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Millie Vanilla's Cupcake Cafe #1-3
Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café
Baking, broken hearts and beach weddings…it’s all happening in the gorgeous little seaside town of Berecombe this year!
Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café is struggling as a multi-national chain of cafés moves in on its territory. Despite baking up a storm in a bid to save it, Millie’s distracted by falling head over heels for the gorgeous, mysterious Jed.
As the seasons change in Berecombe, the loveable, quirky locals rally round Millie, and in return find their own happy ever afters. Millie’s delighted for her friends, but when she discovers Jed’s been keeping secrets, she faces a new dilemma – is it finally time to hang up her apron and start an exciting life somewhere new? Or is everything she’s ever wanted right under her nose, just waiting for her to reach out and take it?
Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café is struggling as a multi-national chain of cafés moves in on its territory. Despite baking up a storm in a bid to save it, Millie’s distracted by falling head over heels for the gorgeous, mysterious Jed.
As the seasons change in Berecombe, the loveable, quirky locals rally round Millie, and in return find their own happy ever afters. Millie’s delighted for her friends, but when she discovers Jed’s been keeping secrets, she faces a new dilemma – is it finally time to hang up her apron and start an exciting life somewhere new? Or is everything she’s ever wanted right under her nose, just waiting for her to reach out and take it?
- GenresRomance
496 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 11, 2018
31 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 2, 2018
This is quite the lovely book. Three novella length stories in the Millie Vanilla Cupcake Cafe series. I loved following along with Millie's story. Her cupcake cafe is failing monetarily wise and a big national chain comes into town and she's worried sick about the competition, how will she be able to compete? To busy for love all she has time for is her dog,her cafe and baking.Tiredness is her middle name. Her customers say she needs a holiday away and love but who has time for that? When a traveling businessman pops into her cafe day after day is it a sign that love may be in the air?
I loved the descriptions of all the yummy treats in the cafe and am looking forward to Georgia Hill's next book.
Pub Date 11 Jan 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperImpulse for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the descriptions of all the yummy treats in the cafe and am looking forward to Georgia Hill's next book.
Pub Date 11 Jan 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperImpulse for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 3, 2018
I've been meaning to read a book by Georgia Hill for ages, and been looking forward to the release of this book for almost the whole of 2017, so needless to say it was only a few days after I got my hands on a copy that I had to start reading it.
Was it worth the wait?..
...yes absolutely, I loved it, the three original parts of the book all could work as individual standalone novellas, but when combined into one book, make a simply marvellous story, with plenty going on at all times, and you end up feeling a real part of Berecombe.
I loved Millie's cupcake cafe, it sounded such a great part of the community, and all the food sounded really delicious. However normally its at this point in a review for a cafe book I say how hungry I felt reading it, and actually there was so many storylines, and great characters and the pace of the book was so much, that I found the food was really just a small part of the book. Which made for a nice refreshing change.
There are romances threaded throughout the book, and in each of the three parts, there was a key secondary character that was getting a good amount of chapters dedicated to them, so we got to know three of Millie's friends really well too.
The other main thread at the heart of the book is whether the cupcake cafe will be able to survive a big multinational chain cafe opening in the same town. It really was a David and Goliath style battle, and all the time I couldn't help feel sorry for Millie for even having to deal with it all.
This is a fabulous story to read at this rainy miserable time of year, as it will warm you up with its heartwarming qualities, have you gripped as you work out just whether or not Jed can be trusted, and awwing with some of the romances playing out.
It is also a book that has one rather memorable scene forever imprinted on my mind, and it may not be a good thing although hilarious involving the pensioners - Biddy and Arthur! In fact there are a few truly memorable scenes involving Biddy, especially in relation to her working life!
Really enjoyed reading every moment of this wonderful book, which did start a bit slow in the first part and then as I became more involved and knew who the cast of characters were, had me loving it completely.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Was it worth the wait?..
