The Sweet Shop of Second Chances

Holly Berry Sweet Shop #1

by Hannah M. Lynn

Starting over never tasted so good.

Holly Berry has it all; a good corporate career, a steady boyfriend, and enough savings that they will soon be able to buy a nice little house. But when she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her, she decides to retreat to the Cotswolds and a place full of far sweeter memories.

Quite literally.

However when Holly discovers the quaint village sweet shop that she worked in as a teenager is starting to crumble she decides that maybe the sensible life isn’t what she wants after all. Putting all her chocolate eggs in one basket, she says goodbye to the city, and sets her sights on Just One More.

After all, how hard can running a sweet shop be?

With charismatic Giles, ready to rescue her at every turn and the local bureaucrats breathing down her neck, it certainly isn’t the quiet life she expected. Can Holly really save the place from the the wicked developers, or will she be the reason Just One More closes its doors for good?

Full of laughter, sweet clean romance and cozy village life, The Sweet Shop of Second Chances will make you believe that the best things in life really are worth fighting for.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, British Literature

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2023

About the author

Hannah Lynn is a multi award winning novelist. Publishing her first book, Amendments – a dark, dystopian speculative fiction novel, in 2015. Her second book, The Afterlife of Walter Augustus – a contemporary fiction novel with a supernatural twist – went on to win the 2018 Kindle Storyteller Award and the Independent Publishers Gold Medal for Best Adult Ebook.

Born in 1984, Hannah grew up in the Cotswolds, UK. After graduating from university, she spent 15 years as a teacher of physics, first in the UK and then Thailand, Malaysia, Austria and Jordan. It was during this time, inspired by the imaginations of the young people she taught, she began writing short stories for children, and later adult fiction.

With over 30 publications spanning a number of genres and translated into a dozen languages, Hannah has proven herself to be both an accomplished and prolific author.

Now settled back in the UK with her husband, daughter and clowder of cats, she spends her days writing romantic comedies and historical fiction. Her first historical fiction novel, Athena's Child, was also a 2020 Gold Medalist at the Independent Publishers Awards.

Reviews

[elizabeth rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a heartwarming escape? The Sweet Shop of Second Chances by Hannah Lynn is just that, perfect for a quick, feel-good summer read! The story revolves around Holly, who returns to her charming village to revamp an old sweet shop in the Cotswolds. Along the way, she discovers friendship, and all the nostalgic feels.

This was such a feel-good read! The small-town vibe is spot on, the descriptions of the villages in the Cotswolds were gorgeous, and the sweet shop sounded utterly mouth-watering!

There were a few predictable moments, but honestly, that’s part of the charm. Sometimes you just need a cute feel-good read that leaves you with a smile.

Giving it 4 out of 5 stars because it’s a delightful escape, even if it’s a bit fluffy. If you’re into uplifting stories full of friendship and starting anew, this one’s a winner! 📚✨

[give me books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bardzo miła i taka ciepła książka, ale strasznie przewidywalna. Dosłownie w niektórych momentach chciałabym zostawić kilka stron żeby powiedzieli to, co już wiem.

Nie mniej bardzo fajna i słodka historia

[✷⁠Ley✷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sweet Shop of Second Chances

4✯

In my opinion, Hannah Lynn did it again with another great read. The Sweet Shop of Second Chances by Hannah Lynn is a great read. It's a slow burner for sure, but it still kept me captivated as we follow Holly's adventures to back to her roots.

It's starts off with Holly coming home after a long day of work, to find her boyfriend in their bed with another woman. Not knowing where else to go, Holly finds herself back in her hometown, where she grew up. We follow Holly post-breakup, on her path of self discovery/worth and her going after what she wants in life. She buys the local candy shop where Holly faces major ups and major downs. She meets great friends and reunite with old friends along the journey, and then there are a couple of not so welcoming people she crosses paths with. .

I experienced all the emotions from the beginning (sadness, anger, happiness, excitement, laughter, etc...), and I must say I really appreciate the fact that Hannah Lynn can provoke those emotions when I read her works.

I don't have many complaints. I would say that it is written in third person, which isn't my preferred POV, but I can overlook that. If you can get over that fact, I believe you could enjoy this book. And secondly, make sure you have sweets handy. With Holly always surrounding herself in the sweets shop, you get descriptive details of the candies and sweets and makes your mouth water for some yourself. Due to that, I was eating a lot of sweets while reading this.

Hannah Lynn has become one of my favorite authors, with Athena's Child being my absolute favorite of her books and my number one book to recommend. I was ecstatic to learn that I was approved to be an ARC reader for the first book in her romance series.

