsibilities that Huckle thought he’d left behind are back and Polly finds it hard to cope with his increasingly long periods of absence. Polly sifts flour, kneads dough and bakes bread, but nothing can calm the storm she knows is coming: is Polly about to lose everything she loves?

I was SO excited to be back in the world of Polly and her beautiful little bakery down at Beach Street! If you haven’t already then please read Little Beach Street Bakery first…although it doesn’t get confusing if you haven’t as this one can be read as a standalone, and Jenny always makes sure that you are given enough information to know what happened, reading the first one can make it more enjoyable as you get to read more books with the characters in and have a longer experience with them!

Polly is a firm favourite of mine, I loved her character and her personality since the first book so it was wonderful to be reunited with her as she continued her journey and her life on Mount Polbearne. But with a turn of events and other issues popping up, I really felt for Polly as she faced all of this. I really really rooted for Polly, and I was absolutely gripped to the story wanting to know what would happen next and how Polly would cope with everything. I REALLY want to talk about all the events but I’m desperate not to spoil anything, but there is lots of love, friendship, emotion, obstacles, and lots of bread too!

I LOVED Polly’s interactions with Huckle, I swoon over them as a couple! And who can forget that there is a gorgeous little Puffin Neil who just makes me feel happy all of the time! Jenny also does a fantastic job of incorporating brilliant and delicious recipes and food into her stories, and if you are like me then it will have you itching to get in the kitchen and start baking! Summer At Little Beach Street Bakery is a thoroughly enjoyable read and a fantastic return to Mount Polbearne!
Profile Image for Kim.
782 reviews
May 18, 2022
I’m glad that Neil came back.
Profile Image for Sarah.
86 reviews3 followers
June 17, 2017
This one was a struggle. I so enjoyed the first book in this series, but this was disappointing! So many depressing events in Polly's life and she had no fire left to her! It was beyond frustrating to read about how helpless and hopeless she was the whole time, and always tongue tied in the face of Malcolm the outrageous bully. So much of this book was the same events happening again from the first book, and the part with a hurt Neil made me cry it was not necessary!
Profile Image for Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays).
5,148 reviews3,113 followers
June 4, 2020
Colgan continues the story of Polly, Huckle, Neil and the rest of the Mount Polbearne gang. The delectable descriptions of baked goods — coupled with a hefty dose of fascinating characters — makes this a quick, satisfying read. Readers won’t like the discouraging things that befall the characters, but the humor and uplifting ending helps everyone to feel great by the conclusion.
Just as things begin to settle into a routine for Polly, her crotchety landlady dies and her nephew takes over the running of the bake shops. He has some very different ideas about how to run things, wanting to cut costs by using pre-packaged ingredients and items. After he and Polly part ways, she has to find a way to make money to support herself and the lighthouse. As things progress in her relationship with Huckle, they need to decide how to balance things with each other.
Profile Image for Karen.
2,628 reviews1,296 followers
December 22, 2023
This was an opportunity to come back and revisit the life of Polly and Huckle and their "pet" puffin Neil after buying the lighthouse and running the bakery at Little Beach Street. How fun to live on this small island.

The story has its typical ups and downs of life. It shows the struggles and changes in business and life at home - the friendships - letting go - and doing the right thing - and trusting your feelings.

It all just comes down to hope, love and community.

It is the second in a trilogy of delightful stories.

Even though it has a been-here-before feel to it...it is still cute and cozy and fun and refreshing in its own sweet way.
Profile Image for Toni.
821 reviews265 followers
October 7, 2021
Maybe 4.5 But, I just enjoy Jenny Colgan’s writing, it’s my happy place. This is book 2 in the Beach Street Bakery series. Rough spots for the bakery but they carry on!
😊
Profile Image for Maria João (A Biblioteca da João).
1,385 reviews247 followers
June 20, 2017
8,5 de 10*

Jenny Colgan surpreendeu-me pela sua escrita leve e fresca no livro “Pão, Mel e Amor”. Assim que vi editado o seu novo livro “Tempestade de Verão”, e sabendo que dá continuidade à história de Polly, Huckle e Neil no belo cenário que é a ilha de Mount Polbearne, entrou imediatamente na minha wishlist. Que bom foi voltar a esta história!
Apesar de ter um ou outro ponto menos bem conseguido, esta comédia romântica mantém o registo do livro anterior, que me deu imenso prazer ler!