...yes absolutely, I loved it, the three original parts of the book all could work as individual standalone novellas, but when combined into one book, make a simply marvellous story, with plenty going on at all times, and you end up feeling a real part of Berecombe.
I loved Millie's cupcake cafe, it sounded such a great part of the community, and all the food sounded really delicious. However normally its at this point in a review for a cafe book I say how hungry I felt reading it, and actually there was so many storylines, and great characters and the pace of the book was so much, that I found the food was really just a small part of the book. Which made for a nice refreshing change.
There are romances threaded throughout the book, and in each of the three parts, there was a key secondary character that was getting a good amount of chapters dedicated to them, so we got to know three of Millie's friends really well too.
The other main thread at the heart of the book is whether the cupcake cafe will be able to survive a big multinational chain cafe opening in the same town. It really was a David and Goliath style battle, and all the time I couldn't help feel sorry for Millie for even having to deal with it all.
This is a fabulous story to read at this rainy miserable time of year, as it will warm you up with its heartwarming qualities, have you gripped as you work out just whether or not Jed can be trusted, and awwing with some of the romances playing out.
It is also a book that has one rather memorable scene forever imprinted on my mind, and it may not be a good thing although hilarious involving the pensioners - Biddy and Arthur! In fact there are a few truly memorable scenes involving Biddy, especially in relation to her working life!
Really enjoyed reading every moment of this wonderful book, which did start a bit slow in the first part and then as I became more involved and knew who the cast of characters were, had me loving it completely.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
January 6, 2018
This book is a lovely read it really is a romantic book it is emotional you can really feel the emotion while reading the book laughter happiness sadness it was sweet what's not to love cake seaside and amazing characters.
I couldn't put this book down had to find out what was going to happen it didn't disappoint It was a surprise reading it cause you don't expect what happened to happen. The description of the scenery to the characters made you feel you was actually there and knew them while reading the book.
I can't wait to see what Georgia Hill brings out next.
I would like to say thank you to Netgalley for letting me review this book.
I couldn't put this book down had to find out what was going to happen it didn't disappoint It was a surprise reading it cause you don't expect what happened to happen. The description of the scenery to the characters made you feel you was actually there and knew them while reading the book.
I can't wait to see what Georgia Hill brings out next.
I would like to say thank you to Netgalley for letting me review this book.
January 18, 2018
This is a delicious treat for all fans of all things romance and chick-lit! The 3 novellas have been brought together under this one title and it works so well and keeps you turning the pages to find out how life will treat Millie in her cafe with the arrival of a new big chain, and how her friends all pull together to help her out - and how some of those closest to her betray her!
Millie is such an easy character to embrace - she has worked hard in her parents cafe after losing them so tragically, and all those who visit the cafe have become like her family, along with her rather cute dog Trevor! Her cafe is the heart of the community so when that is threatened by a new venture opening in town, she has to come up with ideas to keep her cafe relevant and keep the customers coming through the door!
It doesn't help that her head has been turned by a hunky new visitor to the town! Their friendship soon escalates and they seem like such a perfect couple, until Jed and his 'secret' is revealed and that puts a huge strain on the trust between them.
WE also get to follow the story of Dora who has had success in LA as an actress and is back in town. She used to go to school with Millie along with Mike who is directing a play in town - loved how eager Dora was to help out with the production and let feelings from the past resurface! And then there's a story from Christmas featuring Jed and his brother and how once more the cafe is in trouble and Millie has doubts as to whether she is doing the right thing anymore.
This had everything I loved about a story - full of humour, a real sense of community, lovable characters (young and old!) and an easy going pace that just kept you reading!
Millie is such an easy character to embrace - she has worked hard in her parents cafe after losing them so tragically, and all those who visit the cafe have become like her family, along with her rather cute dog Trevor! Her cafe is the heart of the community so when that is threatened by a new venture opening in town, she has to come up with ideas to keep her cafe relevant and keep the customers coming through the door!
It doesn't help that her head has been turned by a hunky new visitor to the town! Their friendship soon escalates and they seem like such a perfect couple, until Jed and his 'secret' is revealed and that puts a huge strain on the trust between them.