Thank you NetGalley, Hannah Lynn and Boldwood Books for a free copy of The Sweet Shop of Second Chances for an honest review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in this series was a fun easy read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot is convincing that you can go home again but not without complications. Another bonus - there's lots of chocolate. The book is set in a sweet shop in a small city in the Cotswolds so I wasn't familiar with all of the candy that was mentioned but I goggled most of it and I'm ready for a trip to England to try some of them out (I wish!)

Holly Berry had managed to get out of the small town she grew up in. She had a steady job and a boyfriend that she planned to spend the rest of her life with...until she caught him in bed with another woman. So she threw a few clothes in a suitcase and went home again. During a walk she saw one of the owners of the sweet shop that she'd worked at in her teenage years. The woman told her that she planned to sell the shop that had so many great memories for Holly to developers and move away. On an impulse, Holly offers to buy the shop. She had that money in her account that she was saving to buy a house with her boyfriend so why not spend it on something to make her happy? She soon finds out that the shop may have been more work than she planned on. Can she make the shop a successful or will she have to go back to her cooperate job to survive? In her quest to be successful, she's helped by a friend from long ago along with three new friends...or is one of them really an enemy?

I enjoyed this cute little romance. It was fun to read and brought back memories of the penny candy case at a local store when I was growing up. I enjoyed all of the characters - especially Holly who was working so hard to be successful. It's a sweet book with a bit of adventure, a bit of mystery, a bit of romance and a lot of chocolate. How can you go wrong??

[Weronika cryinginthecor2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

głównej bohaterce najwyraźniej od tych wszystkich słodyczy mógł zgnił już w latach nastoletnich

jakimś cudem ta książka była jednocześnie nudna, nijaka, przewidywalna i irytująca

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this literally very sweet story and if it wasn’t so formulaic, I would have been able to award this book the full five stars. As it was, I could see how the plot would unfold too early on and instead wanted a few more narrative surprises along the way.

Holly is a very likeable character, but I did think she was rather dim throughout, especially when I thought it was blindingly obvious what was going on around her. I loved her tenacity towards the sweet shop and even though she is concerned about acting so spontaneously, she is determined to make a success of the business. Despite so many set-backs, Holly wants to make sure she honours the legacy established by Maud and Agnes, the previous owners. Finding new friends in the village, Holly grows to realise that this is more than just a sweet shop, but a place for the community to come together and, quite simply, make people happy.

The two male protagonists were a bit too obvious and I think the writer could have developed their characters further. I enjoyed watching the juxtaposition between the two and how Holly sees them so differently in regards to her shop. As this is the start of the series, I am hoping that Ben and Giles feature more in the later stories because I think there is so much more potential than what is shown in this novel.

Overall, there wasn’t anything that I particularly disliked about the story and I relished in the confectionary setting! It reminded me a little bit of a Jenny Colgan novel, and I hope the rest of the books about this sweet shop are just as good. The community around Holly are all very kind and helpful and I loved watching them come together to help Holly make a success of the shop.

With plenty of sugar and sweetness, this book is not for the Dentists out there! It was a lovely, light read about Holly’s new venture and the romance element was not a dominating factor. This meant that I really enjoyed the sweet shop theme and I took great pleasure in picturing this old fashioned shop and all the colourful, sugary happiness inside.

With thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have rounded this up to a 4 star, but it was between a 3-4.

I really enjoyed this book - it was a fun read and I really got invested in Holly’s life and the sweet shop. I really liked the characters and the story line was simple but refreshing. The only thing I didn’t like was how Holly treated poor Humbug the cat!

The negatives were that the editing/writing was horrendous. There was mistakes on almost every other page and it felt really sloppy. I mean there was spelling mistakes everywhere, which does put you off reading it as it feels like the author/editor got lazy when there are so many.

However, I still gave this book a 4 star because as for the storyline, characters and interest, I did really enjoy it.

[Іvanna Poletaieva · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5
за чудову можливість відпочити і за те,
що ця книжка дала можливість прочитати історію, яка відбувається в такій прекрасній місцевості Котсволдса, Бертон-он-зе-вотер.
Я кілька років підряд була підписана на блогерку та сторінку Котсволдса в інстаграмі, і бачила всі ці казкові краєвиди. Тому була дійсно приємно вражена, що для мене ці місця стали більш реальні, завдяки головній героїні та її друзям.
Історія тепла, затишна і солодка, якщо хочеться відволіктися та прочитати щось легке, але не ромком, сміливо можна брати або радити цю
книжку.
Я отримала задоволення🍭

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. I found the main character a little lame and not very intuitive. The story was pretty obvious as to what was going to happen in the end. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[vvenika.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tak się wczułam, że podsuwałam im rozwiązania problemów na głos 🙈

[Kinga (oazaksiazek) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jako audiobook do sprzątania się nadaje, bo to bardzo lekka, naiwna i przesycona słodkościami książka.