Comentário completo em:
http://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.pt/...
Profile Image for Racheli Zusiman.
1,992 reviews74 followers
December 22, 2021
ספר ההמשך לספר Little Beach Street Bakery של ג'ני קולגן, שמאוד אהבתי.
נראה שהחיים של פולי סוף סוף מסתדרים - היא חיה במגדלור עם האקל בן זוגה, ועובדת במאפיה. אך דברים מתחילים להשתבש - למאפיה יש בעלים חדשים שרוצה לעשות שינויים, מצבם הכלכלי של פולי והאקל לא טוב, ניל הפאפין נפצע, לעיירה מגיעה אלמנתו של הדייג טרני, שלפולי היה רומן איתו בספר הקודם, ואת בריטניה וספציפית את העיירה פוקדת סופה קשה ממש. פולי צריכה להתמודד עם כל הקשיים האלו ולנסות לשמור על כל מה שבנתה בעמל רב כדי שלא יתמוטט...
ספר מקסים ומתוק כמיטב המסורת של ג'ני קולגן. ממשיכה מיד לספר השלישי בסדרה.
Profile Image for CindySR.
601 reviews7 followers
December 29, 2019
This is one of those stories I liked but probably won't remember. I will remember Neil The Puffin. The whole book would have been nothing without Neil! Apparently there are some Puffins that can become attached to humans (check the google). However, the very end of the book proves that author did not do enough Puffin research and that faux pas is going to be the only thing I definitely WILL remember from this story. I always remember the mistakes. My gripe spoilerized:


edited to add: And the Vet hates cats and wants to declaw them! What the.....!!!!!!!?
Profile Image for Femke.
610 reviews27 followers
October 13, 2020
Wat een goed vervolg op het eerste deel. Met plezier gelezen. Ik miste afentoe wel wat diepgang en was het verhaal soms wat negatief, maar hé een papegaai duiker als huisdier en de bijbehorende stunts maken veel goed.
Profile Image for littleprettybooks.
933 reviews317 followers
July 31, 2018
14/20

Un plaisir de retourner sur cette petite île, retrouver son ambiance et les personnages de cette série. C’est la lecture feel-good par excellence, et tout ce dont j’avais besoin au moment de ma lecture. Je regrette les longueurs de ce tome et certains rebondissements qui étaient à mon sens un peu de trop, mais j’ai trouvé dans cette lecture la douceur que je recherchais.

Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...
Profile Image for Paula Reis.
669 reviews13 followers
June 30, 2017
Deliciosa continuação de Pão Mel e Amor.
O Amor tudo consegue, a tenacidade ajuda muito e a humildade dá uma mão gigantesca! Receita para um livro de ler e chorar por mais!
Profile Image for Book Concierge.
3,078 reviews387 followers
October 24, 2019
Digital Audiobook performed by Allison Larkin.


Book two in the Little Beach Street Bakery series

From the book jacket A thriving bakery. A lighthouse to call home. A handsome beekeeper. A pet puffin. These are the things that Polly Waterford can call her own. This is the beautiful life she leads on a tiny island off the southern coast of England.

My reactions
This is an enjoyable chick-lit romance with food. There’s the usual drama one expects from new-adult relationships, life choices, career moves, etc. Wonderful cast of supporting characters! I do love Neil, the puffin – or more appropriately, I love how much Polly loves Neil. And I really like the recipes at the end of the book (and the editorial comments gave me quite a chuckle).

I read book three last year, so I was a little confused at first about some of the relationships until I realized I was reading the series “backwards.” My bad. It’s still and fun, fast, light read. Perfect for a vacation read, or anytime you want something entertaining.

Allison Larkin does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a nice pace, has clear diction, and enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the many characters.

Profile Image for Rebecca Carter.
154 reviews102 followers
June 26, 2015
Loved it. A perfect feel good book. I'm just sad that it had to end as i was getting a soft spot for Mount Polbearne and the lovely characters that live there. I may have to take up baking as a hobby and hope it leads me to such a gorgeous sounding place where I can have my own pet puffin ;) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jenny will one day write a third book so we can see revisit Polly, Hutch, Neil and co and see what they have been up to.
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