WE also get to follow the story of Dora who has had success in LA as an actress and is back in town. She used to go to school with Millie along with Mike who is directing a play in town - loved how eager Dora was to help out with the production and let feelings from the past resurface! And then there's a story from Christmas featuring Jed and his brother and how once more the cafe is in trouble and Millie has doubts as to whether she is doing the right thing anymore.
This had everything I loved about a story - full of humour, a real sense of community, lovable characters (young and old!) and an easy going pace that just kept you reading!
August 4, 2019
Genuinely felt like I'd read it before so just skimmed it....I use Goodreads for everything though so baffled if it got through the net! 2-3 stars
October 27, 2017
It was a cute series of novellas. Dora and Mike are my favorite couple.
January 16, 2018
Millie Vanilla's Cupcake Café by Georgia Hill is the full length edition following Millie's adventures. It combines all three parts previously published throughout the last year, these being Spring Beginnings, Summer Loves and Christmas Weddings. On one hand it was brilliant to be able to read the entire story in one go but on the other some of the sections read very much as stand alone stories and I'm not sure it worked as one full length book. Summer Loves in particular felt very long and dragged out so parts one and three were perhaps the ones I enjoyed most throughout the book.
With each part I felt there was very much three distinct storylines which focused on one particular character with plot lines we had already read about working away in the background. So much so that at times the book lost focus and tended to stray away from what the main aspect of the story was. The last section had a storyline which to my mind became quite far fetched and just that little bit too over the top for it to be fully believable. That said Millie Vanilla's Cupcake Café was a nice light, easy read of one girls struggle to keep her beloved café going in the face of strong opposition while concurrently she is attempting to find her happy ever after. Even if this journey she was on with regard to romance proved very frustrating for the reader and even the friends of Millie.
Emilia Fudge known as Millie has run the cupcake café in the seaside town of Berecombe in Devon ever since she lost her parents in a tragic accident. She loves what she does and works hard every hour of the day hut there is always that niggle in the background for her. Is there something more out there? The author did a lovely job of setting the scene as to where the café was actually located and I could see why Millie enjoyed it so much. The descriptions of all the cakes and treats that were served in the café were certainly mouthwatering and made me want to go and bake a treat to enjoy whilst reading... that's something considering I can't bake at all.
The café is the only place to stay open in winter and in doing so becomes a cocoon for the residents and a few straggling tourists but stiff competition is on the way in the form of Blue Elephant. This coffee chain is opening a swanky new café in Berecombe and Millie panics, as she does for very much the entire book, as to how she can compete with the big guns. Can her small, wonderful, charming café survive against all the odds when a multinational has so much power? Well she won't go down without a fight that's for sure. I questioned whether Millie's battle would form enough of a storyline to carry the book through to it's conclusion given in the first part it soon became apparent that the first and third parts would focus on this whilst part two focused on another character Dora, recently returned from her acting career in America.
Part two was the weakest for me as Millie seemed to be more or less forgotten about. Too much attention was focused on Dora and her taking part in a play being produced by Mike, a man she had loved deeply over ten years ago, yet they were cruelly torn apart. If a balance had been achieved between Dora and Millie's storylines I felt the book would have worked better at the mid way point. There were several characters who were introduced fairly early on who remained present throughout the story. Biddy and Arthur were soon firm favourites of mine. The visited the café daily and the addition of their dogs with Trevor Millie's cockapoo made for some lovely scenes. Perhaps the funniest chapter in the book featured Biddy and Arthur and it was great to see older characters having prominence and in a way one would least expect it. It literally left me with my mouth hanging open and chuckling away to myself.