Gdybym czytała ją w wersji papierowej zapewne rzuciłabym nią o ścianę.

[ksiazkowyelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐️
świetna książka na rozluźnienie, niby banalna, ale bawiłam się znakomicie. Myślałam, że będzie to romans i pomimo ze był tam taki wątek, to nie na tym skupiła się cała historia. Jestem mile zaskoczona

[Rude Kadry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Książka słodziutka, jak łakocie z One More Time... zanurzając w lekturze "Sklepiku ze słodkimi marzeniami" czułam się jak podczas seansu klasycznej komedii romantycznej, w której wielkomiejska dziewczyna powraca do rodzinnego miasteczka i dokonuje niemożliwego - to właśnie jest ten vibe i podany w niesamowicie przesłodzony, uroczy, lekko przewidywalny, a zarazem ciekawy sposób. Hannah Lynn trafiła w dziesiątkę, jestem na tak, ba! Czekam już na kolejne tomy!

Małomiasteczkowy klimat w powieściach to jeden z moich ulubionych motywów. Tam, gdzie wszyscy się znają, jest sielsko i swojsko - i właśnie takie miasteczko w swojej powieści zaserwowała mi Lynn. Fabuła powieści jest ciekawie skonstruowana, pozornie wszystko wiedziałam na początku, ale autorce udało się kilka razy mnie zaskoczyć, co wprowadziło mnie w dobry nastrój. Wąskie, ale charakterne grono bohaterów, gdzie każdy pędzi każdemu na pomoc, wspólne wypady na drinka i to wręcz kuriozalne "wszystko będzie dobrze!" - no zachwycam się. Nie jest to literatura wysokich lotów, ale jestem w pełni ukontentowana z lektury i z pewnością sięgnę po kolejne tomy tej serii.

Nie skłamię, jeśli powiem, że w tej książce podobało mi się wszystko. Spełniła moje oczekiwania, zrelaksowałam się podczas lektury, pośmiałam, pożałowałam trochę Holly, kibicowałam i cieszyłam się razem z nią. Lekka, przyjemna powieść, przy której doskonale spędziłam upalny wieczór. Nie wymagała ode mnie za dużo myślenia, a jednocześnie nie była ogłupiająca. Czy mogę prosić o więcej tak urokliwych powieści z ciekawymi bohaterami i małomiasteczkowym klimatem? Jeśli tak, to poproszę hurtowo!

"Sklepik ze słodkimi marzeniami" to cudownie relaksująca powieść, gdzie główna bohaterka jest nieco naiwna, ale ma wielkie marzenia, dąży do ich spełniania, a gdzieś obok kręcą się przystojni mężczyźni, przyjaciółki - no wypisz wymaluj hallmarkowa komedia romantyczna. Odmóżdzająca, lekko nierealna, ale jakże urocza! Literatura ma to to sobie, że potrafi spełnić praktycznie wszystkie oczekiwania, więc jeśli ktoś z Was szuka książki lekkiej, przyjemnej z komediowym akcentem, to właśnie ten tytuł powinien wziąć pod uwagę!

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really sweet book and I don't mean just because it's about a sweet shop.
Holly worked at Just One More as a teenager and remained close with the owner after she left. After one of the women passed away that owned half of the shop the other owner informs Holly it was not her dream any longer to run the shop and she's selling up. After a breakup and needing a fresh start Holly has the brilliant idea to purchase the sweet shop and run it. Letting nostalgia guide her she wasn't aware of what goes on with the other side of business. It's so much more stressful being the owner than just the employee. With Easter candy, creams, twists, gummies and chocolates galore she's ready to run this business as has become her dream. When inspectors find some things not up to par, costly repairs needing done and customers giving her a hard time she frazzled. Add to this she works seven days a week and can't afford to hire any help yet. Will she even have time for a romance, or will these sweet treats be all she has the time for? When things seem to go from bad to worse will her dreams of living in this quaint little village with her charming shop end before all the bon bons are gone? Sweet, charming and humorous I was rooting for Holly the whole time.
I'm enjoying this series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

[book.touch · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️
Jakie to było komfortowe, przytulne i przecudowne!!
Przysięgam że już dawno nie trafiłam na książkę która była dla mnie tak komfortowa. Bawiłam się na niej naprawdę dobrze i pochłonęłam ją dosłownie w 2 dni.
Książka była strasznie przewidywalna, ale totalnie mi to nie przeszkadzało. Nie znajdziemy tu żadnej erotyki, nawet jakiegoś wielkiego romansu, co bardzo mi odpowiadało. Za to dostaniemy dziewczynę która mimo przeciwności losu w końcu stawia na siebie i dąży do celu.
Postacie były naprawdę dobrze wykreowane, główna bohaterka troszkę naiwna ale jakoś jestem jej to w stanie wybaczyć przez jej przeszłość i ciągłe stawianie innych ponad siebie.
Łatwo było też się domyślić kto stoi za jej małymi porażkami i potknięciami, ale i tak zaangażowałam się w fabułę.