Millie was a character who I loved on one page and then a few pages later she would have you wringing your hair out of pure frustration. She never knew what she wanted and at times she reacted to things very impulsively when she should have stepped back and thought about what she wanted to say before an explosion of verbal diarrhoea erupted which left little room for forgiveness or acceptance. I could see she had such a strong connection to the café and wanted to not throw the towel in too early for the sake of the legacy of her parents but perhaps that was what was holding her back from going out there and exploring the world beyond the confines of Berecombe. Her grief had been kept under wraps for so long but now was the time it needed to emerge so she could confront things long bottled up.
A stranger arriving at the café is what sets the cat among the pigeons. Jed Henville seemed too good to be true. A charming, hunk of a man who literally stepped through the door and Millie was instantly more than smitten. I know love at first sight features heavily in so many women's romance novels but this was even too quick for my liking. So the fact that true love didn't run as smoothly as Millie had envisaged for various reasons gave the book a little meat even though Millie was very annoying when it came to her compulsivity as I have explained. I figured out fairly on in Spring Beginnings what was actually going on with Jed so the big reveal wasn't too shocking and as much as I loved his generosity, kindness and just good nature, some of his storylines further on in the book seemed too out of place and unrealistic. Millie and Jed are very much from different worlds which makes her feel inadequate. This is something she will have to get over if she wants to listen and follow her heart. In parts it was almost a case of nothing happened for awhile and then the author felt the need to throw in things to spice up the book, at times it wasn't needed.
Part three connected back to part one and I was grateful for that. Two new characters were introduced Alex, Jed's brother, who had quit his job in London to renovate a hotel in Berecombe and Eleri, the granddaughter of a local man, who now helps out in the café. It was great there were no pretensions as to the eventual outcome for this pair as Eleri was pretty clear on it given her mystical, other worldly qualities. It was more about the journey as to how they got there and I enjoyed their storyline very much. The cast of supporting characters for the most part were really well placed throughout the book and were always there for Millie especially when she hits rock bottom. They never pressured Millie even if they could see she was going about things in the wrong way. Instead they were there with gentle reminders and words of comfort and advice. The actions of Millie's best friend Tessa in part one really turned me against her, would you really do that to a friend? I could see why she did it but I wondered could she have found another way. Millie's reaction to this was more than justified.
Berecombe really was a community where everyone pulled together and wanted good things for everyone. For the most part I enjoyed my time spent visiting Millie's Café despite some of the faults I have mentioned above. It was a nice, pleasant read that had me rooting for a positive outcome for Millie on both a personal and professional level. It's not the best book I have read in this genre but the time I spent reading it was enjoyable.
With each part I felt there was very much three distinct storylines which focused on one particular character with plot lines we had already read about working away in the background. So much so that at times the book lost focus and tended to stray away from what the main aspect of the story was. The last section had a storyline which to my mind became quite far fetched and just that little bit too over the top for it to be fully believable. That said Millie Vanilla's Cupcake Café was a nice light, easy read of one girls struggle to keep her beloved café going in the face of strong opposition while concurrently she is attempting to find her happy ever after. Even if this journey she was on with regard to romance proved very frustrating for the reader and even the friends of Millie.
Emilia Fudge known as Millie has run the cupcake café in the seaside town of Berecombe in Devon ever since she lost her parents in a tragic accident. She loves what she does and works hard every hour of the day hut there is always that niggle in the background for her. Is there something more out there? The author did a lovely job of setting the scene as to where the café was actually located and I could see why Millie enjoyed it so much. The descriptions of all the cakes and treats that were served in the café were certainly mouthwatering and made me want to go and bake a treat to enjoy whilst reading... that's something considering I can't bake at all.
The café is the only place to stay open in winter and in doing so becomes a cocoon for the residents and a few straggling tourists but stiff competition is on the way in the form of Blue Elephant. This coffee chain is opening a swanky new café in Berecombe and Millie panics, as she does for very much the entire book, as to how she can compete with the big guns. Can her small, wonderful, charming café survive against all the odds when a multinational has so much power? Well she won't go down without a fight that's for sure. I questioned whether Millie's battle would form enough of a storyline to carry the book through to it's conclusion given in the first part it soon became apparent that the first and third parts would focus on this whilst part two focused on another character Dora, recently returned from her acting career in America.
Part two was the weakest for me as Millie seemed to be more or less forgotten about. Too much attention was focused on Dora and her taking part in a play being produced by Mike, a man she had loved deeply over ten years ago, yet they were cruelly torn apart. If a balance had been achieved between Dora and Millie's storylines I felt the book would have worked better at the mid way point. There were several characters who were introduced fairly early on who remained present throughout the story. Biddy and Arthur were soon firm favourites of mine. The visited the café daily and the addition of their dogs with Trevor Millie's cockapoo made for some lovely scenes. Perhaps the funniest chapter in the book featured Biddy and Arthur and it was great to see older characters having prominence and in a way one would least expect it. It literally left me with my mouth hanging open and chuckling away to myself.
Millie was a character who I loved on one page and then a few pages later she would have you wringing your hair out of pure frustration. She never knew what she wanted and at times she reacted to things very impulsively when she should have stepped back and thought about what she wanted to say before an explosion of verbal diarrhoea erupted which left little room for forgiveness or acceptance. I could see she had such a strong connection to the café and wanted to not throw the towel in too early for the sake of the legacy of her parents but perhaps that was what was holding her back from going out there and exploring the world beyond the confines of Berecombe. Her grief had been kept under wraps for so long but now was the time it needed to emerge so she could confront things long bottled up.
A stranger arriving at the café is what sets the cat among the pigeons. Jed Henville seemed too good to be true. A charming, hunk of a man who literally stepped through the door and Millie was instantly more than smitten. I know love at first sight features heavily in so many women's romance novels but this was even too quick for my liking. So the fact that true love didn't run as smoothly as Millie had envisaged for various reasons gave the book a little meat even though Millie was very annoying when it came to her compulsivity as I have explained. I figured out fairly on in Spring Beginnings what was actually going on with Jed so the big reveal wasn't too shocking and as much as I loved his generosity, kindness and just good nature, some of his storylines further on in the book seemed too out of place and unrealistic. Millie and Jed are very much from different worlds which makes her feel inadequate. This is something she will have to get over if she wants to listen and follow her heart. In parts it was almost a case of nothing happened for awhile and then the author felt the need to throw in things to spice up the book, at times it wasn't needed.
Part three connected back to part one and I was grateful for that. Two new characters were introduced Alex, Jed's brother, who had quit his job in London to renovate a hotel in Berecombe and Eleri, the granddaughter of a local man, who now helps out in the café. It was great there were no pretensions as to the eventual outcome for this pair as Eleri was pretty clear on it given her mystical, other worldly qualities. It was more about the journey as to how they got there and I enjoyed their storyline very much. The cast of supporting characters for the most part were really well placed throughout the book and were always there for Millie especially when she hits rock bottom. They never pressured Millie even if they could see she was going about things in the wrong way. Instead they were there with gentle reminders and words of comfort and advice. The actions of Millie's best friend Tessa in part one really turned me against her, would you really do that to a friend? I could see why she did it but I wondered could she have found another way. Millie's reaction to this was more than justified.
Berecombe really was a community where everyone pulled together and wanted good things for everyone. For the most part I enjoyed my time spent visiting Millie's Café despite some of the faults I have mentioned above. It was a nice, pleasant read that had me rooting for a positive outcome for Millie on both a personal and professional level. It's not the best book I have read in this genre but the time I spent reading it was enjoyable.
December 24, 2017
This is a compilation of all the Millie Vanilla stories and is a lovely holiday read, for all those who love stories full of romance, conflict and delicious cakes. The story covers, Spring, Summer and Christmas and is a lovely, heartwarming read.
Spring Beginnings...
Cafe stories are prevalent at the moment, but this one is a little different. It has an old-fashioned quality, which fits in perfectly with the setting in an old-style English seaside town. The characters are varied and accurately reflect the clientele in most seaside cafes. There is a lovely community feel to this story which contrasts vividly with the underhand behaviour Millie is forced to confront when her business is threatened, by a corporate rival cafe.