Jeśli sięgając po „sklepik ze słodkimi marzeniami” liczycie na coś nowego w tym gatunku to niestety tego nie dostaniecie. Jest to jedna z bardziej przewidywalnych książek. Ale jak to gdzieś kiedyś przeczytałam - nie sięgnęłam po nią żeby przeżyć rollercoaster tylko żeby zrobiło mi się miło na sercu 💗

[Nienawidzeeeee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Przyjemne i krótkie, chodź główna bohaterka ma kilka głupich decyzji za sobą

[Gala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Як для свого жанру- то нормально,настрій створює,зацікавленість тримає

[Tonia Starovoyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Одна із найсололодших (у прямому та переносному сенсах) книжок, які я колись читала🍭💕

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and loved a couple of Hannah’s books now but I haven’t read any of the ‘Holly Berry Sweet Shop Series’…….until now that is. I read the synopsis for the first book in the series called ‘The Sweet Shop Of Second Chances’ and it certainly sounded like just my kind of read. So without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for a fun afternoon of reading.
To say that reading ‘The Sweet Shop Of Second Chances’ became addictive is like saying that I like cake- in other words a huge understatement. As soon as I started reading, I knew that it would be pointless planning to do anything else other than reading as I knew that I wouldn’t be able to put the book down. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I had taken to the characters so well that I just couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I became so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of characters that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. All too quickly I reached the end of story and I had to say a (temporary) goodbye to Holly, the sweet shop and the rest of the characters. I found ‘The Sweet Shop Of Second Chances’ to be a delight to read. It is a fun, light hearted and ultimately feel good story.
‘The Sweet Shop Of Second Chances’ is well written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Hannah Lynn. She has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Hannah’s books is more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. Hannah has created adorable characters who you can’t help but take into your heart. Hannah cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way she describes them. She makes them seem just as real as you and I. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Sweet Shop Of Second Chances’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Hannah’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very vivid and realistic 5* out of 5*.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book reminded me of my local sweet shop when I was at school. A quick, easy read with a lovely frisson of sweet romance and more importantly friendship.

[book.asiek · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5
Ta książka to jedna wielka sinusoida.
Przez całą książkę bohaterkę spotykają same złe rzeczy, niektóre są wyjaśnione, rozumiem je, ale oprócz tych ciągle jest tutaj coś przykrego, ja nie wiem gdzie w niej jest KOMFORT. Koniec lekko uratował.
Pół gwiazdki, bo w zasadzie byłam ciekawa co tam się wydarzy na końcu.
Ale ludzie, twierdzący że ona jest komfortowa mają delulu, typiare już na pierwszej stronie zdradza długoletni partner z którym budowała przyszłość, i mam wrażenie że co STRONĘ dzieje się jej przykrego, od małych rzeczy po grube. Rzadko się cieszy (bardziej jakieś napady nadziei na lepszą przyszłość) XD

[Klaudia Sienkiewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sama fabuła nie była zła, ale jakoś ciężko mi się to czytało (może przez sierpniowy zastój czytelniczy). Niepotrzebne obszerne opisy uczuć bohaterów, o których i tak już wiemy. Gdyby czytało się tylko dialogi i tak każdy zrozumiałby treść książki.

[Kapibara romansiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5

Takie to niewybitne, ale dość urocze

[Cozzy_Ola · Rating 4 out of 5]

To było idealnie słodkie i urocze

[Julita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐
Urocza historia, chwilami główna bohaterka irytowała mnie swoją naiwnością.

[Nicola Louise Ankers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been proper obsessed with reading this book the last 2 days on my kindle I had actually finished it.

I had absolutely loved the read and it was also a very easy read to get in to as well.

[Адріана Павлич-Гресько · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Мила, передбачувана історія про крамничку солодощів і життя в маленькому містечку, де всі знайомі. Для відпочинку чи дороги підходить прекрасно. Зі здивуванням побачила, що є аж 8 книжок в серії англійською

[zkurasinska · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew this guy was a 🐍😩

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 ⭐️

[Charlotte (Bogrejser) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bedre end forventet! (Jeg havde gættet, hvem skurken var 😎)