Romance has been in short supply for Millie who has worked through her grief by fulfilling her parents’ dream. Jed is not her usual type of customer, but the attraction is instant and powerful and makes for some sizzling scenes, which push the boundaries of this sweet romance.
The plot is simple but effective, and this is a pleasant read.
Summer Loves...
Millie is on her own again after her Spring romance with rich boy Jed, but her cafe is surviving and so is she, especially when her school best friend returns to Berecombe unexpectedly.
Dora, a successful actress, returns home and finds Millie’s love life in tatters. Determined to see her friend happy she doesn’t
expect her own heart to be threatened when someone from her past returns to challenge and allure her.
Dora and Mike’s love story is poignant and steamy in equal measures and mirrors the theatre production they both find themselves involved with. Millie and Jed’s path to true love is equally frustrating and seems unlikely to have a happy ending until Millie can trust Jed again.
The older generation is determined not to be outdone in the romance stakes and provide much of the humour in this story, which seesaws between laughter and tears.
Christmas Weddings...
Millie returns from her travels abroad, hoping to complete the sale of her cafe. Part of her wants to see Jed, but she sent him away, so there is no chance of that?
Another romance dominates this story apart from the loved-up couple who Millie is arranging the wedding for at the cafe. Ri and Alex are an unlikely couple, but their’s proves to be an engaging story, with a mystical slant that I always enjoy.
This is a gentle, romantic story, which incorporates the festive element beautifully. The ending is charming and full of vivid imagery, which makes it easy to imagine being one of the wedding guests. Thankfully everyone has a happy ending. What more could you ask for?
I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
March 18, 2018
Millie has inherited a cafe from her late parents. She has devoted her life to making it the very best in their small village. She serves perfect coffee, wonderful deserts and sandwiches and soup which are all locally created and absolutely delicious. Millie is well loved by other villagers because she always has time to listen and care for them.
She works hard and has allowed life to move on without her.
Her best friend Nora has gone to Hollywood and become a television star. Other friends have traveled and seen the world, gotten married and started successful careers.
Then Jed walks into the cafe and things take an entirely new turn in Millie's life.
This is a story about the life of the people who live in the village of Berecombe as much as it is about Millie. It is about trying to make the village an even greater tourist destination. It is about older people finding someone to love. It is about friendship which means supporting and caring for one another no matter what happens. It is about shared history which means the world to people.
I enjoyed the story. But, at times I felt like I was walking through quicksand. Too many descriptions and too many words. I think describing everything Jed wore became too heavy a burden for me.
I liked Millie, but I got rather past the point of understanding throwing Jed aside over and over. There are wonderful happily ever afters, but it was a struggle getting there.
The story of Nora and Mike was a sweet one. Biddie and Arthur were a lovely couple. Zoe and her angst about who to date was just right for a teenager. And who would not love a story about a mermaid and a very uptight banker?
This book had so many things going for it. On one level, I absolutely loved everything about it. On another level, I wanted to be allowed to actually read the story and skip some of the repetitive parts. But, I did not skip anything. And I am glad I read the book.
Ms Hill is a very talented author. I enjoyed reading her words. I just believe I would have enjoyed it more if there would have been fewer of them.
She works hard and has allowed life to move on without her.
Her best friend Nora has gone to Hollywood and become a television star. Other friends have traveled and seen the world, gotten married and started successful careers.
Then Jed walks into the cafe and things take an entirely new turn in Millie's life.
This is a story about the life of the people who live in the village of Berecombe as much as it is about Millie. It is about trying to make the village an even greater tourist destination. It is about older people finding someone to love. It is about friendship which means supporting and caring for one another no matter what happens. It is about shared history which means the world to people.
I enjoyed the story. But, at times I felt like I was walking through quicksand. Too many descriptions and too many words. I think describing everything Jed wore became too heavy a burden for me.
I liked Millie, but I got rather past the point of understanding throwing Jed aside over and over. There are wonderful happily ever afters, but it was a struggle getting there.
The story of Nora and Mike was a sweet one. Biddie and Arthur were a lovely couple. Zoe and her angst about who to date was just right for a teenager. And who would not love a story about a mermaid and a very uptight banker?
This book had so many things going for it. On one level, I absolutely loved everything about it. On another level, I wanted to be allowed to actually read the story and skip some of the repetitive parts. But, I did not skip anything. And I am glad I read the book.
Ms Hill is a very talented author. I enjoyed reading her words. I just believe I would have enjoyed it more if there would have been fewer of them.
October 14, 2018
A wonderful, wonderful book.
It's told in three parts, as originally it was written first as a series of three novella e-books.
Story revolves mostly around Millie Vanilla's café & the characters who come in & out.
All the characters are good.
The Blue Elephant multi-national chain of cafés, opens up near Millie Vanilla's & obviously she's worried how badly it will affect her trade. But with minimal finances, help from locals & friends, Millie updates her café, as best she can, to compete with her rivals.
She also talks with friends & they come up with a few events, to bring people in.
But will it all be enough to save Millie Vanilla's?
It's told in three parts, as originally it was written first as a series of three novella e-books.
Story revolves mostly around Millie Vanilla's café & the characters who come in & out.
All the characters are good.
The Blue Elephant multi-national chain of cafés, opens up near Millie Vanilla's & obviously she's worried how badly it will affect her trade. But with minimal finances, help from locals & friends, Millie updates her café, as best she can, to compete with her rivals.
She also talks with friends & they come up with a few events, to bring people in.
But will it all be enough to save Millie Vanilla's?
May 12, 2018
A lovely feel good lighthearted warm book, I really enjoyed this. A story of friendship, community, romance, heartbreak and cakes. A true mix of interesting characters who are easy to empathise with and some are easy to dislike!
Well written, engaging with a great storyline which kept my interest throughout. Lovely location in Devon.
Recommended for a holiday read or Sunday afternoon on the sofa.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Well written, engaging with a great storyline which kept my interest throughout. Lovely location in Devon.
Recommended for a holiday read or Sunday afternoon on the sofa.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 16, 2018
First time I ever had read this author. The library was advertising new authors and the front cover grabbed my attention and am I glad it did. This book was so enchanting, it made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me worry about Millie and her customers. I'm aware after reading this book that it's novellas in one edition, but never did I feel like that.
Brilliant book, highly recommend you read it and I can't wait to read this author again.
Brilliant book, highly recommend you read it and I can't wait to read this author again.
February 22, 2018
This book is split into three smaller books and whilst each has its own distinct storyline so too does it continue the story of our heroine Millie, her battle to save her beloved seaside cafe and her on/off romance with newcomer Jed.
These were lovely warm romantic books and it was especially good to be able to read them one after the other following Mille’s Struggles and meeting her friends and clientele.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
These were lovely warm romantic books and it was especially good to be able to read them one after the other following Mille’s Struggles and meeting her friends and clientele.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 21, 2018
Previously published as three novellas, I only remembered I’d already read one of them when I got to it! A lighthearted, fun read with love, friendship and life changes as the main themes. Well drawn characters, I empathised with some of them and found others amusing. I enjoyed reading about the community in this small seaside town and found the changing of priorities in different seasons interesting.
February 28, 2019
First of all, there were a lot of missing words/ parts of words. Did nobody proofread this book?
The romantic aspects of the main characters' relationships was in all three cases unharmonious. Too fast, too many abrupt on-offs, too weird, too out-of-place somehow.
Apart from that, the story is pretty good though. Every part slightly focuses on a different couple without neglecting the other ones/ the overall storyline. So all in all still quite nice with a satisfying ending!
The romantic aspects of the main characters' relationships was in all three cases unharmonious. Too fast, too many abrupt on-offs, too weird, too out-of-place somehow.
Apart from that, the story is pretty good though. Every part slightly focuses on a different couple without neglecting the other ones/ the overall storyline. So all in all still quite nice with a satisfying ending!
March 5, 2023
I liked the premise of this book and really thought I'd love it. However it is very predictable, seems to go round in circles and is one big cliché. Usually books like this are great for sitting round the pool on holiday, but I'd get way to bored doing that reading this book. The grammar and proof reading does not do any favours either- some very simple punctuation errors and wrong names used etc, edited to a poor standard in my opinion.
August 15, 2023
I’ve read this book but as the three part ebook series rather than this full length novel, which is why this hasn’t been included or added towards my 2023 reading challenge as the individual three ebooks have been added to it already.
To see my review for this book, then please visit the individual books on here which are as follows:
Millie Vanilla's Cupcake Cafe
1 Spring Beginnings (2017)
2 Summer Loves (2017)
3 Christmas Weddings (2017)
To see my review for this book, then please visit the individual books on here which are as follows:
Millie Vanilla's Cupcake Cafe
1 Spring Beginnings (2017)
2 Summer Loves (2017)
3 Christmas Weddings (2017)
April 27, 2018
3 novellas in one place and they are all intertwined with each other.
The setting is familiar to me which made it very enjoyable. I liked the characters and Jed sounded very dreamy.
I would definitely recommend this book for a beach holiday read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Georgia Hill and Harper Impulse for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The setting is familiar to me which made it very enjoyable. I liked the characters and Jed sounded very dreamy.
I would definitely recommend this book for a beach holiday read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Georgia Hill and Harper Impulse for the opportunity to read and review this book.
September 17, 2019
This was a cute and easy book to read!! I wasn't exactly sold on the story (some of the plot seemed a bit far fetched) but I enjoyed reading it. The book actually consists of 3 separate novellas which all revolve around the main character of Millie, her cafe and the seaside town she live in. Would recommend if you're looking for a nice, easy holiday read!
May 8, 2018
A very funny and highly entertaining read of three complicated relationships on the English seaside. A lighthearted and great summer read for a nice love story. Highly recommended for a lazy afternoon of reading a great story.
October 24, 2018
I’m not 100% sure how I felt about this book, on one side I loved it but then I got annoyed about how fast everyone fell in love, and how many times Millie ended it and got annoyed with Jed and wouldn’t give him a chance to explain.
But besides that I enjoyed it.
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But besides that I enjoyed it.
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July 31, 2019
A funny and emotional summer read set in the wonderful little seaside town of Berecombe in Devon - the perfect setting for this tale of romance and friendship in the close-knit community. I'd like to live there myself! A thoroughly enjoyable and enchanting read!
August 6, 2019
Very very enjoyable book, very much written as three separate parts. I wasn’t sure, when the main characters from the first part practically vanished in the second section, however as soon as I got used to that, I loved it.
April 21, 2025
Got this book out from the library when it first came out and had to take it back unread. Remembered I had it on my kindle so given that I have the second one thought I would read it over the lazy Easter weekend. it was fun, frothy and very sweet.
May 29, 2019
I had no idea when I picked this book up that it was three novellas - I really enjoyed it. It’s a welcome departure from a lot of chic lit books based around food/cafes/chocolate etc.
June 6, 2019
3.5 stars - an enjoyable read though it was a little predictable for me. Also I felt it could have been a bit shorter. However the various romances were fun to follow.
January 10, 2020
Loved thos book. It wasnt your typical book that you know what going to happen all the way through. It had twists and turns and was action packed it was like a mo ie in my head 😃
July 22, 2020
Absolutely enjoyed this book. She writes very much like Milly Johnson. Look forward to reading some more of hers in the near future.
September 14, 2020
A fairly predictable romantic read. Some decent characters but nothing very memorable about this book.
October 9, 2020
Cute book, cute story for a light hearted read!!
But lots of grammatical errors!! That was a huge put off though!!
But lots of grammatical errors!! That was a huge put off though!!
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